My Top Ten

Thursday, 16 July 2026

Celebrity Jukebox #81: Sam Neill

Gone to hunt the great T-Rex in the sky.

As the celebrity jukebox has taught us, true immortality only exists in song... or if you have a band named after you.

This lot are unbearably loud, but they did in which every track was named after a movie Sam Neill appeared in. And it's worth noting that when they posted it on bandcamp back in 2012, "Any potential profit from the sale of this album will go to buying our bassist gear, as his amp and guitar were stolen." I hope they made enough. You may disagree.

Sam Neill - Dead Calm

Here's something a little easier on the ears from Tampa, Florida...

And finally, a lyrical nod from Aussie band BREADCLUB, with added T-Rex...

I don't feel like myself

Feeling like I’m in a movie

With Sam Neill

When I was in the eighties

BREADCLUB - T-Rex

I can't help thinking Sam deserved a better tribute, so here's a song about a Sam, by a T-Rex. Let's go out on a high...

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Cancel Culture Club Postscript

When I began planning this series, I put together a pretty lengthy list of tunes to feature... but as time passed and enthusiasms waned, I realised it would become repetitive in many cases to go "here's another potentially racist / sexist / homophobic / transphobic tune, let's rehash the same arguments we had about the last one".

Still, I figured it might be worthwhile sharing the rest of my list with you. Most of these were found by doing google searches relating to "songs that are now considered politically incorrect" or similar. So I'm not the one pointing the finger, honest guv. Apart from maybe this one...

Here's the rest of the list. Here's what we could have talked about... and if anyone feels strongly about any of the songs below, and would like to pen a few words expressing their feelings for or against cancellation, I will happily run your thoughts in a bonus edition of the CCC at a future date.

But if nobody's bothered, that's fine too.

Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time

The Knack - My Sharona

The Knack – Good Girls Don’t

Madonna - Like A Virgin

Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen

Ram Jam – Black Betty

Sailor - Girls, Girls, Girls

Blue Mink - Melting Pot

J. Geils Band - Angel In The Centrefold

Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun

Joe Tex - Ain't Gonna Bump No More With No Big Fat Woman

Ides of March - Vehicle

Rod Stewart - Hot Legs

Rod Stewart - Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)

Maria Muldaur - Midnight at the Oasis

The Sweet - Wig Wam Bam

The Monks - Nice Legs, Shame About The Face

Randy Newman - Rednecks

Randy Newman - Short People

The Police - Every Breath You Take

Queen - Fat-Bottomed Girls

The Stranglers - Peaches

Nirvana - Rape Me

Elvis Presley - Kissin' Cousins

The Who - My Generation

If you're wondering why people take objection to that, it's for a similar reason to this...

Morris Minor & The Majors - Stutter Rap

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing

Cher - Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves

The Cure - Killing An Arab

The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian

Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy

Red Skelton & Esther Williams - Baby, It's Cold Outside

(That's the original, but you'll know one or two of the covers. I'm particularly fond of Robert Palmer's version.)

Gloria Gaynor - First Be A Woman

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit

Prince Buster - Ten Commandments Of Man

ABBA — When I Kissed the Teacher

Lulu - To Sir, With Love

Van Halen - Hot For Teacher

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Spasticus Autisticus

Peter, Paul & Mary - Puff, the Magic Dragon

Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man

Aren't you glad I didn't ask for your opinions on every one of those songs?

That said, if there are any that you feel strongly about... send me your thoughts!

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Namesakes #197: The Dream Police

That's Cheap Trick at the top of the page, because we're starting today with their 1979 US Top 30 hit Dream Police. Watch out for some pretty ropey acting at the start of the video from the members of the band who don't like doing that sort of thing...

"But this is Namesakes," you cry! "Surely there can't be more than one band named after that old Cheap Trick song?" You must be dreaming!

DREAM POLICE #1

Well, clearly these guys didn't steal their name from Cheap Trick, since they were plying their trade back when Rick Nielsen and co. were still in high school.

These are the Glaswegian Dream Police, formed in 1967, featuring Hamish Stewart who would later join the Average White Band, and Matt Irving who ended up playing bass in Manfred Mann's Earth Band. I'm going to resit a gag about how this song might have been a Scottish World Cup tune...

Dream Police - I'll Be Home (In A Day Or So)

DREAM POLICE #2

Danish punks from 1978 next, and I'm sure they wouldn't have been seen dead listening to Cheap Trick records.

Dream Police - Demise

DREAM POLICE #3

Some Norwegian hair metal next, from 1990. These guys openly admit to being named after the Cheap Trick tune. Guitarist Trond Holter previously played on Ole I Dole's 1985 album 'Blond Og Billig'

and would later change his name to 'Teeny' when he joined glam rock group Wig Wam in 2001.

Dream Police - When The Sun Goes Down

DREAM POLICE #4

A Swedish Dream Police from the same year... they had to change their name when the Norwegians came knocking, so they became Snakepit Rebels instead.

Dream Police - Sex, Booze & Tattoos

DREAM POLICE #5

Side project of Brooklyn punk band The Men, starting in 2010 when Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi clearly wanted to show their funkier side.

Dream Police - Revenge

DREAM POLICE #6

Finally, some electro-bobbins from Barbâtre, France in 2020. The best I can say for this is that it's not even two and a half minutes long. But you're entitled to disagree.

Dream Police - Pro Patria Vigilant

Which ones will be policing your dreams tonight - and which ones will be giving you nightmares?