Chart bid for Boris Johnson: A hinder or a help?

The race is on to get Boris Johnson to the top of the charts. The gaffe-prone, blonde mop-topped London mayoral candidate has apparently been sampled by some savvy and conveniently anonymous DJs for a dance track, during which he ruminates – back and forth, through the power of scratching – on the popularity of FatBoy Slim, the only DJ he claims to be aware of. One wonders whether this is a stunt generated by some wiley press officer hoping to stir up interest in the casual clubbing and ‘youth’ vote – it may be worth running the record backwards for subliminal messages like ‘Vote for Boris, he’s the best.’

(For readers’ convenience: ‘Tseb eht s’eh, siroB rof etov.’)

Cynical readers may also notice superficial design similarities to the internet campaign that helped David Hasselhoff climb the charts to number three with ‘Jump In My Car’. The website insists that it is in no way connected with ‘any political group or mayoral campaign’ – although the relentless use of exclamation marks may lead some to suspect the hand of PR – but this doesn’t remove the possibility that Fatboy Slim may be behind the single.

Or it could just as easily be a pair of fame-hungry students. Anyway, enough cynicism – imagine Boris on Top Of The Pops, if it still existed, or in a music video, mingling with everyday clubbers and perhaps performing a rap with a baseball cap on backwards. Would be rather fun, wouldn’t it? Depending on your embarrassment threshold…

For those unfamiliar with the Conservative MP for Henley’s particular brand of cock-up, check here.