koopkooper
Practically Family
- Messages
- 610
- Location
- Sydney Australia
www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/in-the-swing-of-things/2007/04/29/1177787955879.html
Greg Poppleton was considered a little eccentric growing up in Five Dock in the mid-'70s. As his mates bought the Sex Pistols' album or sang along to Queen on the radio, he was rifling through the back shelves of music stores looking for recordings from the 1930s swing era.
"I wasn't considered nerdy because I'm a bit of a fighter," the 46-year-old Newtown actor and musician says. "I never apologised. In fact I was probably annoying and obnoxious because I attacked their taste in music."
His fascination for swing began at age three when Channel Nine still broadcast telescriptions (early black and white music clips) between programs. "I particularly remember Louis Armstrong playing his trumpet with his white handkerchief. I just thought it was fantastic."
Swing has remained a passion for Poppleton since then. In 1985, long before the swing renaissance, he persuaded community station 2SER to drop its ultra-modern jazz program on Tuesdays and replace it with The Phantom Dancer, featuring live vintage swing, jazz and dance music from old radio and TV broadcasts. It has become Australia's longest-running swing show and a 22-year unpaid commitment for Poppleton.
"I enjoy doing it," he says. "It's a great release to go into the studio for 11/2 hours each week and to sit back and listen to the music I love. I'm constantly learning and fine-tuning. The key is to respect the listener's intelligence."
Poppleton walked away from a secure job as a chemical engineer in 1989 for the more precarious life of a musician and actor. He describes himself as Australia's only exclusively 1920s and '30s-style singer, performing in a swing band called Greg Poppleton and his Bakelite Boys. He has appeared in a several TV ads and what he calls "blink and miss" roles in films such as Moulin Rouge, Dirty Deeds and Footy Legends.
In The Phantom Dancer, Poppleton deliberately keeps his own talking to a minimum, letting the old recordings speak for themselves.
A recent program featured performances by Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa, all recorded live, as well as advertisements for the Jarman Shoe Company and the US Navy and an interview with aviator Casey Jones.
"I think listeners are attracted to the historical and social context of the music, as much as the music itself," he says. "You hear the announcers, the ads, snippets of news. It's a raw glimpse into 20th-century history, without snide comments or little asides from me."
Greg Poppleton was considered a little eccentric growing up in Five Dock in the mid-'70s. As his mates bought the Sex Pistols' album or sang along to Queen on the radio, he was rifling through the back shelves of music stores looking for recordings from the 1930s swing era.
"I wasn't considered nerdy because I'm a bit of a fighter," the 46-year-old Newtown actor and musician says. "I never apologised. In fact I was probably annoying and obnoxious because I attacked their taste in music."
His fascination for swing began at age three when Channel Nine still broadcast telescriptions (early black and white music clips) between programs. "I particularly remember Louis Armstrong playing his trumpet with his white handkerchief. I just thought it was fantastic."
Swing has remained a passion for Poppleton since then. In 1985, long before the swing renaissance, he persuaded community station 2SER to drop its ultra-modern jazz program on Tuesdays and replace it with The Phantom Dancer, featuring live vintage swing, jazz and dance music from old radio and TV broadcasts. It has become Australia's longest-running swing show and a 22-year unpaid commitment for Poppleton.
"I enjoy doing it," he says. "It's a great release to go into the studio for 11/2 hours each week and to sit back and listen to the music I love. I'm constantly learning and fine-tuning. The key is to respect the listener's intelligence."
Poppleton walked away from a secure job as a chemical engineer in 1989 for the more precarious life of a musician and actor. He describes himself as Australia's only exclusively 1920s and '30s-style singer, performing in a swing band called Greg Poppleton and his Bakelite Boys. He has appeared in a several TV ads and what he calls "blink and miss" roles in films such as Moulin Rouge, Dirty Deeds and Footy Legends.
In The Phantom Dancer, Poppleton deliberately keeps his own talking to a minimum, letting the old recordings speak for themselves.
A recent program featured performances by Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa, all recorded live, as well as advertisements for the Jarman Shoe Company and the US Navy and an interview with aviator Casey Jones.
"I think listeners are attracted to the historical and social context of the music, as much as the music itself," he says. "You hear the announcers, the ads, snippets of news. It's a raw glimpse into 20th-century history, without snide comments or little asides from me."
