Movies

Which Gary Glitter song is featured in Joker?


Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck in Joker – with the film causing controversy for a number of reasons (Picture: Warner Bros)

Box office hit Joker has already caused controversy over its violence – and now it’s facing a fresh storm after it emerged convicted paedophile Gary Glitter stands to make hundreds of thousands of pounds in royalties from the film.

The movie, which opened on Friday, stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, showing the origins of how his tormented character became the notorious Batman villain.

It’s broken box office records over the weekend, taking in $234m (£188m) worldwide in its first few days of release.

However the inclusion of a Glitter song has left moviegoers reacting with fury, as it became apparent the disgraced musician, currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for abusing three young girls, could rake in royalties from behind bars.

Which Gary Glitter song is featured in Joker?

The blockbuster features Glitter’s 1972 song Rock and Roll Part 2.

Glitter is currently serving time in jail after being found guilty of child sex offences (Picture: Getty Images)

The song was Glitter’s first UK chart hit, originally reaching number two in the chart when it was released in the UK in 1972.

How is the song featured in Joker?

The song is played for around two minutes in one of the movie’s key scenes, in which Phoenix, as the joker, walks down a long flight of steps as he transforms himself into the titular villain.

It’s not the first time that one of his songs has been featured in a US movie, as his music was also heard in the trailer for Oscar nominee Silver Linings Playbook, which starred Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

While Glitter’s songs have been blacklisted on all UK radio stations, his music is still played on radio stations in the US – which also earns him royalties.

It also emerged in 2013 that he had earned an estimated £1m in royalties after Oasis sampled lyrics from his song Hello, Hello I’m Back on their 1995 track Hello.

When was Gary Glitter jailed?

The film’s also sparked controversy for its violence (Picture: Warner Bros)

The 75-year-old singer, real name Paul Gadd, previously served four months in jail in 1999 after he was caught with images of child abuse.

He was later convicted in 2006 of abusing girls aged 10 and 11 in Vietnam – before being found guilty of attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and four counts of indecent assault in 2015.

He is reported to be serving his sentence in HMP Verne, located in Dorset on the Isle of Portland, and is due to be released in 2021.



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