You may have noticed by now that the airtime devoted to dead popstars bears scant relation to their actual importance in the genre, or indeed their popularity. So, for example, the death of the smackhead rapper Coolio was headline news on the BBC and the subject of a fawning feature on the PM programme, despite the fact that he had only one really big hit in the UK – ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ – the bones of which were written by Stevie Wonder.
The tragedy of Harley, a charming and hugely talented man, is that he is remembered for one song
Meanwhile, Rick Parfitt was the co-writer of a large proportion of Status Quo’s more than 60 top 30 hits – the greatest number of any band of any era – but his passing was scarcely mentioned. The reason, I think, is that the middle-class arts-grad crowd in our media are ashamed of Status Quo and would feel embarrassed eulogising him.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in