Mollymania II

More ye olde Countdown episodes on the ABC. Who would want to actually have something important to do with their lives when they could be home watching this? Tonight’s “all over the bloody shop” schedule is as follows:

11.15pm (i.e now) - Countdown. September 16th, 1984. Featuring a frankly dis-interested Howard “I’d Like To Get To Know You Well” Jones as host, Frankie Goes To Hollywood doing a shite version of ‘War’ and Molly pulling an oh-so-subtle “I’m just going to go back into the closet” gag during some pissweak comedy sketch featuring the hatted man in a horrible blue and yellow UCLA jumper, standing besides a mad secretary with giant 80’s glasses.

During Howard’s shockingly mimed show-stopping (*cough*) performance of his hit single the cameras continually catch an audience member showing his/her appreciation of the performance by holding a middle finger aloft in his direction. He then rips off his own Top of the Pops performance by wading into the audience to shake hands and being dragged in. The pretence that he’s actually singing falls apart as an aerial shot shows him sitting on his ass laughing. Then his stage starts rotating. I love the 1980’s ABC dearly.

Meanwhile in the credits there was somebody whose job was listed as “Grams”. What do you suppose that entailed? Judging by Howard Jones’ delivery to camera he may have had a fair idea.

12.10am - Countdown. January 17th, 1982

UPDATE - This one contains a fabulously disasterous interview with Rod Stewart where he is absolutely off his nut on something and acts like a complete cunt for a good 5 minutes. I retrospectively feels sorry for Molly for the first time ever. He even does a disclaimer before it about what a complete farce the whole thing is and how they had to re-shoot the interview two hours later. I can’t work out which was the “before” and which was “after” because Rod’s an arse in both of them. Must see.

1.00am - Countdown. February 22nd, 1975
1 1/2 hrs of videos - and then for some unknown reason back to,
2.40am (approx) - Rock Arena. October 9th, 1984
More videos… Then
3.50am (app.) - Rock Arena. December 27th, 1988

The last one sounds especially shithouse. Given that, and the fact that it’s preceeded by half an hour of kick arse songs, I’ll have to try and work out how the fuck to use my video player and tape it.

Of course 99% of people who read this won’t do so until well after this programming has ended. Just letting you know what QUALITY you missed while you were out getting shitfaced
and chasing chicks/men. No regrets!