Frank Skinner on George Formby and the Ukulele, Part 2

While sharing his own enthusiasm for the ukulele, Frank Skinner, in his recent TV programme about George Formby, was keen to tell us about the man himself.  (Frank Skinner on George Formby and the Ukulele part 1). George Formby’s father, George senior, was also a very popular singer and entertainer who made a very good living.  George’s upbringing was a far cry from being poor and working class.  George junior actually started out impersonating his father’s act.  It wasn’t until he met his future wife and business manager, Beryl that he found his act being redefined.  She put him into a suit and placed the banjolele at the centre of his act.  He gave her a lot of credit for his success.    

We were treated to some fine clips from George’s twenty four or so films, all of which, according to Frankie, followed more or less the same story line, i.e. gormless boy meets girl, evil/bad man causes problems, boy solves problem and gets the girl.  Songs and ukulele playing were shoe horned in along the way. 

That didn’t mean that Mr. Formby had nothing to offer.  Anyone who has ever picked up a ukulele will have appreciated the speed and the skill with which he played.  Take a close look at his technique.  Not only is his right hand action incredibly fast, but listen to the variety of rhythms he works into his solos.  It’s often syncopated, full of triplets and he even varies the way he makes contact with the ukulele strings, sometimes playing with a finger, a thumb, his fingernails or all of his fingers.  The sound is quite overwhelming.

As an aside, Frank went into a primary school classroom in an attempt to pass some of George’s expertise onto some ukulele wielding children.  That’s another attractive thing about the ukulele.  The technique can be as simple or as complicated as you like.  With only a few chords and a flexible right hand, even young children can play a whole host of songs.  Perhaps it’s time for the ukulele to replace the recorder in the classroom.

It was a real treat to see Andy Eastwood play.  Watch the video below and be impressed!

Andy Eastwood playing the ‘William Tell Overture’. 

His playing really is most impressive, though I do find his rictus grin a little disturbing.
 
While on the subject of performance, is the Lancashire accent really necessary?  Are we acknowledging the man and his music or simply doing an impersonation?

George himself was most revealing and sincere in the clips shown from his 1960s special.  His sentiment about stardom is something that some of today’s entertainers could think about.  In short, he said that it’s the public that makes an entertainer into a star and they should never forget that.  Without an audience, there is no ‘star’.        

Frank Skinner’s program was informative, entertaining and unpretentious.  It showed George Formby to be a thoughtful and talented man who gave and continues to give, a lot of pleasure.  What about the banjolele?  Well, it’s hard to be miserable when you’re playing one.  As Frank said:

“It’s like a little bottle of joy”.

Frank Skinner on George Formby and the Ukulele – Part 1

So, what’s not to like about Frank Skinner?  As a Brummie myself, I’ve always been fond of Frank.  (Yes. I feel I know him well enough to call him ‘Frank’; he’s that sort of bloke, isn’t he?)  I enjoyed reading both of his autobiographies though he doesn’t seem old enough for two volumes.  What I like about Frank is there’s nothing pretentious about him.  He’s not afraid to talk about his past in an open and, well, frank manner.

Anyone who saw his programme about George Formby will have picked up on the enthusiasm and affection he has for both Mr. Formby and the ukulele.  He didn’t get in the way of the story, as so many presenters do.  You can usually tell what sort of show it’s going to be if it’s entitled ‘Piers Morgan’s personality shortcomings’ or Joanna Lumley’s predictable comedies’.  This was simply about George Formby and asked some basic questions like, ‘Why was he so popular?’ and ‘What is the appeal of the ukulele today?’

Frank Skinner on George Formby Video

Frank even came within a gnat’s whisker of getting the terminology right.  The instrument that George Formby usually played was a banjolele or ukulele banjo, though I was interested to see a clip of him playing a ukulele.  The mistake people make is partly his fault.  He sang ‘With my little ukulele in my hand’, but it wasn’t.  A ukulele is a small, usually wooden instrument shaped like a guitar.  A banjo is a larger instrument which has a circular resonator.  That’s the bit that’s covered in animal skin and looks like a tambourine.  A banjolele combines the size of the ukulele with the shape of a banjo.  In essence, it looks like a small banjo.

It was interesting listening to Frank talk about what was different about George Formby fans.  The fact that most of them actually play a uke, sets them apart from so many fan clubs.  “Jimmy Hendrix fans don’t take their guitar along to appreciation clubs.”  It’s a very active society. 

Attending the annual George Formby convention in Blackpool, Frank was made very welcome.  He said, “I didn’t meet a single person that I didn’t like.  They have warmth to them”.  There didn’t seem to be any one-upmanship.  Grown-ups and children seemed to get a lot of pleasure from simply playing together in a non competitive forum; so refreshing in these days of ‘Young Musician of the Year’/‘The X Factor’/‘Britain’s got Talent’/’You’re rubbish at entertaining, so why don’t you go away?’  etc.

(to be continued ...)