"I'll thqueam and thqueam till I'm thick!": Amanda Sandford, pictured yesterday
ASH spokeswoman, Amanda Sandford, appears to have thrown a bit of a tantrum.
Prosecute Damon Albarn over on stage cigarette urges anti-smoking charityIt seems that, following on from Paul Weller, Lady Gaga and Lily Allen, Albarn is yet another rock star who refuses to do as Sandford commands.
Sandford said: "There can be no excuse for that as it is an indoor place and the law is very clear. We are not allowed to smoke on stage unless it's relevant to the act. They should be fined. It's not just the artist, it's the premises where the act is held. I would expect the local authority to take the appropriate action. It's not just illegal but more importantly it's about the message it sends out to fans. People in the public eye have a duty not to promote smoking. It's very irresponsible - I suppose they think it's rebellious and they may get some extra kudos from it and maybe some extra publicity."
There is an element of desperation in her righteously indignant shrieking. Because, again, not a single member of the audience felt the urge to lodge a complaint ... no-one cares except Amanda and her fellow socially-retarded misfits at ASH. And even they only complain because they are paid, out of tax receipts and the marketing budgets of big pharma, to do so.
Blur smoking on stage is a knife to Sandford's granite heart as, no matter how illegal or 'denormal' she and her colleagues have contrived to make the humble cigarette, rock stars still don't consider smoking to be damaging to their image or reputation.
In fact, the more Sandford thqueams, the more ASH denormalise, the more government legislates ... the more cool cigarettes become to the young.
Nice job, 'Manda. The cheque from Imperial Tobacco is probably already in the post.
