Billy Connolly on Parkinson show

Press, 24 October 1980, Page 11

Billy Connolly on Parkinson show

jnc -f Michael Parkinson’s guests on Ner.-.-brk One tomorrow evening is a man who holds a special place on Parkinson’s personal list of favourite subjects — the • Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly. . Although little known in New Zealand, Connolly* is a hero the length and breadth of Scotland. His impact on the Scottish entertainment scene has been likened to such greats as Han., Lauder and Will Fyfe; but there the similarity ends. Compared with ■ Connolly, Lauder and Fyfe were choirboys. Connolly has been credited with giving Scots entertainment a shot in the arm, but what he really did was put the boot in. Formerly a shipyard welder in Glasgow, Con-

noily comes from a background firmly working class; his favourite targets. are middle class. Nothing escapes his scorn and derision. His savage, hilarious attacks run the gamut from social problems and injustices to sue everyday things as television epilogues and country music. The latter he has a particular distaste for, originating from his own musical background as one half of a duo called The Humblebunv. Jazz, blues, and folk influenced the lyrics he wrote. Towards the end of his six-year stint he became aware that his patter was getting as much reaction as his.music. He changed direction towards comedy and t-gan a oneman act that took Scotland by storm, and then

England. He filled the London Palladium to capacity and then toured America and Canada.

“The Big Yin,” as he is affectionately known in Scotland, bases much of his humour on incidents everyone remembers from childhood. The rest is vicious satire.

An example of this can be seen in the forthcoming '•The Secret Policeman’s Ball” a benefit concert for Amnesty International which will screen on Network One on November 1 as a prelude to the All Blacks v. Wales test match. In it Connolly mercilessly lampoons country music with a send-up of every bad-taste maudlin tear-jerker put on record. As he proudly proclaims: “I'm the guy who put the beep into country music.”