There’s a sombre mood within the RocKwiz camp today. At the time of interview, the news has just broken concerning the death of Daddy Cool guitarist Ross “Hanna” Hannaford, succumbing to cancer at the age of 65. As a previous guest he was loved by the show’s entire extended family. And as one of the show’s figureheads testifies, he certainly made great use of his time on Earth, propeller hat and all.
“The man was iconic,” affirms Brian Nankervis, the show’s adjudicator, co-creator, producer and co-host. “He meant so much to everyone on the RocKwiz crew – especially our bass player, Mark Ferrie, who had to break the news to all of us. We were all involved in putting on the benefit shows for him last year, and I got to work with him plenty of times over the years. I can remember one of the first shows that I ever booked – some pals and I managed to get Daddy Cool to come and play a church dance in North Balwyn back in 1974. He was a real hero of mine and an incredible part of the Australian music scene right up to the end.”
Nankervis – along with host Julia Zemiro, roadie and score sign-holder Dugald McAndrew and the freshly-expanded RocKwiz Orchestra – have just performed at the Domain in Sydney as a part of the Spectrum Now festivities. They are also in the middle of filming the show’s 14th season, which will run to a theme of “saluting the legends” with individual tribute shows. Nankervis is here, however, to talk shop on the show’s next big live shindig, Really Really Good Friday.
“For the last few years, we’ve spent the Easter long weekend up at Bluesfest and doing live shows for them there,” explains Nankervis. “This is the first year in quite some time that we haven’t had it on the cards, so we all got to thinking about what we’d like to do instead. For awhile, we toyed with the idea of having a little more variety within a RocKwiz live show. Julia and I both have a background in comedy, which got us thinking about incorporating that a little more into the show.
“I grew up with a very conservative religious background,” he says. “For me, Good Friday was always a sad day. My parents insisted we go to church, and I wasn’t allowed to have friends over. We had this really weird dinner of cod and white sauce. We got to talking to the others in the crew, and one recalled the day simply being a great day to get off school – except nothing was open. We hatched the idea of exploring the idea of Good Friday, and detailing the oddness that comes with a day like it.”
Nankervis is particularly excited about the ensemble of entertainers that will be joining the RocKwiz family on stage at the Arts Centre. Not only will it feature long-time friends of the show – including Deborah Conway, Ashley Naylor and Vika and Linda Bull – it will also feature some first-time guests. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Rich Hall – he’s incredible,” says Nankervis, referring to the gravel-voiced American comic believed to be the inspiration behind The Simpsons‘ Moe Syzlak. “It’s very important to all of us to keep the show fresh, especially after it’s been going for so long,” he says. “Every time we do one of these big live shows, it encourages us to look at the show in different ways. It inspires different ideas in us. This is something else again – it’s something new entirely for us. We just wanted to have a big party on Good Friday. Everything else is gonna be shut on Friday – not us. We’re opening right up for everyone.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
