Presumably you don't mean the bit of Rik Mayall being sick outside the pub at the beginning of an episode in Nov 84? Thought not.

Mayall did appear solo in a filmed item in about Nov 85, I think. I seem to remember he was standing next to a swimming pool. Can't remember details, or lines, or anything. How's that for vagueness, then? Sorry to waste your time.

Having said that, I do remember a priceless letter to Smash Hits in January 83 from a "Heaven 17 Fan", who believed Bad News to be a real band. "What a disappointment the aptly-named Bad News were on The Tube" it began, before bemoaning the cliched rocknroll antics that "we'd all seen a million times before".

No, Justin, Rik vomiting is perpetually fascinating considering that the recent Tube book failed to deliver on it's promise;instead regurgatating endless PR nonsense. Some sort of sessions/appearances guide would have been lovely.

Nice to hear someone fell for the Bad News appearance. The pain and bitterness of Rik shrieking at the audience to "stop laughing" nicely undercuts Ade trying to conduct a mature chat with Jools about real Metal.

Bad News is hugely undervalued, just as The Comic Strip was in general. I blame Spinal Tap for the former, and lack of repeats for the latter. Great idea, C4 - whack on 'Five Go Mad' and 'Strike' until we all die, with a token selection on Paramount.

Basically, all I'm trying to gather together is some idea of TV appearances to promote Strip specials. Bad News appeared on 'The Tube' three days before the first film was screened, 'Wogan' in 87 to promote 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - essentially playing to the crowd of pensioners, falling over a lot and lapsing out of character - plus Comic Relief a few years back.

Surely there was a Bullshitters plug somewhere along the line?

>No, Justin, Rik vomiting is perpetually fascinating considering that the recent Tube book failed to deliver on it's promise;instead regurgatating endless PR nonsense. Some sort of sessions/appearances guide would have been lovely.
>
I have John Cummins' superior 1985 Tube book somewhere - when I unearth it (which won't be for a couple of weeks, unfortunately), I shall give you some more info. The Rik Mayall moment was pretty startling, as it was most definitely not planned. He was supposed to give a "jolly, humorous introduction", but was not on camera when they cut to him, then suddenly a figure lurched towards camera, vomiting profusely and spluttering "It's Friday, it's 5.30 and the pubs are open". He then collapsed, and the opening titles ran. The duty log, needless to say, was busy for a couple of hours.

More when I can find the book.

>Nice to hear someone fell for the Bad News appearance. The pain and bitterness of Rik shrieking at the audience to "stop laughing" nicely undercuts Ade trying to conduct a mature chat with Jools about real Metal.
>

An excerpt from this sequence was included in the More Bad News film (1987).

>Bad News is hugely undervalued, just as The Comic Strip was in general.

Absolutely.

I blame Spinal Tap for the former, and lack of repeats for the latter.

I think Glam Metal Detectives has a lot to answer for too.

Great idea, C4 - whack on 'Five Go Mad' and 'Strike' until we all die, with a token selection on Paramount.
>
I have never seen Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, and would welcome the chance.

>Basically, all I'm trying to gather together is some idea of TV appearances to promote Strip specials. Bad News appeared on 'The Tube' three days before the first film was screened, 'Wogan' in 87 to promote 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - essentially playing to the crowd of pensioners, falling over a lot and lapsing out of character - plus Comic Relief a few years back.
>
I'm trying to think if they made any appearances to promote Cashing In On Christmas in '87. They must have done.

On Bad News, it was very annoying in the 80's to see lazy music journalist saying Bad News ripped off Spinal Tap. Five minutes of research would've uncovered the fact the first Bad News film was released a year before Spinal Tap. Never mind, eh, you idle twats

Bad News were seriously underrated, anybody who's ever played in a shit band would testify to its accuracy - especially the arguments.

I remember the Rik Mayall bit on the Tube - he was sitting by a pool and he said that if you sent in twenty quid he'd send you the secret of great comedy - written on the back of a rubber johnny.

Adrian Edmondson also appeared in character as Vim Fuego on Network 7, where he was forced to watch Evil Dead 2 whilst connected to a heart-rate monitor. At the end, with a terrified expression and a fag between each of his fingers, he declared it 'pretty laughable really'.

Had to be there I guess...

>I have never seen Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, and would welcome the chance.

Would probably be quite a disappointment. Looks good on paper, especially P. Cook as Mr Jolly, but he just seems a bit glazed in the eyes and jittery as if having a brief rest from his speed habit. Otherwise it's Rik and Ade doing the Dangerous Brothers - much more chaotic and messy than Bottom and only occasionally funny.

>>I have never seen Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, and would welcome the chance.
>
>Looks good on paper, especially P. Cook as Mr Jolly, but he just seems a bit glazed in the eyes and jittery as if having a brief rest from his speed habit.

But that's what you got as soon as Peter tried to act. Doing a comic routine on stage, he was fine and in control; certainly in a recording studio he was perfectly happy. But shove him in front of a film camera and something happened: Bedazzled, Hound Of The Baskervilles; name it, and he looks glazed and lightly stunned in it. It doesn't make him any less of a comedy god, mind.

No. But that song of his, "I'm a a nigger and I fucked a white bitch" was frankly rather dodgy, wouldn't you say?

Don't start me. The Corpses belong firmly in the "Derek & Clive was fantastic because it really, like, subverted the idea of comedy by, er, not being funny" camp, but I have to say I don't. If you haven't already, try and get to see "Derek & Clive Get The Horn", the film of the recording session which spawned the track you're talking about. Two men stuck in a room who hate each other, like an old couple who've been married too long: Peter envying Dudley his Hollywood success and Dudley envying Peter his natural comic talent. It's not fun.

I really don't buy the Corpses' theory that they were deconstructing comedy during these sessions. Dudley said in interviews years later that a lot of the more outrageous stuff he came out with, that could be attributed to spur-of-the-moment 'inspiration', he actually diligently wrote beforehand (all that stuff about "cancer of the nob") in a vain attempt to outdistance Peter: to try and catch him by surprise and floor him the way he so often did to Dudley. It was more like a personal jousting match than an attempt at comedy. It's not to say that neither of them are funny at all on the records, but certainly on the latter two they appear to have lost the plot - aimlessly casting about for whatever it was that made them funny and only sporadically catching hold of it; like trying to grab a bar of soap in the bath. Stuff like "I'm a nigger and I fucked a white bitch", "the number one cunt-kicker-in" etc was usually a sign that they were getting bored with whatever comedy cul-de-sac they had found themselves in at the time.

Jerry Sadowitz loves these albums because they're full of swearing. (No, really. That's the aspect of them he praises most highly. He found that amount of swearing truly inspirational. What do you mean, 'easily pleased'?) The Corpses love these albums because they're a daring attempt to rip apart our cosy notions of what it takes to be amusing (doesn't this sound just a little too grand to you? Just a little too pseudo-academic? Almost like a couple of "plebs" trying too hard to sound clever...)?

I, on the other hand, don't love these albums and yet I've found myself listening to them on countless occasions - you can't deny they're compelling. It's still Cook & Moore, and the Corpses are right - it *is* great to hear two renowned comedians talking shit. But I find them more disturbing than funny.

At this juncture I'd thoroughly recommend the two D&C out-takes on the Cook'd & Bomb'd website. However after a quick shufti on the site I see all their downloads are offline, so don't bother going to http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chilled/dandcaudio.html yet. Do try it in about a week's time, though.

Damn. You started me. This deserved a thread of its own, didn't it?

We now return you to your scheduled programming...

I agree exactly. Particularly the bit about the SOTCAA position. I think they are doomed to say that they "like" D&C because they base all their opinions on this NME-type attitude, i.e. anything safe and cosy is automatically suspect, hence anything repulsive must be good because at least it isn't all nice, which would simply be beyond the pale, my dears.

In summary: don't go to sea on a bogey.

NME-type attitude? I remember one of the Corpses being very irritated by David Quantick's D+C review in that very 'paper. They've got over it now.

Re:Glam Metal Detectives

The assertion that this killed Comic Strip is fair if you think of it in a producer-politics fashion, but useless if you're a viewer. Very few people knew it was a Comic Strip relative (basically Peter Richardson with all the hangers on from the final series), unless you'd read the 'Deadpan' article or paid attention until the final credits. If you believe GMD killed Comic Strip, then explain away 'Stella Street' which matches the same criteria. It was in planning during GMD.

GMD still stinks tho.

I don't remember Vim Fuego on 'Network 7', which injures me.

Oh, and 'Bedazzled' was great. So there. "Lucifer, Prince Of Darkness - sounds a bit puffy to me."

Mr Jolly is my favourite Comic Strip. You argue that Peter Cook was embarassing on film - which was often the case - but when he's matched alongside Nicholas Parsons ("I don't care if you're the Queen - FUCK OFF!") and the ridiculousness of the situation really kicks in, Cook works perfectly. Forcing the bloodied hand back into the cupboard? His anguished face? Ahhh.

RE: the Cookd and Bombd downloads - Neil and Boki are planning to have them back online soon - in fact, some might be already (I haven't tried obviously as I've already downloaded them!!!) - so do give them a try. They ARE worth it.

Bedazzled is one of my favourite movies.Who cares that Cook and Moore are not Lemmon and Matthau in it.Peter Cooks Satan is one of the most sexiest things I have ever seen in cinema!
However,I understand they are of course remaking it.With Liz Hurley.Its so bloody boring isnt it?Ill expect theyll get fucking Madonna or Orbital to do a"club vibe" take on Duds brilliant score.(although check out the new DJ FOOD Kaliedoscope CD that plays superb homage to the Millionaire track!)
That gay bloke from Four Weddings will be theBarry Humphries part etc.Some bony arsed supermodel as Racquel Ws Lust .NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
What next?
Do you know I tried to think of a sarky suggestion for a pointless remake and realised that virtually every film/tv show/cartoon /idea has been raped from the last thirty odd years?!

Paul Merton Presents "Fawlty Towers".

Bedazzled: Yes yes yes. I think Cook's detached style works very well there. Pure class.

Even better than Supergirl!

Memo to RapH: No, try and get Barrymore for the FT remake. Ainsley Harriott as Manuel, Samantha Janus as Polly.

BBC1, Thursdays 10.30ish from September

Hancock's Half Hour - starring Nick Hancock, written by Mark Burton, John O'Farrell, Robert Fraser Steele, Jim Pullin and Harry Thompson, who've all helped to make They Think It's All Over the show that it is today. With additional material by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Featuring Phill Jupitus as Sid, and Iain Lee playing all the Kenneth Williams-type roles.

"Groundbreaking" - Radio Times
"Not as good as Paul Merton's version" - TV Times
"*turns subterranean somersaults*" - Tony Hancock