Diary of an old cheeser

Hi there! Like other blogs, this is my chance to wax lyrical (some might say talk utter cr*p) about a) what's happening in my life b) all of my pet obsessions in particular music, tv, movies, books and other generally connected things, quite often of the retro, old and "cheesy" variety. Hence the title of my blog. Feel free to leave a comment if the mood takes you. There's nothing like a good chinwag about one's favourite topics and besides I love to meet new people! Cheers, Simon

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

By popular demand...

Okay, not ALL of you demanded it, but just cos it's a current topic of conversation...here's the "alternative" version of "I Should Be So Lucky", courtesy of comedy couple French and Saunders! I think it's Dame Janet Baker doing the lead bit, with F & S on backing vocals. Totally inspired!! And don't you just dig F & S's diva outfits / big hair??!

posted by Old Cheeser @ 1:08 am  

12 Comments:

  • At 5:47 am , Blogger TimeWarden said...

    The Opera singer is Sarah Walker. She’d recently appeared, rather spectacularly, at “The Last Night of the Proms”, wearing a gown revealing a hidden Union Jack part way through her performance to rapturous applause! Hence, she was in demand from these two!! Conducting is Carl Davis who wrote the incidental music for Andrew Davies’ 1995 adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”. The “French and Saunders” clip itself is from the seventh episode of the third season originally shown on 26th April, 1990.

     

  • At 12:43 pm , Blogger Old Cheeser said...

    Okay, ditzy old me went and posted the French and Saunders post TWICE!! But that's cos You Tube seemed to be playing up last night and I wasn't sure if the video had transferred over to my Blog. But now I know it has...so have deleted the second F&S post. Of course I would hate to lose all your lovely comments, so I have cut and pasted them below, and will respond in a mo.

    Firstly Time Warden! Thank you for the info, So I was wrong then, it wasn't Janet Baker. I must confess I am not an opera expert. Her Proms appearance sounds interesting, erm, where was the Union Jack exactly? I think you have the most photographic memory of all, remembering all these dates!!

     

  • At 12:50 pm , Blogger Old Cheeser said...

    And Matty, here is your original comment with my response...

    MATTY
    You know, had it not been for this skit, it would have been YEARS before I really discovered Kylie!

    I've lost count of how many times I've seen this and it ALWAYS make laugh with glee! ...and I love their "opera star" names!

    and, who knew that food was good for the throat!?!?

    "...air conditioning is our enemy!"

    LOL! God Bless F&S!

    You know, it was thru them that I also discovered Alison Moyet.

    Remember their first show which had a variety show format? ...and they would have a musical guest? AM appeared on one to sing her "new hit single" - ORDINARY GIRL -- anyway, the joke was that Dawn French had given Alison the wrong driving insructions to BBC so that she would pretend to be her and sing the song instead while Jennifer Saunders stood by all upset. ...and then Alison shows up, wet, and pissed off in her moto riding gear --- and then she sings the song while F&S danced about in the background. ...It made me run to the local record store in my small town in Texas and I got them so special order it for me from EMI.

    ...memories. ..like the corners of my mind.

    OLD CHEESER
    Matty - I can't remember the names of F&S opera divas - something very grand and camp, no doubt! Do you remember? Time Warden, do you??

    And interesting to know that's how you discovered Kylie!! I'm surprised you didn't hear about her some other way - down the San Fran bar or disco perhaps? Is she not big in the US?

    Alison Moyet (or Alf as she is also sometimes known) is a great lady too although you don't hear to much of her. She played Mama Morton for a limited run in "Chicago". I liked some of her 80s stuff and Yazoo were cool too. I don't think I've seen the "Ordinary Girl" video, that sounds real fun!! I do recall F & S appearing in some of her other videos though, like "Love Letters". And Alison in turn did some appearances in their own show, in one sketch she pretended to be a bricklayer!

    Yes, misty water-coloured memories! Of the way we werrrrre...

     

  • At 12:57 pm , Blogger Old Cheeser said...

    Your turn now...

    STEVE
    I used to love the dodgy male backing group that F&S used to feature in the early shows - Raw Sex or something - featuring a very drunk, pock-marked looking Rowland Rivron on drums... ah those were the days my friend... we thought they'd never end...

    OLD CHEESER
    Yes!! Raw Sex it was!! They were very funny. Rowland Rivron and Simon Brint actually. They did the original theme tune ' "French and Sauuuuunders"! And also wrote/participated in all those skits of pop bands - very clever stuff, like the Fleetwood Mac rip-off, Mamas and Papas etc. And I remember Roland R. doing a great Jimmy Saville impersonation - "Now then! Now then! Now then! Jewellery, jewellery, jewellery!" Hilarious!!

    Where would melody be, without the conk shell and the twig?

    And I once saw Roland R in Sainsbury's.

     

  • At 4:28 pm , Blogger matty said...

    Why, F&S play Lucia Poop and Renata von Trapp!!! LOL! I love those names!

    I was so dying to get to London last year when Kathy Burke wrote and directed a comedy play in the West End which stared both ALF and Dawn French!!!! It looked like such great fun. Tho, I think the reviews were mixed.

    I love catching Dawn French in that old Kate Bush vidclip for "Experiment IV" !!!

    I guess there must have been some connection between Kate Bush and the whole British comedy scene of the 80's. She does some music for The Comic Strip and even appears in one of the more odd episodes in the big DVD box set that came out a couple of years ago. Brilliant stuff!

     

  • At 1:04 am , Blogger TimeWarden said...

    Another bit of trivia which you may find interesting, I think the actor at the mixing desk in the pink waistcoat is David Ashton (uncredited) who played Kendron in episode one of the Colin Baker "Doctor Who" story "Timelash". He's perhaps best known for playing Dr. McDuff in sitcom "Brass".

    Having watched the clip carefully (many thanks for posting it Simon), don't you think Dawn French, in her Operatic gestures, is more convincing than Jennifer Saunders, or is it because she's nearest the camera? Anyway, it gave everyone here loads of laughs!

    Matty, "Experiment IV" is one of my favourite Kate Bush videos only bettered, I think, by "Cloudbusting" with Donald Sutherland as her Dad!

     

  • At 2:06 am , Blogger matty said...

    Yeah, I miss Kate Bush. I mean I know we got the new album in 2005 and it was great. ...but I guess those exciting days of new stuff are gone.

     

  • At 10:44 am , Blogger Minge said...

    Dawn pulled her character off really well - a tribute to Monster Rat Cable Guy?

     

  • At 2:03 pm , Blogger Old Cheeser said...

    Matty - Yes, great names for the F&S operatic divas!!

    I read about that play with Alf but never saw it. Of course F&S are now in a new sitcom called "Jam and Jerusalem" although I haven't watched that yet. Did anyone rememeber Dawn F in "Murder Most Horrid"? The pinnacle of Jennifer S for me was "Absoulutely Fabulous" although that did diminish in quality toward the end.

    And j'adore Kate Bush and Experiment IV is a great video, as is Cloudbusting. She certainly made some very "different" videos! And yes there was a connection with KB and the Comic Strip bunch. She also did some Prince's Trust concerts with the same group of people.

    As for missing her, well, 2005 was her comeback year definitely with "Aerial". It had been a long gap between that and Kate's previous album "Red Shoes" (12 years!!) On the whole I liked "Aerial", but I didn't think it was as good a comeback as "Hounds of Love" which I would rank as probably my favourite KB album of all. Kate's musical output now is scarce, and as I was discussing with someone before, part of that is presumably because she's now a Mum and so the music is taking more of a backseat to bringing up her son(Bertie). She's also one of those people who definitely likes doing things at her own pace!

    I also don't think Kate's singing voice is as good as it was, certainly not on "Aerial", there were bits when she sounded positively off-key! That could be through lack of use and the fact she's getting older, although I did hear a rumour that she is rather fond of red wine and spliffs, which might have affected her vocal performance somewhat!

    Time Warden - once again you have surpassed yourself in the knowledge stakes...

    And you know, I noticed that about Dawn too - she is more expressive, comic and camp than Jennifer in that scene, and I think it's because D is closer to the camera than J - a shame. A hilarious clip nonetheless and really glad to hear that it caused mirth at your end...

    Minge - are you talking about the F&S opera clip?

     

  • At 3:25 pm , Blogger matty said...

    Oh! You know I was still going in university and living in Texas when I saw this F&S skit. Anyway, so I sought out Kylie who, I think, had only scored one hit in the US back in the 80's -- cover of Locomotion.

    ...I didn't get to San Francisco until my firm in Boston moved me out here for a short stint --- and then back to Boston -- then I left the corporate world and moved back here in April of 2005.

    You know, I have always felt that F&S are best when together. French seems to be the better performer and Saunders the better writer. ...tho, they each do both well. Whenever I see one without the other I miss the one who isn't there.

    Regarding Kate -- yes, I agree --- Hounds of Love is her moment in the sun. Tho, I really enjoy the second disc off the last CD. She marches to the beat of her own drummer for sure. I don't know. I think those odd phrasings and 'off-key' moments are intended. I could be wrong, tho. LOL!

     

  • At 4:47 pm , Blogger Minge said...

    Yes, am talking about the opera clip.

     

  • At 4:54 pm , Blogger Old Cheeser said...

    Ah!! Re-reading your comment Minge, I think you meant Monsterrat Caballe?

    Monster Rat Cable Guy!! Ha ha ha!! You naughty thing.

     

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home