Sparks fly as BBC slaps down their dick

Sensing the ability to turn a small row into a PR opportunity, BBC London's decision to not play Sparks' new single on the Jono Coleman breakfast show has brought forth a flurry of press release:

"Ron Mael this morning raged: "the BBC has officially killed off our new single dick around, ostensibly through rather childish objections to the title, an innocent reference to the idle life.

That a piece of music can be condemned purely by its title without the 'decision makers' even having the decency to open the cd case is a travesty and an insult to both us as the creators of the music and to the listeners of the BBC"

To be absolutely honest, we're not sure the extent to which not getting played on the 179th most popular breakfast show in London is "killing off" the single, especially since the band found out they were banned while on the Jono Coleman breakfast show. Unless they think that being given a live interview is part of the BBC's plot against them - "they distracted us from appearing on the Chris Moyles show by tempting us up Marylebone High Street."

Russell mael responded "the reaction from the public to this record has been nothing but positive so the BCC (sic) should stop trying to be the morality police when it is so clearly misplaced"

We're not entirely sure what this means - that it's misplaced for the BBC to be the morality police? Or just misplaced on this occasion?

To be fair to Sparks, this does seem to be a slightly over-zealous interpretation of the rules, and, yes, we'd be a bit fed up at being dicked about like this. But there's an element of over-reaction on both sides, surely?

music sparks bbc london