A Bunch Of Faerie Gangsters

December 24th, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in bad science | 14 Comments »

No column in the paper on Christmas Eve, so instead I’ve recorded a very special “Song For Christmas”. It’s about alternative therapists and you can play it here:

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That’s “shen disturbance” in the second verse, in case you can’t quite follow the lyrical content.


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14 Responses



  1. maibee said,

    December 24, 2005 at 8:53 pm

    My browser just kept wanting to close when I tried to listen. I’m sure no comment on the brilliance of your song. Perhaps the lyrics put somewhere would enlighten me.

    Happy Christmas/Holidays/Seasons Greetings, etc.

  2. Coobeastie said,

    December 24, 2005 at 11:21 pm

    I’m not sure about all the ‘aah aahs’. Listening on headphones, it’s a little bit ‘Heavy Breather’.

  3. k. said,

    December 25, 2005 at 12:40 pm

    why don’t you turn this into a garageband tune for editing and remixing?

  4. kabeach2001 said,

    December 26, 2005 at 9:18 am

    So that’s what all the moaning was, coming from your bedroom late at night!

  5. roymondo said,

    December 27, 2005 at 2:34 am

    Does anyone else think that the drums lend this a Rachel Stevens quality?

  6. Elmer Phudd, Phrenologist to the Elephant Man said,

    December 27, 2005 at 12:56 pm

    Ha! Nice one Dr. Goldacre.

    Merry Xmas everyone!

  7. frank said,

    December 28, 2005 at 8:48 pm

    Just too late to be considered for the xmas no. 1

  8. Mark said,

    December 29, 2005 at 10:28 am

    Call that a tune ? Bah, typical science graduate. : )

  9. Alex B said,

    December 30, 2005 at 3:09 pm

    hahahaha wonderful

  10. interbreeding said,

    January 3, 2006 at 3:14 pm

    This is extremely disturbing.

  11. Paul said,

    January 5, 2006 at 7:32 am

    What about Emma Mitchell’s wonderful natural health column?

    It’s the first thing I turn to on Saturday mornings.

  12. rachel said,

    January 8, 2006 at 8:03 pm

    Yes indeed Paul – you go from Ben’s column to the emma mitchell page and wonder what the hell is going on. A good doctor did recently write to the letters page in the Grauniad mag to point out that emma’s advice, to someone who had urinary prolems with many night time trips to the toilet, to drink mineral water rather than tap water. In the doctor’s letter he pointed out that there would be no difference between consuming tap water rather than mineral water for this ailment. It’s rather bizare when people write in to emma with some quite serious problems and are advised to breathe in some aromatic oil and all will be well.

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