ORGAN GRINDING

These times we live in create the least likely of rebels: because he makes his Channel 4 show in BBC studios, and the screwed-up new live music licensing laws were so poorly drafted they managed to make television studios on a par with pubs, Paul O'Grady can't lead his audience in a sing-song. He's threatening to break the law:

“We can’t have live music which means I can’t sing, dance, play the organ or the bugle.

“It turns out if I have live entertainment I could be arrested. But I don’t mind being arrested. I’ll stand up in court and say, ‘Yes, Your Honour, I did play a bugle!”

Idiotic laws create idiotic situations. Perhaps a high-profile pointless prosecution of O'Grady for tooting his horn might do a lot of musicians some good.

music bbc paul o'grady