THE SMITHS ON BRITISH TELLY (PART 5)

The first actual 'performance' was Friday 4 November 1983 on Channel 4's The Tube with a short, specially commissioned film.  Then there was a Top of The Pops appearance on Thursday 24 November.  The following month it was part of the Derby Assembly Rooms gig and then something really bizarre in April 1984 on a children's TV programme as detailed by Simon Goddard:-

Datarun, TVAM's Saturday morning children's slot....the most ridiculous venture of their TV career. Presented by Edwina Lawrie, sister of Lulu and her make-believe computerised sidekick 'Edwyn'. It was indicative of the producer's shoddy research that the singer was captioned on screen as 'Paul Morresey' not only misspelling his surname but confusing his Christian name with the director of Andy Warhol's Flesh credited on the reverse of The Smiths LP.


Between enlightening their juvenile inquisitors on why they chose their name and why they liked flowers, Morrissey with Johnny on acoustic guitar offered a snatch of This Charming Man, sabotaged by a comically out-of-sync chorus from the kids themselves. This ludicrous affair - which also incorporated brief sound check footage from their Manchester Free Trade Hall show (Still Ill and Hand In Glove witnessed by an attentive Sandie Shaw) - ended with two puppets dancing to What Difference Does It Make while reading a copy of Melody Maker.









mp3 : Death Cab For Cutie - This Charming Man

Next up....Still Ill