CLUB WEBSITE
http://www.goodiesruleok.com
E-MAIL ADDRESSES
Newsletter enquiries: clarion@goodiesruleok.com
General enquiries: enquiries@goodiesruleok.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
'The Goodies Rule - OK!'
P.O. Box 413
Croydon VIC 3136, AUSTRALIA
THE LADS AND LASSES OF THE C&G
EDITOR
- Brett Allender <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>.
WITH SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM: Lisa Manekofsky, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden
C&G CONTRIBUTORS: Kristen Allender, Paul Baxter, Alison Bean, Bondgirl, Kristina Breen, Brightpear, Ray Davis, Siobhain Doherty, Jo Doye, Guy Ebert, Ekiethump, Jacana Fox (Foxy), Liz Headland, Iamredfraggle, JGTMTE, Kerry Matthews, Adrienne Moxham, Liz, Jacqui & Andrew Palmer, Vanessa Pusey, Alana Read, Sam, Santa, Aaron Starr, Amanda Stokes, tsalad, Ben Tumney, Jodie Vandewetering, Peter Wearden,
CONTENTS
1. THE SECOND INNINGS - The Goodies Down Under again
2. SPOTTED!!! - Goodies interviews and publicity
3. GOODIES GOODIES - Tour merchandise and programs
4. THE GOODIES STILL ALIVE ON STAGE - Fan reviews
5. THE GOODIES STILL ALIVE ON STAGE - Media reviews
6. FAN FEEDBACK - Your thoughts on The Goodies Still Alive On Stage
7. THIS IS YOUR LEADER(S) SPEAKING - a few words from Lisa, Tim and Graeme
1. THE SECOND INNINGS
Welcome to this special edition of the C&G which is dedicated to the recently concluded tour of Australia by Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden (along with Bill Oddie "almost live" via video) for their second innings of "The Goodies Still Alive On Stage"
MEDIA RELEASE
September 13, 2005
The Big Laugh Comedy Festival, AKA and Hocking & Vigo present
The Goodies ... British comedy legends
Still Alive on Stage
"The combination of a weak heart and a sense of humour could prove fatal during their world premier show Still Alive on Stage"
The Sydney Morning Herald 3/3/05
The Goodies are heading back down under - and preparing to brave the Aussie interior - in a national tour of their hit show The Goodies Still Alive On Stage.
The new version of The Goodies Still Alive on Stage stars UK comic legends Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. Bill Oddie will feature in the show from London via the wonders of video due to filming commitments with the BBC hosting Autumnwatch, the follow-up series to the hit Springwatch.
The tour will open at the Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, before dates in Melbourne, Launceston, Hobart, Geelong, Coffs Harbour, Tamworth, Newcastle, Perth, the Gold Coast, Albury, Canberra, Adelaide, Rockhampton, Cairns and Townsville.
The Goodies Still Alive On Stage - the first ever touring stage show by The Goodies - was produced by The Big Laugh Comedy Festival. After premiering at Riverside Theatres Parramatta in March this year, the show played in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane, selling out everywhere it went.
Still Alive on Stage gives the rest of Australia a chance to hang out with Tim and Graeme, enjoy cyber Bill and to check out The Goodies favourite bits and pieces of video and tall tales.
"So, after 35 years after their birth, can they still cut it? And having grown up, would they still have us in fits of belly laughs? Yes and Yes."
The Age 8/03/05
Tim, Graeme and Bill are the most loved and prolific of all UK comedians. The Goodies live stage show is a heady and hilarious mix of insights and reminiscences with bits and pieces of sketches and clips with tall tales.
"... age has not wearied their genius for the ridiculous"
The Sydney Morning Herald (3/03/05)
"The skits have hardly dated. Superb!"
Melbourne's The Age (10/03/05
Still Alive on Stage will include Goodies bits banned from the ABC, The Funky Gibbon sung live, sketches from the student revue that took The Goodies to Broadway, Tim's Union Jack Waistcoat and possibly fireworks (insurance pending!).
The Goodies started out together at Footlights, The Cambridge University revue club, touring with the Cambridge Circus comedy revue. They have writing and performing credits that include the cream of UK comedy from the 60s to the present.
The Goodies television show - which ran for an astonishing 178 episodes - started out with a traditional sit-com element, but evolved quickly into a joyous, unrestrained, lightly satirical festival of visual humour with special effects, explosions, giant props, camera tricks and slapstick.
In the world of British humour dominated by verbal dexterity, The Goodies were classic visual comedians. The Goodies ran for over a decade before they called it a day in 1981, creating an unprecedented library of shows. The Goodies twice won the Montreux Silver Rose and made guest appearances on every major British TV show including the legendary first Amnesty benefit show A Poke In The Eye With a Sharp Stick.
A DVD released by BBC Worldwide to coincide with their live shows in Australia in March earlier this year sold 50,000 units around the country.
Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden currently present Beat The Nation, one of the UK's most original TV quiz shows, on Channel 4, and are panelists on the long-running radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
TOUR DATES
PARRAMATTA:
* Wed 2 Nov 2005, 8:00pm at the Riverside Theatre
* Thurs 3 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Riverside Theatre
MELBOURNE:
* Fri 4 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at Hamer Hall
LAUNCESTON:
* Sat 5 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Princess Theatre
HOBART:
* Sun 6 Nov 2005, 3:00pm at the Theatre Royal
* Sun 6 Nov 2005, 5:30pm at the Theatre Royal
GEELONG:
* Tue 8 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the GPAC Ford Theatre
COFFS HARBOUR:
* Thurs 10 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Ex-Services Club
TAMWORTH:
* Fri 11 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Town Hall
NEWCASTLE:
* Sat 12 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Newcastle Civic Center
WOLLONGONG:
* Mon 14 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at IPAC
PERTH:
* Thu 17 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at His Majesty's Theatre
* Fri 18 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at His Majesty's Theatre
* Fri 18 Nov 2005, 9:30pm at His Majesty's Theatre
* Sat 19 Nov 2005, 8:00pm at His Majesty's Theatre
GOLD COAST:
* Mon 21 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Gold Coast Arts Centre
ALBURY:
* Wed 23 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Albury Performing Arts Centre
CANBERRA:
* Thurs 24 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at the Canberra Theatre Center
ADELAIDE:
* Fri 25 Nov 2005, 7:00pm at Her Majesty's Theatre
* Fri 25 Nov 2005, 9:30pm at Her Majesty's Theatre
ROCKHAMPTON:
* Thurs 1 Dec 2005, 7:00pm at the Pilbeam Theatre
CAIRNS:
* Sat 3 Dec 2005, 7:00pm at the Cairns Convention Center
TOWNSVILLE:
* Sun 4 Dec 2005, 3:00pm at the Civic Theatre
2. SPOTTED!!!
More exciting than getting your wig-spotters badge! If you've seen the Goodies recently (and let's face it, who "down under" hasn't!), e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>with the details. Here's where we've Spotted!!! The Goodies as part of the publicity for "The Goodies Still Alive On Stage" tour:
ANYTHING, ANYTIME
Tim and Graeme certainly kept themselves busy between shows by fulfilling many requests for interviews by the Australian media and conducting merchandise signing sessions. The following is a list of their various media commitments and public appearances compiled from the many excellent updates posted on the website by Lisa Manekofsky during the tour:
Pre-recorded interviews::
* 891 ABC Adelaide Afternoons with Carol Whitelock - interview with Graeme.
* 2WS Breakfast with Amanda and Jonesy
* ABC Hobart Breakfast with Rick Patterson.
* ABC Northern Tasmania Breakfast with David Illise.
* 891 ABC Adelaide Evenings with Peter Goers.
* 4RO Rockhampton Breakfast with Jeff Goodwin
* Nova 93.7 with Nat and Nathan. The show airs from 6:00-9:00am (should air
on or after Nov. 17th)
* Gold FM Gold Coast with Richard Fowler and Sarah Wharmby
* MIX 102.3 Adelaide breakfast. (should air on or after Nov. 18th)
* 917 ABC Gold and Tweed Coasts Afternoons. (should air on or after Nov.21st)
* Sea FM Rockhampton (should air on or after Nov. 25th)
Live Interviews and Public Appearances:
THURS, NOVEMBER 3RD:
* 1233 ABC Newcastle with Garth Russell.
FRI, NOVEMBER 4TH:
* 774 ABC Melbourne with Red Symons.
* DVD signing at the ABC Shop, Mezzanine Level, GPO Building on the corner of Elizabeth & Bourke St, Melbourne (2:00-4:00pm)
TUES, NOVEMBER 8TH:
* Good Morning Australia (Network 10).
* ABC North Coast Mornings with Fiona Wyllie
* ABC Mid North Coast Mornings with Brooke Daniels.
THURS, NOVEMBER 10th:
* 2CS Breakfast (Coffs Harbour) with Ian Henderson
FRI, NOVEMBER 11th:
* ABC New England Mornings with Jennifer Ingall
WEDS, NOVEMBER 16TH:
* DVD signing at ABC Shop in the Carousel Shopping Centre in
Cannington. (3:00pm)
* 720 ABC Perth Drive with Russell Wolf.
* Mix 94.5 Breakfast with Fred Botica and Lisa Shaw
* 666 ABC Canberra Afternoons with David Kilby.
* 612 ABC Brisbane Afternoons with Nicole Dyer
THURS, NOVEMBER 17TH:
* 4KQ Drive with Ian Keenan.
MON, NOVEMBER 21ST:
* DVD signing at ABC Shop, Broadbeach, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach (Gold Coast) (11:00am-1:00pm)
* ABC Goulburn Murray Breakfast with Joseph Thomsen
FRI, NOVEMBER 25TH:
* DVD signing, Dymocks, 55 Jetty St, Glenelg (Adelaide)(2:00-4:00pm)
THURS, DECEMBER 1ST:
* ABC Far North Queensland Breakfast
* ABC North Queensland Breakfast
* ABC North Queensland Drive
BIG 'UNS
SUNDAY TIMES (PERTH) - 13TH NOVEMBER)
(contributed by Vanessa Pusey)
Oh Goodie, they're here.
by Kane Young
The Goodies are coming for you and you and you, and you and you and you ... or at least two of them are, anyway. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden are in Perth as part of their first touring show, The Goodies Still Alive On Stage. The third Goodie, Bill Oddie, will make an appearance via satellite because of filming commitments with the BBC in London.
Still Alive On Stage premiered in March to sell-out crowds. It recalls the best bits from the classic 1970s BBC TV series, a smorgasbord of special effects, giant props, camera tricks and slapstick comedy.
During 77 episodes, The Goodies - Graeme the intellectual, Tim the royalist and Bill the revolutionary - battled a giant kitten, climbed a beanstalk up Mt Everest, set up a radio station under the sea, represented Britain in the Winter Olympics at the North Pole, and beat each other senseless with black puddings.
In Still Alive On Stage, Garden and Brooke-Taylor reminisce about the series, show clips that were originally banned in Australia, explain how sketches were shot, answer questions from the audience and sing the Funky Gibbon.
"It's sort of a celebration, based around us answering questions," Brooke-Taylor says. "There are always questions people want to know, so we try to answer them - whether seriously or not depends on the question."
In their heyday, The Goodies took very little seriously, including their own TV show. "All we were really trying to do was make ourselves laugh," Brooke-Taylor says. "That was the thing we learnt very early on: Don't try to double-guess the audience. Try to write something that makes you laugh and then hope someone else will find it funny as well."
Despite, or maybe because of, their rampant silliness, Brooke-Taylor and his fellow Goodies enjoyed successful careers after the TV show finished in 1981. But they are still best known, specially in Australia, as The Goodies.
While the days of doing their own stunts are long gone, Brooke-Taylor says The Goodies will keep making people laugh as long as they are physically able to.
[with 2 photos - one of the Goodies in their "Funky Gibbon" overalls from the 1970s and a current photo of Bill, Graeme and Tim together.]
GOODIE GOODIE GUMDROPS
Monday, 21 November 2005
Presenter: Joseph Thomsen
[photo of The Goodies]
Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke Taylor in Sydney in March this year as part of the Goodies 2005 tour.
The Goodies are back in Australia minus one. Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke Taylor are currently in the country for the Goodies 2005 tour.
Although he makes a special non appearance in the show, the Goodies are without Bill Oddie for the current tour. However there will be mention of the unofficial fourth Goodie, the famous three-seater trandem.
"We hated that bike! We hated it with a loathing, it was the most painful experience we ever had" says Tim Brooke Taylor.
"It was a nasty thing," adds Graeme Garden.
"We found we could usually do about 20 or 30 yards before the chain went.. we used to complain about it, then three guys rode across Africa on it, and that slightly disproved out theory" says Tim
Graeme adds, "We had several of them made, I think about three altogether. The first one Bill just sat on like a bit of luggage; nothing changed over the years, he didn't have pedals so he was just dead weight and that threw the whole thing out of balance it was terrible. The later ones he got to pedal, and that was a little bit easier but not much. We did a special for the BBC for this Christmas, which was a first after 25 years. They got one of the trandems in the studio for us but they said you are not allowed to ride it because we can't insure you. I wish they had found that out a little bit earlier."
"One of them (trandems) turned up for this studio thing and it was the wrong colour so it had to be painted quickly so it was painted red because as Graeme pointed out 'when we bled you couldn't see it' basically.. we bled a lot."
Graeme says the Goodies happened by accident "We met at Cambridge, but we had no idea of doing the Goodies then. The Goodies came out of a show that Tim and I were doing with John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman.. we all worked together on various programs and it just sort of fell out that Tim and I were doing one together called 'Broaden your mind' we did two series, then Bill came and joined us in the second series, and the third series we just looked around and thought everybody is doing sketches at the moment.. so we thought let's do the silly comedy that you do in the three minute sketch and stretch it into thirty minutes and the BBC said yes, alright."
Tim says he was surprised the BBC gave them the nod because the pitch wasn't the best, when asked what they had planned they said, "Well there are three guys and they will do anything, anytime, anywhere, that's it! It was very nice of them to take it on I wouldn't have bought it."
"We used to sit round at the beginning of the series as if we were doing a current affairs program. We would have a list of all the things going on at that time, serious, stupid, whatever! Then we would normally get three or four of those and knit them together."
Both Goodies agree that is the ageless appeal that has kept the Goodies a household favourite.
"The audiences have been amazing and the ones we chat to have been so enthusiastic, all different generations.. the secret has been to start early then the whole family can watch it.. we literally have three generations watching" says Tim.
It became such a part of a lot of children's childhood; they are the generation who are now in their early 30's with kids of their own. even though it was not made for kids, children love the falling about and the slapstick, they enjoyed it. It was always a show that families could watch together, that was quite good you know, if the parent found the kids watching the Goodies they didn't say stop watching that rubbish, they said go and tell your Gran" adds Graeme.
THE ADVERTISER (ADELAIDE) -
(26TH NOVEMBER)
(contributed by Lisa Manekofsky)
* An article in "The Advertiser" talks about the Goodies tour; the club even gets a passing mention. Unfortunately they also repeat the false rumour that Tim appeared in Heinz commercials as a child.
Here's the article, from http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17366783%255E2682,00.html
Ecky-thump - at last, it's Goodie Goodie yum yum
SIMON YEAMAN
26nov05
THEY even came with cans of Heinz baked beans - Goodies fans young and old lined the Dymocks book store in Jetty Rd, Glenelg, yesterday for DVD and T-shirt signings.
Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden had flown into town for two nights of The Goodies: Still Live on Stage at Her Majesty's Theatre, featuring skits, anecdotes and the third Goodie, Bill Oddie, on a video screen from Britain.
"I've been dying to come to Adelaide," said Brooke-Taylor, now in his 60s.
"It's been a very nice reaction, but we knew it was going to be good here.
"A - because we haven't been before and B - because The Goodies fan club is based here, on the website. It started in Adelaide, about 10 years ago."
Asked to explain the enduring popularity of the 1970s British comedy, Brooke-Taylor recalled being initially appalled at the 6 o'clock screening time on the ABC in Australia. It ran at night in the UK.
"But in fact it's the best thing that's ever happened because people have grown up with it," he said.
"Then they get older and they realise there's another level to it, so they enjoy it more than they did.
"So we're lucky."
Tickets are still available through BASS for tonight's show, a new four-disc DVD has been released for Christmas and The Goodies will screen on pay-TV's UK-TV channel at 3.15pm, weekdays, from December 5.
As for those baked beans?
As a child Brooke-Taylor starred in the original Beanz Meanz Heinz advertisements, which he duly sent up with parodies of the ads on The Goodies.
Owen, 9, and his sister Ramona, 7, have been watching The Goodies on video since they were two. "They're just real funny," said Owen.
"It's the first comedy they ever watched," said their mother, Belinda Brown, who is also a Goodies fan.
* Footnote: Eee bah goom - in Episode 42, Kung Fu Kapers, Bill reveals he is an expert in the ancient Lancashire martial art of Ecky-Thump.
THE CAIRNS POST - (1st DECEMBER)
(contributed by Alison Bean)
Do the Funky Gibbon by Niki Bruce
If you grew up during the '70s and '80s there was no way you missed your daily dose of the Goodies. Every day thousands of kids would switch to the ABC for irreverent British humour. Niki Bruce chatted with
Graeme Garden and enjoyed every minute.
The Goodies are coming to Cairns and everyone is excited. Our favourite comedians - Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie - are currently on their The Goodies Still Alive on Stage tour; although Bill appears only as a digital image since he's got filming commitments with the BBC.
This show gives Australians outside the capital cities an opportunity to hang out with the funny guys and check out The Goodies' own favourite bits of their history. And Australia is still in love with The Goodies' particular brand of laughs, says Graeme Garden - the 'serious' Goodie. "We've been welcomed with warmth and affection," says Graeme.
The Goodies evolved from an idea that developed from the show Broaden Your Mind, that the three comedic partners worked on. It was "another sketch show", explains Graeme, saying that they wanted to do something different in the "crowded market" of comedy sketch shows. "We wanted to have the same silly feeling of those shows, but a different structure. We came up with the idea of 'anything, anytime, anywhere' and took it to the BBC - in those days the BBC would take a chance with anything," he chuckles.
Graeme, Tim and Bill were all at university together, along with John Cleese surprisingly enough. "We were a 'giggle' of comedians," Graeme jokes. Interestingly Graeme was actually at university studying medicine and he did qualify, although he never practised. "I loved working in radio and television - even doing it as a hobby would have been great," he says. After so many years in the entertainment industry, Graeme says the most surprising thing about the changes he's seen is that good quality comedy is still being made.
"There's a little bit more of it being run by accountants," he jokes, "but there's a terrific amount of good stuff around - despite those accountants." Graeme is also still excited to be working. He and Tim Brooke-Taylor have a regular radio show in the UK that's been going for "30 years or so". As a solo performer Graeme has, ironically, made about 50 medical films, some with John Cleese. He's also written for various shows and television programs.
The BBC is currently making a two-hour documentary that will follow the 25 years of The Goodies. While on the subject of the past, Graeme laughs when telling the story of The Goodies' famous three-seat bike. "BBC 2 did a documentary on us a while back and they found the bike and brought it out. But we couldn't get on it. They hadn't been able to insure us if we rode that bike!" he laughs.
Graeme has fond memories of all The Goodies' shows and says there are "lots of bits to like". "We did get into trouble with the South African show. The BBC wouldn't let it be broadcast - they thought it was 'quite edgy'." Some of these "edgy" bits will be star attractions at The Goodies Still Alive and On Stage tour; alongside insights and reminiscences, sketches and tall tales. And there will definitely be a live performance of The Funky Gibbon.
ABC NEWS WEBSITE - (7TH DECEMBER)
(contributed by Liz Headland & Lisa Manekofsky)
http://www.abc.net.au/capricornia/stories/s1525927.htm
The Goodies: health and safety nightmare?
Reporter: Kim Lester
Presenter: Jenny Swan
A three-seater bicycle, an office on wheels and repeated blows to the head: a recipe for a classic comedy or a health and safety nightmare?
It was just another day on the job for Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie, the men behind popular 70s sitcom The Goodies.
But could those stunts - from throwing themselves over small cliffs to acrobatics on a bike suspended ten feet above the ground - be performed with today's occupational health and safety standards?
Graeme recalls how little care they took when performing stunts.
"We were very stupid, quite often we didn't do sensible things like put padding on," he said.
"Of course you don't just fall over, you fall over eight times until they get the shot right."
"I don't think they would allow us to do the show today," Tim added.
"I've just done an animated series, just doing a voiceover, and they sent me a risk assessment form."
Tim and Graeme were travelling across Australia with a new version of the Goodies stage show, still aLive on Stage.
Third man on the bicycle, Bill Oddie, was unavoidably detained by his current career as a BBC wildlife presenter, but took part through pre-recorded video inserts.
The Goodies say the best thing about touring Australia is being remembered by generations of fans, many who grew up watching the show then found a new meaning to the humour through endless ABC TV re-runs.
"We've had grandmother, mother, and grandson or granddaughter and all celebrate it together," Tim says.
"I think that's actually rather great if the whole family can genuinely enjoy it." Because we were doing a lot of silly things we were able to get away with a lot of other things...
Graeme credits the comedy's success throughout the last four decades to the different element of humour for different age groups.
"It was the kids who liked the silliness, and I think the parents enjoyed the fact that there was a little bit more meat to it," he said.
"The audiences that we see now, a lot of them are in their thirties."
The Goodies has been described as a lot of silliness and the "kids version of Monty Python", but the comedy trio also gained a reputation for anti-establishment leanings.
"There was a very left wing paper in England which quoted how very anti-establishment we were, and we said Shush! Shush!," Tim says.
"Because we were doing a lot of silly things we were able to get away with a lot of other things.
"Every now and then the BBC would realise it, but very rarely, and quite a lot of it was censored by the ABC."
"We probably did set out just to be silly and make ourselves laugh, and hopefully that would make a lot of other people laugh," Graeme added.
"But because we opted to make it different to other sketch shows and we opted for the 30 minute storyline, we realised we had to have a story about something and the easiest thing to write a story about is something that's in the news and that everybody's talking about already."
Issues the Goodies covered such diverse ground as South African apartheid, sexism and racism, the Eurovision song contest and Rolf Harris.
Related Links:
Some of these links may be to sites outside the ABC and as such the ABC has no editorial control over such sites.
The Goodies Rule - OK!
http://www.goodiesruleok.com
The website of the offical Goodies fan club, based in Australia.
Wild Autumn
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/autumnwatch/
While Tim and Graeme were meeting their Australian fans Bill was in Britain presenting this interactive natural history show, which is similar to the ABC's Wildwatch.
LITTLE 'UNS
* On October 13th in The Mercury (Hobart) there was a three-quarter page article on The Goodies upcoming tour in the 'Bravo' entertainment section. It had the interview with Tim that he did for the newspapers that Lisa mentioned on the club website. It also had a photo of Tim and Graeme on stage and another of all three Goodies in the 70's (sitting on the park bench).
(Ben Tumney - 14th October)
* A Goodies interview appeared on Saturday 15th October in the Geelong Today supplement of the Geelong Advertiser. It was a full page article by Cam Ward and he was speaking with Graeme about their careers pre- and post-Goodies.
(Amanda Stokes - 17th October)
* I've uploaded the Tim Brooke-Taylor interview to the Comedy@Sydney Webzine. www.comedy-sydney.com
(Adrienne Moxham - 25th October)
* I've put some photos from the Hobart show up here:
http://photobucket.com/albums/b13/Carthorse/Goodies%20-%20Hobart%206-11-05/
(Foxy - Goodies-l - 7th November)
* There's a new article about the Goodies tour at http://www.abc.net.au/goulburnmurray/stories/s1511312.htm
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 21st November)
* Here's a link to a bit about Tim and Graeme on ABC 666 Canberra. It has links to the podcast and Real Audio of the half hour show.
http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1516299.htm
(Peter Wearden - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* I found a few more interview podcasts from when Graeme and Tim were touring. One with both of them is at Nova 93.7 (www.nova937.com.au ) and the other with just Tim is at 4KQ Drive. (http://www.4kq.com.au/misc/unfiledarticles.asp?articleid=4065)
(Ben Tumney – Goodies-l – 14th December)
3. GOODIES GOODIES
DON'T BE A MUG – GO OUT AND BUY ONE!
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 18th November)
After some fans reported seeing Goodies mugs for sale at the shows we asked Playbill if the mugs would be added to their tour merchandise website. In response the mugs are now available via the Playbill link on the club's website (www.goodiesruleok.com ).
A little extra explanation is necessary - because Playbill's graphic designer is away on his honeymoon (congratulations!) the merchandise director stepped in to add the new item (so as not to keep us eager fans waiting). Unfortunately he had a bit of trouble adding the photos. If you move your mouse over the "Coffee Mug" link on the main merchandise page you'll notice that the photo only shows half the mug (I was told it is a "shy mug" ;). You can see the entire image by clicking on the "Coffee Mug" link. The merchandise director admitted they aren't the best photos but hoped the fans wouldn't mind the placeholders until the graphic designer returns next week.
If you're planning to purchase the tour merchandise please consider supporting the club by using the link in the "Tour Merchandise" box on the club site.
4. FAN REVIEWS
BRETT ALLENDER - MELBOURNE (4TH NOV)
& ALBURY (23RD NOV)
(with contributions from Kristen Allender, who attended Melbourne)
I was lucky enough to get to see two Goodies performances this time around - and in two completely different venues and cities which greatly added to the overall experience. Firstly it was back to the vast surrounds of Hamer Hall in bustling metropolitan Melbourne for an encore of the unforgettable show from eight months earlier, and the buzz of almost 3000 excited Goodies fans. Then a few short weeks later it was over to the more easy-paced provincial city environment of Albury and its far more compact and intimate Performing Arts Centre theatre, where 800 keen fans not only bubbled with enthusiasm, but also appreciation at being able to see a show of this calibre without having to make the long drive up or down the Hume Highway to one of the capital cities as is usually the case.
This is in some ways a shameless reworking of my original review from the Melbourne show of the March tour, as many of the memorable moments from the first tour were recreated in near-identical format or subtly revised this time around. However I'll certainly attempt to highlight the main differences between the shows of the first and second tours for those fans who only saw the initial version, and also cover a few of the slight changes of content between the Albury and Melbourne shows on the latest tour.
The sense of anticipation among the audience started to build up steadily as the theatres filled and the starting time grew closer. This was helped by various Goodies songs being piped through the speakers, though both venues were playing the songs so quietly that it was difficult to pick up many of the lyrics - maybe Mrs Carthorse had lodged a complaint after the first tour about excessive noise levels! Her gripe would have been in vain anyway, as the noise factor soon grew to an enthusiastic burst of approval and laughter as the Goodies theme song rang out and the title clips were displayed on the screen.
The announcement of the arrival of The Goodies saw the noise level escalate to an almighty roar as Tim, Graeme and a stuffed dummy of Bill entered the picture resplendent in their Ecky Thump flat hats; not aboard the trusty trandem bike, but astride a three-man zimmer frame complete with Goodies flag. Half way across the stage the zimmer frame got up a better burst of speed than Black And White Beauty and the panicking Goodies went careering out of sight. Seconds later there was a loud crash, Ecky Thump hats went flying in all directions (moreso at Albury) and Tim and Graeme stumbled back onto the stage, with Graeme less-than-convincingly moaning, "Ow, that hurt!". A hilarious start which really warmed the audience up and got them into the spirit of things straight away.
Graeme was first to the lectern and kindly told the audience, "You haven't changed a bit.", but as a scornful Tim pointed out, seemingly neither had Graeme, who was still sporting a luxuriant head of wavy hair and those legendary fuzzy chops sideburns. Tim suspected that Graeme had "a koala on his head ... and look at those baby wombats on his cheeks!", and for the Albury audience, a topical reference to Graeme having a big (Bogong) moth on his head! A peeved Graeme barked, "It's perfectly natural. Feel it!" and handed his wig to Tim, with instructions to "Be careful with it. It has to be back on Bert Newton's head by dawn!", which brought delirious laughter from the audience. Tim carted the wig back to his chair, while Graeme removed his "wombat" whiskers and forlornly told them "You're orphans now. Oh well, it's back to the pits with you!". Classic stuff indeed!
Graeme then provided a proper introduction for Tim (again to the most tremendous clatter of applause - no need for any clap gas here; David Frost would have been most envious!) as the man with the Union Jack waistcoat, shiny shoes and various other nice and virtuous attributes, only for Tim to sit in Bill's scruffy sunflower and peace symbol-clad chair instead of his own neat, noble Union Jack-clad one. Upon Graeme pointing out his mistake, Tim leapt to his feet in horror and disgust, gave everything a mighty blast of disinfectant and responded to Graeme's command to wear a pair of Union Jack undies by promptly putting them on his head!
Following these antics, Graeme then dedicated the show to Bill, telling us that Bill was "still alive, but not here". The reasons given for Bill's absence differed at Melbourne and Albury, but choice lines included: "It's not the season for him to migrate south", "He was nominated by his fellow Goodies and voted out by the public", "We decided to Kill Bill 3 and leave him at home" and plain old "We didn't want him out here with us!" The overriding sentiment was that they had decided that the best way to improve the show from first time around was to get rid of Bill, so they did!
All the while during this insult-fest, photos of Bill in a myriad of silly poses and facial expressions were being beamed onto a large screen mounted in the centre of the back of the stage. To everyone's surprise and delight, an on-screen image of Bill in a loud Hawaiian-style shirt suddenly came to life and he stared down at Tim and Graeme, demanding to know where they were. Tim tried to tell him that they were in Austria, but Bill deduced from the cackling of the audience that they were really in Australia again. He was extremely miffed by this, as he thought that they'd gone on one last grand glorious Goodies tour of Antarctica, and he hadn't joined them because he couldn't stand the cold, preferring to remain in balmy England instead! His indignant ranting was rapidly silenced by Tim zapping him off the screen with a remote control, while smirking "I knew that this would come in handy!"
Graeme then told us that The Goodies were an agency who were "willing to do anything, anytime, anywhere" and what they were going to do that evening was to answer questions sent to them by fans; the first one being "Why have you come to Australia?". He firstly struggled to find a non-aggressive inflection for it, with "Why have YOU come to Australia?!" being one of several Pirate Post Office-like efforts, before finally getting it right and providing the following answer: "Because we were asked ... asked to leave Britain!" in his trademark deadpan delivery, to another burst of laughter from everyone.
According to Graeme, it seemed as though the Goodies had been forgotten by people in Britain for 25 years, but then suddenly the British remembered who the Goodies were and told them to get out! Luckily the Goodies had heard of a little island in the South Seas (possibly named Munga!) where the natives worship Prince Philip, or "Him Bigfella Greek Twit Blong Missy Kwin, as Camilla calls him!" They had also heard of a slightly larger island where the natives just might worship The Goodies as if they were gods; a line which drew a rapturous ovation - you've come to the right island, fellas! Graeme also cunningly revealed that the Goodies were here because: "If we're going to do a show like this, and embarrass ourselves, we might as well do it as far away as possible from anyone we know!"
Having been treated to several minutes of vintage Graeme, it was Tim's turn to shine. Looking as though he had just walked off the set of the show, resplendent in his Union Jack waistcoat and shiny shoes, he dealt with the most frequently recurring questions sent in by Goodies fans: where was the trandem and how awkward was it to ride on their various adventures. Tim introduced an excellent video compilation of trandem highlights from the Goodies' first tumble from it in "Beefeaters" through to the abstract mess left at the end of the energetic "Greased Cycling" routine from "Saturday Night Grease", commenting that the bike was always more popular with fans than the Goodies themselves. Graeme then provided the definitive answer to the trandem's whereabouts by triumphantly holding aloft a little chunk of compressed scrap metal and grumbling, "And that's just the way we like it!" to more delighted cheers.
The Goodies' most painful moments while filming the show brought an amusing anecdote from Tim about badly cutting his hand while aboard the trandem when it was suspended from a balloon during the filming of "Kitten Kong". A burly stagehand took one look at the wound and promptly fainted, before Tim tried to explain the circumstances of the injury to the BBC's French nurse, only to be told abruptly to "piss off" when he started jabbering on about a giant kitten in French!
Graeme's injury was very tame by comparison - a wasp inside his bush jacket that "could have" stung him but he was too busy doing his David Attenborough impersonation at the time to notice! Tim also chimed in with the comment that Graeme would be watching a family of Oddies rather than Bellamys nowadays. Bill reappeared on the big screen at this point and had everyone chuckling with his recollection of the Goodies being sandwiched into giant toothpaste tubes and repeatedly banging their heads on the metal caps while bouncing up and down on spacehoppers in the "London to Brighton" episode, with his colourful description of the ambiguous anatomy of spacehoppers also drawing plenty of laughter. He plaintively cursed the fact that the Goodies insisted on doing this stunt themselves despite no-one being able to tell who was inside the costumes, and this brought one of the best lines of the night from Graeme, "The sad part is that Bill still thinks it was Tim and I in the other two tubes!"
Bill had turned away from the audience at that stage, but wheeled around, glared and hissed "Bastards!" at Tim and Graeme. He soon had his revenge, however, by replaying the final scenes of "Bunfight At The OK Tea Rooms" which showed Graeme taking one of his most spectacular tumbles after squirting himself with lethal tomato sauce. Bill gleefully explained that Graeme had taken the precautions of placing foam padding all along his back, only to overdo the gymnastics and make an undignified (and unpadded) landing flat on his face! A slow motion replay confirmed this diagnosis, much to everyone's utter pleasure, except Graeme's of course! Tim then added to Graeme's misery by saying that while he was laying on the ground at the Bunfight waiting for Graeme to snuff it, "a wasp, three bees and a spider crawled up my leg, but I didn't think that it was worth mentioning!"
The topic of how the Goodies first got together saw us treated to some interesting photos on the screen supposedly of the three baby Goodies together, preparing for their first Vicars & Tarts Party among other things! Tim then told how they met again as part of the Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society, or CULES, leaving him very grateful that they hadn't joined the university's National Trust Society instead!! At Cambridge, he got to don his prized smoking jacket and audition Bill and Graeme for the Footlights in the early 1960s, so Bill popped up again on-screen and performed the song that he sang back then which was meant to spell out his love for his girlfriend, only to spell out the rather unromantic word, "BLIMPHT" instead. This sequence actually provided one of really neat visual tricks of the night, with Bill wanting Tim to read out letters from a piece of paper as cues for his song, so he tossed the paper from his hand and it then dropped down from the base of the screen to the stage floor at Melbourne with precision timing for Tim to pick up. Unfortunately this didn't work at Albury, so Tim scooted around behind the stage curtain and re-emerged holding the piece of paper aloft, which was still quite amusing in its own right.
Graeme's Footlights audition was my own personal highlight of the night, and quite probably the highlight for many other fans too. Stating: "If this goes badly, I'm Eric Idle!" when asked his name by Tim, he brought in a collection of cardboard boxes and staged a "Pets Corner" segment which was a brilliant exhibition of the various "make a ball of fluff look like a real animal" scenes in many of our favourite Goodies episodes. There was the sabre-toothed mongoose which viciously shredded a rubber glove that Graeme had wisely put on his hand before opening its box, and the baby Saharan rabbit which ran up and down his jumper before it was unfortunately squashed in his hand and callously thrown away. The lesser spotted wood owl was also a cute specimen which wouldn't take its sharp claws out of Graeme's fingers despite several attempts to remove it, so it was subtly despatched with an almighty whack from a wooden mallet! And finally after much procrastination from Graeme, the release of the vampire bat saw it go for his throat in a perfect copy of the sequences in "Kitten Kong" and "That Old Black Magic" only for it to be hastily shoved back in the box and kept at bay by Graeme holding a crucifix above it. The master at work, and although I've now seen this sequence on four occasions, it hasn't lost an ounce of its magic, even though Tim did farewell Graeme with a somewhat sarcastic "Thank you, Eric Idle!".
This led into interesting recollections of the Cambridge Circus tour to New Zealand in 1963 and the subsequent production of the much-loved radio comedy series "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again", which featured the three Goodies, John Cleese, Jo Kendall and David Hatch, who, Graeme dryly noted, has recently been knighted for his service to BBC radio by finally leaving it! Other collaborations between one or more Goodies such as "Twice A Fortnight", "At Last The 1948 Show" and the pivotal "Broaden Your Mind" were all discussed in an enjoyable history lesson before the formation of The Goodies was discussed, and in particular, the decision not to call the show "Superchaps Three" or "Narrow Your Mind", but rather something worthy of people who would be saving the world in the spirit of The Avengers or The Protectors. A new anecdote since the first tour was Graeme suggesting that they also thought of calling themselves The Wiggles, but "Nobody would earn a living with a silly name like that!"
A question regarding Jon Pertwee's guest role in "Wacky Wales" led to Graeme telling us about how Jon strictly managed to keep to the script by putting copies of his lines all over the set and only ad-libbing when Tim purposely stood on the bit of floor that had his next speech written on it, creating a whole new language in the process! A series of clips featuring prominent female guest stars on The Goodies was also shown, with Graeme commenting about the good guest roles written into the show for women and Tim making a tongue-in-cheek remark that in the later episodes he got to play all of those roles himself! At Albury, Tim said that he had even contemplated telling Prince William that "I could have been your mother!" after nearly getting the chance to "marry" the real Prince Charles in Scatty Safari, and also told us that someone at the recent Goodies night in England had criticised him for never playing any butch masculine parts in the show, to which he replied "Yes I did. I played Margaret Thatcher!"
The issue of censorship arose, and with it, the spectre of self-appointed moral guardian Mary Whitehouse from the Festival Of Light, or "The Reverend Fred Nile in drag", as Tim charmingly described her. He recalled how embarrassed the Goodies were to receive a letter from her congratulating them on making such a nice clean first series (she obviously wasn't watching her TV on the night that "Playgirl Club" was screened!) and so they tried to upset her by savagely sending her up as Desiree Carthorse in "Gender Education". The screening of the "How To Make Babies By Doing Dirty Things" sequence from this episode brought fits of laughter from the audience, especially when Tim claimed that the film was now being used to instruct the kids who were participating in Schoolies Week on the Gold Coast!
At this stage Bill was supposed to reappear to describe Mary's response to this dastardly episode, however the screen remained blank and the Goodies were forced to revert to Plan B - a reluctant Graeme holding a little dummy of Bill (or was it Rolf Harris?!) and doing ventriloquism in the same way as he did with the Tony Blackburn doll in the "Chubby Chumps" episode. "Bill" was asked by Tim why he had such a high voice, and replied "You would too if his hand was up there!", then proceeded to tell us that Mary said nothing about this particular episode, but years later there was another episode which left her "ungegliegably shocked". Tim asked "Bill" to repeat that bit, much to Graeme's annoyance, for just as "bubblegum" became "gugglegum" in "Chubby Chumps", the challenge of saying "unbelievably" without moving his lips was obviously "ungegliegably" ruddy difficult!
Tim then took up the tale that many years after "Gender Education", The Goodies were summoned to the BBC Director General's office because Mary had sent a furious telegram of complaint about a scene in "Saturday Night Grease". On came the video screen and we were treated to the sight of Tim getting dressed in his disco gear before strutting down the street and shock, horror ... it was the sight of the large carrot motif on Tim's undies that finally proved too much for Mary's sensibilities. The Goodies couldn't have been more pleased either - redemption at last - though Tim was concerned that the wording of the complaint made it sound as though Mary must have been watching tv that night standing on her head, before rapidly banishing any mental images or explanations from his mind!
The censorship theme also extended to the re-enactment of some of the choice dialogue that the ABC had seen fit to remove before screening The Goodies at 6pm, with phrases like "I'm knackered" and "barbecued badger balls" seeming pretty tame by today's standards, although "Upside down with a goat" and "After the young maidens of the village have licked off his coating of porridge" would probably still fall foul of the ABC censors. Footage was shown of the shower scene from "Scoutrageous" and the Fairy Puff Detergent ad which had been completely cut from "Beefeaters". They also managed to find a spot for a favourite sketch from Tim and Graeme's classic radio comedy show "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue", with a horrified Graeme efficiently censoring a medley of supposedly bawdy Julie Andrews songs with the help of a loud buzzer to hide the rude words. One such example was a whole series of buzzes, followed by Julie warbling, "...tied up with string. These are a few of my favourite things."
A discussion about animal cruelty on the show brought Bill back up on the screen again (much to Graeme's relief) and he told us that the Goodies were in fact evil, wicked and cruel to animals on the show, except that they weren't real animals. This point was lost on a lady who wrote in complaining about the harsh treatment to an obviously-stuffed Black And White Beauty, although when she found out that Bill was really hitting Tim and Graeme inside a costume, she apparently asked to see a bit more whipping if she could!
This concept was then neatly turned around to prove that animals were also cruel to the Goodies, most notably to Tim during the filming of "Kitten Kong". The dog that Bill was walking decided to leave a big heap of barkers eggs on the exact line of the stop frame filming where Tim was being dragged along the ground by the kitten, but rather than mess up several hours of filming, Tim nobly kept sliding on straight through the fresh steaming pile of dog poo. Again, slow motion video replays (with a shuddering Tim saying "I use the word 'motion' advisedly!") were used to provide the evidence that Tim genuinely suffered for his art! As an extension of this theme from the first tour, we had Bill on-screen winding up the audience with a big spruik that for the very first time ever, Tim was about to do a special recreation of this amazing stunt right there in front of us on stage. However Tim flatly refused, and Graeme, who had walked out from off-stage carrying a plate with an enormous dog turd on it, said "Oh well, I suppose I'd better put this back in the fridge then!"
Tim switched Bill off and told Graeme that they'd need to resort to Plan B again, however Graeme couldn't find his ventriloquist doll anywhere. Bill popped up on the screen again, triumphantly waving the doll in his hand, and proceeded to stir the audience about England defeating Australia in the Ashes cricket series. Tim got fed up with Bill's antics and hit the heavy-duty switch on the remote, causing Bill to wail "I'm melting" as he vanished from the screen. Tim and Graeme then told of animals which were grateful to appear on the show, such as the two singing dogs from "Kitten Kong" whose performance was beamed up on the screen for all to enjoy.
The recollection of how t'ancient Lancastrian martial art of Ecky Thump really did turn out to be lethal after all in the mid '70s by causing a man to laugh himself to death while watching the battle scene drew one of the biggest laughs of the night, especially when Graeme mentioned that the man's widow had later written to the Goodies thanking them for making her husband's final moments so happy! The screening of this offending battle scene almost produced another en-masse kicking of the bucket, judging by the shrieks of laughter from the audience, as Bill despatched allcomers with his deadly black pudding. At the conclusion, Tim remarked how politicially incorrect and shameful the "black boxer" was, to which Graeme tersely added "Yes, if I ever figure out who that was ...!", setting the audience into coronary mode all over again.
A question (from me, which was nice!) about which medium the Goodies most like to work in led to the response of radio, and a performance of the "Search For The Nile" sketch from "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again". This was a much more compact sketch than the rambling "Jack The Ripper" from the shows of the March tour, but was still laced with plenty of silly sound effects (like Graeme's whistle being out of sync with the storyline) and sick puns ("After a long march ... and a rather tedious April!") for our enjoyment. Again it was fun to hear the reappearance of Lady Constance de Coverlet, whose voice was also used for many of Tim's female roles in The Goodies, and the final line of the discovery of a giant bottle of ketchup being the "source of the Nile" provided a suitably groansome ending before a very catchy swanny kazoo rendition of the "Chinatown" theme music from "Jack The Ripper" by Tim and Graeme.
After a question from "Fred and Mary of Denmark" about their favourite Goodies episode, Tim and Graeme then asked the audience to nominate their favourite Goodies clip. At this point in the Albury show, the audience were privileged to be the first to see Graeme's frighteningly accurate impersonation of Prime Minister John Howard, helped by a giant pair of caterpillar-like eyebrows for good effect. His perfect takeoff of Howard's sly grimace would have no doubt left Opposition Leader Kim Beazley feeling very queasy at the thought of a second Little Johnny to contend with, especially as this newer version was taller, much funnier, infinitely more popular and already had experience at ruling the world (and indeed, even blowing it up) on his resume!
A mixed vote on favourite Goodies clips saw the audience eventually railroaded into watching the closing chase scene from "The Movies", which seemed to be an appropriately humourous way for the Goodies to conclude the show. Bill appeared on-screen bowing to the audience and waving his ventriloquist puppet double as Graeme and Tim also saluted the crowd, setting off a small firecracker in Melbourne and a party popper gun in Albury to fulfil their contractual obligations for an explosion. They were just about to leave the stage when an indignant Bill pulled them up and told them to take a closer look at the contract, as it stated that they must finish their performance with a song.
Bill urged them to sing the "Funky Gibbon", even telling the audience that he wanted them to provide the backing "ooo's" and exhorting "Come on everybody, it's gibbon time!" Tim and Graeme objected to this silliness, so we saw Graeme exit stage right and suddenly reappear on-screen with Bill. He gestured to Bill to "shhh" and then clipped him over the ear to shut him up (to a huge burst of laughter from everyone) before re-emerging on stage rubbing his hands together with satisfaction to another gale of audience glee.
Tim and Graeme then asked everyone to provide the backing words for "Wild Thing" ("la la la la la la" - very difficult!) and we were treated to the wonderful version from the "Goodies Rule OK" special, with Bill and puppet wailing away on-screen and Tim and Graeme providing enthusiastic backup from the stage. Tim even reprised some of his wardrobe from their concert to the police force by trotting out a sparkling gold jacket and straggly Rod Stewart-like blond mullet wig towards the end of the song.
They finally departed the stage to a proper burst of eyebrow-scorching fireworks at Melbourne and a big volley of party popper streamers at Albury, and huge ovation and farewells at both venues which were worthy of the performances that they had delivered. Tim and Graeme again proved that they're not just a class act on stage either by appearing at the stage door at both venues afterwards and happily mingling with all fans present for photos and autographs, again making the night even more memorable for those who stayed on afterwards.
The inevitable question was always going to be "Is the show as good this time around without Bill there in person?", and my answer has differed after watching firstly the Melbourne show and then the Albury one. My first impression after Melbourne was that while Tim and Graeme had done an exceptional job in making the show work so well, nothing could quite replicate the thrill of seeing all three Goodies on stage together in person as was the case on the first tour in March. However getting to see the new show a second time around in Albury really gave me an opportunity to appreciate its strengths even more.
Although Bill wasn't on stage this tour, the segments which he filmed obviously came from the heart with enthusiasm and good humour, and still provided most of the great anecdotes that he delivered in person last time, while opening up new possibilities for Tim and Graeme to poke fun at his absence. This also brought Tim and Graeme's amazingly impeccable senses of comic timing into sharper focus, as they had the ability to interact with the footage of Bill so skilfully that it would have been no surprise to see Bill jump out of the screen and appear on the stage in real-life. This was helped by Tim generally working from the left side of the stage near the Goodies' chairs and Graeme working from the lectern on the right hand side so that it seemed as though Bill was really making eye contact with them and talking to them individually, which worked an absolute treat.
The other main strength was that with each performance of Still Alive On Stage that I've seen on both tours, the material has got funnier with new anecdotes and jokes, the overall production has flowed better and the bonds of friendship, Goodies-style comedy and familiarity with the script between Tim and Graeme have got stronger every time. Certainly the combination of "Search For The Nile" and "Wild Thing" at the end of the second tour shows was a much stronger and less rambling conclusion than "Jack The Ripper" and "Funky Gibbon" from the shows in March.
Once again, the mix of clips from the episodes, anecdotes from behind the scenes, verbal and visual sketches and new linking material was extremely good and well balanced, with the inserts that Bill recorded and the blending of these into the show providing top-class entertainment. Yes it would have been nice having Bill there again in person, but overall the show didn't lose anything second time around and those who only got to see the latest tour should not feel as though they missed out on any of the best bits of Still Alive On Stage - in fact they probably got to see and hear an even better Goodies experience in a number of ways. The shows of the two tours had their differences, but "Viva la difference" in this case in my opinion.
"Missy Kwin" still hasn't got around to giving Tim and Graeme their OBEs to go with the one that Bill has received already, even though the distraction of Prince Charles' wedding is now well and truly out of the way. Never mind that though, as thousands of happy Aussies who attended Still Alive On Stage in all corners of this great southern land would be delighted to crown Tim and Graeme as our Kings Of Comedy for providing us with such a royal Goodies treat. Come to think of it, Tim could even be our Queen Of Comedy if he can still squeeze into that blue dress and sensible hat, and remember how to do the "My husband and I" voice properly! Congratulations Tim and Graeme (and Bill too!) and hopefully there will be a "Still Still Alive On Stage - The Third Gasp" to look forward to some time in the future!
JACANA FOX - HOBART - (6TH NOVEMBER)
Having been one of those who had asked the Goodies very nicely to come to Hobart with their show (or I'd send the boys 'round), it came as a pleasant surprise when the dates actually appeared on the GROK site. My joy was boundless until I reflected that I was an invalid of fifteen years who didn't get out a lot, and the thought of attending a comedy show with a crowd of people in a packed theatre scared me witless. The delicate state of my health also left me wondering whether I might become the Goodies' second fatality, following the sterling example of the chap who died laughing at Ecky Thump. It then occurred to me that the Royal Hobart Hospital was located directly across the road from the theatre, for the convenience of poorly patrons (and actors who 'died' on stage), and my anxieties were somewhat relieved.
The night before the show I was typically unwell, and so, with only three hours' sleep behind me, I dragged my weary carcase to the theatre. The day was brilliant, sunny and cloudless. Nearly an hour before the show was to begin, a few Goodies t-shirt wearers were to be seen walking the streets (as it were), and I loitered similarly until it was time to take my seat. Luckily, I'd got the third-row and there were no giants in front of me. The theatre was soon packed and the atmosphere was electric. Goodies songs played while we all buzzed in anticipatory conversation.
The stage was set out with a large video screen in the middle, a lectern to the right, and three chairs and a hat-stand to the left, each chair being decked-out in the style of its respective Goody - hippy flowery Bill, Union Jack Tim and brown, patched Graeme. There was a pith helmet and scarlet smoking-jacket on the hat-stand, Union Jack bunting and a strange artificial flower. Between the chairs was a small table replete with tea things.
The lights went down, and came up, and the Goodies were announced. There appeared on stage before our very eyes Tim Brooke-Taylor (a Buxton lad, whose earliest memory is of being frightened by the crowds on VD Day) and Graeme Garden (a Glaswegian), while Bill Oddie (genus Billius Odius) had sensibly stayed behind in England. (What man in his right mind would want to come on a sell-out tour performing to adoring audiences in a glorious Australian spring, after all?)
I'd read a great deal about the first tour, had blow-by-blow accounts from Someone who'd actually been, and was afraid that after all that information the show might fall a little flat. Nothing prepared me for the intensity of feeling seeing the Goodies alive on stage produced. I'd been waiting twenty-seven years for this moment, without even realising it. Scenes from the series watched hundreds of times made me laugh out loud as if seeing them for the first time - it was a real thrill to have the chance to watch these old favourites with a live audience and feel the response shared by hundreds.
The live segments were impeccably done, with perfect timing and real warmth from Tim and Graeme, and the feeling in the audience was palpable - this was actually the actual Goodies, actually here in Hobart and we were actually watching them - after all this time! Actually a very moving experience. The only disappointment for me was that Tim didn't enter with drag on.
Somehow I survived the experience - though feeling a bit superstitious during the Kung-Fu Capers clip - and after the show bravely enquired whether they would be appearing for autograph signings. They would be at the stage door shortly after the second show, around seven. Absolutely exhausted by this time, I went upstairs to rest in the lobby, sitting on one of the lovely antique chaises. In this way I was able to hear the show a second time through, and to note some variations, which was very nice.
The show ended and I, having recovered enough strength to get down the stairs again, went round to the stage door with a small group of fans. The group got bigger by the minute as we waited. I was getting very uncomfortable and was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold on for the signings. Just in the nick of time, Tim and Graeme appeared to loud applause. Very politely and patiently they worked their way through the crowd of autograph-, chat- and hug-seekers. Never in my life before had I been in the presence of Famous Persons (there are precious few in whose presence I would want to find myself...) and now I was standing inches from two of the three Famous Persons I did want to meet, and had wanted to meet since I was three years old.
Finally it was my turn to be 'done' by Graeme. He asked what name for my autograph, and I said "Elsie" (my nickname, taken from John Lennon's 'A Spaniard In The Works'). He asked me how it was spelt - "Just L C?" I said I didn't know how to spell it - I didn't need to know how to spell it because, after all, it wasn't my real name. The force of my logic seemed to impress him, and he chose to spell the name E L S I E, which I've since discovered is in fact correct. I thanked him kindly and he moved on to groupies new.
Next it was my turn for Tim. Now, you must understand that I have been in love with this gentleman for twenty-seven years, so when he turned to look at me and sign my programme, the old ticker was doing s*xteen to the dozen. Tim very sweetly said, "You've been very patient," which I felt was observant of him. (I was ready to drop by this time.) He also asked what name? and, seeing Graeme's handiwork, immediately answered himself with, "Ah, Elsie, presumably." Again I pointed out that it wasn't my real name, perhaps attempting to assume an air of Mystery, and he smiled indulgently. I thanked him for the lovely show and was relieved to be able to move away, taking some photos of the Goodies and the crowd as I went.
Ironically, having been so desperate to get home quickly, I ended up waiting over an hour for a taxi. The Goodies and the fans had all vanished into the night, like vaporous phantoms, leaving me alone with my reflections and a cold 'prime minister' from sitting on the steps of theatre. Finally the taxi came, and as it turned out the driver was a Goodies fan too, who said he'd watched them as a teenager in the 'seventies. We had a nice chat about the show on the way home.
For the next week or so I couldn't sleep for excitement and went round in a daze, grinning strangely, and suddenly announcing to the world in general that, "I've met the Goodies! Naa-na-na-naa-naa!"
Thank you Tim, Graeme, and Bill (in absentia). You're proper gentlemen and you don't 'alf make me laugh. Please come back one day. (Or Elsie!)
KRISTINA BREEN - CANBERRA –
(24TH NOVEMBER)
You know you've had a good time when, despite having to sit still with a full bladder in a crowded theatre with fairly cramped seating arrangements, you are disappointed when the show finishes after a mere hour and a quarter. Mind you, having been to the Canberra Theatre before, I had had the foresight to ask for an aisle seat when I got my ticket way back in September. The Canberra Theatre has quite a lot in common with flying cattle-class in a modern aircraft - it looks modern and flash, but when you settle down in your seat, you discover that you don't have much leg-room, and you're bumping elbows with the guy in the next seat.
The show in Canberra was on a Thursday night, but despite this, the theatre was packed. It was packed last time they came, as well - so packed that they only advertised once. Too bad for those who, like me, procrastinated when they saw that one ad in the paper. Still, I made up for it this time.
When Tim and Graeme stumbled on stage with their three-stage walking frame, complete with a scarecrow in the final place for Bill and bad wig on Graeme, they were greeted with loud cheers and applause. Canberrans tend to appreciate good comedians (which is, let's face it, why we live in our fair nation's capital. We've got a parliament full of comedians.). Graeme, incidentally, does a pretty fair impersonation of John Howard these days.
The question/answer format of the show was skilfully done, the questions carefully selected to provide a coherent framework for the anecdotes and footage (both from the show, and from Bill.). What I found most interesting were the bits that the Australian Censors had seen fit to cut out (and that certain episodes, carelessly "lost" by the BBC, had turned up again in the Censors' offices. As Tim commented, naughty boys.). Having grown up watching the show , it was most interesting to see what was once considered worth censoring.
The radio skit (with its should-have-seen-it-coming punchline) got the loud groan it deserved, and Lady Constance got the cheer that "she" deserved, too. Now I know why...
Well, everybody in the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and I'm hoping we were loud and enthusiastic enough to persuade them to come back again soon.
ADELAIDE IN-STORE SIGNING –
(25TH NOVEMBER)
(Guy Ebert - Goodies-l - 1st December))
I thought there might have been some curiosity about Tim and Graeme's in
store appearance in Adelaide last week.
I was fortunate enough to go to "The Goodies" in-store appearance at Glenelg. Tim and Graeme were slated to start signing at 3.00pm and started 5 minutes earlier after trading the Trandem for a Torago van. I had a friend that was there early and when he lined up there was only approximately 15 people lined up. Tim and Graeme were happy to sign anything and everything put in front of them. Books, dvd's, T-shirts, cans of beans and even Scout uniforms were signed. I had actually gone to Dymocks the night before and purchased a dvd and asked if it could be signed in case I wasn't able to make it due to work. The staff said it would be okay and after some thought asked if it could be signed "Radio Goodies - Boom" (err is it "boom" or "bom" - could never work that one out).
Well a mate from work rang his mate to see how many people were in the store and he said that there wasn't all that many there. So after quickly calling in home and picking up my "The Complete Goodies" and "Kitten Kong" video we headed to Dymocks. Oh what a difference 30 minutes can make. The line at the store started at the front counter and snaked it's way to the back of the shop down the side and back to the front again. With Goodies episodes playing on the screen in the corner and the good staff offering Jelly Babies to keep our energy up, the line slowly shuffled along. Eventually made it to the signing table and Tim and Graeme signed my items and I even got a happy snap with them. Left the shop with a grin on my face and spring ... no make that bounce in my step. I actually found out when I went I picked up the dvd that they were there for almost two hours when they were only supposed to be there for one.
Also went to the first Adelaide show and had a front row seat and the show was excellent. There was old clips and questions answered, and a standing ovation at the end. Don't wanna ruin the experience for people for when they tour again (fingers crossed).
ALANA READ - ROCKHAMPTON –
(1ST DECEMBER)
This was our first ever opportunity to see "The Goodies" in the flesh and we weren't disappointed! I phoned up on the very first day the tickets went on sale and thanks to the special code word, provided by the club, I was able to get centre seats, in the best row in the house!
We arrived early to get our merchandise before the show, then anxiously found our seats. I was joined on the night by my husband, Robert and eight-year-old son, Brendan. The stage had a large screen above the stage and three seats to the left... Bill's, Tim's and Graeme's (decorated accordingly!). The show began with the Goodies theme song, naturally, and then the entrance of Tim and Graeme on a modified walking frame (which crashed off the other side of the stage!). Deafening applause ensued as the legends greeted us all. An array of comedic banter between the Tim and Graeme and of course the "virtual Bill/puppet Bill", brought roaring laughter as well as a sore face, from a constant smile!!
My highlights of the performance were: 1. watching Tim's reactions to the snippets of Goodies episodes shown on the large screen. He often
swayed to the music and smiled, before one time, waving his finger at the audience for laughing too hard at his misfortune! 2. Graeme calling Tim a "bastard" under his breath, for making him repeat a particularly difficult ventriloquist voice for "puppet Bill". 3. The clever way virtual Bill on screen was made to look interactive, like when Graeme went and slapped Bill on the back of the head on-screen, before appearing back on stage! Brendan couldn't work out how they did that and was suitably impressed!
We learned loads of interesting insights into the world of The Goodies which we will treasure forever. Also we were pleased when at the end of the show, Tim allowed everyone to use their cameras if they wished! After the show, we stayed behind to hopefully catch Tim and Graeme before they left and we weren't disappointed (again!!). The guys were more than happy to pose in photos with us and sign all of our items!
My impression of them is that they are genuinely nice guys! (And Tim is not as "wet" as his character!) We hope they can make their way back to our shores again soon, as we would love to have them here! Just as Tim and Graeme were walking to their car to leave, Brendan asked Graeme if he could, "Say Hi! to Bill for us when you see him next!" and Graeme asked for his name and promised to do so! Thanks for making a boy very happy, Graeme!! Thanks guys for an unforgettable night all round!!
JODIE VANDEWETERING - ROCKHAMPTON - (1ST DECEMBER)
I'm no stranger to the stage of the Pilbeam Theatre. As a child with more enthusiasm than talent, I treaded those hallowed if somewhat uneven boards at various school concerts, eisteddfods, recitals and all the other ghastly performances parents are forced to sit through. I had a dream. Not fame, not fortune, not groupies: I just wanted to get the hell out of the festering nowheresville cesspit halfway between nowhere and nowhere else that was my home town. Rockhampton.
Like most kids of my generation, I watched far too much telly. It wasn't just easy entertainment, it was an escape. You could forget about life for an hour or two, forget that you lived on a drought-stricken property on the outskirts of a poor and violent town where the main pastime was chroming under the bridge. The Goodies were my escape. I watched every episode every time it was broadcast, long after it had ceased to be fashionable to do so.
Then I forgot for a few years, as 20somethings sometimes do when they get caught up in pretending to be adults.
One day I discovered the GROK site. Two days later I was a member and now I'm the proud wearer of an Opinionated badge for my inability to keep my mouth shut.
Then, on the GROK site, rumours started to get around of a Goodies tour. Live, in the flesh, real Goodies. Here, in Australia. All our Christmasses had come at once, and it was only March. All our birthdays, Easters and last-days-of-school came recently, when the second tour was announced.
But what really blew my mind was the announcement of the various regional shows. The Goodies, even 2/3 of The Goodies, doing the rounds of Australia was unlikely enough. But The Goodies performing in Rockhampton? Rockhampton??? Such a thing shouldn't be possible.
I'd sworn I'd never go back, but I did, to see The Goodies. The town hadn't changed much, but I had, and being there felt awkward. The idea that these people I idolised through my childhood could be here in Rocky didn't seem possible. That Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden were possibly at that very moment getting lost backstage at the Pilbeam (it's a mongrel of a place, even by theatre standards) or drinking tea in the same greenroom I once threw up in during a particularly bad fit of nerves didn't bear thinking about.
The show itself was marvellous. No doubt others will give you a full list of every question asked, every answer and anecdote and gag. I won't even try. I walked around for the next three days quoting "I'm a warm-blooded creature. I can't stand the cold, and the frost, and the snow, and the blizzards, and the… where did you two say you were going?" It's also become a running gag in our house that when somebody's having verbal diahorrea, the listener repeats "Yes" over and over again in a little, high pitched voice.
The word was that there might not be a signing after the Rocky show. By this stage, Tim and Graeme had been on a killer tour for weeks and weeks, and would be well within their rights to not want to see another Goodies fan again for years. But they didn't bail out. Like the consummate professionals and true gentlemen they are, they braved yet another pack of loopy Aussie fans and with the best possible grace in the world signed things, posed for photos and let themselves be hugged and kissed and generally adored to within an inch of their lives.
And gentlemen, you deserve every ouch of adulation the Australian public showered over you. For your humour, wit, insight and intelligence. For being dedicated enough to your art to ride the trandem even though it was a horrible thing. For your instinctive understanding that gibbons, teapots and black puddings can be funny. For not being embarrassed to perform Wild Thing on stage in a Union Jack waistcoat. For being your wonderful selves.
And for showing me there's a world outside Rockhampton, you have my eternal gratitude.
5. MEDIA REVIEWS
SUNDAY MAIL (Adelaide) - (27th November)
(contributed by Alison Bean - Goodies-l - 2nd December)
Goodie Goodies deliver the goods by Matt Byrne
COMEDY
The Goodies: Still Alive on Stage
Her Majesty's Theatre,
November 25.
****
The players: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
Behind the scenes: Video direction Jim Franklin.
Standout performance: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
In short: It's all Goodies.
HOW can a three-man act appear live when there's only two of them in the building?
For England's favourite comedy trio, it wasn't a problem - The Goodies still delivered the goods. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden used their TV know-how to project the absent Bill Oddie into the action via a big screen. And he managed to grab his fair share of screen time in this evening of shining wit and TV nostalgia.
The premise for the show has Brooke-Taylor and Garden answering written questions from fans who are eager to discover extra information on their comedic heroes. And, along the way, they reveal some of the comedy behind the comedy as their show became a late night hit in Britain and a winning childrens' timeslot oddity in Australia.
While The Goodies may be a little podgier than in their heyday, their comic instincts are still razor-sharp and their act finely honed for Australian audiences. The professionalism, irreverence, glorious timing and idiocy that made them television stars way back when is still in evidence.
The infamous three-seater bicycle trandem featured in the show has now been reduced to an elongated walking frame, but The Goodies' good humour remains intact.
Brooke-Taylor still wears his Union Jack waistcoat and underwear with pride, always ready to bend gender in good comic taste. Garden's drop-dead deadpan delivery is as strong as ever and he manages to try to take over the world using Prime Minister John Howard's eyebrows of terror. Oddie interpolates himself into the action without overdoing it from the video screen with an even hairier obsession with music and, of course, Funky Gibbons.
Brooke-Taylor and Garden's radio script segment is a wonderful insight into their favourite world, where so many British comics cut their comedy teeth. The Goodies reveal their true influences by presenting Movies as their favourite episode. It features the silent genius of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin as they try filming three different styles of movie simultaneously to revive the ailing British film industry.
The Goodies were always about good ideas and the decision to revive their special brand of lunacy is another one. If the reaction of the packed audience is any indication, we haven't seen the last of Ecky-Thump and Kitten Kong just yet. If they do it again then please, please, let them bring Oddie with them in person. If not, then it was a wonderful Goodie-bye!
The Goodies: Still Alive on Stage finished last night.
6. FAN FEEDBACK
MELBOURNE
* Well, what can I say and where do I begin?! These guys are the best!
We were lucky enough to have front row seats at the Melbourne show and I savored every minute of it! It was so much better sitting so close to the stage compared to where we were last tour. How wonderful to see my idol's faces close up and to be able to actually make out their facial expressions! My husband and I both enjoyed the show immensely, although I suspect my level of excitement (not to mention pulse rate!) was probably a lot higher than his! I could have sat for hours watching and listening to Graeme and Tim's stories. I was completely mesmerized!
There was a certain element of fear attached to the evening for us. After an almost two hour drive from Bendigo to Melbourne it was looking like we were going to make the show in plenty of time, that is until we hit Melbourne traffic! Only minutes away and we just couldn't reach our destination! Pulse rates were soaring and panic was setting in as we were trapped in the traffic! It was very much a case of 'just park the car and RUN, RUN, RUN!!!' (Thank goodness for that gym membership!) At one point I left my husband in my dust, is that wrong of me?! I'm happy to say we made the theatre with two minutes to spare and didn't miss a minute of the show. I think we'd even caught our collective breath by the time the zimmer frame appeared!
The highlight of the night for me was meeting the guys after the show, well, when I say meeting them I mean as best you can while they're busy signing everything that's thrust in front of them and having their photos taken with the vast majority of fans that were waiting for them! (I hope the camera flash blindness didn't take too long to clear up!) I'd like to thank them both for taking the time to meet and greet every last person. It was something they didn't have to do but I know was greatly appreciated by everyone present. I myself have a lovely photo of the lads beaming down from our fridge, so every time I take the chops out I'm reminded of the night!
I just wish I could have packed up my swag and followed the tour around the country. Maybe next time! (There will be a next time won't there???) Better still, fellas, if you need someone to carry your bags give me a shout! I hope the both of them had as much fun as the audiences! My only regret is that I wasn't able to take the boys home with me!!! Heee heee heee!!!
Thanks lads! Call again soon!
(Jo Doye)
LAUNCESTON
* All I can say is that I have seen the Goodies twice this year. We flew to Melbourne to see their Victorian show - totally worth the money!! Got into major problems with the 9 and 5 year old Goodies fans that were left behind with their grandparents for the night. So when they came to Launceston we had to go again and take the kids too. Upstairs, front row on the balcony so the kids could see everything. Singing Wild Thing at the end was absolutely brilliant. My parents were downstairs in the stalls and I was waiting for my mother to scream out "I love you Tim" as the cop did in the "Goodies Special" episode so long ago. Truly The Goodies Rule!! I hope they come back again - at least they are on Austar of a night at the moment - just need to get home from work in time to see them. They left three very happy generations laughing their heads off that night.
(Iamredfraggle)
HOBART
* Congratulations Goodies, especially Graeme and Tim, you've done it again! After seeing the show and meeting them in Melbourne in March, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were they doing it again, but they were also coming to Hobart, where I live. The show was fantastic again, many new bits and also great to see the old bits too. The lack of a real Bill was made up for very well, particular highlights being Graeme's ventriloquism and the bit when he left the stage, appeared on the screen, hit Bill and returned to the stage. Also the decision to do Wild Thing was a very good one. Nice to see Tim put his real hair on at the end of it. After the show Tim and Graeme very kindly signed autographs at the stage door. I gave Tim a photo of me eckythumping him at The Goodies Convention that we had reminisced about after the Melbourne show. Big thanks from me to Graeme and Tim for coming all the way down and for allowing me to film them doing funny messages for my digital camera. Tim: "He's so black, he's such a beauty I'll call him..n...n...n.no I won't! " in his Lady Constance voice and Graeme: "You shouldn't have done that, you've ruined the cake...in Kermit's voice," in his Graeme Garden voice. Overall, another brilliant Goodies experience.
(Ben Tumney)
* We saw The Goodies in Hobart and the show was brilliant. We spent the whole two hours laughing and the atmosphere was great. They may have lost a bit of hair but they certainly have not lost their sense of the ridiculous. It was great to see them live and the finale was a performance of "Wild Thing" The "bloopers" from the series were also very funny, even if a bit hard to believe as true, such as Tim having to crawl through dog poo in order not to disrupt filming.
The Goodies were very funny even their age has not taken that away with them. Graeme has not lost his habit of killing animals that are just fluff. Tim has not changed a lot and they both still pick on Bill, who unfortunately was not there. I think if he was it would have been much better, but overall the Goodies were great and I did not dislike one bit.
My favourite part was when Graeme was showing us animals that would make great kids pets, a vampire bat, a lesser spotted wood owl and an African bunny, which unfortunately he forgot was in his hand when he started to clap.
(Liz, Jacqui and Andrew Palmer)
PERTH
* An incredible trip down memory lane. Thirty years have passed and these gentlemen have not lost the ability to transport their audience to the mischievous, adventurous, exciting and of course hilarious world that is THE GOODIES.
(Paul Baxter)
ALBURY
* My brother and I went to see the Goodies Still Alive Tour on Wednesday night in Albury. It was absolutly fantastic. Everything we expected we received. I remember watching reruns on the ABC network when I was a young boy and thought it was the best thing out since sliced bread. It would have been great if Bill was with them on stage, but I thought it was great how they interacted with him via video. After the show my brother and I were very excited when we got to meet Tim and Graeme. They gladly signed merchandise which we purchased at the show. Also we were very lucky to get a photograph with them both. I will never forget the night when I met my childhood heroes, The Goodies. And now, a walk in the Black Forest......(Aaron Starr)
* I have just seen the Goodies at Albury and I can tell you my cheeks were hurting from all the laughter. They were FANTASTIC!!! Not only do they look great, they were as funny as ever! It was a privilige to experience and just to see them LIVE.....I could have watched all night. I would URGE anyone to make an effort and do themselves a favour and go see them LIVE!!!
(Sam)
ADELAIDE
* I saw the Goodies last March in Melbourne and I finally met them in Adelaide and had my memorabilia autographed. Although rushed, it was great to see them again and talk to the legends that they are
(Ray Davis)
* I absolutely enjoyed the show - I give it ten out of ten. My favorite bits were Graeme's impersonation of little Johnny Howard and his act with the pets. I also liked the video link-up with Bill and I enjoyed the mention of the Ashes result, with me being a Pom. I also liked it when Tim just cuts off Bill with the remote ( wish I could do that with members of my family). I liked the end singing along to Wild Thing. I almost forgot to add watching the show, watching Tim watching the clips of themselves on the stage. There was definitely the spirit of youth still in him, which I think is fantastic.
(Kerry Matthews)
* I'm a 22 year old chick from Adelaide who saw their first show here and I can safely say I needed to change my huggies because they were just that funny. When Graeme told his fuzzy chops they were orphans and had to go back to work in the pits, I laughed so hard that if I were drinking milk, I'm sure it would've come out my nose. Then when Tim dressed up for Wild Thing and sexy danced with the microphone, well, the universe suddenly made sense to me again and even though Bill wasn't actually there, he still made me laugh. It was such a great show!!!
We hung around and were lucky enough to have met Tim and Graeme after their second show in Adelaide that night. It was so worth it!!! They were so kind!!! I'm on a Goodies high!!! Hooray!!! If they were ever to read this I would just want to say thank you all SOOOOOOOOOO much for making me laugh and inspiring me. And Graeme you're still my favourite Goody, just don't tell the others. Oh and my sister and best friend say "hi guys."
(Siobhain Doherty)
* I thought I would have heaps of trouble sleeping the night before but I knew I had to get a good sleep to be in the best mood for the Goodies... Meeting Tim and Graeme is still one of the highlights of my life... I wont shutup about them at school and now people are going: "Who are the Goodies?", so I let them view my DVD.
I agree that the show felt too fast and was very disappointed that Graeme switched Bill off as he broke into the Funky Gibbon - though they did play it at the very end from CD and my friend and I sang along as people pointed at us, going: "How the hell do they know this?"
My friend and I were singing Wild Thing at school on the Monday after the Adelaide show and I was pretending to be Tim with his classic mullet! (Hold me tight...tighter...OH too tight!)
I remember everything being good and everything being delightful and at one poin tears were streaming down my face with laughter! (and I noticed that happened with Tim too when he was talking about the stripper).
Out of 10 I'd give them whatever is the last number in the world! Well worth every penny!
(JGTMTE)
ROCKHAMPTON
I could hardly contain my excitement the night that we went to see the "Goodies Still Alive On Stage" show in Rockhampton and we were not disappointed. I have very fond memories of racing home before 6pm to watch my favourite English double, The Goodies and Dr Who, and God help anyone who got in my way. As a child, the silliest pranks and cartoonisms kept me entertained every weekday, and on the weekends had my sisters and I "being" the Goodies (I of course was Tim). Now as an adult I can enjoy the Goodies on a whole new level getting the jokes that once flew over my head. What a great night. I haven't stopped singing that jingle "Goodies, Goody, Goody, Yum, Yum!" since Thursday night (1/12/05) My only complaint - the time went way to fast. I can't wait for the next opportunity to see these icons of my youth the next time they visit Oz. (Bondgirl)
VENUE NOT SPECIFIED
* Well what can I say but WOW! This would have to be the greatest stageshow I've been to.
As a thirty-something, I grew up with The Goodies (living in the NT where the ABC was the only channel had a hand in this) but many days revolved around getting home for tea then sitting down with my brother for the Goodies and Dr Who. I just came over the show by chance in the paper and admit I was sceptical of what a Goodies live show would be like. Im glad I chose to go - it was one of the best decisions of my life.
I have the Goodies dvds and have watched them over and over with my two year old son - however to see Graeme and Tim on stage was awe inspiring. A flood of memories returned - and I once again felt like a 10 year old.
Although they had aged and are probably close to my grandparents age, their voices were unchanged, their comedic timing spot on and they both had a glint in their eyes showing their love for their comedy.
The show not only brought back memories, enlightened me with facts I didn't know and only gave me more of a fascintation for these figures who imposed on my childhood so much (hence me tracking down this website from the program)
I found myself not wanting the show to end- however it did come and with a fitting Goodies climax.
As stupid as is sounds from a grown man I drove home, pulled up in the driveway and felt like bursting into tears. I had grown up with these three people - and they were as large in life as they had been in my childhood days. It was like I had just had a reunion with great friends I hadn't seen for twenty years and realised it unlikely I would see them alive in the flesh again. I guess I realised the innocent joy they had brought into my life and for the first real time I felt old, and not sure if I would be involved with something again that would bring so many happy memories.
(tsalad)
* My wife and I attended the Goodies show last week, two rows from the stage. Because I look like Santa Claus and I was dressed in red (yes I'm a professional Santa Claus), Tim kept looking in our direction, which sent my wife weak at the knees, she reckons when he looks on sideways he is sexy (ha ha ha) .... Had a FANTASTIC time - loved their piece on the early years of Julie Andrews (hilarious). The show was true value .... got a photo with Tim and Graeme, and autographs .... Do yourself a favour and don't miss their show!!!!!
(Santa)
* Goodies, goodie goodie yum yum, U will be humming this all the way home after the show. To see them live is one event in our lives u must not miss. I met them at a book signing and they were charming and happy to chat and sign anything..... The GOODIES HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING.......BEST wishes to all.
(Ekiethump)
* Do yourself a favour, check it out tonight! Laugh yourself to death at this vastly different and funnier than the show we saw in Sydney. Heaps of new material and Graeme's impersonation of John Howard is not to be missed.
(Brightpear)
7. THIS IS YOUR LEADER(S) SPEAKING …
A Brief Word of Thanks
Lisa Manekofsky
President - "The Goodies Rule OK" Fan Club
Nine months ago the club published a special edition of the C&G devoted to the Goodies tour that had taken place from March 3rd-12th. The issue concluded with a thank you to everyone involved in the event, the final sentence of which was "Now, when can we do it again? ;)" Much to my surprise and delight, the answer turned out to be "later this year".
I'd like to extend the club's appreciation to the show's producers for making it all happen once again, and for doing their best to bring the show to as many cities as possible. In addition, I'm very grateful for their providing information about the shows and the Goodies personal appearances, not to mention their going the extra mile in setting up preferential seating for club members at every performance. Many thanks to the good folks at the Big Laugh Comedy Festival, AKA, Hocking & Vigo, and Playbill Merchandise.
Like many other fans, throughout the tour I looked forward to checking the GROK website every day to find the fans' latest comments, news, and photos. Thanks for all your contributions; it adds so much to the club!
And, as always, our deepest gratitude to Tim, Graeme and Bill for all the fun and laughter (and their hard work that goes into creating it!)
And last, but by no means least, a final word from two much-travelled Goodies:
* Please pass on big, big thanks to all the GROK fans. You were hugely instrumental in making this a highly successful and enjoyable tour for Graeme and me. It was good, at last, to visit most parts of Australia. Thanks also to Lisa and the team for keeping everyone, including ourselves, up to date with times and venues. (Tim Brooke Taylor)
* Tim and I had a gruelling but very enjoyable tour. Thanks everyone for coming to the shows and the signing sessions, and the meet-and-greets! Hi to all those from the message boards who came - some who identified themselves, some who remained anonymous - and a special hi to all those whose names I foolishly omitted to mention last time I wrote. (Graeme Garden)
NEXT C&G EDITION:
- #121: - 20th December 2005.
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The Goodies Fan Club Clarion and Globe is copyright The Goodies Rule - OK! 2005. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce this work or any section of it, in any form must first be obtained from the copyright holders.
For further information regarding this publication please e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>.
For other general enquiries about the 'Goodies Rule - OK' fan club or 'The Goodies' itself, please e-mail <enquiries@goodiesruleok.com>
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