The Boring Thread

[blandy]

11 hours ago, Pongo Waring said:

Oh I thought it said "boxing thread"  

That’s fighting talk.

[Mark Albrighton]

Just been round my folks. My dad walks in saying he’s trying to think of a name of a particular singer.

“Well let’s see if Mark can look him up on his smart phone”, comes the cry.

With my phone out ready I ask - Ok so what did he sing? 

I think he was a one hit wonder. I don’t know the song. 

Erm, ok.

I think it was a song by George Gershwin or Cole Porter, someone like that.

Right, no idea on the title though? Or any of the lyrics.

No. But I think he was Australian. Or at least I think died in Australia. 

When did he die? 

In the last five years. I think. Pretty sure.

Right, so I’m looking for a name of someone who may or may not have been a one hit wonder, with a song that may or may not have been written by someone like Cole Porter, they’re likely to have died in Australia within the past five years but they themselves are possibly not Australian?

Yeah type in something like that. 

And then the inevitable mild disappointment when weirdly enough I don’t find an answer to this conundrum.

[Seat68]

4 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

Just been round my folks. My dad walks in saying he’s trying to think of a name of a particular singer.

“Well let’s see if Mark can look him up on his smart phone”, comes the cry.

With my phone out ready I ask - Ok so what did he sing? 

I think he was a one hit wonder. I don’t know the song. 

Erm, ok.

I think it was a song by George Gershwin or Cole Porter, someone like that.

Right, no idea on the title though? Or any of the lyrics.

No. But I think he was Australian. Or at least I think died in Australia. 

When did he die? 

In the last five years. I think. Pretty sure.

Right, so I’m looking for a name of someone who may or may not have been a one hit wonder, with a song that may or may not have been written by someone like Cole Porter, they’re likely to have died in Australia within the past five years but they themselves are possibly not Australian?

Yeah type in something like that. 

And then the inevitable mild disappointment when weirdly enough I don’t find an answer to this conundrum.

This seems like a challenge

[Mark Albrighton]

Just now, Seat68 said:

This seems like a challenge

I won’t lie, part of my reasoning for posting (other than to vent about my folks somewhat unrealistic Google search expectations) is to see if someone on here has even the vaguest idea of who the hell my old man is on about. Maybe there’s a similar thought process or something that someone can pick upon.

[Xela]

47 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

Just been round my folks. My dad walks in saying he’s trying to think of a name of a particular singer.

“Well let’s see if Mark can look him up on his smart phone”, comes the cry.

With my phone out ready I ask - Ok so what did he sing? 

I think he was a one hit wonder. I don’t know the song. 

Erm, ok.

I think it was a song by George Gershwin or Cole Porter, someone like that.

Right, no idea on the title though? Or any of the lyrics.

No. But I think he was Australian. Or at least I think died in Australia. 

When did he die? 

In the last five years. I think. Pretty sure.

Right, so I’m looking for a name of someone who may or may not have been a one hit wonder, with a song that may or may not have been written by someone like Cole Porter, they’re likely to have died in Australia within the past five years but they themselves are possibly not Australian?

Yeah type in something like that. 

And then the inevitable mild disappointment when weirdly enough I don’t find an answer to this conundrum.

Rolf Harris. 

[chrisp65]

52 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

I won’t lie, part of my reasoning for posting (other than to vent about my folks somewhat unrealistic Google search expectations) is to see if someone on here has even the vaguest idea of who the hell my old man is on about. Maybe there’s a similar thought process or something that someone can pick upon.

Several of those clues will be absolute bobbins. Probably Shane Richie or Heinz.

[mjmooney]

2 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said:

I won’t lie, part of my reasoning for posting (other than to vent about my folks somewhat unrealistic Google search expectations) is to see if someone on here has even the vaguest idea of who the hell my old man is on about. Maybe there’s a similar thought process or something that someone can pick upon.

Gary Shearston. The song was "I Get a Kick Out of You". 

[mjmooney]

 

[mjmooney]

Gary Shearston obituary: 

Quote

Although Gary Shearston is only known in the UK for his 1974 Top 10 single "I Get A Kick Out Of You", he had been an established artist in his homeland of Australia since the 1960s and he recorded numerous albums of both his own songs and traditional material.

Shearston was born in 1939 and as his father, James, was in the forces, he was at first raised on his grandfather's farm. In 1950 the family moved to Sydney after the farm was destroyed by drought. Shearston became a stage manager for a travelling theatre company, but he also played guitar and became intrigued with the folk songs of Australia, often researching them in libraries.

In 1965 he made the album Australian Broadside and had a hit single with "Sydney Town", based on a Jamaican calypso and later recorded by Rolf Harris. Another of his songs, "Sometime Lovin'", was covered by the American folk act Peter, Paul and Mary. He established himself through his TV series, Just Folk, and wanting to expand his horizons, he spent time in both the US and the UK.

While in London he recorded the album Dingo for Charisma, and for fun he added a laconic version of Cole Porter's "I Get A Kick Out Of You", which was associated with more bravura performers like Frank Sinatra and Ethel Merman. The strummed guitars at the start were lifted from George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and gave way to Shearston's extremely laidback vocal. He ruined Porter's multiple rhymes by changing "some guy in the sky" to "some bird in the sky" and amended the line about cocaine to suggest the drug was no stranger to him. The oddest moment occurs just before the end when he mutters the name of his girlfriend, Kristiana Maria Konchevsky, but what made the record work was the contrast between his poker-faced vocal and the gypsy violin of Kristin Kelly.

He followed it with a similar treatment to "Without A Song", whcih generated little business. Returning to Australia he became an Anglican priest working in rural areas. He continued to write and record and his "Shopping On A Saturday" was the Bush Ballad of the Year for 1990. His new CD, Reverently, is awaiting release.

Gary Rhett Shearston, singer and priest: born Inverell, New South Wales 9 January 1939; married (one daughter, one son); died Armidale, New South Wales 1 July 2013.

Guardian

 

[Mark Albrighton]

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. I have run it up the chain of command (by text), will probably receive confirmation in the morning but that does seem to fit the description perfectly (my dad will have likely underestimated how much time has passed since Shearston died).

[mjmooney]

22 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. I have run it up the chain of command (by text), will probably receive confirmation in the morning but that does seem to fit the description perfectly (my dad will have likely underestimated how much time has passed since Shearston died).

I'm really glad this cropped up. I knew immediately what it was, as it's a real favourite of mine. But better still, after all these years I finally discovered something that I'd always wondered about - what he sings over the fadeout. I thought it was something about a gypsy - but that Guardian obit revealed that it was his girlfriend's name - Kristiana Maria Konchevsky. Result! 

[Mark Albrighton]

^ it was that song, as @mjmooney suggested (in case anyone was left wondering).

I resisted the temptation to take the credit and admitted a fella in Yorkshire came to the rescue (to which my dad said, and I quote, “Well done that man”).

Notably more boring than determining the identity of a mystery song and thus more in keeping with this thread…I cut the grass today. Not sure if it will be the last time I do so this year.

[Seat68]

I was planning on another grass cut yesterday but hoovered my car instead. Will have to wait until the next dry day. 

[AVFC_Hitz]

Sometimes I measure my productiveness during the day by the amount of battery percentage left on my phone, at 5pm.

Starting at 6am with 100% anything above 80% by 5pm means I've had a very busy day. Yesterday I left for home with it on 82%

[BOF]

On 15/10/2023 at 23:43, mjmooney said:

I'm really glad this cropped up. I knew immediately what it was, as it's a real favourite of mine. But better still, after all these years I finally discovered something that I'd always wondered about - what he sings over the fadeout. I thought it was something about a gypsy - but that Guardian obit revealed that it was his girlfriend's name - Kristiana Maria Konchevsky. Result! 

How the hell. Very impressive. What gave it to you?

[mjmooney]

2 minutes ago, BOF said:

How the hell. Very impressive. What gave it to you?

What? The name? Well, it's in the lyrics on Spotify, but it's also explained in that Guardian obituary. 

Or do you mean how did I know what the record was from Mark's dad's description? That was easy. Australian, one-hit wonder, Cole Porter song. Like I said, it's been a favourite of mine since it came out. Probably worthy of the 'Good, Bad and Ugly' unusual cover versions thread. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by mjmooney

[BOF]

6 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

What? The name? Well, it's in the lyrics on Spotify, but it's also explained in that Guardian obituary. 

Or do you mean how did I know what the record was from Mark's dad's description? That was easy. Australian, one-hit wonder, Cole Porter song. Like I said, it's been a favourite of mine since it came out. Probably worthy of the 'Good, Bad and Ugly' unusual cover versions thread. 

I mean the second bit. How did you know it from the description Well done indeed.

[Mark Albrighton]

Fairly frequently, when I see a post from another user has received a number of likes/reactions, I read the post and I have a little bet with myself as to whether I can guess which posters have responded before clicking to see if I’m correct.

I’m not too bad at this little game but sometimes I’m left thinking “And why the hell has he not appreciated that post…he’s into that sort of thing isn’t he?”.

[Seat68]

7 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

Fairly frequently, when I see a post from another user has received a number of likes/reactions, I read the post and I have a little bet with myself as to whether I can guess which posters have responded before clicking to see if I’m correct.

I’m not too bad at this little game but sometimes I’m left thinking “And why the hell has he not appreciated that post…he’s into that sort of thing isn’t he?”.

I also have a variant on this game. 

[Seat68]

My game is guessing which post of my own has been reacted to or commented on.