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» #17 Apr 1997
THE GOODIES CLARION AND GLOBE
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF 'THE GOODIES RULE - OK' FAN CLUB
Issue No. 17 12th April 1997
INTRODUCTION
As predicted in last month's newsletter we reached the 500 member mark this month. Bruce Rodrigues, who also has the distinction of being our first South African member, was our 500th member, joining the club at the end of March.
But now to the newsletter itself and this month the wonderful (and as his surname suggests) Keith Topping, has written an excellent review of 'Birding With Bill Oddie' - wonderfully whimsical and entertaining documentary series on bird-watching (which as we all know has been Bill's hobby for over 40 years). Plus we've got a rather interesting Spotted!!! on Graeme Garden and several important club announcements regarding the proposed Australian Convention for 2000 and the future release of more Goodies videos. So, let's 'Spank That Hamster', 'Stuff That Gibbon' and 'Make A Daft Noise For Christmas', but please watch out for the 'Cactus In My Y Fronts'! (Am I obsessed with Goodies songs this month? Yes!)
CONTENTS
1. BOFFO IDEAS
2. SPOTTED!!!
3. FROM LAST MONTH...
4. GOODIES TRIVIA QUIZ
5. QUOTE OF THE MONTH
1. BOFFO IDEAS
Named after Bill's "boffo ideas for Bob-A-Job week" in #59 Scoutrageous, here's your chance to suggest a boffo club activity. E-mail <carrot@olis.net.au>.
AUSTRALIAN GOODIES CONVENTION 2000
The latest updates and suggestions...
* The Survey Form *
Many thanks to all those who filled in the convention survey during the past month. B remember, WE NEED YOU to fill out the form below if you'd like to attend the Australian convention in 2000. Even if you think you won't be able to afford it, we need you to tell us, so we can make it as affordable as possible. Here's the form again:
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INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put a * in the [ ] next to your answer.
2. Send this form to <carrot@olis.net.au>.
QUESTIONS
1. In which city would you prefer the convention to be held?
ADELAIDE [ ]
ALICE SPRINGS [ ]
BRISBANE [ ]
CANBERRA [ ]
DARWIN [ ]
HOBART [ ]
MELBOURNE [ ]
PERTH [ ]
SYDNEY [ ]
2. If the convention is not held in your preferred city would you be willing to travel to another city to attend the convention?
YES [ ]
NO [ ]
3. What is the *maximum* amount of money you'd be willing to pay for entry to the convention and accommodation?
less than $50 [ ]
$50-100 [ ]
$100-150 [ ]
$150-200 [ ]
over $200 [ ]
*Your answers will be kept in strictest confidence *
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* Location?*
When we created the survey form (above) I never thought about holding the convention in a large rural centre, but perhaps I should have?
by Belinda Berry <BJBerry@onaustralia.com.au>
"OK I'm 800 km from Brisbane, about 850 from Sydney, 1100 from Melbourne, 1200 from Alice Springs, 1000 from Adelaide. All the other cities are getting a little bit far away. Alternatively have it in Cunnamulla. From the distances above we are central to everywhere. Believe it or not this argument is presently being used by the local tourism office to try to get conferences, 4WD shows etc here. We do have planes, trains and busses to get here, but do you really think that it will work? This argument was also used to try to get the main Australian international airport here ie. have all international flights land here with shuttle planes to the major cities - reduces congestion etc. Maybe in a few years..."
Then there's the problem of other events being held in Australia in 2000...
by Kirrily Jane Buckett <kjb11@uow.edu.au>
"I have just been catching up on my C and Gs and think that the idea for an Australian Goodies 2000 Convention is a GREAT one. Personally, my pick for a location would be Adelaide, as it is sort of in the middle of everyone, remembering too that Sydney will be going insane with the Olympics - though perhaps the fact that the Olympics are on might encourage The Goodies to come to Australia if the convention is held at an appropriate time - then again it may not."
Comments regarding these ideas are most welcome. As are suggestions for locations other than those listed in the survey. <carrot@olis.net.au>*
* Publicity *
by Kirrily Jane Buckett <kjb11@uow.edu.au>
"I am a hopeful freelance journalist, and my idea would be to get some articles published in the mainstream press about the club and the Convention idea, if I or anyone else can achieve this."
That's a great idea and certainly if we got this Convention up and running, we'd be sending out press releases, in the hope of getting some form of publicity. Anyone got any other publicity ideas? <carrot@olis.net.au>
* Fundraising Ideas *
by Paul Mills <pmills@micrografx.com>
"Some suggestion for money might be sponsorship - every time Bill comes out to Australia he always appears on the telly and he's been on the J's a few times. I'm sure some television station would sponsor - didn't 7 play a series? Maybe the ABC bookstore could help cause they'd be there selling the vid's and books and stuff. I know the Goodies aren't cheap but with the Olympics out here and Bill coming here almost every second year - who knows, if we ask nicely they could cut their price...?"
Let's hope so! In fact they might like to come here on holiday, which would be cheap for them because they wouldn't have to pay for airfares. Who knows?
by Kirrily Jane Buckett <kjb11@uow.edu.au>
"Another idea - a good old lamington drive??"
Hehehe, I love it! Who fancies dipping sponge cake in chocolate and coconut for a weekend?
* A Committee? *
OK folks, there are heaps of good ideas here and over the past few months we've had plenty more great ideas, so keep them coming. Please don't think that your ideas will just be published in the C&G and then forgotten about. Several people have e-mailed me who are interested in helping to plan the convention. So perhaps the time has come to form a committee? If you'd like to take an active role in planning the convention, please e-mail me <carrot@olis.net.au>. Meetings will probably have to take place on the internet, because we all live all over the place. So members of the committee would have to know how to use IRC. OR if anyone has any better suggestions, you know the e-mail address.
US CONVENTION 2000
As mentioned last month, a US Goodies Convention has been proposed for 2000. This will give all you US members a chance to get together and watch episodes of 'The Goodies' that you might not have seen. Because of the smaller number of members in the US, the convention would probably not be able to afford to fly in actual Goodies, but a fun time is assured. A suggested site for the convention is Cleveland, Ohio. But please e-mail F.D. Luchok if you have other location ideas and comments, <luchok@clark.net>.
GOODIES SOUND FILES AT THE HOMEPAGES
by John Jackson <jjackson@cit.gu.edu.au>
"I have a suggestion for the home page ...How about having some .wav files made available to download of The Goodies saying some of their more famous lines and catch phrases."
Well that's a great idea, however I don't have the equipment to do that sort of thing and we'd probably have to seek permission from The Goodies to put that sort of thing up on the net. But if anyone out there has the equipment and wants to put up some sound files, go for it, we'll certainly give you a plug in this newsletter. In the meantime check out Frauke Nonnenmacher's site for Goodies sound files:
MORE GOODIES VIDEOS? YES PLEASE!
Several months ago Jamie Evangelista <ale@townsqr.com> e-mailed me with a great idea. Like most US fans she doesn't have access to Goodies episodes, like Australian and British fans do. Besides the fact that The Goodies has rarely been seen on US TV, meaning that no-one can tape it; US fans can't get Australian or British friends to send them copies of episodes taped off the television, because of the different formats. What US fans really need is more commercially available Goodies videos. In fact I'm sure everyone would like more Goodies videos, instead of those dodgy ones some of us have taped off the TV.
So Jamie and I did some research and we found out who distributed BBC videos, it's a group called BBC Worldwide. Their address is below, as is a form letter you can copy on to a postcard (because it's cheaper postage) and send to BBC Worldwide. And if you can, get all your friends to send a postcard to them too! Feel free to change the wording or whatever, this letter is just a starting point. You might like to add that you know heaps of people who'd buy a video of The Goodies or whatever. But most importanly, do it! It's only about $1 Australian to send a postcard to the UK and I'm sure prices around the world are comparably low.
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British Worldwide
Woodlands
80 Wood Lane
London, W12 0TT
UNITED KINGDOM
To Whom It May Concern,
I am a loyal fan of the 1970's television comedy, 'The Goodies', starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden. I was very pleased when the BBC released two videos of 'The Goodies' several years ago, but it would be really great if you could release more.
So please release more Goodies episodes on video - I'd love to buy them!
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME HERE>
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2. SPOTTED!!!
Seen a Goodie recently? Mail <carrot@olis.net.au> with the details...
BIRDING WITH BILL ODDIE
reviewed by Keith Topping <keith@tooon.demon.co.uk>
There are two traditions of broadcasting that form pillars of the BBCs legacy of factual television. The first is "public service broadcasting" - a state-funding service devoting time and finance to giving the public what they need, whether they want, or even deserve, it. This often takes the form of series designed as an introduction to subjects that many viewers will have no more than a passing interest in; in the 60s and 70s, hardly a year went by without the BBC offering a "major introduction" to something and whilst, in the 80s this trend seemed to be in decline, there has been a significant reawakening in the BBC's policy to "entertain, educate and inform" (1995's award-winning 'Heavenly Bodies' - a Peter Davison-fronted series on astronomy for instance).
The other BBC legacy - and one for which it is rightly regarded as a world leader - is the wildlife programme. In which other country could series like 'Survival', 'Life on Earth', 'Wildlife on One' and 'The Animal Kingdom' be considered as prime-time entertainment for the masses?
Which brings us to 'Birding with Bill Oddie'. What better way to get one of Britain's finest, and most likeable TV personalities back onto our screens in a series of his own, than through his hobby. 'Birding with Bill Oddie' (BBC2 - six episodes trx: 21/02/97 - 28/03/97) was a smashing series which upheld the noble traditions the genre's mentioned above. Like another of my heroes, Michael Palin, and his various series celebrating travel ('Around the World in 80 days', 'Pole to Pole' etc), 'Birding with Bill Oddie' benefited from staggering photography - the splendour of the English (and Scottish in episode two) countryside.
In the first episode, Bill demonstrated how to find, watch and identify birds and was used as a general introduction of the series that would follow as Bill strolled around the reserve at Minsmere in Suffolk (and, somewhat inevitably, ended up in the pub!)
Episode two sent Bill to the magnificent scenery of north Scotland, to locate six rare birds (including the osprey and the golden eagle). Next Bill travelled to the annual Bird-watching Fair in Rutland, and looked into the origins of watching in the nineteenth century. Further episodes focused on migration (including a visit to the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, one of the bleakest spots on the planet), and to the Islay islands, and Brent Reservoir. The final episode coincided with a family holiday in the USA for Bill, in which he dragged his (seemingly reluctant) wife and daughter Rosie to do some bird-watching.
All in all, this lovely, warm little series was a tribute to Bill, and Stephen Moss the director/producer. Whether it encourages a resurgence in Bird-watching is debatable, but in celebrating the great British eccentric, and in its handsome visuals, it proved to be three hugely enjoyable hours of television.
TRANSEXUALITY, A.I.D.S. AND GRAEME GARDEN
by Peter Davis <peterdavis@onaustralia.com.au>
My favourite Goodie is Graeme Garden and the last time I saw him on TV he was hosting a serious documentary on the AIDS disease in 1987 (bizarre, huh?). Also, there was a series of 15-minute comedy-shorts on SBS some years ago starring Mel Smith & Griff Rhys-Jones - one of which, was written by G. Garden (it was about a transsexual Barbie-doll designer) (the designer was transsexual, not the doll). Thought you might be interested to know.
THE GOODIES ARE HOT!
That's right, according to Adelaide street magazine 'Rip It Up's 'What's Hot/What Not' column from issue #412 (March 20-26 1997), The Goodies are hot. Mixmaster Ev (whoever he or she is) contributed the list for that issue saying this:
What's Hot:
* THE GOODIES: My petition is out there!
(...)
What's Not:
* NOT KNOWING WHO THE GOODIES ARE
So, Mixmaster Ev, whoever you are, we agree with you. Good on you! And I, personally, can't wait to get your petition form. However, there's one thing you left off the What's Not section. It is NOT hot to spell 'Graeme Garden': 'Graham Garden', 'Graheme Garden', 'Graeme Gardener' or any one of a thousand other combinations. 'It's GraEme', as Tim said in #48 'The End' (and even Graeme spelt it wrong in that episode!).
3. FROM LAST MONTH...
Stuff we forgot, updates and corrections from last month’s newsletter.
THE GOODIES FACT FILE
Last month I mentioned a Goodies special produced by Laugh Magazine. Having since acquired a copy, I have a few corrections to make regarding where you can get a copy of it. Thanks to the author of the special - which is called 'The Goodies Fact File' - Matthew K. Sharp <kirseval@werple.net.au> for sending me the correct info.
The Goodies Fact File is a 24 page guide to all things Goodies. It features pictures (some of which you may not have seen before) and complete discographies, book and video guides and episode summaries for 'I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again', 'Broaden Your Mind', 'The Goodies' and 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'. It's packed full of information and features stuff like the actual titles of many Goodies episodes (taken from the clapper boards on the master video tapes) and a complete breakdown of sketches in every episode of 'I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again' and 'Broaden Your Mind'. There is also a useful 1 page summary of all the shows mentioned, biographies of TBT, GG and BO and short guides to other shows like 'At Last The 1948 Show', 'Marty', 'Doctor...', 'Hello Cheeky' and 'Me And My Girl'. It's the most accurate summary and guide to 'The Goodies' and related programmes, ever produced AND it's cheap!
It costs just $5 Australian or 2.50 UK pounds, plus $1 or 50p postage. (Subscribers to Laugh Magazine can order 'The Goodies Fact File' in lieu of one issue, on their subscription, saving the postage fee.) Please send you cheque or money order to your nearest distributor:
Laugh Magazine
P.O. Box 394
Caulfield East
Victoria 3145
AUSTRALIA
(cheques made out to P. Tatchell)
Laugh Magazine
C/O 52 Pembury Ave
Worchester Park
Surrey KT4 8BT
GREAT BRITAIN
(cheques made out to P. Tatchell)
US FANS PLEASE NOTE: The Goodies Fact File is *not* available through Laugh's US distributor (as advertised in C&G#16). You will need to order through the Australian or UK distributor. But this may change in the future. If The Goodies Fact File is distributed to the US (and Laugh Magazine has been informed that there are plenty of US fans who might want a copy) we'll let you know.
4. GOODIES TRIVIA QUIZ
Test your Goodies knowledge with this month's brain-teasers, written by David McAnally <dsm@maths.uq.oz.au> (with Alison Bean's keyboard).
1: Two 'Dr. Who' lead actors have appeared in Goodies` episodes. Who were they - and what were the episodes in which they appeared?
2: What is the name of the Goodies' trandem (episode #32)?
3: In 'Football Crazy' (#71), when spectators were banned from attending soccer matches because of hooliganism, what became their replacement 'sport'?
4: At the end of the song 'I'm A Teapot' (from 'The New Goodies LP') Tim changes his mind. What is he instead?
ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S QUESTIONS
1. In Royal Command' (#61), Tim wanted the Queen to reward him in a certain way. How?
ANSWER: He wanted to be an Earl - and an O.B.E. - a combination which, Bill commented, would make Tim an 'earlobe'.
2. What particularly annoyed the Royal Family in 'Royal Command'?
ANSWER: The Goodies' intention to replace them as the Royal family.
3. While Tim played the part of the Queen, Graeme played the part of Princess Anne and Bill played the part of Prince Charles in 'Royal Command' - who played the parts of: Prince Phillip, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward?
ANSWER: Not 'who' but 'what' - Prince Phillip was played by a large wooden ventriloquist dummy - while Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were played by glove puppets.
4. At the Royal Command Performance concert, in what way did the Goodies annoy the Royal Family?
ANSWER: They kept waking them up.
5. QUOTE OF THE MONTH
This month's quote comes from the second ever Goodies episode, 'Snooze'. The Goodies are asked to market a bedtime drink called Venom, which for some reason isn't selling (go figure!). So the first thing they decide to do is change its name.
GG: I know, sleepy bo-boes!
TBT: What?
GG: Sleepy bo-boes. Then whenever anybody says, I'm going sleepy bo-boes...
BO: Nobody ever says I'm going to sleepy bo-boes!
GG: I do!
BO: What?
GG: Every night, as soon as I brush my toothy-pegs and put on my piggy-jim-jams, I say 'I'm going to sleepy bo-boes'. Everybody does!
THE END
And speaking of sleep bo-boes, I think I'd better go drink my glass of Venom for a good night's rest. Thank you and good night.
Cheerio,
Alison Bean
<carrot@olis.net.au>
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DISCLAIMER
This is an archive newsletter of The Goodies Rule - OK! International Fan Club (copyright The Goodies Rule - OK! 1997). Some of the information in this newsletter may now be incorrect. Current information can be obtained from http://www.goodiesruleok.com
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