The Pogues speak out on the culture wars that surround ‘Fairytale Of New York’

nme.com:

The Pogues have addressed the culture wars surrounding their song ‘Fairytale Of New York’ in a new interview with NME.The 1987 Christmas track, which is performed by Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues frontman Shane McGowan, has been at the centre of debate in recent years due to its use of a homophobic slur f****t in its lyrics.In 2018 McGowan defended the word, saying that it was never intended to be homophobic, though two years later BBC Radio 1 announced they would be playing a censored version in the run-up to Christmas – a move followed by BBC Radio 2 in 2022.The decision prompted criticism from some, including Nick Cave who said that removing the word “destroys the song by deflating it right at its essential and most reckless moment, stripping it of its value.”In 2019, actress and screenwriter Ruth Jones also faced backlash after Gavin & Stacey included the lyric in that year’s Christmas TV special.

The slur occurred when Nessa (played by Jones) and Bryn performed a version of the 1987 hit.Upon the BBC’s initial announcement that they would censor the lyric, Laurence Fox took to Twitter to criticise the broadcaster, prompting the band’s official account to hit back at him, writing: “Fuck off you little herrenvolk shite.” Herrenvolk was a concept in Nazi ideology which referred to the German people as the ‘master race’.Now, in an interview with NME, surviving members of The Pogues, James Fearnley, Jem Finer and Spider Stacy, have weighed in on the annual debate.When asked what the band thinks of the culture wars surrounding the track, Stacy referenced the public spat with Fox, saying: “We don’t want to be dragged into anything on behalf of people like Laurence Fox.”He went on to say: “When the BBC announced they were.