One from the BBC vault

This is a version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66” by an apparently long-gone band called Freak UK. The video was broadcast by the BBC in 1991.

I suspect this was influenced by Depeche Mode’s version from 1987.

Freak UK’s frontman was Mik Scarlet, who found later fame as a TV and radio broadcaster, journalist, and actor.

He also serves as an adviser to companies that want to improve access for the disabled. That explains why the video’s lyrics were close-captioned and in sign language. He’s a really interesting guy, as this article from 2010 indicates.

Scarlet said on his blog the “Route 66” video was among those recently found in a pile of VHS tapes at his mother’s home. The videos were once considered lost, and Scarlet is uploading them to the Internet.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.