Wiki is kind enough to tell me that this was originally broadcast on ITV from 1978 to 1981. However, back here in the states, I'm pretty sure I was watching it after Night Flight on NBC the summer after I graduated high school, which means I didn't see it until 1982, if not later.
I KNEW NOTHING! I'd barely gotten MTV, I hadn't fallen in love with Bryan Ferry. I had no idea about how truly Awesome Kenny Everett was. I didn't know about Pirate Radio. I didn't know who half the people in the videos were. I was mostly amused by the running gag of Cliff Richard (who I did know and love) being cut off in the middle of Living Doll. I remember my sister describing Hot Gossip as "anorexic white women dancing with muscular black men." I also didn't know anything about Sarah Brightman.
I did love the sketches, never mind that it would be a few years before I'd have enough context about British politics and culture in general for a lot of them to make any sense or for me to get "Cupid Stunt." Captain Kremmen was THE BEST!
If you can believe it, I didn't even know Kenny was gay. (I know, I'm rolling my eyes at myself.)
Now we have Youtube of course and it's all there for me. So much of the stuff I eventually embraced and got obsessed with including my beloved Bryan. I'm grateful for those brief glimpses of the pop person I was destined to become.
Solid Gold</iframe>
Saturday afternoons. Me dancing around the living room. Dionne Warwick, Andy Gibb, REX SMITH!
Same basic time frame. Way more US-centric, obviously plenty of British performers, although not the Smiths, Joy Division and others I still didn't know about. These were the days when I listened to Casey Kasem. American Top 40 actually meant something. I feel so old.
Happy memories though. Lip synching, primitive videos...and those dancers.
Here's my favorite Solid Gold dancer:
I was obsessed with that braid.
