Sunday, April 01, 2007
Love Fool
It's April Fools Day today! And, if we were a bit more imaginative and organised, we'd have come up with some sort of hilarious hoax to try and fool you, our dear reader(s), but umm, we haven't. Though frankly, given some of the stuff we tend to find ourselves imagining when we start thinking about popstars, it's perhaps best that we don't share them with you. Anyway, while we might be too lazy to come up with one, there's been plenty of other pop hoaxes throughout the years. Here's just a few of them:-
- In 1964 The Times announced that inoculations against "Beatlemania" were to be introduced on the NHS. Within hours of the story rolling off the presses thousands of mothers up and down the land were frogmarching their teenage daughters into doctors' surgeries an, hoping for an end to the screaming, tears, and constant arguments over which of the Beatles was the cutest which characterised the epidemic. Alas, on arrival they were merely met by a bewildered receptionist who didn't understand what they were talking about. Although whether this was through genuine ignorance or simply because she was unable to hear what they were talking about over the constant screaming and fights as rival girls began bickering over which one of them Paul would be more likely to fancy is unknown.
- On the 3rd of February, 1959, Buddy Holly teamed up with friends The Big Bopper and Richie Valens to try and trick the world into thinking they'd all died in a plane crash. Alas, their prank proved to be too successful and the threesome were loath to reveal the truth for fear of looking stupid. And also, Buddy was getting 10% of the royalties for Don McLean's American Pie and had no wish to put that particular cash cow to death. The truth was only revealed when Buddy went along to see the musical version of his life story and was ejected halfway through after taking issue with the way events were being portrayed and causing something of a ruckus.
- The most audacious practical joke of all time took place in the seventies, where they entire decade was conceived as an elaborate ruse to see just how much ridiculousness could be foisted upon the public before they cottoned on. Alas, the joke was on the organisers, however, as the public happily lapped up everything that was thrown at them, from glam rock to prog, The Osmonds to the Wurzels, Britain eagerly leapt upon everything that was placed in front of them, clutching them lovingly to their bosoms. Or, if they weren't a woman or an overweight man, their chest. Even when they pulled out their ultimate trump card, Punk, the public still embraced the movement and, with a heavy heart, defeat was admitted and the project was finally pulled.
- Similarly, the entire career of Westlife is nothing more than a joke which got way, way out of hand.
- One of the greatest hoaxes, which is still perpetuated to this day and seems to have acquired an urban legend status alongside the girl who wakes up in a bath full of ice with one of her kidneys removed and Chris Moyles, is that of the idea of either of Oasis' Gallagher brothers being in any way witty, erudite or having any sort of relevance to any of their pointless and predictable utterances about popular culture. The joke was started by a bored NME staffer in the mid-nineties, but he now regrets his youthful indiscretion. "If I'd have known anyone was going to take it seriously", he sobbed as he stood on top of a high building, ready to throw himself off, "I'd never have done it. I feel so guilt-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggh".
- The myth that Nicola Roberts is the ugly one from Girls Aloud. The sooner that particular misconception is cleared up, the better.
- McFly.
Labels: April Fools Day
