Countdown (Australia)- Molly Meldrum Interviews The Knack- August 19, 1979
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- A segment from the long running Australian music TV series Countdown, which aired on the ABC from 1974-1987.
This particular segment aired during the Countdown episode which originally aired on August 19, 1979, on the ABC.
This clip features an interview of American band The Knack conducted by Countdown Talent Co-Ordinator Molly Meldrum.
Countdown Announcer Paul Turner begins the segment by introducing The Knack, and explaining that their debut album, 'Get The Knack', had rocketed up the US charts, and had sold 1 million copies in just 7 weeks, bringing it to Number 1 on the album charts.
Molly Meldrum begins his interview by introducing the four members of the band- bass player Prescott Niles, lead guitarist Berton Averre, drummer Bruce Gary, and lead singer Doug Feiger. Molly begins the interview by asking the band about their apparent 'overnight success', but also makes note of the fact that many of the songs of the debut album had been written some years earlier. And to that, Doug mentions that he and Berton wrote their signature hit, 'My Sharona'.
Molly proceeds to discuss the production of their debut album, produced by Australian-born producer Mike Chapman (Vaxfact: Chapman, along with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, was born in the Queensland town of Nambour, 100km north of Brisbane), who recorded the album within two weeks. Molly proceeds to ask the band if they feel the pressure of being a hit music act.
Molly also asks Doug Feiger about the apparent categorising and labelling of musical acts, which as such tends to cause divisions with fans, which Doug replies that all music should be appreciated on its merits, not its genre.
The band also discuss their hope to pay tribute to various early musicians by performing various covers on their future albums, having already included a cover of the Buddy Holly song 'Heartbeat' on 'Get The Knack'. Molly discusses their live stage performances, of which he saw the night before, along with their plain black and white image. This leads into a small clip of their song 'Lucinda'.
Molly concludes the segment by promoting the remaining Australian tour dates, with venues to be played such as the Hordern Pavillion, Manly Fix, Stage Door Tavern in Sydney, the Ambassador Club in Newcastle, and the Bombay Rock in Melbourne. Molly then leads into the band playing 'My Sharona' live on stage (clip not included).
Note: This interview segment ran in lieu of Molly's usual 'Humdrum' segment for this particular episode.
Vaxfacts: The Knack's signature hit, 'My Sharona', was written by Doug Feiger and Berton Averre, about a girl Feiger had a romantic interest in, Sharona Alperin, who subsequently became his girlfriend for four years. While they eventually broke up and went on to marry other people, Alperin and Feiger remained friends, where Alperin visited Feiger in his final months, before he passed away of cancer on February 14, 2010, in Los Angeles, at the age of 57.
Sharona Alperin nowadays is a Los Angeles real estate agent, who conducts her business from her web site, the domain name inspired by the song:
www.mysharona.com/
Also, American parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic began his career in song parody when he released "My Bologna" in 1979, a parody of "My Sharona".
I remember how much I loved this band. So exciting to watch this again.
Prescott Niles was my favourite on Bass
Muzo1965 Braddock, I agree. Prescott is an excellent bass player. I had the pleasure of meeting him backstage at their House of Blues show in Los Angeles. He signed my CD "The Knack - Live at the Rock and Roll Funhouse". He is a very nice guy.
To piggyback on your comment 13thBeatle..and being a huge Knack fan over the many years, it is hard knowing what might have been. Horrible management decisions and thumbing their noses at the American press proved group disaster. This was a damn good tight band that should have done Bandstand, Midnight Special and Saturday Night Live all could have been career boosters along with a nominated Grammy appearance, instead they fizzled and releasing But the Little Girls Understand was way too soon...they exploded to the top and it was awesome but the downfall may have been avoided with better handlers...to their credit after some time away they came back with some strong material on Serious Fun and Zoom...will always be on of my sincere favorites...RIP Doug and Bruce, gone way too soon.
Lumpy63 " horrible management decisions and thumbing their noses at the American press..... " Exactly!! There's a documentary on the Knack - Getting the Knack -- that explaores these two areas in great detail and - agreed -- it's ultimately so sad to think what might have been ahead for a band this good ....
Man on the beach, which they recorded in the 2000's is a tribute to the Beach Boys. But how many of the fans from the 1970's are still curious enough the explore these later songs ? They don't even get 50 thumbs up here on UA-cam, even if they have been uploaded 8 years ago.... That's how volatile success can be, unless you're the Beatles or that other (and better) Elvis than Costello....
Always got the Knack and still do. Yesca.
great!!!
They were fun while they lasted. I was in the audience watching this interview unfold. We liked their song, and we enjoyed the hype that they got in Australia. However, I felt they had a lot to prove if they were going to live up to that hype. I remember thinking, ''Oh Molly (the interviewer), don't try to do a Beatles thing on this band''.
My sister and I played Get The Knack for a few months, and then pawned our copy off a year later. Occasionally, us Countdown viewers would get behind a song with constant requests. We did it with Blondie's ''In the Flesh'' and Johnny Cougar's ''I Need a Lover''. We sensed that we didn't have to get behind The Knack because we were going to hear all about Sharona whether we liked it or not. We enjoyed them, and we also enjoyed the other guest on that episode of Countdown, Roger Voudouris. It tickled me that The Knack and Blondie were produced by Australian expat, Mike Chapman: ''an Australian bossing Americans around in a studio? Cool!!!''. Ha, ha
When did Blondie release 'In The Flash'. I have never heard it.
@@opiumtrail7032 Sorry, that was a typo. I meant ''In The Flesh''. August '77 in Australia.
Molly Meldrum was lucky to get an interview with The Knack before they refused to do any more of them as a way of gaining some kind of "mystique".
But where is the knack 2 babbbyyyyyy
Great the problem they made was ironically except for this interview they refused to talk to the press which backfired. Then releasing the 2nd album 6 months later people were sick of Sharona. If they waited a year things may have been different.
13THBEATLE, You are correct. In the USA The Knack had a strict "no interview" policy which backfired. To my knowledge they would only grant interviews in foreign countries. Shame! The Knack had so my much charisma, I believe their fans could have known them much better had they done interviews. I had the pleasure of meeting Doug three times, and Prescott and Berton once. They were nice guys, not to mention a very underrated band.
13THBEATLE Their third albums their best. Very underrated band
13THBEATLE I like yr profile name. ;)
I was born that day
Keith Moon singing and playing guitar
Bizarre microphone above them. Technologically unnecessary if you ask me. A boom mic would have sufficed, but a remote controlled uni-directional mic to try and keep up with the conversation? What the??? 😆🤭🤫😏
this interviewer was horrible! didn't let an answer to a question get out before going into the next question.
Yeah, that's our Molly. He was always a dickhead, but had leverage in the music scene. Everyone in Oz watched Countdown.
Flash in the pan.
Transitional period-the digital 80's was right around the corner. End of one era, beginning of a new one..
And they - appropriately - faded into oblivion shortly thereafter............ HA, HA