Scared Weird Little Guys

Scared Weird Little Guys
Origin Melbourne, Australia
Genres Comedy, Parody
Years active 1990–2011
Website Official site
Members John Chaplin-Fleming, Rusty Berther

Scared Weird Little Guys (also referred to as SWLG or The Scaredies) were an Australian comedy music duo formed in July 1990, comprising John Chaplin-Fleming (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Rusty Berther (vocals, guitar, banjo). The Scaredies performed their last ever live show in Brisbane in May 2011.


History

In 1987 John joined Four Chairs No Waiting, an a cappella group comprising David Holmes, Ramsey Collins and Rusty. The group performed aboard a Fairstar cruise as well as touring RSL clubs around Sydney. They performed during most of Expo 88 in Brisbane. In 1989 Rusty and John joined The Phones, one of Australia's top a cappella groups, which boasted members such as Paul Keelan, Michael Dalton and Reg Ellery. Performing at comedy and cabaret venues around Australia, the group also held a regular TV spot on Channel 7's Bert Newton Show. Following the group's break-up in 1990, John and Rusty teamed up and moved away from a cappella to concentrate on musical comedy routines.

The duo has had much success touring Australia, as well as more than 20 tours of festivals and college campuses in North America, and three tours of the UK in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

The name "Scared Weird Little Guys" comes from a line in the Al Pacino movie Cruising.[1]

The Scaredies announced on 1 August that the act would be coming to an end after 21 years. They embarked on a national farewell tour named 'Enough Already', which ran until mid-2011. The duo released a final CD entitled "Enough Already" which includes recordings from their Mount Gambier, Horsham and Warrnambool shows.

The Scaredies did in excess of 4,600 live gigs, performing their final show in Brisbane on 22 May 2011.

Rusty Berther continues to perform with another group - Rusty and Another Guy - who do a similar style to the Scaredies. They mostly perform for private events and corporate functions. More info can be found here www.rustyrich.com.au

Albums & Releases

Notable Performances

The Scared Weird Little Guys have performed regularly at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Spiegeltent. They featured at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, warming up the 90,000 strong crowd for 45 minutes.

In the late 90s the Scared Weird Little Guys performed a show incorporating music, comedy and symphony orchestras called 'Score'.[2] [3]

They have also made noteworthy appearances as The Scared Weird Little Guys Superband. This usually consists of John and Rusty with the addition of a full rock band including horn section. The Superband has been a fixture at the Melbourne Comedy Festival for many years and features guest appearances from international and local comedians singing cover songs. Guest singers have included Ross Noble, Rich Hall, Maria Bamford, Rove McManus, Jo Stanley, Jimeoin, Lano and Woodley, Bob Downe, Alan Brough and Adam Hills.

Awards

The duo have won several awards throughout their career, as well as being nominated for various high-profile awards.

Winner

Nominations

Media appearances

The duo have performed regular spots in both television and radio since 1990.

Television appearances

The duo have performed on almost every live Australian television show, some notable examples include:

References

  1. ↑ Romeo, Demetrius (16 May 2004). "Scared Weird Little Guys". Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  2. ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/stories/s58084.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2kD3Wg1730
  4. ↑

External links