Joe Flaherty as Count Floyd -- Reggae Christmas Eve In Transylvania

 

Consider this as a special Reminiscings of Youth article due to the sudden nature of the subject matter. A few hours ago, I heard about the passing of actor and comedian Joe Flaherty who was one of the members of the legendary comedy skit show "SCTV" back in the 1970s and early 1980s. I've mentioned "SCTV" in a few places on KKP, and last year, I even did a ROY based on one of the theme songs for the show by Ira Newborn.

As with every other cast member on "SCTV", Flaherty played a number of original characters centered around the fictional TV station of Melonville as well as famous Hollywood actors such as Gregory Peck and Kirk Douglas. Arguably his most famous one is that of Count Floyd, the host of "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre" which was most likely based on a similar program that actually aired on real-life Toronto station CITY-TV back in the 1970s. Count Floyd was always getting flustered that the movies were far less scarier than advertised although I think this time with "The House of Cats", he basically got a hit.

I pointed this out on my Twitter feed earlier this afternoon, but I feel that I'm truly lucky to have come across music on both sides of the Pacific when I did in the 70s and 80s and at the same time, I'm truly lucky to have grown up with "SCTV". Although I barely watch television these days outside of what I could get from TV Japan, back in my teens, "SCTV" was one of my favourites. I was about ready to head over to Japan for my second stint there when I heard about SCTV cast member John Candy passing away at the young age of 43 back in 1994. His funeral was held in Los Angeles but a special memorial service took place which was broadcast all across Canada.

Along with Candy and Harold Ramis who passed away in 2014, losing someone like Flaherty is a bit like losing a beloved uncle with a wacky sense of humour. I'm not sure whether Joe will get something as lavish a sendoff as Candy got, and knowing how bashful Joe was in real life, he'd probably blanch in horror at such attention, but I'm hoping that he will get a fine tribute somewhere in mass media over the next few days. The tributes have begun to pour in on Twitter.

For my own tribute, I'd thought about searching for something that Flaherty liked or any of the songs that he sang in character. But then, I discovered this song on YouTube that I hadn't heard about. Never knew about his 1982 SCTV-based album "Count Floyd" but here is this track called "Reggae Christmas Eve in Transylvania". Yep, it's Floyd alright, kvetching as usual, but the rhythm is pretty darn groovy.

My condolences to Flaherty's family, friends and many fans.

What were the big winners at the 1982 Japan Record Awards?

Grand Prize: Takashi Hosokawa -- Kita Sakaba (北酒場）

Best Performance: Junko Ohashi -- Silhouette Romance（シルエット・ロマンス）

Gold Prize: Hideki Saijo -- Sei Shojo （聖・少女）