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Taboo be Doo: Episode 2

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Episode 2

BBC Radio 4 - Taboo be Doo, Episode 2

Terence Blacker explores politically incorrect music over the last century.

Musician and writer Terence Blacker looks at politically incorrect songs of the last century and asks what makes a song offensive, and why songs have such power to upset people.

When Terence Blacker started looking for new music to play in his duo with guitarist Derek Hewitson, he found many of the songs they wanted to play were likely to cause offence - to women, black people, gays, disabled people, foreigners - pretty much everybody really.

Terence started to wonder more and more about these songs and the questions they raised - were they written to offend? Has what offends us changed over time? What's politically incorrect now? Is a song, however offensive, ok if it's funny? And most important of all, can he and Derek get away with playing these songs in front of an audience?

Some of the songs Terence will be listening to - and playing - will have been specifically written to provoke outrage. More often, though, they will simply reflect the prevailing moods, prejudices, fears and hang-up of the times in which they were written. 

Running through this programme is Terence and Derek's gig recorded at the Aldeburgh Literary Festival. How will the audience react to politically incorrect songs from the 1920s to the present day? Can they really play Frank Zappa's Jewish Princess without being run out of town?

And of course we get to hear all those politically incorrect songs from the past - and can judge for ourselves their ability to amuse, provoke, shock and delight.

Presenter: Terence Blacker is the author of numerous children's books and eight novels for adults as well as the acclaimed biography of his friend Willie Donaldson, You Cannot Live As I Have Lived and Not End Up Like This. He has written a twice weekly column for the Independent since 1998 and is a regular broadcaster. Terence is also one half of the acoustic guitar duo Something Happened.


Producer: Jane Greenwood 
A Loftus Audio production for BBC Radio 4.

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Terence Blacker explores politically incorrect music over the last century

Musician and writer Terence Blacker looks at politically incorrect songs of the last century, asking what makes a song offensive and why songs have such power to upset people

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