In 1976, she sued the publishers of the magazine Gay News for printing a poem entitled “The Love that Dares to Speak its Name” by James Kirkup, on [...]]]> Mary Whitehouse was, depending on your politics, a valiant and untiring defender of moral standards, or an interfering busybody who got off on minding other people’s business.

In 1976, she sued the publishers of the magazine Gay News for printing a poem entitled “The Love that Dares to Speak its Name” by James Kirkup, on the grounds that it was blasphemous. She ultimately won this court case, although the fact that both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Cardinal of London refused to testify on her behalf speaks volumes about just how much distance there was between Whitehouse’s moral standards and those of the wider community, even among other Christians.

Referenced in:

Glad to be Gay ’79 — Tom Robinson Band

From an early age, he showed above average intelligence – which unfortunately manifested in a loss of interest in learning and a growing [...]]]> David Richard Berkowitz was never a well-adjusted man. Born Richard David Falco, he was put up for adoption by his mother and adopted by the Berkowitz’s when he was a week old.

From an early age, he showed above average intelligence – which unfortunately manifested in a loss of interest in learning and a growing tendency towards pyromania. He went to Woodstock in 69, joined the Army in 71 (although he served only in South Korea and the US, never in Vietnam), and upon his discharge in 74, began drifting into cults.

He failed to reconcile with his birth mother that same year, and first attacked another human on Christmas Eve, 1975. His first murder, that of Donna Lauria, took place more than six months later.

As the Son of Sam, Berkowitz terrorised New York City for a little over twelve months until his arrest in August 1976, killing a total of six people and wounding seven others.

Referenced in:

S.O.S. – Camarosmith
I Hear Black – Overkill
Son of Sam – Macabre
Son of Sam – Dead Boys
Son of Sam – Elliott Smith
Son of Sam – Neitherworld
Mr. 44 – Electric Hellfire Club
Jumping at Shadows – Benediction
Ballad to the Son of Sam – Consumers
Son of A Gun (David Berkowitz) – Church of Misery
Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear The Voices) – Hall & Oates

Wolf’s career stretched over a quarter of a century, from 1951 [...]]]> Born Chester Arthur Burnett in 1910, there have been few bluesmen to equal to the talent of Howlin’ Wolf. His unusual name derives from his early (and notably unsuccessful) attempts to yodel – he sounded more like a howling wolf, and the name stuck.

Wolf’s career stretched over a quarter of a century, from 1951 until his death. He probably would have had a longer musical career had he not served in the military during World War Two, and his career would no doubt have brought him more joy had his mother not believed it to be ‘devil’s music’. Wolf died in Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois, mourned by a generation of bluesmen he influenced and a legion of fans the world over.

Referenced in:
Woke Up This Morning – Alabama 3