Page 33 - the NOISE July 2015

producers replied no, they had failed to come to this conclusion.
The BBC had deemed such an appearance unsuitable for family entertainment and was concerned that some of their more sensitive viewers might feel uncomfortable watching a paraplegic sing a song about finding true love while surrounded by dancing teenagers. They instructed Top of the Pops to rescind their invitation to Robert Wyatt. They knew he would understand.
Robert Wyatt’s response was that Top Of The Pops, and indeed the entire British Broadcasting Company, could go
f--k themselves. It was they who had asked him to appear and he intended to honor that request. And by the way, the BBC’s more sensitive viewers could all go f--k themselves as well. Top of the Pops suggested that perhaps Wyatt could perform seated in a regular chair. This was unbelievable. Barely one year after the accident and already he was being treated like a pariah. Wyatt suggested a specific place they could shove their regular chair.
Wyatt asked the Top of the Pops producers what they thought would happen if the British tabloid press got wind of the situation. They would easily break it down to its basic components: a huge multinational corporation worth millions vs. a man in a wheelchair. Which side did they think the public would support? Top of the Pops bounced that question back up to the BBC and they were told the decision stood.
So the British media were delivered a big juicy story with an easily identified villain and hero. They ran with it and the furor was immediate and ruthless. The heads of the BBC were painted as inhuman ogres who wouldn’t allow a crippled young man to sing his happy little song on TV. The current issue of the New Musical Express featured a large photo of Wyatt and his six man band, all seated in wheelchairs. The BBC began getting calls from handicapped
by tony ballz
charities threatening a boycott or a protest. Perhaps it was the vision of legions of paraplegics storming the BBC offices waving walkers, crutches, braces and canes that led to their change of heart, who knows.
In late September of 1974, Robert Wyatt and band were allowed onto the Top of the Pops set in the BBC television studios where they were taped miming to their current hit single in a room full of boogying teens. Top of the Pops instructed their cameramen to film the band the same as any other, and not attempt to shoot around or otherwise mask the singer’s wheelchair. Although Wyatt is lip-synching, the look of triumph on his face is obvious.
The performance was broadcast the next week. It is unknown whether any of the BBC’s more sensitive viewers lodged any complaints.
In the years since Rock Bottom and “I’m A Believer,” Robert Wyatt has released a steady succession of critically acclaimed albums, both solo and as a collaborator. During the Reagan/Thatcher era, his music became more outspokenly political. Around this time, he literally became a card-carrying Communist. He scored another minor chart hit in 1983 with a cover of Elvis Costello’s anti-Thatcher “Shipbuilding,” written during the Falklands war. The stark video for
“Shipbuilding,” contained some stunning imagery, specifically at the end: Wyatt propels himself around the British boat docks, eventually coming to a stop in front of what looks like a wall. The camera pulls back to reveal an enormous warship. On the pier a tiny antlike Wyatt stares up at it from a tiny wheelchair.
The 1974 Drury Lane show remains his only concert as a solo artist. He has appeared onstage sporadically as a special guest for several friends, most notably David Gilmour, with whom Wyatt sang Pink Floyd’s
“Comfortably Numb.” He has also shot in- studio sessions for the BBC and French TV. He has gladly participated in documentaries on his life and the Canterbury Scene.
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