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Pick at the pops: 20 November 2006

Freddie Mercury

Our weekly round-up of the weird and wonderful world of pop music...

There was a sigh of relief across the lands of Pop this week as Bono won his hat back. The U2 frontman successfully sued former stylist (yes, a stylist, really, etc) Lola Cashman for the return of his cowboy hat and leather chaps. Yee-ha.

And he’s not the only has-been in the news. Blur bassist Alex James is desperately trying to re-ignite the ancient war with Oasis, labelling the Gallagher twins ”slightly ridiculous characters” and “grotesque” in conversation with VH1. No one cares, Alex.

The UK Music Hall Of Fame received a few new members, much to everyone’s indifference. Prince had evidently been told he was receiving an honorary knighthood, the effort he went to in flying all the way over, and the poor lad had to watch in horror as a “supergroup” comprising Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jose Gonzales and Queen’s Roger Taylor desecrated the Beatles’ legacy with unseemly glee. People have been flogged for less.

Speaking of Queen, it’s been announced that their Greatest Hits is the UK’s biggest-selling album of all time. Nowhere’s safe. Michael Jackson has a couple of albums in the all-time top 10, and this week the, erm, Peter Pan of Pop was over here to receive the Diamond Award (whatever that is) at the World Music Awards, and to perform a couple of numbers. Not sure the organisers expected this to amount to just the chorus of We Are The World, but you get what you pay for.

Unless you’re Girls Aloud. Sarah Harding, on a rare break from underwear shoots, is whingeing that their manager Louis Walsh doesn’t spend enough time with them these days. Apparently he can’t leave his boybands alone.

Matthew Horton

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