10 Most Controversial Music Videos Ever
3. Lostprophets - A Town Called Hypocrisy
Big old oof here. This video wasn’t particularly controversial when it came out, but it’s been highlighted since the awful truth came to light and is now one of the most universally condemned music videos of all time.
It’s a parody of classic British kids shows like Rainbow or Jackanory, presented in a very camp tone. At the time, it was thought to be the band mocking their ‘metrosexual’ image by leaning into the silliness of these productions while showing the behind the scenes goings on too.
There were some fairly innocent sexual innuendoes all told with a knowing air of whimsy, as well as some more obvious sexual stuff like half naked ladies. At the time, it was all just a bit of a laugh. Ooh, the things those presenters got up to in them days; that was basically the joke.
Turns out though, that frontman Ian Watkins, who stars in the video, was a vile paedophile. His victims included a boy less than one year old, the son of a fan he’d convinced to let him abuse.
The band had no knowledge and seemingly were just joking around with the video, but in light of Watkins’ crimes, it’s truly disgusting to watch.