Is "Panic" secretly about Jimmy Saville? - James Hargreaves Guitar / YouTube

TLDW; We won't know until Morrissey says whether it is or isn't.

 

[Redacted]

I

It does sound quite funny, bloody funny, in fact

I need to hear it

 

[gashonthenail]

It´s a bit of a stretch to suggest the song is about Jimmy Saville - the looming nuclear disaster story hs always sounded more credible - but Saville was no doubt one of the DJs the song wished to see swinging from a gallows. I always remember my mum saying there is something creepy about that man. I think women saw through him a mile away. But God bless the BBC for telling the nation he was a hero.
The maker of the video has a whole series of a similar speculative nature - there is one on the hidden meaning of Sergent Pepper which is worth a watch.

 

[Who Rattled Your Cage]

"Panic" is pure genius, obviously. And I love that when you see the handwritten lyrics, they look like they were written by someone half deranged:

View attachment 98996

Where did that come from?

 

[JerryCan]

Funny isn't it, back in the grimy old 80's old Stevie and his ilk were the enemy but as time moves on, and these people get replaced by younger non entities you realise they weren't that bad after all.

When Stevie himself was eventually sent to the farm I really hoped he would sign off with Panic on repeat.

 

[Young And Alive]

It’s odd to me that some people in this thread are so firmly against the idea that Panic could be about Savile and his crimes. Marr is on record as saying that the song was inspired by a Steve Wright BBC Radio 1 broadcast; do you know who else was hosting a show on BBC Radio 1 in 1986? Jimmy Savile! So those people are fine with the song being inspired by one BBC Radio 1 DJ, but balk at the notion that it could be about another (even comparing it to the ‘flat earth’ conspiracy). Make it make sense!

Because Morrissey and Marr have said it's specifically about Steve Wright.

 

[Born to Harangue]

Because Morrissey and Marr have said it's specifically about Steve Wright.

I don’t believe ‘em! Just like I don’t believe their origin story of Marr knocking on Morrissey’s front door and Morrissey letting him in. I think they just ripped it off from the story of how Leiber and Stoller met each other. There must have been at least a phone call first but they left that part out in interviews because it sounded better without it. I’m looking at their Steve Wright explanation with the same suspicion.

 

[DagenhamDan]

I need to hear it

Steve and his Posse getting it spot on, specially with the line about his singles going down after Top of The Pops and Morrissey at his playful best.

 

[DagenhamDan]

Where did that come from?

It was on one of the promotional posters for Panic

 

[The Queen of Batons]

I don’t believe ‘em! Just like I don’t believe their origin story of Marr knocking on Morrissey’s front door and Morrissey letting him in. I think they just ripped it off from the story of how Leiber and Stoller met each other. There must have been at least a phone call first but they left that part out in interviews because it sounded better without it. I’m looking at their Steve Wright explanation with the same suspicion.

I thought the story was that Marr asked Steve Pomfret to take him round and all three were present. I enjoyed the fairly detailed account in "Set the Boy Free".

 

[Les Tameside]

Obviously if it was about Saville Morrissey wouldn’t say; he’s shy like that—never names names. Ever.

 

[Seymour Glass]

Nobody in the US gives a shit.

 

[Geoffrey Ingram]

How did this lunatic rubbish make the front page? It's bad enough with Morrissey doing his conspiracy theory nonsense in 'Notre Dame' without this crap as well.

Not only front page but they can't even spell his name right in the title.... there's only one L in Savile

 

[Geoffrey Ingram]

Nobody in the US gives a shit.

America, you are not the world

 

[Geoffrey Ingram]

Well that's 14 minutes of my life I won't get back

 

[Orange Crush]

Not only front page but they can't even spell his name right in the title.... there's only one L in Savile

One Savile in L, too, I'd guess.

 

[FactChecker]

Obviously if it was about Saville Morrissey wouldn’t say; he’s shy like that—never names names. Ever.

Apart from "Little Man, What Now?". But no one knows who "Margaret On The Guillotine" was about.

 

[Seymour Glass]

Who the f*** cares?

 

[Geoffrey Ingram]

Who the f*** cares?

I assume anyone replying to the thread cares to some degree.....

 

[Les Tameside]

Apart from "Little Man, What Now?". But no one knows who "Margaret On The Guillotine" was about.

Indeed. If it was about Saville, I don’t see why Morrissey would be shy about saying so. But Saville is nevertheless captured in the context Morrissey was criticising.

 

[Malarkey]

American conspiracy communities are picking up all sorts of weird things, so someone is probably interested. Tortoise made an interesting podcast about American cranks becoming obsessed with a school in Hampstead which shows how these things spread.

It's quite grim, so I won't directly link to it - but the Guardian had a piece about it, if you want to find it.

Hoaxed: a podcast investigation of Hampstead’s satanic paedophile ring – which doesn’t exist

This new series explores a conspiracy theory that has destroyed the lives of hundreds of north London parents and teachers – despite its baseless allegations

www.theguardian.com