Kylie on the flip-flop was excellent, as was greg norman's giant mechanical robot shark. Tasteless?
What amused me most was that I said to myself "it'll be Paul Hogan next" as a sort of witty parodic joke... and then it was!
The reappearance of Men At Work bemused me somewhat...
>What amused me most was that I said to myself "it'll be Paul Hogan next" as a sort of witty parodic joke... and then it was!
>
They're shooting Crocodile Dundee 3 at the moment. The question is, Why?
Why not just shoot Paul Hogan?
Janet and Bean - you should know that the following specimens of Australian culture have reached these shores over the years:
The Paul Hogan Show
Let The Blood Run Free
Mother and Son
The Thorn Birds
The Heroes (J.Donovan mini-series)
The Young Doctors/Neighbours/Home and Away/Country Practice
And of course, Prisoner Cell Block H
In how much affection are these held by your fellow countrypeople?
Never mind all them - what about "The Lost Islands" and "Secret Valley"??????????
Appearance of INXS - very tasteful in view of recent events.
(at least they didn't sing Sucidal Blonde - that joke comes courtesy of the gutter press)
>Never mind all them - what about "The Lost Islands" and "Secret Valley"??????????
Or The Sullivans? (Only Halfway Decent Austrailian Soap TM)
Blue Heelers seems very popular on Trio over here. It was also put on by Central at lunchtimes. That it had a daytime slot in the UK and is primetime here says something, I'm sure.
I did wonder though - where were Mental As Anything, and their hilariously named lead singer Greedy Smith?
"Hey yeah you with the sad face, come up to my place and live it up"
I did actually get a laugh at my workplace by suggesting that Men At Work would reform for the occasion, so it just shows that I have no imagination whatsoever.
I didn't see it, so...did the following make appearances too?
Angry Anderson
Icehouse
The Mixtures (who did "The Pushbike Song" in 1971)
Slim Dusty (had a hit with "A Pub With No Beer" decades ago)
half of AC/DC
Craig McLachlan and Check 1-2 (clearly a backing group named on the final day in the recording studio when they needed a name quickly)
John Farnham
Slim Dusty was indeed there, although I was disappointed that the show-stopping finale was not in fact John Farnham singing 'You're The Voice'.
Personally, I always preferred his rendition of 'Help' on "Home And Away" some time in the Jurassic Era, which he sang in slow motion to an ill Sally while the screen melted into psychedelic colours.
After that I didn't watch it until earlier this year, when I was shocked to realise that Sally is now about 26...
Angry Anderson is excellent.
Other excellent Australian things: Frontline and Funky Squad, particularly Frontline. OK, so it was just Larry Sanders but in a newsroom but it was still well written and funny.
I used to like Let The Blood Run Free when I was younger, less so when I saw it again a couple of years ago.
Caught Fast Forward late one night on BBC2 and it was cack. Similarly, Elle McFeast (or something) was presenting something on some ITV theme weekend a few years back. That was also cack.
"I did actually get a laugh at my workplace by suggesting that Men At Work would reform for the occasion, so it just shows that I have no imagination whatsoever."
Who needs 'em when we've still got Mental As Anything?
This forum's knowledge of Aussie things has scared me somewhat. Especially the mention of Check 1-2. Ewwwww.
Justin - didn't you notice that Farnsey was in the opening ceremony! He sang with Olivia Newton John. Unfortunately, not "You're the Voice" - one of Australia's great rock-anthems-featuring-a-bagpipe-solo. (Points allotted for those who can name the other two).
And for those wishing for a Mental As Anything presence - those giant Mambo madarse blowups were designed by Reg Mombassa. It wasn't Live It Up, but freaky chickens and frankenkangaroos have to count for something.
Re: Men At Work - I worked on a TV show once with Greg, the flute/sax player. (Oh yeah, it's celebritey central 'round my neck of the woods)
What's he like...?
You know the really, really dull priest character Michael Redmond played in Father Ted, the one they'd go to all lengths to avoid?
Yep - Greg.
How do we dance when our beds are burning?
Answer me that.
Ack. It's "How can we dance when our world keeps turning, how can we *sleep* when our beds are burning"
#The time has come/ To say fair's fair/ To pay our rent now/ To pay our share#
At the risk of completely destroying my already non-existant musical credibility, that song just plain ROCKS. And you all know it does.
>At the risk of completely destroying my already non-existant musical credibility, that song just plain ROCKS. And you all know it does.
Come on, doesn't get much more cred than the Oils! Seriously political and arse-kickingly pro-active for 25 years. They make Billy Bragg look like John Major.
And they ROCK.
And Peter Garrett dances funny.
But didn't they get a rollicking when it turned it they had investments in arms dealers, or something. I don't think the full details ever reached us in Britain, due to lack of interest, but there was definitely some allegation that they were hypocrites.
"They make Billy Bragg look like John Major."
No, Billy does that himself.
I make myself look like John Major by painting my face grey. It passes the time.
Shares in what??
Good Lord, no.
Amazing what the conservative factions can spread around though. All you have to say is "it has been alleged that..." and any reputation can be sullied. I remember not long ago the terrible sullying of your name, Jon, when it was alleged you were a shandy drinker. Even though this is obviously not true - and that in reality you are 'ard as nails - I find myself still considering you in this fashion.
Please forgive me.
No, it definitely came up after "Beds Are Burning" was a UK hit (1988) that MO had been accused of hypocrisy in their native Australia.
'Native' in the relative sense - obviously, the aboriginal people were the natives before the Europeans like MO came along. But see a John Pilger website for details...
I remember there were slurs of the sort going around, but they were definitely slurs. Fear not Jon, crediblity was maintained.
Did the Aussie establishment fear MO so much they had to smear them?
Blimey! That must be why they're never mentioned in 'Neighbours' or anything - they're too dangerous, the studios won't touch 'em...
Surely Jason mentioned them?!
Wasn't there that episode when Scott and Charlene rocked up to the anti-nuke protests and Scott was arrested by the cops and had the shit kicked out of him?
And he started singing Power And The Passion through a mouthfull of blood and broken teeth?
Or was that a dream?
The only mention of Midnoght Oil in "Neighbours" was Matt Robinson wearing one of their t-shirts in about 1991
He was always the coolest Robinson
There was an episode when the starchy headmistress insisted all the kids had to stay behind for new 'music appreciation' classes after school, and then the first on etturned out to be some Aussie band that no one on this side of the world had heard of, thus destroying the pathos or irony or whatever it was that the scene was supposed to evoke.
Who WAS that band? Was it...Frente...or maybe Ratcat? What did they look like?
I once had to be a funky lextra on Neighbours (sporting paisley and beads - hey, it was the late 80s). I stood around applauding as Joe Mangels won a gardening contest. Made 40 bucks.
The band were rubbish, obviously, but they had a silly name, "Bawani-wani", something like that. The kids were ecstatic at them nevertheless.
A later episode involved Lou Carpenter booking an act called Powderfinger to play in his bar, loads of kids turned up excited, it turned out to be a cabaret turn called Powerfinger, cue massive disappointment. I mention only because the other week I saw an ad for a London gig by Powderfinger the Australian rock band. The venue was probably smaller than Lou Carpenter's bar.
>There was an episode when the starchy headmistress insisted all the kids had to stay behind for new 'music appreciation' classes after school, and then the first on etturned out to be some Aussie band that no one on this side of the world had heard of, thus destroying the pathos or irony or whatever it was that the scene was supposed to evoke.
Go 101 was their name...
Go 101...nup, pulling a blank on that one. Vaguely familiar name, but nothing I can put my finger on. (Well done TJ for remembering this incredibly minor fact, however)
Powderfinger however - go and see them Jon. Amazing band, whom I can assure the forum members into cred, quality music that they will like, nay, love.
Won a squillion award. Last album crossed over from alternative to mainstream charts and has been there for 18 months or so.
Powderfinger won't be unknown in the UK for very long at all.
Warning: whatever the venue it won't be big enough - every single Australian within coo-ee will be packed into the place.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, etc.