Today is Ricky Gervais' 55th birthday, and it's fair to say the comedian has done some unforgettable stuff over the years.
He and Stephen Merchant penned The Office, with Ricky taking up the lead role of David Brent, and the show went on to become the most successful British TV programme ever.
Aside from that he's starred in many films, and has an unbelievable knack for being able to piss people off. Seriously, if you haven't before, watch any of his Golden Globe speeches, they're fucking brilliant.
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However, as much as we love Ricky for his comedy and his 'if you're too sensitive you can fuck off' attitude, we've decided to focus on something completely different on his birthday. Let's take a look at his (failed) pop career.
For those who don't know, Ricky was once one half of the 1980s British new wave group Seona Dancing.
Along with friend Bill Macrae he formed the duo, both acting as songwriters, with Macrae on keyboards and Gervais as a vocalist.
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Eventually they were signed by London Records, but failed to pick up any mainstream success.
My favourite fact - and this is not a fucking joke, although you'd be forgiven for thinking it has come straight from David Brent's mouth - is that their single More to Lose became a 'teen anthem in the Philippines'.
One year after the double act's split in 1985, Philippine radio station DWRT-FM began to give the song airtime, but deliberately said it was a song called Fade by a band called Medium.
DWRT-FM didn't want other Philippine stations to be able to find the song, and so continued to misname it, and even played a jingle in the middle of it so it couldn't be recorded and used on another station.
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Music critic Michael Sutton wrote for AllMusic that the track was "the theme song of angst-ridden New Wave youths in the Philippines." I shit you not, that is all fucking true.
Unfortunately for Ricky and Bill, the band only lasted two years, from 1982-84. Luckily, Ricky's comedy career turned out okay...
Although the 55-year-old's 80s pop career was nothing to shout about, it's worth remembering that his musical ventures as David Brent are so fucking comical, they're brilliant.
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And simply for that, here's the Brentmeister General playing Freelove Freeway for his employees in the 'Training' episode of The Office.
Happy birthday, Ricky.
Words by Mark McGowan
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Featured image credit: Getty
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Ricky Gervais