Pour yourself a tall glass of vodka and settle back for another VHS Revue!
This time it’s a Channel Nine special called “Good Blokes & Superstars” from 18 November 1992.
Highlights include commercials for Telecom, Bolle sunglasses, Australian Dairy Foundation and Spend-less Shoes. Join me as I raise a glass (or two) for quintuple Gold Logie-winner Ray Martin.
Special thanks to Adam Navarro, Nicholas Godfrey, Alexis Kotlowy and Hannah Green. They know what they did.
Have you subscribed on YouTube yet? You have the technology.
Hi dudes. On VHS Revue Ep 4, I take a look at a 1989 Channel 10 recording of the 1949 war film “12 O’clock High”. (Got all those numbers?)
Highlights include ads for: Dynamo washing powder (with Mother & Son), Miss J. M., Honda CRX (my favourite), Planters Nuts, Ashley & Martin, and some other things. AND if you watch all the way to the end, there are singing cats.
Thanks again to Michael Pope for “agreeing” to be in this episode of VHS Revue. If you’re a Gen Y like me, you might remember him from those 90s kids game shows “Blockbusters” and “Total Recall”. One of the finest MCs in Australia and if you’re ever lucky enough to be in the studio audience for a TV show and he’s the warm up guy, you’re in for a fun night. Also check out his podcast: An Audience with the Pope for some great celebrity chats.
Cheers as always to Nick Godfrey & Alexis Kotlowy. And to Antonio Cafasso, Matthew Smith, Annika Samuelsson & Hannah Green for their help on this one.
When I was back in Adelaide over Christmas, I found a box of old video tapes in my Mum’s garage. After lugging them back to Melbourne – and buying a VCR – I’ve spent the last few months going through them and boy… thank Christ no one threw these out.
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe… And this stuff is way too good to keep to myself. So I’m thrilled to announce SIX brand new episodes of my webseries “VHS Revue”!
I’ll be releasing one a week for the next six weeks, starting right now. Here’s Ep 3 – The Two Mrs Grenvilles (1988):
Highlights include ads for Jeans United, Big Sister fruitcakes, pork, space-themed instant scratchies, Menage cologne and the inaugural edition of “What the hell was that?”
And a special thanks to a few fantastic people for all their help with these six episodes. Nicholas Godfrey, Adam Navarro, Matthew “Smiddy” Smith & Antonio Cafasso behind the camera; Alexis Kotlowy for his sensational music, graphics and video tape editing; Tim Wray for props, Annika Samuelsson for her voice and my sister Hannah Green for her make-up.
I’ve found some very funny stuff, and a lot of it isn’t already on YouTube. So if you love old ads and random audio-visual tidbits from 80s and early 90s Australia, this is right up your alley.
When I was in Adelaide the other week, I got together with my good friend Nick Godfrey to make a new direct-to-YouTube video recorded on the futuristic medium of VHS…
And after tedious conversion through about 4 other formats. it’s now online for your enjoyment. Presenting “VHS Revue”. A nostalgic look back on the 4:3 gems taped and abandoned on video cassette decades ago. In this edition, I look at a tape of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics:
Highlights include commercials for National, Ansett, South Australian potatoes & Peter Russell-Clarke endorsing cheese, as well as some John Newcombe presenting clips and an Eyewitness News update with a young Tim Webster.
You may have noticed that’s actually episode 2. I did make a similar video back in 2008 where I dissected some ads on a tape of the 1985 Australian Grand Prix, originally titled “Witty 80s TV Commercial Nerd”. I’ve re-branded that Star Wars-style as “VHS Revue 1”. Here’s that one, if you’re interested:
These are really fun to make. And there’s something quite relaxing about putting a tape into the VCR and hearing those reels wind around, not knowing what you’re going to find. I find my eyes that are so used to crystal clear HD reception adjust to the warm, fuzzy image on the screen after a while. I brought a box of old tapes back with me to Melbourne, so if I find anything good, I’ll be back for another VHS Revue.
Kind regards,
David M. Green
How about that blue shirt? Still fits!
David M. Green here. I was recently looking through an old cupboard and I found an equally old VHS tape of the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. Upon viewing the tape for nostalgic purposes, I noticed the original TV commercials, which were also included on the tape, were repeatedly ridiculous, and therefore worthy of ridicule. Thus the above “straight-to-YouTube” sketch, made for your amusement. It’s kind of like YouTube’s “Angry Video Game Nerd” but wittier and less angry… and not about video games obviously… Equally as nerdy of course. Enjoy.
Kind regards,
David M. Green
(Insert classical music here)
