Welcome to the 12th Man website - not just a splash page, shamelessly flogging my merchandise, but a fully fledged, proper, interactive and, hopefully, entertaining website. As I get more used to this stuff, I am hoping to share with the 12th Man fans some old photos, videos, audio bits, stories, anecdotes, atrocities and vulgarities from the last 28 years of being “The 12th Man”.
12TH Man Blog
May 18
My first real blog!
It’s 12.50pm on Friday, May 18th and I’m having my umpteenth meeting with poor old Ronan - my main man from EMI (my record company). Ronan has the unenviable task of getting me fully engaged with my website and social media etc.etc. He’s saying stuff like :
“Please give me those last bits and pieces to complete your website cos you’ve been promising them to me for 5 weeks”
“Billy, I really need you to start blogging” (BB: “what’s a blog again?”)
“Mate, how come you’ve stopped tweeting? You got a bit of a spurt on a few weeks ago and then stopped. WTF??”
Once again, I find myself asking him – “Does anyone REALLY give a fuck about what I’m thinking, what I’m doing or where I’m going?” To which he replies “Probably not, but let’s do it anyway”.
So, here I go. My task for today is to create my first blog. And can I just say what a stupid word ‘blog’ is. It sounds like a bowel movement to me – “I’m just gonna go take a blog”. “I really have to do a blog”. For some reason, doing my first blog seems like such a daunting task, much to the amusement of my family and friends and colleagues who can’t believe how much I don’t get this stuff. Anyway, here goes - without any form, consistency or flow. Just totally random thoughts. And the best way to do totally random is ‘bullet points’
State Of Origin (or as John Hopoate prefers ‘Prostate of Origin - POO’) is just around the corner. Always a highlight of the Footy season. I love watching all the pundits and journos trying to whip up controversy with Origin, and love how they all try and make the game sound far more complicated and complex and scientific than it is.
What’s the story with sports people these days, especially footballers, celebrating somebody’s fuck up? I can’t believe how often I’m seeing a footballer make some really glaringly obvious, stupid mistake and his team mates come running in from all over the field to give the guy a pat on the back, a consoling hug, a grope on the arse or a big sloppy kiss. I know they’re only trying to be consoling. But seriously, some peoples ‘consoling’ is soooo over the top, you’d swear the bloke had just done something absolutely outstanding.
Due to unfortunate family circumstances, I have been spending a considerable amount of time in hospitals of late. Once again, I have been given a stark reminder of what an unbelievable job our nurses and carers do. Seriously, could there be any more difficult, energy sapping, emotionally draining profession in the world? I don’t think so. Bloody heroes all of them. Big thanks.
London Olympics – I don’t know about you guys but I haven’t quite got the Olympic vibe yet, but I will no doubt get swept up in it all as kick off draws near. I can’t wait to hear my old mate Ray ‘Rabs’ Warren call the swimming and whatever else Channel Nine throws his way. I can’t believe that the Sydney Games were 12 years ago?! I had a lot of fun back then doing an Olympics radio show with Mick Molloy. The Triple M network let Mick and I loose with our own national drive time show for the duration of the games. We called the show ‘Going for Bronze’ and we certainly achieved everything we set out to!! One thing that came out of that escapade was my first attempt at impersonating the legendary Bruce McAvaney. Each day I would do a small bit of Bruce commentating on something or other and when the Games finished, I took all of those bits and put them onto a CD single called ‘Bruce 2000’. I described the record as the “perfect way to remember the Sydney 2000 Olympics in just four and a half minutes”.
Even though the single went to number 3 on the Aria chart, it came to my attention over the years that a lot of 12th Man fans had never heard of “Bruce 2000” and never even knew the single existed. A few years ago, someone compiled a cheeky little video to go with the track. I’m gonna try and track it down and whack it up on the website soon. Watch this space!
Lawn Bowls – I found myself locking into a bit of lawn bowls lately on Fox Sports. I’ve only ever played once. A couple of years ago my record company held a gold record piss up for me at Paddington Bowling club and we were able to give it a lash. It was great fun and I have noticed that a lot of bowling clubs are setting aside times each week for punters to come down and try their hand at barefoot bowls. If you get a chance to do it, give it a go (PS. I was fucking great at it, as I recall).
Hearty congratulations to Pup and his beautiful new bride Kylie. What a great job managing to keep the whole thing under wraps. Happy days to them both.
What about the Wiggles?? It’s all just too confusing. It doesn’t feel right. I don’t know who’s who anymore. Make it stop. PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP!!
Watching ‘The Voice’ (like everyone else), I’m very pleased to see that, despite his massive worldwide success, Keith Urban seems to have remained the same down to earth, no bullshit, charming bloke that I first met more than 20 years ago. What an incredible talent.
Does anyone else love watching The Graham Norton show as much as I do? I’ve been following him for years on pay TV and noticed he’s now on free-to-air. The show’s format is not too dissimilar to hundreds of others, but his charm and style really make the show a standout. I watched an episode the other night that I had IQ’d and even though I realized I had already seen it, I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. There are not too many chat shows that engage me in the same way. I’m having my own ‘red chair’ built for my living room.
So, there ya go. Apparently that is a ‘blog’ - my very first blog! Now I’m gonna go and take one!!
Love yez all,
Billy B (12th)
Mar 21
Technology by Billy Birmingham
As I enter my 58th year on the planet I honestly think that I have been the slowest person on earth to embrace social media and the new technology that goes with it.
My friends and colleagues are still constantly staggered at my inability to grasp the simplest of internet task. Sending an email is still very much a hit and miss thing for me. I even have this innate ability to f$%k up other peoples computers simply by walking past them or looking at them. I’m NOT kidding. The number of people who have said to me, as their computer goes hay wire or stops working, “Geez it’s never done this before” is simply mind blowing.
Froggy, my recording engineer, has actually coined the phrase “BILLYITIS”. It’s a disease that afflicts any piece of technology when I am in close proximity to it. So it’s fair to say that this whole website management and status updating etc. is not going to be an easy.
Any tips on how to steer my way through the techo mind field would be greatly appreciated.
My friends and colleagues are still constantly staggered at my inability to grasp the simplest of internet task. Sending an email is still very much a hit and miss thing for me. I even have this innate ability to f$%k up other peoples computers simply by walking past them or looking at them. I’m NOT kidding. The number of people who have said to me, as their computer goes hay wire or stops working, “Geez it’s never done this before” is simply mind blowing.
Froggy, my recording engineer, has actually coined the phrase “BILLYITIS”. It’s a disease that afflicts any piece of technology when I am in close proximity to it. So it’s fair to say that this whole website management and status updating etc. is not going to be an easy.
Any tips on how to steer my way through the techo mind field would be greatly appreciated.
Mar 21
The Cricket Season
I have to say I have enjoyed this summer of cricket, far more than I thought I would.
There always seemed to be something going on to pique my interest. Hearing Richie and the boys again – well that goes without saying. Would Clarky finally be accepted by players and public alike as the Australia captain?
All the new boys who arrived on the scene, Pattinson, Lyon, Forrest, Stark etc, etc. Would Punter find some form save himself from getting the tap on the shoulder? How many funny names could I make up of the Indian and Sri Lankan teams? How much would the Channel Nine commentary team refer to, borrow from or rip off the 12th Man without any acknowledgement? Would I warm to the 20/20 competition either domestically or internationally? (I sort of did still think Richies idea chwenty choo/ chwenty choo would be much better) Is the one day game on its last legs? Will Ricky do enough in the West Indies to ensure he will be around for next summer and the 2013 Ashes?
What do you guys reckon?
Mar 21
The Footy Season
Much as I’ve enjoyed the cricket there is a real tingling in the loins as the footy season kicks off.
Love my rugby league but still really enjoy a good game of AFL or rugby as well. I’ve got a feeling that in all codes the footy tipping is going to be very difficult this season.
Harder to pick than a broken nose, as someone once said. Oh, I think it was me!
Love my rugby league but still really enjoy a good game of AFL or rugby as well. I’ve got a feeling that in all codes the footy tipping is going to be very difficult this season.
Harder to pick than a broken nose, as someone once said. Oh, I think it was me!
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