Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music
Encyclopedia
Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music is a BBC Radio 4
comedy
series, taking a satirical look at popular music
. It is written by and stars Mitch Benn
and Robin Ince
. It also features Mitch's group The Distractions (Kirsty Newton and Tash Baylis) and in the first two series Alfie Joey
. It began in 2004, and has run for three series so far.
(Robin Ince) complaining that heavy metal
was getting soft; Robin's obsession with The Smiths
and talking head clip shows he had appeared in; Alfie's obsession with Lindisfarne
; and, in the first series, Mitch's paranoia that Richard Stilgoe
is a better musical satirist.
In both series the final episode was a "format-buster" with a special guest star. The last episode of series one started out as a discussion of manufactured bands, but was derailed when Richard Stilgoe appeared and attempted a coup, with Robin taking his side. The series two finale
, Journey to the Centre of Rick Wakeman, a parody of 1970s progressive rock
"concept albums", was set in the near future (2009, to be exact), when England
and Wales
are on the point of war and the Crimes team must reform to bring Rick Wakeman
out of a coma
so he can bring peace.
and Wales
, respectively. In the third they were trapped at London Stansted Airport
, trying to get to Australia
. This led directly into the final episode, in which their plane crashed on a mysterious island, in a parody of Lost
.
Recurring jokes in this series included Morrissey
(played by Ince) appearing at some point, and the fact the Distractions were present during the musical numbers, and occasionally referred to, but almost never directly involved in the plot.
is a 2005 album by Mitch Benn and The Distractions named after and featuring songs from the show, as well as The Now Show
and It's Been a Bad Week
.
. Peel's death in October 2004 required that this feature be dropped for series two; accordingly Ince wrote and recorded a series of sketches using his impression of rock DJ Tommy Vance
. By a bizarre quirk of fate, Vance himself died shortly before series two was due to begin broadcasting; Ince had to be hurriedly smuggled into a recording of The Now Show
in order to record re-written versions of the Vance sketches in his "Satan
" persona, Satan being less vulnerable to The Curse. Ince's John Peel impression was resurrected for the last episode of series two, where he played "The Ghost of John Peel".
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
series, taking a satirical look at popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. It is written by and stars Mitch Benn
Mitch Benn
Mitch Benn is a British musician and stand-up comedian known for his humorous songs performed on BBC radio. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's satirical programme The Now Show, and has hosted other radio shows.Benn has performed at several music festivals, and at the Edinburgh Festival...
and Robin Ince
Robin Ince
Robin Ince is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage .-Stand-up comedy:...
. It also features Mitch's group The Distractions (Kirsty Newton and Tash Baylis) and in the first two series Alfie Joey
Alfie Joey
Alfie Joey is a British comedian and radio presenter. He currently co-presents the BBC Newcastle breakfast show.He has featured in numerous radio and television shows, such as Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music and Ideal...
. It began in 2004, and has run for three series so far.
Series One and Two
The first two series had a discussion format in which, every week, the presenters would talk about some aspect of the music industry, inevitably tying in to whatever songs Mitch had prepared (something Robin would comment sarcastically upon). Running gags included regular appearances by SatanSatan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
(Robin Ince) complaining that heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
was getting soft; Robin's obsession with The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and talking head clip shows he had appeared in; Alfie's obsession with Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne (band)
Lindisfarne were a British folk/rock group from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1970 and fronted by singer/songwriter Alan Hull. Their music combined a strong sense of yearning with an even stronger sense of fun...
; and, in the first series, Mitch's paranoia that Richard Stilgoe
Richard Stilgoe
Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe OBE is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician. He is noted for clever wordplay as much as for his music....
is a better musical satirist.
In both series the final episode was a "format-buster" with a special guest star. The last episode of series one started out as a discussion of manufactured bands, but was derailed when Richard Stilgoe appeared and attempted a coup, with Robin taking his side. The series two finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
, Journey to the Centre of Rick Wakeman, a parody of 1970s progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
"concept albums", was set in the near future (2009, to be exact), when England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
are on the point of war and the Crimes team must reform to bring Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
out of a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
so he can bring peace.
Series Three
The third series worked the musical satire into a sitcom format. The concept was that Mitch and Robin were taking the show on tour, but consistently failing to arrive at their destinations and performing wherever they ended up. The first two episodes were set in fictional small towns in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, respectively. In the third they were trapped at London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
, trying to get to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This led directly into the final episode, in which their plane crashed on a mysterious island, in a parody of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Recurring jokes in this series included Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
(played by Ince) appearing at some point, and the fact the Distractions were present during the musical numbers, and occasionally referred to, but almost never directly involved in the plot.
Crimes Against Music album
Crimes Against MusicCrimes Against Music
Crimes Against is the fourth album by Mitch Benn, released in 2005 under the name of 'Mitch Benn and The Distractions' and featuring his backing band composed of Kirsty Newton and Tasha Baylis...
is a 2005 album by Mitch Benn and The Distractions named after and featuring songs from the show, as well as The Now Show
The Now Show
The Now Show is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the week's news. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis...
and It's Been a Bad Week
It's Been a Bad Week
It’s Been a Bad Week is a British radio comedy on BBC Radio 2, first broadcast on 11 February 1999. It is presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, and is also referred to as Punt and Dennis: It's Been a Bad Week. More than 100 episodes have been broadcast , the latest series ending on 22 June 2006....
.
"The Curse Of Robin Ince"
Series one made a regular feature of Robin Ince's celebrated impression of the well-loved DJ John PeelJohn Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. Peel's death in October 2004 required that this feature be dropped for series two; accordingly Ince wrote and recorded a series of sketches using his impression of rock DJ Tommy Vance
Tommy Vance
Tommy Vance was a British pop radio broadcaster, born in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. He was one of the few music broadcasters in the United Kingdom to champion hard rock and heavy metal in the early 1980s, providing the only national radio forum for both bands and fans...
. By a bizarre quirk of fate, Vance himself died shortly before series two was due to begin broadcasting; Ince had to be hurriedly smuggled into a recording of The Now Show
The Now Show
The Now Show is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the week's news. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis...
in order to record re-written versions of the Vance sketches in his "Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
" persona, Satan being less vulnerable to The Curse. Ince's John Peel impression was resurrected for the last episode of series two, where he played "The Ghost of John Peel".