Eric and me

Mid eighties..I think..I went along to the Playhouse, in Hobart, for a performance by a visiting singer. He impressed so much, I purchased me a music cassette, which finally got replicated onto a cd, years later.

At the time, I wasn’t flush with funds, so it was a Big Deal at the time.If it was the nineties, then I had a few more shackles to play with, but it was still a big Deal.

Over the years, different songs were played over the radio, and usually, his name was mentioned as the singer. Later on, other artists began recording these songs, but..it wasn’t the same as him singing His Songs.

The favourites from those days..well , they were all good. I was in the habit, then, and still do it now, by memorising a greater part of the songs I loved, and reciting them at inappropriate times. For instance, a little person might be talking about an acquaintance, and say..he/she is a real nong. Oookay, that’s a lead up to the famous ning nong song, by ..a pommy group, and actually, the yenchtong song; but why quibble about these things, when there’s fun to be had? …he’s a real nong….ning nong ning nong, ning nong ning nong ningnong liddle I Poh, ning nong Ning nong liddle I Poh, liddle I Poh? Second verse…ning nong..etc. outcome..oh no, not the ning nong song!

Arlo Guthries Alice’s Restaurant received the same treatment, and I still can recite major amounts of that song…twenty five, eight by ten, colour glossy pictures, with circles and arrows…etc. Now, the rules of the game are..there has to be a phrase spoken by the victim, which directly correlates or pertains to a memorised and or favourite song, which can then be used to hijack the current conversation.

So with some of Eric’s songs.

Somebodies moggy being the operative phrase, triggering a major part of that song. I had a little doggie..also triggered another of his songs.

Is there anyone out there in la-la land, who knows who Eric is?

Certain victims certainly will!

I am tempted to say..watch this space, but teasing is so last century..or perhaps not…

Eric Bogle, of course. Currently in Brisbane..or was early June 2024, doing a farewell concert. Naow, we’ve all seen any number of farewell concerts, sometimes repeatedly by the same artist…but I suspect that we won’t see another Eric Bogle concert again. He wasn’t in top form early on on this night..but I think the audience buoyed him up to do well, after that. There wasn’t the time to do all his songs, I did see a Someone on the net say 250 or so, would have taken a while! Also with each song came the story about it, and how it came about. For instance, a flattened cat by the side of a road, and another Somebody telling Eric that he wouldn’t be able to write a song about it…chortle!

Clare Campbell..whose body was found after twelve months in Sydney..another awesome Eric song, but in the last six years or so, Eric refused to sing it, because a ..Campbell..mate of Eric’s had died, and it was too painful to sing about Clare. Emma, violin player in Eric’s band..said to Eric that she could sing the response part of this song, and that she loved it..and so it happened in front of us..beautiful. Eric’s eyes were shut during the song..all ours were teared up…

Standing ovation at the end of the night..a given.