TBF smoking a cigar while doing a horrific shit, would probably do much to neutralise the worst of the smell. Bit like how incense is used to cover bad smells too. Nicotine can also stimulate bowel movement. So kinda makes sense to smoke while taking a shit.
Wonder who the musician was. I think this is The Garden studio, so that narrows it down. It’d be funny if it was Robert Smith of the Cure, they previously recorded there. Doesn’t fit, but could you imagine? LOL
Simon Cowell isn’t famous for being a musician, so doesn’t fit the bill.
I suppose Andy McCluskey from OMD might fit. He founded Atomic Kitten and co-wrote Whole Again. But I assume they recorded somewhere in the north not London. Also, IRC he was still recording OMD stuff when the Spice Girls were recording Wannabe.
Yeah someone else mentioned the Cure as a possibility
One of Wannabe’s co-writers revealed that it was inspired by a saying on set: ‘Shit and cigars.’ Apparently, the Spice Girls shared a recording studio in Shoreditch with a famous musician and decided to give said celebrity this nickname.
Why? Well the anonymous co-writer told The Sun: "There was this one eighties pop dude who hated us for encroaching on what he considered ‘his turf’ which was boy bands and girl bands.
“This guy had this nasty habit of taking a dump in the shared khazi while smoking a cigar, so we took to referring to him as ‘Shit and Cigars’.”
So ‘zig-a-zig-ah’ might sound like nonsense, but in fact the girls were using it as a statement against the sexist figureheads in the music industry.
“I really, really, really wanna shit and cigars”… 🙄
Duran Duran recorded in that studio, and are the only ones that I can think of that individually could be referred to as “This one 80’s pop dude” that recorded there.
AFAIK the Duran Duran guys wouldn’t consider boy or girl bands ‘his turf’.
Andy McCluskey from OMD founded Atomic Kitten, but IRC they recorded stuff up north, and that’s later. In 1996, when Wannabe was released, he was still in OMD. Atomic Kitten was formed in 1998.
OMD nor atomic kitten wouldn’t have anything to do with that though…
Unless you know something, you could have thrown in S club 7 and Päl Waaktar from A-ha…
The only artists mentioned anywhere (from the 80’s) that shared that studio with them, at that time were:
- Duran Duran
- Simple Minds
- The Proclaimers
- John Cale
John Cale was bigger in the 70’s I guess.
Although, other artists, not from the 80’s but could have been working with an 80’s artist, that were sharing the studio, included:
- So Solid Crew
- Bjork
- S Club 7
- The Black Madonna
- Nico
- The Prodigy
- Nick Cave
- FKA Twigs
That makes no sense given the lyrics.
It does if “shit and cigars” is a kink. Or maybe like a euphemism for butt stuff. Then it makes sense why they’d make up a story as well.
“Slam your body down and wind it all around, ha, ha, ha”
(Oh wait that’s about sex, nvm…)Its not supposed to be rational
Published 20 April 2023
That’s true, the information is sadly outdated by now
