Editing Cliff Richard (section)

==Criticism of the music industry and commercial support==
Richard has openly complained about the lack of commercial support he receives from radio stations and record labels. He spoke about this on ''[[The Alan Titchmarsh Show]]'' on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in December 2007, pointing out that while new bands needed airplay for promotion and sales, long-established artists such as himself also relied upon airplay for the same reasons. He also noted that 1980s radio stations did play his records and that this went some way to help sales and maintain his media presence. In the [[BBC Radio 2]] documentary ''Cliff – Take Another Look'', he pointed out that many documentaries charting the history of British music (e.g. ''[[I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band!]]'') fail to mention him (or the Shadows).<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/musicclub/cliff_richard.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107043403/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/musicclub/cliff_richard.shtml|url-status=dead|title=BBC|archive-date=7 January 2008}}</ref>

In 1998, [[Chris Evans (presenter)|Chris Evans]], the then breakfast show host on [[Virgin Radio]], vowed he would never again play a record by Richard, stating that he was "too old".<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Xan |title=Cliff Richard blames radio ban for ending his recording career |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/sep/21/media.radio |access-date=16 December 2013| newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=21 September 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harrington |first=Suzanne |title=Cliff Richard's 100th album: a testament to naff appeal |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/cliff-richards-100th-album-a-testament-to-naff-appeal-248587.html |access-date=16 December 2013 |newspaper=Irish Examiner |location=Cork |date=6 November 2013}}</ref> In June 2004, British disc jockey [[Tony Blackburn]] was suspended from his radio job at [[Classic Gold Digital Network|Classic Gold Digital]] for playing records by Richard against station policy. The head of programmes, Paul Baker, sent an e-mail to Blackburn stating that Richard "doesn't match our brand values. He's not on the playlist, and you must stop playing him." On Blackburn's next morning breakfast show, he read a print-out of the e-mail live on air to the show's 400,000 listeners and went on to play two songs by Richard. Classic Gold managing director John Baish later confirmed Blackburn's suspension from the show.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tony Blackburn in Sir Cliff row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3833441.stm |work=BBC News| date=16 November 2011 | access-date=16 December 2013}}</ref>

In 2011, digital station [[Absolute Radio]] '60s, dedicated to playing popular music from the 1960s, announced they would not be playing any of Richard's records because they said they did not fit "the cool sound... we're trying to create". DJ [[Pete Mitchell (broadcaster)|Pete Mitchell]] said: "Timeless acts of the decade that remain relevant today are [[the Beatles]], [[The Rolling Stones|the Stones]], [[the Doors]] and [[the Who]], not Sir Cliff." Richard responded to this by saying: "They're lying to themselves, and more importantly they're lying to the public."<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15752950 | title= Sir Cliff Richard hits back over radio airplay snub | work=BBC News | date=16 November 2011 | access-date=21 April 2012}}</ref>

Richard has spoken of his irritation about other stars who are praised after taking drugs.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/969032.stm |title=Sir Cliff Richard: Sweet 60 |work=BBC News |date=13 October 2000 |access-date=13 September 2012}}</ref> In 2009, Richard said he was the "most radical rock-and-roll singer Britain has ever seen" as he did not indulge in drugs or sexual promiscuity.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jamieson |first=Alastair |title=Sir Cliff Richard: 'I'm the real rock rebel' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/5930725/Sir-Cliff-Richard-Im-the-real-rock-rebel.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/5930725/Sir-Cliff-Richard-Im-the-real-rock-rebel.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=2 January 2014 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=29 July 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Richard said he is proud that he never adopted the hedonistic lifestyle of a typical rock star. He said: "I've never wanted to trash a hotel room."<ref>{{cite news |title=Cliff Richard: What difference would it make if I was gay? |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11241404 |access-date=26 April 2015 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=20 April 2014}}</ref>

Richard has criticised the music industry for encouraging artists to court controversy. In November 2013, he said: "The music industry has changed drastically and that damages young artists. This industry can be very destructive."<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite news |last=Jonze |first=Tim |title=Cliff Richard hopes Miley Cyrus 'grows out of' controversial behaviour |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/nov/13/cliff-richard-miley-cyrus |access-date=14 August 2014 |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=13 November 2013}}</ref> Richard expressed concern about the sexually explicit public image of singer [[Miley Cyrus]], following controversy surrounding a semi-naked video for her song "[[Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song)|Wrecking Ball]]".<ref name=autogenerated4 /> In the 1970s, Richard said that he was disturbed by the visual imagery and mock horror of singer [[Alice Cooper]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Turner (writer) |title=Cliff Richard: The Biography |year=2008 |publisher=Lion |location=Oxford |isbn=9780745952796 |page=254}}</ref> In 1997, Richard said of the rock band [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]: "It's just a shame that part of what gives them their kick is their self-destructive impulse."<ref name=autogenerated7>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Ben |title=Dark knight of the soul |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/dark-knight-of-the-soul-1268157.html |access-date=14 August 2014 |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=20 April 1997}}</ref>

In an article for ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2011, the journalist [[Sam Leith]] wrote of Richard's lack of commercial support among radio stations: "His uncompromising Christianity, his clean-living ways, and his connoisseurship of the fruits of his Portuguese winery have made him an object of incomprehension, even ridicule, for the uncultured, alcopop-drinking younger generation."<ref>{{cite news |title=I'll tell you something about Cliff Richard – I would love to get stoned with him |first=Sam |last=Leith |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/20/sam-leith-cliff-richard |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=20 November 2011 |access-date=15 May 2013}}</ref> Also writing in ''The Guardian'', [[John Robb (musician)|John Robb]] opined that because Richard has rebelled against the drink and drugs culture of typical rock stars, this "rebelling against rebellion" has made Richard something of a [[counterculture|countercultural]] icon.<ref>{{cite news |last=Robb |first=John |title=Cliff Richard: The first straight-edge icon?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2009/aug/18/cliff-richard-straight-edge |access-date=12 July 2015 |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=18 August 2009}}</ref>

In December 2013, Richard said that he felt two of his singles, "[[Mistletoe and Wine]]" and "[[The Millennium Prayer]]", had created a negative reaction against him. He said: "Airplay is vital for single hits. The only way I can have a fair competition is if your records are on the radio. There is an [[ageism]] in the radio industry. If you ask me to record a new song, I'm not sure it would get the support it needs."<ref>{{cite news |title=Mistletoe and Wine's political beginnings |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25333691 |work=BBC News |date=14 December 2013 |access-date=16 December 2013}}</ref>

Author and rock music critic [[Tony Parsons (British journalist)|Tony Parsons]] said: "If you don't like at least some Cliff Richard, then you don't like pop music".<ref name=independent1>{{cite news |last=Vallely |first=Paul |title=The Bachelor Boy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/the-bachelor-boy-1340718.html |access-date=16 December 2013 |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=7 March 1996}}</ref> [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] also defended Richard, stating: "Cliff Richard is in my opinion one of Britain's finest singers technically and emotionally."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cliffchartsite.co.uk/cliff1.html |title=William's Cliff Chart Site |publisher=Cliffchartsite.co.uk |access-date=16 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104205528/http://www.cliffchartsite.co.uk/cliff1.html |archive-date=4 January 2014 }}</ref>