In the event, only Kenny was there. He was as crazy and funny as everyone expected. I had long brown hair in those days, and when he did a "Sandie Shaw" miming competition, he slid across the stage and asked various girls - one of them me! - to get up on stage and mime to one of her records. I don't know what the winner got, but the rest of us got tickets to see The Yardbirds at a nearby swimming baths!!!
When pirate radio was outlawed in 1967, Kenny worked for the BBC. He was later given his own TV show, which he repeatedly said was "all in the best possible taste". Nothing could be further from the truth!
There was the carpenter showing DIY who was constantly cutting bits off himself very dramatically, reappearing in ever larger blood-soaked bandages.
This was Cupid Stunt - how did he get away with that obviously spoonerised name?!
Believe it or not, this is Kenny being pretty much himself. 
He may have enjoyed being the Queen, but he was very fond of Queen, whose success he was instrumental in promoting.
Memorably, he impersonated all three BeeGees in one go. He sang all three parts, and being very musical he was in tune and quite impressive.
His punk character was called Sid Snot and was extremely vulgar.
Kenny really looks like his friend and lover Freddie Mercury here. He was sucked into the flamboyant Queen frontman's dissolute lifestyle, and in 1995, like Freddie, he died of AIDS. He was just 51.
Kenny was a comic genius. How he got away with what he did is a mystery. But those who remember him are the richer for having experienced his wackiness and creativeness
I can still hardly look at Rod Stewart thanks to Kenny's wicked pisstake of 'Do you think I'm sexy' complete with ever expanding bottom (girls, you kind of had to be there to see it, so pardon us for talking gibberish as far as the rest of you are concerned ;0)
ReplyDeleteWell that explains the line, "this is Radio Clash from pirate satelite" from the Clash song....
ReplyDeleteKenny sounds like a hoot! I would love to have seen him doing the BeeGees!! And I gotta tell ya, although you wrote "Cupid Stunt", that's not exactly how it was interpreted by my eyes and brain! lol
It wasn't meant to be, JoJo - like I say, how DID he get away with it?
ReplyDeleteIt was all done in the best possible taste!
ReplyDeleteKenny Everett was absolutely brilliant! The powers that be should repeat his programmes, after all they repeat everything else, at least Kenny would be worth watching again.
ReplyDelete'In teh even,...' ?!
ReplyDelete..got tickets ot see The Yardbirds..' !?
'...his wackiness and creativeness' Did you drop this . Val?
'When pirate radio was outlawed in 1967,..' Pirate radio was legal before 1967 or was it just pirate radio after the 1967 law?
'Memorably, he impersonated all three BeeGees (sic) in one go.' No, he imitated them in three separate shoots which were then merged.
Oh, and that would be Bee Gees.
Val, you told me that I was too easy and then you go and do this. I think you're doing it deliberately to lure me to your page. You're not a Bobby fan, you're a Michael fan.
:op
Sorry, I said Bobby. Of course I meant Vincent. The two are interchangeable, right?
ReplyDeleteBobby's Girl
ReplyDeleteVal, he got away with it because of dumb heads like me who say, soonerizzed? what's the matter with Cupid St---Oh! Right over my head it went! /The pictures of Bobby are beautiful as always. Thanks for posting them.
Michael, you've guessed my secret.
ReplyDeleteMy excuse is that I was rushing to post, having just returned from the burial of my cousin's ashes.
Don't feel guilty.
By the way, Michael, it was already illegal, and was known as pirate radio, before 1967, because they were illegally using airwaves they were not entitled to use. They did it offshore so that they could slip through loopholes by being in international waters. The new law gave the authorities powers to shut them down or jam them. Radio London closed voluntarily on the eve of the new law's coming into force. Radio Caroline limped on for a while longer.
ReplyDeleteSorry if there are mistypings in this, today's excuse is that I'm working with my contacts in and the script isn't as clear as it is with my glasses on.