043 - KLF Burns One Million Quid (Literally) - podcast episode cover

043 - KLF Burns One Million Quid (Literally)

May 23, 202350 minSeason 6Ep. 43
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Episode description

Question Kyle and Question Jennie join me to discuss one of the most poorly thought-out, pretentious stunts in the history of pop culture, wherein an early UK techno-electronica duo churn out a novelty song, one hit single, and a book about how to write a novelty song before topping it all off by burning one million pounds, one £50 bill at a time. It's the kind of anti-capitalist, Art School edginess that blew your mind at 20 and I sincerely hope does not blow your mind as a functional adult.

After scoring a gimmick hit about Dr. Who called "Doctorin' the Tardis" in 1988 as The Timelords, the duo rebranded themselves as KLF to release the minor Nineties hit single "3am Eternal." Somehow that was enough for them to amass £1,000,000, which in 1994 they fed into a roaring fire in a video called "The K Foundation Burn a Million Quid." If you ever wondered what kind of face a person makes as they are actively ruining their own lives on camera, check it out. 

Please support Mass for Shut-ins, an independent and ad-free podcast, via Patreon. Contact me via twitter (@edburmila). 

Thanks: Kyle and Jennie, the bands that contribute music (IfIHadAHiFiThe Sump PumpsOscar Bait), Zachary Sielaff, Question Cathy, and all Patreon supporters, subscribers, and listeners.

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