Blair into Darkness
Published November 14, 2003
LONDON (Reuters) - In between running the country and shooting the breeze with President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair still finds time for a spot of head-banging and air guitar.
Blair has revealed himself as a fan of chart-toppers The Darkness, the glam heavy metallers renowned for their big hair and skin-tight catsuits, according to newspapers on Friday.
The Independent said Blair told schoolchildren that when he dips into the music collections of his teenage offspring he heads straight for Darkness CDs.
The Darkness, fronted by lead singer Justin Hawkins who sports a flame tattoo rising out of his crotch, have an enthusiastic fan base who gyrate wildly at their concerts.
The Prime Minister's current dress style of dark suits and conservative ties may seem at odds with The Darkness' penchant for ostrich leather cowboy boots and metallic pink or silver leather catsuits but Blair was not always a politician.
As a long-haired university student in the 1970s he played guitar in a band called Ugly Rumours, and no doubt was a wearer of flared trousers, Cuban heels and cheesecloth shirts — the de rigueur uniform of his generation.
The Darkness were not immediately available to comment on whether they welcomed Blair's endorsement.
Marty's band, Growing Old Disgracefully, can be found at: Disgraceful Music. His Cthulhu tales can be found at Temple of Dagon. 
- Blair into Darkness
- Published: November 14, 2003
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News
- Writer: Marty Dodge
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or so you say!
Well, Freddie Mercury's dead, so I sure don't want him in my living room. Definitely would need to vacuum after him. Elton John, well, we might have pleasant conversation over tea as long as we don't talk about politics, ethics, religion or fashion sense.
he likes soccer
"Keep your hands off of my woman, you MF'er"
Yeah, but he's a brit, so he's gonna call it "football" and I'll gonna be like "its soccer, you crazy limey!" and well, then we're back to square one.
Has anyone heard the Darkness? I have seen a couple shorts about them on TV and I don't think I could take more that 2 minutes of their music. They remind me of why I was glad when 1992 came around.
I had the same reaction, Craig. I've unfortunately seen their video on Fuse more than enough times to realize that I really don't need to relive 1987. It's kind of tongue-in-cheek retro-ism, but it grows quickly on my nerves - just like most of the real stuff from that era does to me today. Everything old truly is, at some point, new again.
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Eh, enjoyment of a particular artist's music really has little to do with endorsement of their fashion or lifestyle. For example, I find Queen and Elton John to be "good music", but I'd have little in common with the artists were they in my living room.