Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3.

And now the video, all the pics in the right bits, I present Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3.

Bonar Colleano

 
Bonar Colleano: The final of Ian Dury's Reasons To Be Cheerful is the American born actor who made a number of British films in the 40s and 50s. Mostly playing Americans and generally the brash and good-looking American soldier stationed in the UK during the war and making friends (often very good friends) with lonely British women. He died in a car accident in 1958, a subsequent fund raising football match saw friends such as Sid James, James Mason, Alma Cogan and Alfie Bass help raise funds to support his son, Mark. Mark Colleano is also an actor and has appeared in episodes of Only Fools and Horses and some other stuff (I have used extensive research!). So with Ian's Reasons complete, all that's left is the video and then I start on my own reasons to be cheerful.

Adi Celentano

Adi Celentano: In Ian Dury's penultimate Reason To Be Cheerful we have the Italian Adriano Celentano. An everyman of Italy, film star, singer, TV host, comedian, heart throb. Born in 1938 Celentano has made 40 albums and over 50 films. A favourite song released in 1972 is Prisencolinensinainciusol, this crazy tune is hopefully a parody of English pop/rock songs with Celentano singing English gibberish. 

John Coltrane's Soprano

John Coltrane's Soprano; John Coltrane first played soprano saxophone on his 1961 album My Favorite Things. He may be playing tenor saxophone in this picture, I just don't know. Davey Payne plays saxophone on Reasons To Be Cheerful, apparently Ian Dury asked Chas Jankel (who wrote the music) to include a break for Payne to  improvise the solo so he could get a music credit and earn royalties on the song.

Singalong a Smokey

Singalong a Smokey: "Singalong" was used before anyone had heard of 'karaoke'. Ian Dury probably refers to Smokey Robinson in this bit of Reasons To Be Cheerful. My picture is an album cover from a Bert & Ernie singalong album, but here's the best bit, one of the songs on the album is "On Top Of Old Smokey" (no it's not rude!). That song is an old folk song, more well known in the US. On this album the version is by Grover. So a double whammy of cheerfulness, singalong and Bert & Ernie, who were largely based on Laurel & Hardy you know? but that's probably for another day.

Saying Okey Dokey

Saying Okey Dokey: I've not heard anyone say 'okey dokey' for some time, so I may say it today. If you don't know it's just another way of saying OK, but in a little more of a cheerful manner. I couldn't find any kind of picture that would show anyone saying 'okey dokey', so I found a picture of the Cosgrove Hall, 1995 cartoon series of a similar name. Oakie Doke lived in an oak tree, he may still do, I haven't bothered checking.

Being In My Nuddy

Being in my nuddy: The use of the word 'nuddy' refers to the "naughty naked nude" as used by Ian Dury in the lyrics to another tune. Unfortunately I scoured the internet and couldn't find any pictures of anyone in the nude. The closest was this picture, I believe someone has a bare ankle behind the curtains.

Phoning Up A Buddy

Phoning up a Buddy: The 46th reason to be cheerful brought to mind an old British Telecom ad campaign, "Make someone happy with a phone call", the bird was called Busby and like The Wombles was voiced on TV by Bernard Cribbins.

Dmitri

Dmitri: Dmitri Shostakovich was a 20th century Russian composer. 15 symphonies, 6 concertos, 2 operas, film music and some other stuff (extensive research here!). Ian Dury perhaps considered his music a reason to be cheerful, that or his face.

Woody Allen

Woody Allen: Here pictured in a still from the film Sleeper. Reason to be cheerful number 39.

Cheddar Cheese & Pickle

Cheddar cheese & pickle: For Ian Dury's 36th Reason To Be Cheerful we bring out the Branston or maybe Ian had piccallilli

Bantu Stephen Biko

Bantu Stephen Biko: A South African anti-apartheid activist who dies in police custody in 1977. He used the term "black is beautiful" as a slogan describing it as meaning: "man, you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being".

Wee Willie Harris

Wee Willie Harris: Here's a bill from The Ritz, Wigan from 1958 or 1959 before Cliff Richard's then backing band The Drifters had become The Shadows. Apparently billed as 'Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll' in the 1950s. He had limited commercial success (none of his singles charted), but was popular through live performances and TV appearances. His mention in "Reasons To Be Cheerful" led to a comeback in the 70s and in 2000 he even released an album entitled 'Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful'. Right I'm off to Wigan, looks like a good bill and only 6 bob for a decent seat.

Lighting up a chalice

Lighting up a chalice: Well with 21 more reasons to be cheerful left, I'm sure there's one for you. Here's a smokie Keith Richards. Just say no Keith.

Round or Skinny Bottoms

Round or skinny bottoms: From the mind of Ian Dury comes another choice of a reason to be cheerful. Queen made their's in my Reason to Be Cheerful picture of the day.

Sitting on a Potty

Sitting On A Potty: Well I guess it's cheerful, but most of the pictures I could think of or indeed find tended not to be, but then Lego came to the rescue (again), hooray for Lego. Did you know James May and 1000 others made a full size house out of Lego? Well they did and then it got knocked down again.

The Working Folly

The Working Folly: not sure what Ian meant as 'the working folly' to be a reason to be cheerful, possibly just having a job and a wage or possibly he found the work of other people a reason to be cheerful.
Anyway this is LS Lowry's "The Factory Gates" and I'd give some of Lowry a good reason too.

Some of Buddy Holly

Some of Buddy Holly: The opening verse, first line of the Ian Dury song Reason's To Be Cheerful, Part 3, I'll be running through a pictorial representation of the whole song lyrics in the next 50 odd posts. 

So here indeed is a bit of Charles Hardin Holley, who went by the name Buddy. Music that inspired generations of followers is indeed something to be cheerful about.
Buddy Holly died at 22 years old, amazing given his legacy and lasting popularity. He styled himself and his band heavily on Bo Diddley and recorded a great version of Bo Diddley's self titled song.