Rolf Harris Life Stories - BBC Interview - Singing _ Animal Hospital _ Operation Yewtree Re-Arrested
Transcript
00:00And I'm joined by a man who's done telly, he's done songs, he's done radio, he's done everything, do you know who it is yet?
00:06It's Rolf Harris, how are you?
00:07I'm good, I just took a mouthful of a biscuit before you started talking, and I'm sorry, I'm going to be chewing through the next little bit, but carry on.
00:15Is it a nice biscuit? What is it?
00:16Wonderful. I don't know, but it's very good.
00:19How are you Rolf?
00:20I'm good, Alice, yeah, very good.
00:22Do you ever get bored? Because you've been around so long, you've done so much, you keep reinventing yourself, you come back time after time after time, everything's a hit.
00:28Animal hospital, the amazing world of animals. Are you going to ever fail?
00:32Hopefully not. No, you keep, I mean, you've spoken up a good career there, it's actually impressed me.
00:41You've forgotten half of it.
00:44No, it's nice to have a go at everything that you see in your sights and think to yourself, I'd like to do that, so there's nobody in this world who's able to stand there and say, you can't do it, have a go.
00:59I mean, a lot of the things that I've done were surprises to me, they came from nowhere.
01:05Did you have a blessed beginning where it was all handed to you on a plate, or did you have to work really hard?
01:11I had terrific love and affection from both my parents and terrific support from both my parents, and I had a mother who was really an enthusiastic sort of pusher, you know, she pushed me into try this, do that, you know, you should do this, you should do that, and she was behind me and gave me a terrific start in life, you know.
01:35You came from Australia, you came over here, how did it all start, what was your first big break, when did it suddenly dawn on you that Rolf could be a big star?
01:44It was a very gradual process, actually.
01:48I came over here to study painting.
01:50I thought I was going to be a portrait painter, a brilliant portrait painter overnight almost, and that didn't actually happen, and I ran out of money, and then I had to start doing little jobs to get some loot in, and I was working at a club called the Down Under Club for Australians and New Zealanders.
02:08And I wrote in to do an audition for children's television, said I could do good drawings and tell stories and sing songs, and I got a job doing that in a very small way, and gradually learnt my trade in a very unpressured way, and gradually it got better and better.
02:27And after seven years doing stuff on BBC and then on commercial television when that started, I was offered a job in my hometown to produce and star in five days a week, half hour of television each day for five days every week, and I jumped at that, went home to my hometown in Perth, and while I was there recorded a song that I'd written for this Down Under Club, a thing called Timey Kangaroo Downsport.
02:55And that went to number one Australia-wide in about four weeks. It was amazing, and I think that's when I knew that things were going to work from then.
03:04You have close affiliations with the RSPCA. Timey Kangaroo Downsport. Now that's nothing bad, is it? Just help me with that.
03:11No, the title for that came from a Harry Belafonte calypso that I heard, and it was a song called Hold Him Joe.
03:22Hold him Joe, hold him Joe, hold him Joe, and don't let him go, me donkey want water, hold him Joe, me donkey want water, hold him Joe, timey donkey down there, let him bray, let him bray, timey donkey down there.
03:34And I thought, hey, what a good song for an Australian calypso. I'll change donkey to kangaroo and make it timey kangaroo down there.
03:43But of course it was one syllable too many and it didn't fit the rhythm and it didn't work. But I just couldn't get that idea out of my mind, timey kangaroo down there.
03:53And a whole new tune came out of nowhere, timey kangaroo down there. And the word there was such a gutless word for such an important beat in the music, so I changed that to mate and I didn't like that.
04:05Sport, that'll do. And it took about that long to create the chorus. But it's a nonsense phrase, it doesn't mean anything.
04:13You've done so much. One thing I didn't mention deliberately was art, because that's something you're now wanting to prove yourself with.
04:19And so many people know that you can do it very well, but actually doing it professionally, is this something you're considering now?
04:25Because I know you've got a new TV series where you're going to champion the cause of art, aren't you?
04:30Yeah, I don't know whether I'm championing the cause of it. What we're trying to do is look at impressionist painters.
04:37Impressionism has always been my line, my interest, my enthusiasm. That's the way I paint all those big paintings that I used to do on television.
04:48They were all like shorthand impressionist paintings, and I've always loved it.
04:54And these four painting programs, called Rolf on Art, one's about Monet, who was the father of impressionism, and one's about Degas, probably the best draftsman ever, a wonderful artist.
05:11One's Van Gogh, like a post-impressionist, and Gauguin, another post-impressionist. All artists that I've admired tremendously.
05:20So it's been a wonderful thing to do. We've done all the filming for it, and I've done a lot of painting in the program and talked about it, I hope, in an interesting way.
05:31I'm not trying to hold myself up as a great expert, but when I'm on the show, it's obvious to anyone watching that I actually can paint.
05:40We've got to dash, we've got so many people waiting for you downstairs, your public awaits. Did you ever think in your wildest dreams that you could ever be this popular?
05:47No. And listen to the time.
05:50It's like the hunchback of Notre Dame, isn't it?
05:53It's four o'clock!
05:55Rolf Harris, it's been wonderful talking to you today. Very quickly, Bear, who we had on not too long ago.
06:00Hello, how are you?
06:01I'm very well, thank you. How are you doing?
06:02Really good. It's really nice to be up here with Rolf, doing this bit of work.
06:05Now, you're the didgeridoo man.
06:07I am the didgeridood.
06:08Give us a very quick blast as we go out, and thank you very much for talking to us today, Rolf Harris.
06:12OK, I've got another bit of my biscuit in my mouth now.
06:39You're a genius. Thank you very much, Rolf Harris.
06:52Thank you, thank you.