Diving into TVNZ’s vault

Press, 22 December 1989, Page 11

Diving into TVNZ’s vault

“RTR Countdown’s” producer, Justin Cockerill, is still brushing off the cobwebs after delving into the video vault for Saturday’s hour-long special (6 p.m. on Two). “When I say, Diving into our video vault and dusting off the number one hits of the decade’, I’m talking about real dust!”

He says for viewers who think things have not changed drastically since the early 88s, the programme is a must “Although when you look back a few years after the event, I think it could frighten a few people! “I mean, some of it looks terrible, but it’s

been heaps of fun to put together and everybody should get a laugh out of it.” From Disco at the start of the decade to House music and another dance craze at its close, one word immediately springs into his mind when summing up the decade’s pop music: “Tacky ... really, rally tacky! But I

mean that in a fun way, because obviously lots of people will still love songs like *Stars on 45,’ ‘We are the World* and ‘Sailing Away’.” ; From Jon Stevens and “Jezebel,” the first number one of 1989, to the last number one of 1989, Cockerill hopes the show will educate viewers, on the

music and videos of the last 10 years. “We’ve gone through things like the post-punk era where punk met pop and went to the top of the charts. Then things like the Patea Maori Club, where virtually a whole town is made redundant in one fell swoop, and then they get up, make their own song and sell

the most records for an entire year.” While digital computer effects have changed for ever the face of pop videos, Cockerill has faith in recent songs like “Swing the Mood” from Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers keeping “good cringe tack” in vogue. A ■'