Smash Hits magazine is ceasing publication in Britain after twenty-eight years. Alexis Petridis, whose prose is as dazzling as his handle, writes a lovely and moving paean to its memory in this morning's Guardian. Remember it this way.
An Spailpín was always rather too stately an hombre to buy Smash Hits of course, but he was certainly always aware of its existence. The last time I saw Cerys Matthews of Catatonia, a singer considerably more talented than her band, was on telly one miserable December at the Smash Hits Christmas Party. Matthews had been duetting with Tom Jones on a novelty Christmas record for "charidee," a naughty little song, not a hundred yards removed in subject matter from Flanders and Swann's Madeira, M'Dear, now that I think of it, called "Baby, It's Cold Outside." A sublime piece of puff, which naturally got no recognition. Anyway, Tom and Cerys were introduced to the screaming masses as "The Prince and Princess of Wales." Perfect.
culture, music, smash hits
