wellyousaythat©

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

TV TIMES

The London Weekend Show
20th Century Box
The 6 o'clock Show
Network Seven
Night Network

Get stuffed

All part of LWT & Channel 4's Television's packages of programme's that enlivened the airwaves at the weekend. They featured looks at current new and up and coming movements and trends; from Punk, Mods and Rockabilly, to Blitz kids and Millwall fans. Guided by Janet Street Porter these shows had something of the guerrilla about them. Danny Baker, Magenta Devine, Rowland Rivron, Tim Westwood, Emma Freud,Tracedy McCleod, Charlie Parsons, Paul Thompson and a number of young presenters cut their teeth on these shows and they are particularly interesting when viewed in hindsight as a lot of the content was very much add libbed and they spoke to rising stars in an unscripted manner.

There are also interviews and segments that are unintentionally funny. These shows all had a vibrancy about them and were not the formulaic regional output from before and after they had long left the airwaves. Night Network was more fragmented as it was basically a late night show designed to see students and other late night people through the night. In 1976 Janet Street Porter interviewed the young Sex Pistols just before their notoriety and watching that particular show again it is interesting to see how edgy it all was back then. In 1978 she interviewed Bowie and over the run of these shows many artists appeared and were interviewed without sycophancy.

http://youtu.be/qxW_QGnE9cI
Beastie Boys on Network 7

There were also strange segments including animations, investigative journalism, terrible gameshows and travel reportage all of varying degrees of success; but that was okay, it was good to see stuff being tried out. Certainly the live broadcasts were ramshackle, but that was the point. Pretentious in places, daring and bold in others TV could be exciting and that was the mission statement.These programmes were broadcast during the eighties and late seventies and create a viewable document of those exciting times.

http://youtu.be/ihIBiwJ2nBw

6 O’Clock show

http://youtu.be/mo2zzK8pQ4s

6 O’clock show Millwall

http://youtu.be/CiywUBpQQXg

20^th Century Box

http://youtu.be/o3RtlWuUels

20^th Century Box Rockabilly

http://youtu.be/yo9fXiVAleQ

London weekend show Punk

http://youtu.be/9iDmlcjRbso

London weekend Show Mods

http://youtu.be/RRHMY_9-o7s
Dick Spanner on Network 7

THE SOPRANOS: THIRD TIME AROUND

I am firmly entrenched in the Sopranos; this is my third veiwing of the entire series and yet, it's as good as I remember it. Some of the underlying humour is more noticable this time around.

Here's a classic exchange, that exemplifies the humourous aspects of the show, from possibly my favourite single episode; the Pine Barrens

Tony Soprano: [over the phone] It's a bad connection so I'm gonna talk fast! The guy you're looking for is an ex-commando! He killed sixteen Chechen rebels single-handed!
Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri: Get the fuck outta here.
Tony Soprano: Yeah. Nice, huh? He was with the Interior Ministry. Guy's like a Russian green beret. He can not come back and tell this story. You understand?
Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri: I hear you.
[hangs up]
Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri: You're not gonna believe this. He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.
Christopher Moltisanti: His house looked like shit.

http://youtu.be/JsKMivV_g5U

Pine Barrens

Monday, 13 June 2011

MY HIT LIST: DOROTHY MALONE

A childhood spent in front of afternoon matinees has resulted in certain names conjuring up happy feelings, or more specifically feelings that every young boy begins to have. Dorothy Malone’s name brings to mind those innocent days, about to turn not so innocent. I recall her being this sexy womanly woman full of oomph and chutzpah; a bad girl but a bad girl in the best sense of the word. Alluring in Black and White, Vivacious in Color. Even as she got older she had that older woman appeal down to a tee. Viva Dorothy! And even though born in 1925 she is still with us.

http://youtu.be/oJC_EBSDMKk

DM1

http://youtu.be/_QP9XXel6gA

DM2

http://youtu.be/RmlsGxzf6Us

DM3

Sunday, 12 June 2011

COMMERCIAL COUNTRY

Country music is, by and large, unknown to me however I recall some great songs growing up that told stories. This was, I guess, commercial country music. Revisiting these songs has been a real pleasure; here are some, starting with the incredible Wichita lineman

http://youtu.be/4qoymGCDYzU

Wichita lineman

I am a lineman for the county and I drive the main road
Searchin' in the sun for another overload
I hear you singin' in the wire, I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

I know I need a small vacation but it don't look like rain
And if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

©Jimmy Webb

http://youtu.be/WO4wcNVbYOQ

I never promised you a rose garden-Lynn Anderson

http://youtu.be/aOZPBUu7Fro
Harper Valley PTA-Jeanie C Reilly

http://youtu.be/CZt5Q-u4crc
Ode to Billy Joe-Bobby Gentry

http://youtu.be/iyoPaVxMyWY
Behind closed doors-Charlie Rich

http://youtu.be/mhmxg5qUmYM
Here you come again-Dolly Parton

Saturday, 11 June 2011

Got a light mac?

Marlene

Slow lingering death aside, smoking was always associated with cool. Movies were the place that you saw cool characters puffing away, lighting up and exhaling moody swathes of smoke across the screen. I somked myself, between 15-21, initially partly peer pressure partly stupidity but also to try to look a little bit cool. Being smokless myself for decades I still have a smile when I see a movie (particualrly from the golden age) when the lead character pulls out a white cylinder places it at their lips, ignites and draws a breath in, then exhales to fill the screen with the ghost like plumes. Yep, smoking still looks cool.

Doris

McClaine

Reta

Scarlett

Domino & Cooper

Powell & Bobby

Dallas & Bogie

Brando & Dean

Tony

Lauren

Shatner & Hepburn

http://youtu.be/FmF_Phk6eIE

Jimmy Conway

http://youtu.be/2-KGiwGn1d8

Now Voyager

http://youtu.be/pcc0j9XK-94

Smokings for the birds

http://youtu.be/5dzpabwyc5I

Slim

Roy & Belmondo

Cruella

Bond...James Bond

http://youtu.be/nFZtMWs31oo

Friday, 10 June 2011

CINEMATIC SEXUALITY

A TV Cop show, the name of which escapes me, had a new bright eyed partner to the cynical central character asking “What’s your sexiest Movie moment?” The cynical cop gave some muttered response to the effect that it was a stupid question. The bright and bushy newcomer gave his; “Phoebe Cates climbing out of the pool in Fast Times at Ridgemount High” Now this, I would venture, was to establish both his age and his ‘type’. It got me thinking though; Sexiest movie moment? it’s often connected with time and place not just time and it's funny, looking back, what moments there have been.