William Shatner charmed the frankly overexcited crowd that came from far and very wide to see his live solo show at The State Theatre in Sydney in October 2018.
I grabbed my best Shatner tie and my 1969 BBC Star Trek puzzle book and knew I was going to be among my kind of people.
If I can’t wear this tie tonight. Then when?
The resulting Planet Maynard podcast is from the dozen people I spoke with at The State Theatre that night.
The many shades of Shatner mentioned included:
The Outer Limits, TJ Hooker, Miss Congeniality, The Twilight Zone, Shit My Dad Says, Tribbles, Gorn, Kingdom of the Spiders, Canada, Red Shirts,Flying High 2, Star Trek 2 (but not Star Trek 5). Yet not one person could even hum the theme to one of my favourite works of The Shatman, Barbary Coast.
Here’s Bill in a mauve smoking jacket as he turns out to be a man of many disguises in the opening credits.
That theme tune!
Thanks to the Red Shirts, Belinda and her mum Robyn from the southern tablelands, Kevin Williams and the disgruntled Canadian.
The Coldest 100 was the creation of Andrew Sholl on Twitter in 2016 and has been the Giddy Uncle of Triple J’s Hottest 100 ever since. Anyone can have a guess at the hottest song of the year, but who has ever nominated the Bunnings theme or Kylie Minogue performing her version of Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep?
Andrew only does this on Twitter (he has a real job) and releases his Coldest 100 in parallel with what ever number Triple J is up too.
The Coldest 100 can best be described as questionable songs by Australians and about Australia. So Andrew Sholl sat down with me at The Madame Frou Frou Cafe to sample a sixpack of his 100 cold ones.
Here are a selection of 2019 Coldest 100 entries on YouTube. A list of The Coldest 100 from 100 to 75 is below. You’ll have to wait till January 27th to find out the worst coldest of The Coldest 100.
https://youtu.be/Jl2YLuKjwBU
Japanese duo Peanuts – Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhF0dyK6LVU
Red Rubber Ball – Cilla Black (The Seekers)
The Rooty Hill RSL Club Band bring the 1973 funk to Tower Of Strength
100 Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (2004) Scared Little Weird Guys https://youtu.be/HahOnU3WglM 99 Canberra, We’re Watching You (1975) Dalvanius and the Fascinations https://youtu.be/quZjurDmiGc 98 Toodle-oo Kangaroo (1956) Frank Virtue and The Virtues https://youtu.be/7QRBbuJ4qwk 97 What Next! (Rolf Harris Medley) (c.1966) The John Charter Group https://youtu.be/vQduPtA5wLc 96 Poltettu Humppa (Beds Are Burning) (2000) Eläkeläiset (Finland) Video: https://youtu.be/ilJJAaQ_ApY Audio only: https://open.spotify.com/track/2WfU6TUISX6PVrBCuxFbjR 95 G’Day From WA (1986-87) Mojo Singers https://youtu.be/VNT1PUGG_IE 94 I Love You Fair Dinkum Dinky Di I Do (1955) Danny Kaye https://youtu.be/vsrDpDfhA2c 93 While the Billy Boils Ann Sidney https://youtu.be/1HTkr0nW-ZY 92
Georgy Girl (1967) Mitzi Gaynor https://youtu.be/tUPEVNKabGg 91 Sea of Heartbreak (1971) Lionel Rose https://youtu.be/-q7GXjh_kNc
90 Sport Bowlin’ Shane Haskel Daniel v Sideshow https://youtu.be/3Mu3lkjC9pA 89 Kangourou (1980) Plastic Bertrand (Belgium) https://youtu.be/kAKMdtByMDo 87 Wake Up Australia (1973) Bootleg Family https://youtu.be/g769F94B7P0 86 Olivia Newton-John and Pat Carroll https://youtu.be/C-DEZZ8a1rE 85 Click Go the Shears (Māori version, 1966) Lou and Simon https://youtu.be/rbU7nucfxmk 84 The Mighty Maroons (1984) Rod Williams arr. Keith Urban https://youtu.be/j0gL5jYSklc 83 Pack Up A Dream and Head for Hayman Island (1950) John O’Connor and George Watson’s Hawaiians https://soundcloud.com/nfsaaustralia/pack-up-a-dream-and-head-for-hayman-island-john-oconnor-and-george-watsons-hawaiians 82 I Just Wanna Yodel Like You (1981) Mary Schneider and Melinda Schneider (8 y.o.) https://youtu.be/FnLTnqLLmJE 81 Hector the Trash Collector (1968) Frankie Davidson https://youtu.be/HdfnvMdMNAs
80 Bouzouki (1971) Dawn Dixon https://youtu.be/80HFasr-lUo 79 Red Rubber Ball (1969) Cilla Black https://youtu.be/VhF0dyK6LVU 78 Heart of The Sunshine Coast (1978) Shorty Ranger https://youtu.be/RwRaANZ-NBs 77
Woobinda (Italian) (1978) Riccardo Zara con le Mele Verdi https://youtu.be/tPVP-XJ7lvs 76
Especially for You (2001) Kylie Minogue and Kermit the Frog https://youtu.be/WY7I4Qxl4Xw 75 Waltzing Matilda (1960) Enoch Light and His Orchestra https://youtu.be/pLuJVAywuRo
Prepare ye for an Uncool Yule with Dave’s Dud Xmas Discs, Dave Mulligan brings you a poorly thought out selection of Xmas goose that made the 50s, 60s & 70s what they are today.
These tracks will have you singing, dancing & maybe prancing. But you will feel the secret shame of Santa and wonder about the power of Xmas to compel this kind of music creation.
100% Xmas and 100% shameless, we love it.
Hooray For Santa Claus – Milton De Lugg & the Little Eskimos
Wonderful Day – The Chipmunks
Santa Teach Me To Dance – Debbie & The Darnells
Jingle Bell Imitations – Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell
Monster’s Holiday – Buck Owens
Monster’s Holiday – Bobby Boris Pickett
Surfers Christmas List – Surfaris
Santa Bring Me Ringo – Christine Hunter (1964)
Where Were You Daddy? (When Santa got stuck in the chimney chute) – Christine Hunter (1964)
Tijuana Taxi the Sydney sensational Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass cover band are returning to The Camelot Lounge in Marrickville to blow your bolero jacket off.
Tina Harris has been a fan of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass since hearing her parents’ vinyl records as a child.
Great instrumental tracks like Spanish Flea, The Lonely Bull, Casino Royale and This Guy’s In Love With You.
As a party was winding down a few years ago, she put some of those 60s albums on again and was inspired to form Tijuana Taxi. An eight piece band (with marimba) that plays a handful of shows every year to packed houses of people who can’t get enough Herb either.
Maynard quizzed Tina on what to wear to the gig and the best Herb Alpert track to play at a sexy party.
Learn about the inner workings of an eight piece band (with marimba). Including the correct use of latin percussion and the psychology of keeping eight musicians together in the cauldron of the Sydney music scene.
They play The Camelot Lounge in Marrickville on Saturday 8th December.
Fiona Patten, outspoken member of the upper house in Victoria has changed the name of her Sex Party to the Reason Party.
One thing we know is that everybody wants to be reasonable, but no two people can agree on exactly what it is.
Her recent book, Sex, Drugs & The Electoral Roll chronicles her career from Canberra to sex worker to sex industry lobbyist to Sex Party to Reason Party (with photos).
But why didn’t Fiona get married under a fish tank to the B-52s Rock Lobster, isn’t that every girl’s dream?
As a lobbyist for the Eros Foundation, for over 20 years she learned a lot about the inner workings of politics. You get to meet a lot of people and see a lot of things in that job.
Since being elected, she has successfully instigated physician assisted dying laws, an inquiry into drug reform, and the introduction of a bill for both a medically supervised injecting centre and pill testing.
Fiona answers the big questions here as well, such as; “What happens if you sit on the “Queens Chair” in the Victorian parliament?”
AND when will you be able to buy a gram of cocaine from the chemist? (spoiler, not in time for Xmas)
Buster Poindexter (David Johansen of New York Dolls notoriety) took time out from his lunch break while working on new songs with his band. Buster tells you how to dress, how to drink (a martini) and where to live (New York City).
But what do ABBA & Tom Jones have to do with it?
Buster was a regular on Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s as part of the house band. Where his high hair just seemed to be teased that little bit higher every Saturday night.
This interview was recorded for my Triple J breakfast show in 1990. Producer Simon Marnie can be heard recording the tape ID at the beginning, while playing with the tape’s speed controls.
David Johansen still does his Buster Poindexter shtick occasionally around the US and did released four albums under that name.
His sense of humour and ability to go with my unique line of questioning was very much appreciated.
And after hearing this, wouldn’t you want to go to the beach with Buster? Or at least the cocktail lounge?
Here is wonderfully 1980s clip with Micheal Keaton and plenty of finger clicking. Hit The Road Jack
