Hey, Preds: Let's Stop Cheering The Music Of A Pedophile

Yesterday, Gary Glitter was charged — again — with eight counts of sexual offenses by English authorities.

From the Beeb:

The charges relate to two women who were aged between 12 and 14 at the time of the alleged offences between 1977 and 1980. The former pop star - real name Paul Gadd - is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 June.

The Crown Prosecution Service said no further action would be taken over five allegations made by two other people.

Glitter's best known — musically, at least, for his "Rock And Roll (Part 2)," long popular at sporting events for its catchy, easily scannable "chorus" that consists of yelling "Hey!".

For years, the Nashville Predators (among numerous other sports teams) have used the song as part of the post-goal celebration, appended after the hockeyified Tim McGraw song "I Like It, I Love It."

No doubt, most folks probably don't think too much about what's going on when they are yelling "Hey, you suck!" (which, admittedly, is a rather bizarre thing to say after the home team accomplishes something, but that's a discussion for another time) while Glitter's tune blasts through the Bridgestone Arena sound system.

But maybe we should think about it or, better yet, maybe we should stop celebrating with a song made famous by a man who has already been convicted of possessing more than 4,000 images of child pornography and was deported from Vietnam after serving a sentence for child molestation.

As Jim Diamond wrote when Glitter was originally arrested on this current round of charges in October 2012:

Singing along to the song also known as the “Hey Song,” some Predators fans enjoy yelling, “Hey, you suck,” as part of the goal celebration. Now many will hate to see the opportunity to yell the very creative (yeah, not really) “you suck” out a couple of times per night gone, surely they will understand the reasoning behind the long overdue Glitter ban. The Predators pride themselves on creating a very family-friendly environment at their games in Bridgestone Arena, and for the most part, they do accomplish this, save for the use of “Rock and Roll Part 2” and its implied prompting of fans to yell “you suck,” whenever it plays.

Surely the fine folks at Bridgestone, who have laid out millions of dollars to put their name on the building located at 501 Broadway can’t be happy with that song being played in a barn that bears their name, can they?

The NFL bans its teams from using the song, although the Kansas City Chiefs do play a cover version of the song that is virtually indistinguishable from Glitter's version (and for all I know, that version could well be the one used at Bridgestone Arena). Once ubiquitous in the NHL,

and the New Jersey Devils replaced the song last season first with a Bon Jovi tune (

) before settling on "Seven Nation Army."

The Predators aren't an organization given to much change — it took until 2011 to change out of the very 1990s original uniform design and until this season to part ways with the original player and coach — but they are turning over a new leaf.

With a new coach with a new outlook, the team should have a new song.

They shouldn't focus group it. They shouldn't poll it. They shouldn't take the temperature of every person who shrieks "AS A SEASON TICKET HOLDER..." at every perceived slight.

They should just drop it.

Plenty of people think the replacement for the goal song (and there are plenty of people who think McGraw's contribution is hopelessly dated and should be canned for reasons of good taste) should be the Black Keys' "Gold On The Ceiling," which is already used as the team skates out at the game's beginning and fits in with the whole gold ethos. That's certainly a damn sight better than Glitter, as was the idea, posited to me on Twitter last night, that Small Time Rockstars, the frequent intermission band, play live, thematic goal songs, Paul Shaffer-style.

But here's three other options from Nashville-ish artists that wouldn't soon be copy-catted around the league:

Jason & The Scorchers have plenty of upbeat anthemic songs. While "Broken Whiskey Glass" is the most fun to scream in a large crowd, the Preds probably don't want folks yelling they "popped a pill or two to feel like a honky-tonk star." One of the speedier versions of "Help! There's A Fire!" without a 90-second Jason Ringenberg throat-clearing session would be perfect to sing along to.

Area Code 615's "Stone Fox Chase" has no words and is, therefore, far better lyrically than "Rock and Roll (Part 2)." It doesn't hustle, but it does groove and surely someone out there can come up with a chant that goes with that kickass harmonica part and the thumpy drum break.

It's hard to go wrong with "Jolene" in any context whatsoever and should be considered any time any one needs a song for any reason. #Goalene