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The story behind Toronto's City Hall attempting to ban Barenaked Ladies from playing a new years eve show. Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rock-n-roll-true-stories-podcast/id1876614383 My second YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@RockNRollTrueStories2 In 1991, Barenaked Ladies were banned from performing at Toronto City Hall—not because of their music, lyrics, or stage show, but because city officials believed the band’s name was inappropriate and “objectified women.” What happened next turned a local Toronto controversy into one of the most unlikely success stories in Canadian music history. This is the story of how City Hall got politically correct… and Barenaked Ladies won. Before “One Week,” “If I Had $1,000,000,” “Brian Wilson,” and Gordon made them international stars, Barenaked Ladies were a rising indie band from Scarborough, Ontario. Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Jim Creeggan, Andy Creeggan, and Tyler Stewart had built their audience through relentless live shows, busking, homemade cassettes, and the fast, funny banter that made their concerts unforgettable. By late 1991, the band had been booked for Toronto’s huge New Year’s Eve event at Nathan Phillips Square, directly outside City Hall. But a member of the mayor’s staff had them removed from the lineup after deciding the name Barenaked Ladies was not suitable for a city-sponsored, family-friendly event. The decision became national news and sparked a fierce debate about censorship, political correctness, art, and whether a city government should be policing a joke band name. Instead of hurting the band, the ban gave them exactly what every struggling indie artist needs: attention. The controversy pushed The Yellow Tape into the national spotlight. Ed Robertson later recalled that Barenaked Ladies went from selling roughly 400 independent cassettes per week to 14,000 almost overnight. The Yellow Tape became the first independent release certified platinum in Canada, selling more than 100,000 copies. In this Barenaked Ladies documentary, we look at the Toronto ban, Mayor June Rowlands, the City Hall controversy, the New Year’s Eve concert that never happened, the massive sales explosion behind The Yellow Tape, and the way the band’s manager Nigel Best turned an embarrassing political mistake into free publicity no record label could buy. We also explore the full-circle ending: City Hall eventually reversed course, Toronto later tried to make peace by offering Barenaked Ladies a key to the city, and in 2018 the city officially declared October 1 Barenaked Ladies Day. Ed Robertson summed up the irony perfectly: the band went from being banned from City Hall to being honoured by it. And, in another strange chapter, Barenaked Ladies’ “Falling for the First Time” later appeared on Clear Channel’s controversial post-9/11 list of songs radio stations were encouraged to avoid temporarily. Was Toronto’s ban censorship, political overreach, or the greatest accidental publicity stunt in Canadian rock history? Let us know in the comments. Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Comment below or send in your idea: https://bit.ly/3stnXlN CONNECT ON SOCIAL TIKOK:https://www.tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rnrtruestories/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNRTrueStories Twitter: https://twitter.com/rocktruestories Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com #BNL #barenakedladies These videos are for entertainment purposes only. DISCLAIMER https://rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer/