Highveld's Rude Awakening are overdosing us with commercials and promotions at the moment. For goodness sake, win this, win that, buy this, buy that, sms us for this and we'll send you this. And now for a quick commercial break. All for a fee of course. Wake up guys, you're signing your own death knell as we will move to choice based, ad-free, podcasts and satellite radio sooner than you realise.
Interestingly Mansfield was one of the many that cut his broadcasting teeth in the late 70's and early 80's at Port St John's Capital Radio 604. What a station. I have a vivid memory of being 9 years old in bed with yellow jaundice and listening to the Stones 'Emotional Rescue' on my first ever Sanyo portable radio.
Check this youthful picture from Mansfield's thin days.
Other well known voices from the time:
Kevin Savage (now running KFM in Cape Town)
Darren Scott (now at East Coast Radio in Durban)
Tony Blewitt (now Classic FM's breakfast host)
John Berks (ex 702)
Martin Baillie (ex everything - now in the UK or Ireland I think)
Dave Guselli (now at East Coast Radio in Durban)
And lots more.
Anyway that's not really what I wanted to write about. In amongst the ka-ching ka-ching of Mansfield's till this morning they did take the time to play Baz Luhrmann's sweet motivational Sunscreen ditty.
Baz is the Aussie movie director who directed Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom and a host of other Aussie & Hollywood flicks.
I'd always assumed that this was all Luhrmann's doing. That he came up with the words and was the narrator. Wrong! While trawling the web for the lyrics I came across this tale [The Cyber-Saga of the 'Sunscreen' Song] which tells how the lyrics were originally drawn from the light hearted writing of Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich (who subsequently published the work in this book) and were read by an actor. For a time there was also an urban legend that Kurt Vonnegut was responsible for the lyrics.
Whatever the origin's I still relate to the thoughts and one-liners contained.
"Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room."
Brings to mind John Colton's comments: "The excesses of youth are drafts upon our old age, payable with interest about 30 years after date."
It also brings to mind the mantra of :
Dance like no one is watching, Love like you've never been hurt, Sing like no one is listening, and live like it's heaven on earth. To which I once heard someone add the quip: "Make love like you're being filmed."
5 comments:
Since 5fm has refocused on the 15 - 25 market, we really need a station that is focused on the 25 - 40 intelligent market (I can't stand the Highveld lowest common denominator focus, although sometimes that in itself is hilarious).
IITQ. Hear hear. I am not sure we're ever going to get it though. In fact no-one caters for our market though one can hit a fluke broadcast on radio 2000 now & then.
The campus radios, UJ & TUKS are OK if a bit amateur but their signal sucks.
I think what we will get though is the ability to easily download / stream webbased radio podcasts into our cars. One can do it already (just google for "radio podcasts"),it's just a mission. IF we ever get decent cheap broadband access here it will be the answer to being able to avoid the inane hosts we have to bear with now.
Highveld has definitely plummeted over the years. I loved listening to Fresh on YFM in the mornings. Then I got an ipod and all was good with the world in my car.
And maybe I'll just take your advice this w.end...especially on the ending note there ;)
Champs - you mean you haven't already got a permanent camera installed?
Sad to hear Highveld has deteriorated. Used to be really good, but what I noticed first was your reference to Capitol Radio from P St J's. My first ever trip to Port St John's was to go in search of Capitol's base there, but we got sidetracked by the magic of the place, and forgot to look for it. It was a day trip too! From Elandskop to Port St John's and back in one day in the early eighties was quite an adventure. The road from Umtata to P st J's was nearly all dirt in those days. Mind you we'd never have started if we'd realised it was so far, but were very glad we did after the fact. Went there for many holidays on the strength of that trip in search of our fave radio station!
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