HEY! You can't do that here!

His music can be heard at sports venues all across the world. It starts with slow drum beat along with the gradual build of base and guitar, then the crowd burst into a unanimous and enthusiastic "HEY!" Gary Glitter emerged in 1972 at a time when rock and popular music were hardly recognizable- 'glam rock' as it was referred to was the lattest trend, and "Rock & Roll/The Hey Song" was one of the many songs that dominated the airwaves. However, on Friday, November 14th the Cavern's Club in Liverpool, England had Gary Glitter's brick removed from their wall of fame.


Downward Spiral
Over the years Mr. Glitter, aka Paul Francis Gadd fell in to some legal troubles and his legacy of fame in the UK was soon over-shadowed by the mess that had become his personal life. In 1999 the United Kingdom publicly listed Glitter as a sex offender after he was convicted of downloading a plethora of child pornography. In 2002 Glitter was permanently deported to Cambodia after being suspected of child abuse- from there he took up permanent residency in Vietnam. Three short years later and Glitter was once again in trouble with the law. June of 2005 brought about a conviction of sexual abuse of a child, and Glitter was sentenced to three years in a Vietnamese prison. His recent 2008 release from prison took Glitter back to England, but only because both Thailand and Hong Kong refused him entry as a resident.
Smashing Demons
The Cavern Club, self titled as ' The Most Famous Club in the World' made history by serving as a host for some of the earliest performances by The Beatles. The exterior of the club located in Liverpool, England displays the wall of fame which includes almost 2,000 names of famous perfomers spanning from 1957-1973. Gary Glitter was one of the performers until recently when his name was chiseled away- diminished along with his reputation and his career. "Management originally refused to remove the singer's brick, stating it was an "historical document." However, many protested the singer's continued fame at the club. Victims of the singer saw it as a mission to make sure his brick was removed, and according to police officer Bob Wareing Glitter is "not a good role model."

Mr Heckle and his business partner have owned the Cavern for 18 years and the club’s wall of fame boasts names including the Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, and Gerry and the Pacemakers. He also removed the brick bearing Jonathan King’s name. The singer and record producer was jailed for committing sexual offences against young boys in 2001.

Now what?
It is apparent that music fans in Liverpool do not tolerate such devious behavior from their musicians, but is the treatment of Glitter fair? I'm going to take a stand and say yes, it is fair because Glitter is an offense to all men, children, and famous people. Behavior such as child abuse is not something that should be glorified or even tolerated, and certainly not by someone famous because then it seems as though it is more accepted or allowable because of social status. Ok Glitter- you gave us one fun song to sing along with when we are cheering on The Astros at the bottom of the fifth, but your time is up- you are now recognized for something completely horrid and wrong. Your contribution to music was a glitch in time and now it is time to fade away.