We Are The Champions My Friends!

Vancouver may have the excitement of filming the Stargate series and The X-Files and all kinds of great science fiction television. We'll keep the championships coming here in New England! We'll keep our fingers intact on our hands and we'll throw them up in the air! What a series! What a team! What grit, guts and fight! What hard-working mashers with real fire!

Goalie Tim Thomas was out of his frakkin' mind! 4-0! The Boston Bruins take the Stanley Cup home! Elsewhere, Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett throws a one-hitter against the Rays. And who cares? Go figure. Sorry, it's been a distracting time here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic. Truly, to be a New England sports fan is some kind of wonderful, but as fans go we rarely get overconfident in victory. We always believe, in a weird way, that our teams will somehow find a way to lose. We are a skeptical lot. But there's been no better time to believe than now in New England sports history. This is real right?

Meanwhile, Vancouver is in full-on rioting mode. I never knew Vancouver to be the rioting type. Please, easy on those science fiction sets.

Stargate vs Farscape vs The Wizard Of Oz

The Six Million Dollar Man: Pilot

The Six Million Dollar Man remains an iconic fixture in our science fiction history.

Fans of classic science fiction are often looking for something more than what much of today's special effects-heavy fare offers- something special.

Complaints are sometimes registered today that science fiction productions are lacking of genuine science fiction writers. Series can sometimes fail to temper the human drama and struggles with true science fiction ideas and concepts. The good ones sometimes succeed like The X-Files. Star Trek: The Original Series was certainly a recipient of those strong science fiction scriptwriters, a beneficiary of a sound science fiction foundation. All of this, of course, before the creators were manipulated by outside forces in the third season of its run through the mis-guided leadership of producer Fred Freiberger. Additionally, Space:1999 also floundered under Freiberger's direction in Year Two following the much darker, search into the unknown that truly captured the imagination of viewers during Space:1999 Year One. Yes, striking just the right balance in science fiction between concept and action is an often tenuous ideal.

Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic is here to present one of those rare, retro classics that seemingly managed a perfect fusion of comparably lo-tech effects, by today's standards, with that all important component of genuinely compelling human drama. My initial reaction to the arrival of this DVD box set was one of astonishment in its glorious packaging. Apart from a wealth of goodies the transfer is quite remarkable for a series of this vintage.

In the 1970s amidst a tide of classics, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk and Space:1999, another show arrived walking the tightrope of ideas and entertainment immersed in human truths. The Six Million Dollar Man [1974-1978] was born of the mind of writer Martin Caidin and based upon his source book Cyborg [the planned title of series originally].

While producers and creators behind The Six Million Dollar Man were relatively pleased with the results of The Six Million Dollar Man Pilot [also referred to as The Moon And The Desert], many were uncertain of its direction.

Producer Glen A. Larson, who would later work magic on Battlestar Galactica [1978-1979] and Buck Rogers In The 25th Century [1979-1981], came on board for two additional pre-series movies taking Lee Majors, as Steve Austin, into 007, James Bond territory.

The move rankled author Martin Caidin as it generally splintered away from the original human cyborg concept as developed in Cyborg.

The opening of the Pilot reads, "Cy'Borg. A human being whose original human parts have had to be replaced to one extent or another by machines that perform the same functions." Taking the character of Steve Austin into superhero territory was not going to work. The Six Million Dollar Man was clearly a hero reluctantly given superhuman abilities through cybernetics. The Bionic Man character was brought crashing down to Earth and back to its origins when Season One commenced.

The irony of the Pilot episode was its positively appropriate and fitting title for The Six Million Dollar Man opener given the occupation of our beloved Steve Austin. It definitely set the table by introducing the charismatic Lee Majors and establishing his role as a regular everyman. He was the kind of classic American hero a nation was ready to stand behind given the tumultuous political times and the scandal of Watergate. Lee Majors firmly established himself and his bionic strength within an American consciousness ready and hungry for something good.

These few moments of Austin speak volumes about his personality, pre-accident, about to be forever transformed.



A juxtaposition occurs as Austin's test flight of an experimental craft takes place while members of the OSO discuss the future of their experimental program. The OSO [Office of Special Operations], eventually OSI [Office of Scientific Intelligence], convenes to discuss the details of a top secret project one that will result in minimal cost and employ funding using "scrap." Steve Austin, sadly, will become OSO's scrap, but more positively reflected "one single force," speaking to the underlying distrust of government treating their employees as mere puppets. There are elements in play that underscores a governmental approach of human expandability.

Austin's test flight results in a disaster. His crash nearly takes his life and the visceral power of stock footage of the actual crash feels painfully real for a reason.

"On May 10, 1967, NASA... pilot Bruce Peterson, 33, crashed his M2-F2 while attempting to land at Edwards Air Force Base.... Distracted by a rescue helicopter, and blown off course by crosswinds, his flying machine hit the ground at 250 MPH and rolled over six times, bouncing along from wing tip to wing tip, before coming to rest on its flat back.... The crash wreaked terrible facial injuries on the pilot, whose skull was fractured and whose torso was battered by fragmenting sections of the aircraft's nose. Each time the vehicle rolled, a stream of high-velocity lakebed clay assaulted Peterson's face. Apparently, if he had just had a second more, he would have landed the aircraft safely." Author Martin Caidin recalls Peterson "was absolutely shredded in that cockpit."

Peterson himself recalls, "what is seen on the TV screens every week is what I remember." The survivor blacked out and the rest is history and well documented in the assembly of The Six Million Dollar Man's powerful opening credits each week. The series opening credits remains one of the most potent ever edited in television history. In the end, miraculously, Peterson somehow survived.

Author Herbie Pilato wrote succinctly of the historical incident in his own classic The Bionic Book: The Six Million Dollar Man & The Bionic Woman Reconstructed [2007]. It's really the must read book on the subject of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. It is a detailed, thorough analysis of the two aforementioned series right down to the minutia.

Following the crash of Steve Austin he is barely kept alive. He has lost his left eye, right arm and both legs. Oliver Spencer, played by Darren McGavin [Kolchak: The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story], director of the OSO, finances the top secret project that will enable Austin to live. Doctor Rudy Wells, a recurring character throughout this series and The Bionic Woman, played one time here by Martin Balsam, is clearly a friend of Austin, and inquires what will become of the major's character once equipped with bionics. Austin would become a colonel in the series. Spencer indicates Austin will become an agent with certain covert responsibilties. Sitting at a table, surrounded by ashtrays, an obvious sign of the times, the doctor cares for Austin so deeply he would almost rather see him die than become some kind of freak pawn of higher corporate powers. The icy, clandestine McGavin informs the doctor that he and his staff will accompany Austin on a flight to their research facility in Colorado and repair him at any cost. I'm guessing roughly six million dollars.

What's most sobering and appreciated by this fan of the series for which I have little recall, is that it is played for deadly serious. Austin, with face bandaged and essentially unconscious through the first 25 minutes is clinging on to life. There isn't the slightest wink or nudge to be found. This is science fiction, based on Cyborg, played as fact with genuine stakes involved. The Six Million Dollar Man is coming, but like the Pilot for The Incredible Hulk, another classic Kenneth Johnson production, emphasis is placed on character and situational reality. Austin's status is grave and sincerely conveyed to the audience as such. We care about what happens. Of course, there's no such thing as a Bionic Man or a green Hulk, but for five seasons each we believed in the plight of Steve Austin and David Banner affected by circumstances beyond their complete control. This is the beauty of the writing for these two classics. The writing for these fantastic ideas was tantamount to the survival of these series and their believability, their credibility. It was one of the hallmarks of their success.

The pace of the opener is slow, methodical and meticulous in execution. There's nothing rushed about it and this is certainly a credit to the show's authenticity and ultimate survival.

Austin gains consciousness briefly and the doctor is given the chance to be upfront explaining to Austin everything that will happen to him.



It's off camera so we can only assume he has been given everything.

Later, in the dark, Austin regains consciousness again, but is clearly trembling, depressed, understandably emotional and unstable concerning his situation. With his left arm he begins knocking medical equipment about until a nurse arrives to restrain him. A depressed Austin cries "Please" to the nurse and suggests in fact he may have removed equipment to take his own life to end the physical pain he's enduring. The creators genuinely take their time in building sympathy for the Austin character by working off Caidin's script. Austin passes out.

Four months later, Austin indicates to the visiting nurse he has not spoken with her almost as a means of self-preservation. It is here Austin begins to realize he must deal with his reality, the fact he is still alive if not completely whole. A restrained nurse smiles at this turn in his attitude.

The doctor visits and presents Austin with what will become his new arm and a new eye. The doctor explains how the arm is "nuclear-powered." Now that sounds rediculous on its face, but it's all in the delivery, and the writers sell it.



Majors really nails the part of Austin with a reaction that is completely natural. Who wouldn't be alarmed and frightened in this way? The doctor narrates that he has omitted certain information regarding what precisely Austin would become- a man of superhuman ability. His freakish physical strength and vision would make him different and it's interesting to hear them qualify how these traits would make him "abnormal." This is not the feel good superhero of our comic book dreams. This isn't a Superman where heroes are immediately embraced and welcomed. Austin's humanity is at stake and how he contends with his transformation, like Banner's own changes, is at the heart of this journey. Caidin's concepts compelled that Steve Austin be a regular man, changed and left to deal with the aftermath of those changes. Austin wouldn't necessarily embrace those changes with the zeal and vigor traditionally associated with some superheroes of the period, but of an extraordinary man seeking normality. This simple and realistic approach worked as viewers connected to the character for years. Like David Banner, there is an aspect of change at work that forces the hero underground emotionally.



The One To Be Pitied scoffed at the notion of a nuclear-powered arm, but this was the 1970s. The issue of nuclear power and concerns with its applications were always at the fore. The ramifications of its raw power and use were a seemingly constant concern. Take, for example, Space:1999 [1975-1978] and its pilot episode, Breakaway, where nuclear waste disposal was transported to the moon and was now an issue for Moonbase Alpha and the Alphans. It was indeed a hot button issue of the day. The Incredible Hulk [1977-1982] and David Banner's experiments with radiation offered yet another avenue resulting from exposure to the issue.

With the operation successful, the doctor is concerned with Austin's reaction to the changes and how he will respond. The cool Spencer, offers not a shred of emotion, urges the doctor to do his job and exits. Dr. Wells pleads "I know this boy," implying a long term relationship of years with Austin. Wells is a counterpoint to the cool, detached nature of the corporate and the governing.

When Austin regains consciousness his first words to Wells are "Dr. Frankenstein I presume," certainly suggesting a man not without humor. It goes a long way to break the melodrama of this first pilot. The slow pacing of this pilot is intended to convince us Austin has undergone a critical operation. The pacing is unfortunately a little too labored, a little too heavy complete with emotionally swelling music by Gil Melle, but it's the first time out and these kinds of issues are typically ironed out over a first season.

As Austin slowly [and I do mean slowly] raises his arm to the swell of musical success a smile overcomes all. There is something to be said about seeing Austin manipulate his fingers like a child for the first time. It does give the situation genuine weight. The movements end with a clenched, mighty fist. There is a real sense of rebirth in the character. This was clearly a man on the brink of death. Austin is whole again and hope inches into a fairly somber, downbeat affair. The powerful Six Million Dollar Man is born.

Later, Austin is visited by a nurse and Austin requests her touch. She concedes and he tests his "touch circuits." Austin is clearly coping with his new, synthetically-engineered components and a degree of frustration persists. The nurse tells him "They're not God you know." Austin quips, "Tell it to them," implying they are indeed playing the part as they utilize his life for their manipulations. She feels pity and reaches for Austin to touch him, but angry he grabs her and tell her "I didn't say you could touch me!" Austin is frustrated in his inability to exact self-contriol. It's like a modern day frankenstein's monster. The trials of Steve Austin are just beginning.

During physical therapy Austin's frustration boils over. It's the best moment by Lee Majors in the pilot.



Slowly, steadily, Austin grows faster, better and stronger packaged in some vintage 1970s fashion jumpers and sweat suits. It's a highlight of the pilot. The use of film sped up for dramatic effect was not nearly as successful as the slow motion footage. The show ultimately optioned for the latter. We so identify with The Six Million Dollar Man and the show's slow motion sequences. The slowed footage heightened the dramatic effect and was visually more effective. But, the sped up film stock served its purprose to create its own set of dramatic visuals. Here is Austin, with his heart now powering just one arm, while the rest of his body is fully generated by nuclear energy.



Austin enjoys a picnic lunch with the woman who has nursed him back to health. My first reaction to Austin in his denim jacket and 70s attire was that of the memory of a handsome male throwback. Majors was a man's man, sideburns and all. He was truly one of the last great Marlboro men types- cigarettes were even consumed filter-less. This was a guy, a fall guy maybe, but a real honest to God dude at a time when men were men and sheep were afraid. As Austin and the nurse lunch he helps her to her feet and nearly hurts her hand with the strength of his grip. It's a simple, nice touch illustrating the lack of control over his newly acquired parts. He simply doesn't fully comprehend his own strength.

Driving along a sunny, rural artery a woman runs into the road for help. It's time. It's time for Austin to show us what he's got and there is definitely a sense of serialized 70s television about the moment a la The Six Million Dollar Man series that would be. It's the Bionic Man to the rescue. As gasoline sparks and the tension builds, Austin saves a child just moments before the woman's van explodes. But apart from this particular moment, largely the Pilot works more like a lengthy installment of The Twilight Zone in mood. In a very unchacteristic serial-type moment, the woman thanks him for rescuing her boy and their is pride in Austin's eyes. Unfortunately she glances down to his right arm to find it damaged with wires hanging from it. There's nothing picture perfect about the moment. Gratitude turns to fear. The woman asks "what are you?" as Austin covers his arm. It is that question, "What are you?" this is central to the Austin character. It is this question that reverberates throughout the television series. Who is Steve Austin and what of his new life? Human. Hero. Freak. What has he become and how does he cope with it all? Austin becomes stoic following the incident.

Austin receives his first official assignment. This is a terrific dramatic moment and speaks to the mission of the OSO and why Austin is still very much alive.






The Pilot truly underlines Austin as a flawed, feeling human being and Austin tells Spencer "You're more of a robot than I am. You should have been me." Spencer admits, "Yes, It would have been simpler." But Austin's humanity is constantly at odds with the strings attached to his would be saviors. "All I want is to be left alone." This speaks to Austin's character. He is not the James Bond of secret agents. In the beginning we are introduced to a man who moves free of time. He is a man acting as the antithesis of scientific coordination. Spencer he is much more now. Austin is a simple man requested to do extraordinary things.

His first mission is to save one of the most powerful men in Israel held hostage by terrorists. Austin is disinterested in the assignment, but is the good soldier, a grateful, but reluctant hero in demeanor. The scene establishes what Austin must face going forward. He is no longer just Steve Austin and his circumstances are no longer just normal as much as he might wish them to be. He is given a new life and an entirely new set of circumstances, and it is these accoutrements that power his story, a story about one man, The Six Million Dollar Man.

Austin agrees to the assignment. He also requests to have Nurse Manners replaced because a permanant nurse "gets to personal." Austin clearly begins to define his new boundaries.

One of the beautiful elements of this science fiction drama was its fearlessness in coping with emotional issues. Take this scene, for example, as Nurse Manners [played by Barbara Anderson of Star Trek: The Original Series acclaim], confronts Austin about their relationship that grew out of months of constant, intimate contact.



Austin has an extensive process ahead reconciling his old and new life. Despite its deceptively simplistic title, The Six Million Dollar Man promises to cultivate a fairly complex super serial. The material on a psychological level has aged well in this respect.

Austin is briefed on his mission. He must rescue an Arab man who remained in Israel committed to detente between Israel and the Arab world.

Austin is dropped via parachute in the desert so that he may infiltrate the terrorist hive. Austin must get in close to the terrorist camp and much trademark running ensues to get him there. Who didn't love seeing The Six Million Dollar Man do some running. There are no slow motion effects shots utilized either. This is a straight pilot to sell the show.

It was clear to me as Austin invaded the terror base why I loved The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid. Majors was the epitome of heroic super cool and he delivers immediately. Surrounded, Austin is captured.

Back at OSO, Spencer and Wells argue over potentially sending Austin to his death. "I'm not concerned about feelings, his, yours or mine." My only trouble with the Pilot story is that it seems awfully risky, even downright presumptuous, to assume Steve Austin would be ready for a mission of this magnitude. Why not test him on a series of smaller, less significant missions first? You talk about being thrown into the fire. Austin's first mission is to be dropped into a desert to fight terrorists. Wow! That's confidence, poor strategic planning or outright expendability for a six million dollar project if ever there was one. Still, The One To Be Pitied believes this is an all or nothing scenario. It's balls-to-the-wall for Spencer and the OSO in order to make this project a success. Her argument runs contrary to my own, but she believes the initial testing was sufficient. But are we to assume pilot Steve Austin has had training in machine gun and grenade use? Sure, pull the pin and run I suppose. These small quibbles aside, the Pilot excites me for the series to come.

Unfortunately for the terrorists they have chained his right Bionic arm. In other words, they can kiss their asses goodbye. Once he breaks the chain, his fellow captor asks how exactly he could pull that off. "Vitamins." How about that for a response? Oh, and the use of classic sound effects is not included in the Pilot. All of that is still to come. It's also interesting to note the gunfire and explosions are muted in favor of the odd, musical score for those delicate, child sensibilities.

Following much mayhem and Austin being shot the two men make their getaway in a plane. The stunt work is relatively impressive as the man doubling for Austin needs to get on the plane as it is literally taking off.

The Pilot does an amazing job of portraying Austin as a troubled man following his accident. When he returns he shares these words with Nurse Manners and his expression of those words feels genuine to us.



"I didn't wanna die. I wanted to make it back." But clearly Austin had considered the alternative in what is an emotionally wrenching and sometimes labored pilot. The story ends nearly where it began with Austin in a hospital bed resting in "electro sleep." This is indeed a new world for a man who previously, freely walked about and made his own schedule and determined the time of day by where the sun rested in the sky. Austin clearly beat to his own drum before the accident. It's all changed now. Austin must come to terms with who he is outside of lab animal status. We, too, are eager to learn more. Facts be damned, the creators sold it. Production values for this show were incredibly strong for the period. There is a remarkable quality to the visuals. The Six Million Dollar Man was a ratings hit. It's easy to see from this Pilot why there was so much potential at hand for the series. Bionic sound effects, use of the bionic eye, the classic slo-mo work, Oscar Goldman and other trademark elements are still to come. This, without a doubt, feels like a TV pilot, a solid one mind you, but a bit like a diamond rough around those edges. The Six Million Dollar Man had yet to determine its identity when the Bionic Man would be clicking on all cylinders. Those elements and components of the series that would be burned in our collective memories and subconscious can't be found here, but Pilot teases us with anticipation.

Pilot a.k.a. The Moon And The Desert: C+
Writer: Martin Caidin/ Henri Simoun [Howard Rodman]/ Steven Bochco. Director: Richard Irving.

Actress Footnote: Barbara Anderson [1945-present]. American born. Anderson is best known for her work on Ironside. She also guest starred on Star Trek: The Original Series for Season One, Episode 13, The Conscience Of The King. She would easily achieve Smoking Red Hot Babe Alert material.

Writer Footnote: Martin Caidin [1927-1997]. American born. The Six Million Dollar Man was based on Caidin's book Cyborg [1972], "a tale of one man's triumph over spiritual ruin" according to Author Herbie Pilato's The Bionic Book: The Six Million Dollar Man & The Bionic Woman Reconstructed. This theme would be at the core of The Six Million Dollar Man and the heart of why the series was so successful. His education included US Air Force pilot, teacher, lecturer, student of modern warfare [atomic, radiological, biological and chemical], stunt pilot, actor, war correspondent, talk show host and much more. Caidin was as well rounded as writers come. Caidin was well-versed on national affairs and aware of the US Air Force's interest in bionics and cybernetics.

The Human League: Dare with Martin Rushent [1948-2011]

The immense power of Dare.
There are few recordings in the history of music that have influenced my own personal taste in more profound ways than Dare [1981] by The Human League. Dare is easily one of the defining electronic pop productions to affect a generation and perhaps generations to come. Today, Dare still receives regular play in my car, maybe not every song, but selections from the classic end up on innumerable mix discs. There's no denying the power of that effort.

Sure, The Human League arrived as a different ensemble with serious, tonally dark works like Reproduction [1979] and Travelogue [1980], but it was Dare that changed the landscape of the 80s music scene with its shimmering electrical homage to the likes of Abba. Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh departed and went on to form Heaven 17 and British Electric Foundation, while Susan Sulley and Joanne Catherall slipped in to work with overall mastermind/ vocalist/ genius Phil Oakey. It was that Oakey, Sulley and Catherall combination that ruled and still rules my music collection to this very day.

With producer Martin Rushent on board, the newly constituted Human League ruled the world for a period. Dare shed the dark style of the Ware and Marsh years to unabashedly embrace pop in a big way. Dare gave us some unforgettable magic with Open Your Heart, The Sound Of The Crowd, the wonderful Love Action (I Believe In Love) and the automatically memorable Don't You Want Me? with that instantly identifiable music video that remains part of the iconic pop culture. Eye make-up never looked so good on men or women. The song was one of the most successful in UK singles chart history.

In keeping with the theme, spaceman Phil Oakey provided lead vocals on the All Seeing I's First Man In Space.

Rushent would also produce the follow-up remix effort Love And Dancing [1982] revolutionizing the 12" and remix concept. Hard Times, a brilliant instrumental, would set a standard for The Human League that would inspire numbers for years like The Bus To Crookes from the Octopus [1995] recordings.

While cerainly not a prolific band, enough can't be said about their remaining output. There are imperfections, but each outing has resulted in some masterful moments of programming perfection. Octopus and Secrets [2001] remain two of my [relatively] recent favorites. The recent Credo [2011; unavailable in the US] has its moments too particularly Never Let Me Go and Into The Night.

I couldn't let the opportunity pass without paying a short tribute to Martin Rushent who passed away on June 4, 2011. He once received the Best Producer Award in 1981 for his work on Dare. He was part of The Human League magic that set the pop world a flutter for years aiding the genius of Phil Oakey and company with a definitive moment in time.

Click on photo for a closer look at Musings Of A Pop Music Fanatic's Phil Oakey and The Human League collection.

Dare has been called "epochal" and "synapse-sparkling" by Mojo. Paul Morley, of NME [New Music Express], said in 1981, Dare "challenges the very conventions of pop music and the essence of innovation." NME listed the recording as one of the best recordings ever out of a list of 100 recordings. Q Magazine listed Dare in the top twenty of the best recordings of the 1980s and called it "Zeitgeist on a stick." Sounds said Dare helped create or re-create "a whole new genre." David Fricke of Rolling Stone said, "Producer Martin Rushent’s warm wide-screen production also takes the edge off the severe chill." Yes, Rushent and The Human League landed a major pop moment. As always, there were detractors like this from The New York Times calling Dare "a terribly bland record, with candy-cane synthesizer textures, elementary melodic counterpoint, and lyrics little better than greeting card doggere." I never did like The New York Times, a publication that certainly knows a thing or two about doggere. If anything, Dare, with its use of technology and synthesizers often employed by today's artists, still sounds as refreshing and original as it did in 1981. With Rushent's guiding hand, a timeless gem was born along with a monster pop act.

The Human League Discography: Reproduction [1979]/ Travelogue [1980]/ Dare [1981] */ Love And Dancing [1982]/ Fascination! [1983]/ Hysteria [1984]/ Crash [1986]/ Romantic? [1990]/ Octopus [1995] */ Greatest Hits [1995] */ Secrets [2001] */ The Very Best Of [2003] */ Credo [2011]. *essential

Yello [3rd Of June]

Yello. Oh Yeah!

Once upon a time in a life filled with John Hughes' films, The Sci-Fi Fanatic was living pretty large and amassing a CD collection so BIG some say, like the Great Wall Of China, it was physically visible from outer space.

One of those films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off [1986], opened my eyes to a band called Yello thanks to a popular track, Oh Yeah, so insanely delicious it was played to death and straight to its grave.

I don't know. Was I channeling my yellow shirt today? Mine eyes were not only opened to the genius of the Switzerland-based electronic band comprised of one Dieter Meier and Boris Blank, but also the potential and possibilities available in popular music to the art form called the instrumental.

I was more open to a vocal-less track. I was more open to film soundtracks and scores as music built to stand on its own and simply enjoy apart from the film.

I always recognized the power of a film score and the iconic nature of certain themes that would resonate through our lives, but Yello made me dig a little deeper beyond the American Top 40 in some ways.

Yello, like the Pet Shop Boys, were a little too sharp for their own good to a degree. These were smart tunesmiths whose crafted songs were at the hands of men who looked incredibly unhip and old by teen standards, but music aficionados seemed to get them for a time. The weird, bug-eyed Meier looked old to me even back when I discovered Yello in the popular Matthew Broderick film. Oddly enough, the Swiss Meier is a bit of a Renaissance man of sorts: a millionaire industrialist, professional poker player, gambler, one time member of the Swiss National Golf Team, performance artist, video director, restaurant/ store owner and musician. Go figure. His partner Boris Blank is merely an artist and musician. Ho-hum [sounds like a Yello song].

Together Yello have crafted some of the most innovative and brilliant electronic tracks I've ever heard. Some songs manipulate their own vocals like Oh Yeah. Meier applies a terrifically seductive vocal track to Of Course I'm Lying. Some of their other selections feature stunning vocal turns by a selection of little known guests including Vicious Games and even Shirley Bassey [007 acclaim] on The Rhythm Divine.

There are too many terrific little nuggets of audio experimentation to count and to point to any one album is equally difficult. If I had to choose a disc worth investigation I would choose Essential because every single track is an exercise in studio genius. Essential gives you some of the act's finest moments from the span of their efforts. Each track is so unique from the next, but the radical turns are a solid pleasure indeed. Drive/ Driven meanders beautifully while Pinball Cha Cha infuses a Latin flavor into an eclectic mix. It's all over the map, but the songs are undeniably addictive. Other personal favorites include Rubberbandman, Goldrush and Call t Love.

But I would be remiss not to mention one song that really prompted me to take a few minutes to revisit the group via this post, 3rd Of June. The dark 3rd Of June is like an apocalyptic, epic slice of sinister madness exclusive to the Flag [1988] recording. You won't find it on a best of and that's unfortunate. I've noted some of the best of Yello in bold yellow below. Ultimately, I do think Yello is an acquired taste [imagine The Art Of Noise meets Sergio Leone] and you would do well to select tracks from their immense, intense oeuvre in an almost a la cart fashion, but do check them out. Perhaps iTunes is in order. Enjoy your 3rd Of June.

"Who's that? What's that? What do you mean? I'll never know when I lost my dream. Who's that? What's that? Gimme your name. 3rd Of June, end of the game." Bizarre stuff, but, oh yes, classic, or should I say, Oh Yeah... chick, chicka, chicka! ;D

Yello discography: Solid Pleasure [1980]/ Claro Que Si [1981]/ You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess [1983]/ Stella [1985]*/ 1980-1985 The New Mix In One Go [1986]/ One Second [1987] */ Flag [1988] */ Baby [1991]/ Essential [1992] */ Zebra [1994]/ Hands On Yello [1995]/ Pocket Universe [1997]/ Eccentric Remixes [1999]/ Motion Picture [1999]/ The Eye [2003]/ Progress And Perfection [2007]/ Touch Yello [2009]/ Yello By Yello [2010]. * essential [many of the recordings have been remastered with bonus tracks]

Ed Bishop, Michael Billington & David Tomblin [2005]

FAB FRIDAY is written in honor of three of Anderson's finest collaborators.

I write this tribute to late UFO stars Ed Bishop [1932-2005], Michael Billington [1941-2005] and UFO and Space:1999 director David Tomblin [1931-2005]. As a fan of all things Gerry Anderson these are three of the finest that contributed to his visionary world. Strangely, all three men passed in the summer of 2005 beginning six years ago today.

Space:1999 remains forever imprinted on my earliest memories. Space:1999 essentially enhanced and fortified the development of my love for science fiction. Truth of the matter, UFO arrived a few years prior to my true science fiction awareness. As a result, UFO was completely off my radar until many years later and as my investigation of Thunderbirds morphed into FAB FRIDAY and a re-evaluation of Space:1999 took place, UFO became a natural, necessary part of the Gerry Anderson equation. UFO, of course, bridged the years between Thunderbirds and Space:1999 becoming Anderson's first exploration into televised live action science fiction. More importantly, UFO, as we know, became a proto-type for Space:1999's creation. A greenlit UFO Season Two gradually morphed into what would become Space:1999. UFO certainly stands on its own as a fully imagined science fiction universe. UFO was an original. Today, we can only imagine what a second season of UFO might have brought us, as much as we can imagine what might have been for Space:1999 following Year Two.

Looking back, in a wholly bizarre coincidence the talented Ed Bishop and the equally charismatic Michael Billington passed away just days apart. The two strong, handsome leading men were the face of UFO. The commanding Ed Bishop was a charmer with those electric blue eyes. Billington was a science fiction hunk to some.

There were other interesting parallels along the way. Both Bishop and Billington enjoyed bit parts in James Bond. Both landed small parts to become part of 007 lore. Gerry Anderson offered some of his own thoughts on Ed Bishop in the Fanderson-generated UFO Documentary.



This is Ed Bishop's everso brief appearance in You Only Live Twice [1967]. Call it UFO meets Thunderbirds. Funnily enough, Bishop [UFO] and actor Shane Rimmer [Thunderbirds], both classics heralding from the Gerry Anderson universe, share the screen for a brief time.



This is a far more entertaining sequence between Ed Bishop and Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever [1971]. Meet Klaus Hergersheimer, G Section, checking radiation shields.



Perhaps it was a natural partnership born of an international chemistry in UFO. The Brit [Billington] and the Yank [Bishop], Britain and America, working together to fight a common enemy. It spoke to us as fans. It spoke to our comfort zone politically and globally during a fairly intense political climate with the rise of the Soviet Union following World War II. It was the natural order of things to witness two strong allies represented and embodied by these two fine men. It wasn't until UFO, Episode 4, Exposed, that the face of UFO was essentially established. Actor George Sewell was a pleasure to watch as actors go, but it's safe to say Bishop and Billington were essentially the historical face of UFO. Michael Billington joined the series and remained on board until the show concluded twenty-two entries later. For further details on Bishop and Billington, see the end of an anlaysis on UFO, Episode 2, Computer Affair. Bishop and Billington were the two major players that established the right tone and chemistry for the series as it progressed. The fact these were good-looking men never hurt.

Michael Billington died on June 3rd, 2005 at age 63. Billington preceded Ed Bishop's passing which took place five days later on June 8th, 2005 at age 72. Here is a brief commentary on Billington by Gerry Anderson himself extracted from the UFO Documentary.



This is Michael Billington's infamous Russian agent role in the James Bond classic The Spy Who Loved Me [1977]. Shane Rimmer of Thunderbirds acclaim appeared later in the same film. It is also a well-known fact that Billington was one of the most oft screen-tested men for the role of James Bond in the history of the 007 franchise.



Not only is Billington in Bond, but he beds my all-time favorite Bond girl, Barbara Bach, a.k.a. Agent Triple X. She's not Triple R or Triple PG for sure. She's damn Triple X and well-deserving of the title. How hot is that?!

On a related note, later that summer, another untimely passing ocurred with the loss of director David Tomblin. He was first a producer of The Prisoner [1967-1968]. Tomblin was notable for some of the strongest entries in the UFO [1970-1971] series as writer and director of Episode 19, The Cat With Ten Lives and Episode 23, Reflections In The Water. He would script the final installment, Episode 26, The Long Sleep. He was critical to injecting a sophistication into the maturing UFO storylines. He followed UFO with The Protectors [1972-1974] directing Series Two, Episode 22, Wheels. He was also the man behind some of the strongest installments in the Space:1999 [1975-1978] cannon including Another Time, Another Place, Force Of Life, The Infernal Machine and The Testament Of Arkadia. He eventually became one of the world's most sought after second unit directors for filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Richard Attenborough. He worked on a massive list of films noted at the end of my analysis of Space:1999, Episode 9, Force Of Life.

These three men all passed on in 2005 and with their departure left behind an abundance of wonderful science fiction memories.

I didn't fully comprehend their input within the world of Gerry Anderson until much later. I suppose this is the beauty of television and film and the advent of home media. The opportunity for discovery or rediscovery is at our fingertips. The legacy of Bishop, Billington and Tomblin, like so many others, remains ripe for unearthing. For me, these men brought to life new worlds and new ideas in science fiction. Their genuine talents are conveyed with sincerity and credibility. Bishop, Billington and Tomblin may have passed away six years ago, but their spirit lives on through these wonderful productions. The way I see it, it's never too late to remember.