h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Where did the doing-nothing bloke come from?

Madness had the bloke with the hat who seemed to just shout Oi! And hop about from leg to leg.

The blockheads had the bloke with the bag (who admittedly had a job hanging around and looking wierd and occasionally banging a triangle or whatever.

Where did this start?

PP

I think it started with Madness. That guy was just a member of the public who came to all their gigs and used to dance around at the front. After a while they asked him to join the band and continue doing what he was doing.

Don't they call that bloke 'funky dancer' or something - see Bez from the Happy Mondays as a prime example.

I assumed, reading the title, that you were referring to surely the most famous do-nothing bloke, Bez of the Happy Mondays, whose main job seemed to be taking drugs.

Or possibly Paul Rutherford of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, who was, I seem to recall, credited on the album covers for "rhythm and movement" or something, to explain his presence on the cover despite not being able to sing or play any instrument.

But you weren't...

Do bands today have do-nothing blokes? I'm so old I don't know. There do seem to be rather more members of Linkin Park than are accounted for by the actual noise they make.

H.

Simulpost!

H.

I believe Boyzone had five singers and only two of them were able to sing.

Interesting though that since Bez's triumph on Celebrity Big Brother, there are posters springing up advertising the yet-again-reformed Happy Mondays gigs as "FEATURING BEZ!!!!" and then in much smaller letters, almost as an afterthought, "and Shaun Ryder."

I believe Milli Vanilli had two members, neither of them sung.

"I believe Boyzone had five singers and only two of them were able to sing."

As many as that?

But the ones in Boyzone and Milli Vanilli pretended to sing, rather than just looning about pulling faces and/or shouting, which I think is the main point of the discussion.

And just out of interest, Madness' resident shouter Chas Smash did graduate to singing and even playing a few instruments after a year or so, whereas Bez has remained Bez throughout his "career".

And there's Andrew Ridgeley - from Wham.

Does he really deserve the panning he gets?

How about the Spice Girls? Several of them could hold a tune, but only one could actually sing.


Geggs

"And there's Andrew Ridgeley - from Wham"

Ridgely co-wrote Careless Whisper, probably one of the defining songs of the 80s. Even though it was released as a George Michael solo single, his royalties from that one release alone allowed him to retire to a comfortable life crashing Touring Cars.

H.

East 17 had two of them!

Or, in actual fact, about 5 as there was around 10 of them when they had their first hit (House Of Love)

And you can't tell me that every member of the So Solid Crew actually served a purpose. Wasn't there about 30 of them?


Geggs

"There do seem to be rather more members of Linkin Park than are accounted for by the actual noise they make."

Only one superfluous one - the DJ bloke who's only live job is to press the "go" button.

I believe Slipknot also have a "do nothing" bloke.

>>>How about the Spice Girls? Several of them could hold a tune, but only one could sing.<<<

Really, which one?

Sporty. She was the only one that could hit the high notes.


Geggs

I've always been under the impression that Madness was Chas' s band. I.e. it was him that formed it in the first place. Did he also not play the trumpet?

>>>Sporty<<<

Seriously?? Her voice goes straight through me!