Having dredged The Flying Pickets from the deep recesses of my phenomenal memory - actually, I think it was stimulated by a fascinating documentary on the Miners' Strike the other night (I have a post forming in my head that marks the return of Political Gert...).
I got to thinking about how The Flying Pickets as a musical phenomenon became so. I first came across them as guests on various light entertainment TV programmes that seemed to be the staple of television in the early 80s, when on Saturday nights I had the choice between watching whatever my parents wanted on the TV, playing records very quietly in the dining room or sitting in the freezing cold bedroom listening to a battery operated transistor radio - in the earlier years fighting negotiating with my sister for the dubious right to do the last two.
You know the way the mind works - it's like surfing the internet and clicking on seemingly irrelevant links that take you somewhere unexpected.
I started thinking about Val Doonican. Those of you above a certain age must remember Val Doonican. Safe, comfy entertainment for an early Saturday night. But have you noticed how he has become a complete non-person in the world of telly-reminiscing. Thankfully, there is a website dedicated to Val Doonican. Which is a comfort.
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