Bliss
September 20, 1985
This was a British TV show. David sang "Someone" whilst being lowered and raised on a mobile crane. To hide the crane David and the crane were covered in a mass of a pink balloons.
David also sat with the host Muriel Gray and answered questions. He talked about being back in the UK for his first tour in 10 years. The first concert was the next day.
Below: David joins host Muriel.
Watch The Interview
Video - David sings "Someone"
By Ian Penman
http://ianravendale.blogspot.com.au/p/nostalgia.html
As Border (Television) didn't have much in the way of interior studio place, Harry (Director) had become pretty creative with the car park. As David Cassidy found out. Cassidy had a run of hits in the early to mid-1970's and for several years was the teen scream hearthrob supreme. He'd tired of it all and went off to do other things for ten years. But he was back and we'd booked him onto Bliss. Interview, guest presenting, mime his new single. We were going to get our money's worth. Musicians Union minimum rates for miming at the time, as I recall.
Harry had a plan. And I was delegated to let Cassidy in on it.
As we needed to start recording our programmes at 10 in the morning so that BTV's crew would be available by 4 pm for their day jobs on Lookaround, most major guests came up the night before. So, the evening prior to the recording, I go over to the Hilltop Hotel in Carlisle where David was staying to say hello and chat through what would be happening on the show. Harry had come up with the idea of having David, now trying to establish himself as a 'serious' singer-songwriter, playing his guitar and singing in a cherry picker that we'd raise over the studio audience on the souped-up barbecue set that we had erected in BTV's car park. We'd keep the supporting arm out of shot so it looked like David was floating over the crowd.
"OK Ian, I've got my guitar. Where's the stage?" "See that cherry picker, David? Well....."
There was one other detail I needed to keep till last.
I'm running through the set-up with David, and as I'm doing so I'm thinking,
"This sounds so bloody naff...."
As I'm nearing the end, Cassidy leans back, draws on a cigar that's almost as big as he is and says;
"Hey Ian, this isn't going to look........wanky, is it?"
"No, of course not David......."
It was probably the pink balloons that Mr Showbiz was having draped around the platform that Cassidy was going to be standing on that gave it away.
To his credit, come filming day, David gets on the cherry picker, pink balloons and all and carries it off like the true pro I'm sure he still is. And just to prove I'm not making it up and to eyeball the biggest bunch of pink balloons you'll ever see here's the YouTube link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo43C9BdRGQ
