The Iddity Erchive

“Portakabin TV” was a song performed by Sir Richard Stilgoe and broadcast during the final broadcast from Southern Independent Television. As long-time viewers of Oddity Archive will know, that station was the sole channel through which the Ashtar Galactic Command chose to broadcast their message of peace and warning in 1977.

A lot of people seem to find this song in bad taste, as it apparently takes unfair swipes at Television South (the station that took over SIT at the beginning of 1982). While I can see that aspect of it, I also think this song’s one heck of a tune. It’s just a shame that ol’ Vrilly didn’t get a shout-out.

Mod Bell here (formerly Mod Soviet) during the hiatus, to bring some interesting context to a few Archive topics. This is an interesting look at, among other boxes, the ON TV decoders discussed in the Pay TV episode of Archive.

And so ends another season of Oddity Archive. At least Ben got away from trying to pull another “fauxnale” like the infamous “Death of Analog(ue) TV” episode from a couple of years ago. Pretty sure he’s learned his lesson about scaring most of his fanbase half to death now.

But now, quite some time after this blog started, Ben’s now up to over 22,000 subscribers and over 100 Patreon donors (including Yours Truly). Success sometimes comes slowly, but I think the slower you build up, the longer you stay. And I think this is pretty good for a niche channel. I was happy to see that his video from a year or two back about the DuMont Network made its way to an article at The AV Club about DuMont. It was an inclusion I was pleasantly surprised to see.

But to the episode: I was actually a grown-ass woman in the 1990s -- fresh out of college, looking to make my way and start my life, and I remember the 1990s well, in all their eye-gouging, hideous, hyper-colour, OMG RAD graphics. We’ve all done things we’re ashamed of, and certainly worn things we’re ashamed of. And somehow, later on, nostalgia kicks in. For me however, I still just kind of want to gouge my eyes out. I mean OMG these look sooooo low budget today.

This ought to make you soil your pants: Newly posted to Fuzzy Memories’ YouTube page is this tape from Chicago’s WGN-TV, dated from April 1985 (according to the extensive notes on the YouTube page).

I really DO have a reason for posting a They Might Be Giants video here: In addition to their grownup pop output -- about 30 years’ worth, Johns Flansburgh and Linnell have also recorded some excellent music intended for children. To me, their best childrens’ album is Here Comes Science (from whence this came). A collection of solid earworms that are also educational. I can go for that.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7fkmNZPHFw)