I loathed the BBC 1 prime time evening chat shows, including Terry 'Wiggy' Wogan, though I will confess that his increasingly drunken commentary frequently lightened up an otherwise heavy going Eurovision Song Contest.
However, it was a family viewing staple in the 1980s, mainly with the dinner-on-a-tray, sat on the sofa set up, which at least promised the hope of finishing and escaping to my room before the soaps kicked in.
There was an occasional glimmer of hope with some of the guests, although the banal banter would often be excruciating to sit through. Better was the even more occasional music performance that was an artist or song that I actually liked.
Whoever was responsible for booking Julian Cope to perform Charlotte Anne in 1988 may not have got a promotion on the back of it (more likely the sack) but it was a rare gem in the muck.
It's an unusually restrained performance from the Arch Drude and his image at this point was about as 'mainstream' as it ever got, but it's a joy to see him, Donald Ross Skinner, James Eller, KR Frost, Rooster Cosby (RIP) and Mike Joyce on a BBC stage.
No surprise, though, that guest Auberon Waugh thought it was utter rubbish. Wogan's comments have been lost in the mists of time.
Would have been great if he'd followed up with an encore of Reynard The Fox and 'spilled his guts all over the stage..' :)
ReplyDeleteHe would have, Mike, but unfortunately he was stopped by BBC Security at the door and they confiscated his plastic bag and Stanley knife...
DeleteI seem to recall it was Helen Terry who booked the musical acts for Wogan, which probably explains Cope's inclusion
ReplyDeleteI'd had no idea she'd moved into TV after her Culture Club/solo career. Every day an education!
DeleteGood find. I recently watched a Youtube video of all his links when he presented Top of the Pops- very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteYes, I saw that too - great, isn't it? There's also a great interview with him on The Late Show in 1991, on the back of Peggy Suicide, where he references his appearances on Wogan. I missed this at the time as I was out of the country, but it's great to watch, 30-odd years on.
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