The google link to the BBC obituary read: “Jeffey Archer:
successful novelist, disgraced politician and convicted liar”… yet when I
clicked on it, the headline appeared to have been edited to the somewhat less
inflamatory: “Jeffrey Archer: bestselling novelist whose political career ended
in scandal”. I suspect somebody at the BBC got their wrist slapped.
Two sentences from the obituary however tell us everything
that’s wrong with the political system…
“His political career was paused in 2001 when he was jailed
for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.”
“He was released in 2003 and returned to the House of Lords
until he retired in 2024.”
Anyway, I hadn’t expected much in terms of complimentary
lyrical tributes to Mr. Archer… I mean, he’s in some rather dubious company
here.
Bill
Pritchard – Kenneth Baker
Poor old Noel Edmonds, eh?
Perhaps Jeffrey Archer will be better remembered for his
books than his dubious political career. I don’t know – I’ve never read any of
them, and I doubt I’ll be starting soon.
Christian Fitness - All Ghosts To Medicine Counter Four
What else do we have to remember the (dis)Honourable Gentleman by?
Bing Selfish - The Fall And Rise And Fall Of Jeffrey Archer
There was also a track by Goldie Lookin’ Chain which featured a graphic description of prison life, perhaps best left out of this obituary.
Still, not to worry, eh? True immortality comes for Mr. Archer thanks to The Beloved… and much better company than he found himself in with today’s opening tune.
Sir Bufton Tufton indeed.
Often when I select a band name to feature on Namesakes, I do so thinking: "That'll be a nice short one. Probably only two or three and I'll be done." And then the floodgates open.
I predict a riot...
London-based Riot Squad who were kicking around in the mid-60s and managed to rope in a certain young David Jones (aka Bowie) to sing with them for a while in 1967. They covered The Velvet Underground's Waiting For My Man and also recorded this Bowie original... which owes quite a debt to the Velvets itself.
The Riot Squad - Little Toy Soldier
Meanwhile over in Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, around the same time Bowie was rioting through London Town, these nattily dressed young gentlemen were throwing back to the 50s. They also did a cover of Ferry 'Cross The Mersey which I chose not to go looking for.
Riot Squad - Come On, Let's Go
UK-based ska band from the late 70s / early 80s. Eventually they stopped rioting and just became The Squad.
Mansfield punks active between '81 and '84, reunited in 2003 under the law that states all old bands (except The Smiths) must get back together in the 21st Century. They have a sentiment that never goes out of date though...
Wonder what they make of Reform?
Cape Town punks, making noise around the same time as the guys above... so eventually they changed their name to Riot Squad South Africa to avoid confusion.
"One of the hottest and most popular reggae bands in South Florida" when this video was recorded, sometime around 1989. What the hell is going on?
Riot Squad - What the Hell Is Going On?
Texas punks from the 90s who eventually changed their name to The Staggers.
Spanish Oi! band from the early 21st century...
Riot Squad - Street Rock n Roll
Belgian punks from around the same time...
Riot Squad - Another Heartbreak
New Jersey punk-metal hip-hopper Rob Gee and his mates, circa 2014.
In case you're wondering, this "unique blend of Metal and Hardcore makes this track stand out like no others before it". I do like a nice bit of gratuitous hyperbole... even if it does make me rather anxious.
Also possibly known as Brian Setzer's Riot Squad... or maybe it was just another Setzer solo project that discogs seems to have given a "Riot Squad" label to in 2014. It's hard to tell sometimes.
Believe it or not, I'm trying to get more selective with this feature, and weed out some of the chaff to save us all a lot of bother. So there were plenty more Riot Squads I threw out this week. But I couldn't resist finishing with these guys, even though they won't get past George... from 2026. What a great year that was, eh?
Which ones are a Riot? And which ones are just Rot?
Sleep.
Till...
Answers!
15. Twins reunited after being separated from disgusted August.
14. Bubbly from Milton Keynes.
3. Richard Neville.
Check your history books.
2. Frequently needed a scrunchie.
Take a look at the mugshots below - they're all Wanted: Dead or Alive. But who are they and how are their songs connected?
15. Twins reunited after being separated from disgusted August.
14. Bubbly from Milton Keynes.
3. Richard Neville.
2. Frequently needed a scrunchie.
Keep The Faith, Snapshotters! The answers will be here tomorrow morning...
