1998: Barry Crocker in Almost a Legend

Barry Crocker in Almost a Legend at the School of Arts Cafe, Queanbeyan.  Wednesday to Saturday June 24 - 27.

    Where can you meet Nat King C., Tony B., Al J., Johnny M., Billy E., Frank S., Johnny R., Jerry L., Humphrey B., Jimmy S., Boris K., Dean M., Mario L. and Elvis P. all in close proximity to venison, ostrich, kangaroo, duck and crocodile pie?  Only at the School of Arts Cafe in the company of Bazza.  Where else would you want to be on a night so cold that he, as only Bazza could, claimed to have had a certain part of his anatomy stuck to the toilet bowl in the back paddock not long before coming on stage.

    So it's all a fun fantasy of the Life of Bazza from the days of the Geelong Musical Comedy Society, which he accidentally joined in pursuit of s-e-x.  On the way from natural and presumably irrepressible mimic to Queanbeyan via Las Vegas, New York, London, Australian, American and British television, Carols in the Domain, a United Nations UNICEF Concert and 33 gold records, Barry Crocker has added technique to talent and probably sings better now than ever, even though people keep saying he's dead.

    Though he whinged about being the same age as Elvis who's been resting for twenty years, it's salutary to remember that Bazza is still alive and entertaining.  He presents a melange, or what in the fifties of his youth would have been called a flummery, which I will define as a whipped up medley of mainly old favourites which entirely suited potato and leek soup, Aussie mixed-meat pie (excepting the ring-in ostrich - where was the emu?) and apple and peach bread pudding. 

    It's a great night out at the School of Arts, but it may be a waste of time trying to book by the time you read this.  Still you could drop by and purchase the new CD called Bazazz behind which there is a complicated story which we never heard the end of.  We did hear about the accompanist Dave Macrae, pianist and backing tape-deck player extraordinaire who wrote The Goodies theme music and played for the real Frank S.
   
    Missed Bazza?  Catch Jeanne Little in July.

© Frank McKone, Canberra