Phone call about TYA special
David Frost: Hello, how can we be of assistance to you?
Female caller: I was wondering if you can tell me…are we ever going to see The Neil Diamond Special?
David: Oh, yes…it was on once on channel 9 in full length…live.
Caller: Oh, yes, live…yes.
David: And it’s being edited by Neil. So it’s up to Neil, really, to finish everything and then it will be on channel 9, in fact.
Caller: I see. Have they seen it already in America?
David: No, then haven’t. In fact, only Australia has seen it although everybody who’s seen it loves it and Neil wanted to edit it a bit down before it was seen.
Caller: I see. Can you tell me, David, why we don’t we see more of Neil Diamond on TV, like specials and Dinah Shore shows and things like that?
David: Oh, yes…the reason is simple that he thinks like many pop singers that they should ration their appearances and unlike comedians like we were talking to Dick Emery early on…and he feels that he should ration his number of appearances. You know what I mean?
Caller: I’m sorry about that because we rarely ever see him.
David: No, that was what was so unique about that particular special, in fact.
Caller: That’s why I’m waiting.
David: All right… We’ll try and hurry him up, if we can.
Caller: Thank you, David.
David: Thank you, too. From Frankie Howard to Windsor Gardens in Adelaide where Rosemary Hicks should be waiting for us. Are you there, Rosemary?
Rosemary: Oh, yes…hi. How are you?
David: Very well. Good morning.
Rosemary: Good morning.
David: And how are you today?
Rosemary: I’m fine. It’s cold! By the way, I’ve got to tell you this. I realize you get so many compliments from all the women that you speak to, but really you deserve them. So I just really have to second that motion, but I’ve got to tell you…when you speak to the overseas celebrities, you make the local people feel as much as important as the overseas people. It’s magnificent! You make people listening feel ??? You know, it’s great…because I’m looking for something different in life…something new and you really give it to people. It’s great! This magnetism…it’s unreal!
David: Oh, thank you! Gosh, that is nice of you to say that. What a lovely way to start a morning…with a compliment like that! Thank you very much!
Rosemary: No worries! I think that you and Neil Diamond should go on promoting peace and leave all the politicians in the local bars.
David: (Laughs) That’s quite a thought! I think actually, Neil Diamond, actually, wouldn’t be so…if he wasn’t a great singer…I get the feeling he wouldn’t be so much a politician as he’d be an evangelist…he’d be a preacher.
Rosemary: Right! He can sing his message, speak the message and the politicians can stay home and get drunk and buy me a drink. You see they all te paid to go and do this garbage that they’re doing and seem to be achieving nothing. They might as well send me there.
David: It sounds to me from the way you address the nation right now that it sounds as though it would be a very good idea indeed. While all these politicians are getting drunk…The one thing I certainly couldn’t do is sing my message. I”d be lost trying…my singing voice …I mean…is pathetic. Neil once got me on stage in Brisbane during our tour earlier this year or rather during his tour earlier this year…to try to get me to sing “Song Sung Blue” and I don’t think he’s ever realized before that when one says, I can’t sing. I literally mean…I can not sing.
Rosemary: He wasn’t comparing you to the ducks and the chickens and the bears that he asked to sing with him?
David: No. He was just trying to get to hear a note out of me, but you know, my mother wouldn’t even let me sing in the bath.
Rosemary: Why don’t you try singing? It’s good fun.
David: All right, I might try a bit later perhaps since there was a note on one of the Friend commercials about would I like to sing their jingle? But I don’t think I would and I don’t think…