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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Dallas Stars v. Gary Glitter

By Blair Lovern

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Convicted sickco

If you're a sports fan you've probably read about how Gary Glitter's soul is darker and nastier than his hair, and that the NFL this season decided to ban "Rock and Roll, Part Two" from being played at all games.

A recent letter to The Dallas Morning News brought up the subject again, in regard to the Dallas Stars. The exchange:

Q: Will the stars ever change their goal song? I think the current one is old, played out, and created by a convicted child molester. I think they should change it and come up with something better.

James

HEIKA: The Stars say they have no plans to change Rock n' Roll Part II by Gary Glitter as the goal song. Other teams have junked the song since Glitter's conviction, but the Stars don't really see a tie between the song and its author."

I thought that was a lazy defense either by Mike Heika of the DMN or the Stars, so I asked the Stars for clarification. Rob Scichili, director of communications for the Stars, passes this bit of information along, which he said goes out to any fan who writes the club about the Glitter song:

American Airlines Center pays a usage fee for thousands of songs that are in a single music catalog (they are used for every event in the building - Mavs, Stars, etc.). Whether the Stars play Rock n Roll Part 2 or not does not increase or decrease the amount of royalties that Mr. Glitter would receive from this catalog. Therefore, he receives no extra benefit from the Dallas Stars playing the song after a goal. In fact, he sold the rights to his songs years ago and receives no royalties whatsoever. Nor are we trying to pay homage to him or honor him in any way.

We actually tried to change the official goal song played at Stars games a few seasons ago, and our fans demanded (in a very large number I might add) that Rock n Roll Part 2 be brought back as the goal song. We do not view it as a way of supporting Mr. Glitter, nor do we have any affiliation with him. It has simply become a sports rock anthem that is played in hundreds of arenas and sporting events around the world.

As was pointed out by Kevin in the TexasGigs office, there doesn't seem to be much of a clamor from NFL fans to bring back "Rock and Roll, Part Two." Why don't the Stars take a stand like that other sport?

You could go further than that. Why not decorate the AAC with a bunch of Adolph Hitler paintings? Can't you sever those artist/art ties? What if fans demanded the Stars and their opponents screw the game and just skate around for three hours under a disco ball to stuff like "Digging Your Scene" by the Blow Monkeys?

Diggin' It

Am I being ridiculous? Oh, hell yes. But you can legitimately ask where to draw the morality line. A sports team started playing this song way back when, and dang-it, a sports team can stop it.

Then you can get realistic. I asked my wife about this song. She's not really into sports but she knows the "HEY!" anthem and doesn't know anything about Gary Glitter and said she doesn't care that teams still play his song when I told her about him. It's not his song just legally. It's not his song culturally. As the Stars point out, it's been played so much in so many places for so many years that it belongs to everyone and no one. How the hell do you even spell it out? "Rock and Roll, Part Two" or "Rock 'n' Roll (Part Two)" or (Part 2)? I don't think anyone knows.

Besides, if you want to ban it then ban it on proper grounds. The song is idiotic! I don't like how the drums were recorded, I don't like the guitar distortion, I don't like the way the people in the recording yell in it. I'm a big sports fan, but man, this thing sucked way back then, it sucks today and it will suck tomorrow. You can conjugate its suckiness forever. I feel sorry for the Stars, who say they were dragged back into playing it. Really, though, the whole or-gan-eye-zation ought to stand up like a man and cross-check Glitter's crappy tune on its sweet, overplayed ass and kick the tape out the door.

How many more years before enough people wanna puke over this? I BEG YOU, DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, PLEASE, AS WELL-RESPECTED HONOR BID ME ON, CAN NOT YOU MATCH THE HARD LABOR OF SONGCRAFT WITH THE RIGHT MAN OF COURAGE AND DECENCY TO CAST OUT A SPORTING ANTHEM THAT DOES NOT MAKE US CRINGE!?

Sorry. I just saw Shakespeare Dallas last week.

*sigh*

It is catchy, though.

Rock and Roll, Part Two

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Comments

kevin Anonymous

Regardless of whether the Stars are supporting Glitter financially by playing the song (fortunately it appears the answer is no),he song is so cliche by now. I'd much rather have a song that was more uniquely ours rather than just play the same song that every other professional and college team in the country plays. Well, except the NFL anymore, thankfully.

1 year, 11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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