Kerry Parnell: What today’s celebrities can learn from Michael Parkinson
Talk-show legend Michael Parkinson - who died this week aged 88 - met the biggest stars in the world, and his advice for wannabes today is truer than ever, writes Kerry Parnell.
Opinion
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He was the ultimate talk-show host and leaves a legacy today’s celebrities would do well to learn.
The finest chat-show host of all time, Michael Parkinson, passed away on Wednesday, aged 88. Famous for his long-running talk show in the UK and Australia, Parky interviewed the biggest names in showbiz, from John Lennon to Muhammad Ali, Orson Welles to Lauren Bacall.
His secret? He wasn’t fussed about any of it. So much so, he once turned down dinner with Clint Eastwood, because he was tired. His son, also called Mike, told me, “My father has never been fascinated about people because they are famous, but because they have talent. Fame is a by-product of your success, not like it is today where fame is the end, the job.
“He once said to my mother, after a show with Clint Eastwood, who my mum was absolutely enamoured with, that Clint had asked him to go to dinner. It went down really badly.”
Parky added, “She didn’t talk to me for, oh, two days. She hasn’t forgiven me, she still brings it up whenever she can, with an increasing manner of disbelief. I do see what she meant – I must have been really knackered.”
I spoke to Michael and Mike, when they wrote a book together, Like Father, Like Son: A Family Story. Throughout, Michael was as charming, funny, genuine and generous with his answers, as you’d expect. He told me he credited his career success to one of his first guests – actor and filmmaker Orson Welles.
“To sit down with someone like Welles, with his reputation and his ability as a raconteur, was a touchstone of my career,” he said.
“I knew if I did this OK, I would be alright.”
He was more than alright, although he said his father remained his harshest critic. “He went to his grave believing I was a failure because I never got Betty Grable on the show,” he said.
And while he met the biggest stars in the world, his advice for any wannabes today, is truer than ever.
“I have little time for people who treat the thing as if they are doing something terribly important,” he said.
“All that matters, for God’s sake, is to entertain people and make them laugh. You should thank your lucky stars you got the job you did.”
Indeed.
As for his favourite Aussie stars, he said, “Australia is not short of talent and is overwhelmingly and beguilingly one of the most comfortable and happy countries I have ever been in. I just feel at home in Australia and it has treated me really well.”
However, there was one Sheila who stole his heart … Dame Edna.
“I adore Dame Edna, I would have run away with her if I had not been married,” he said, adding, “It’s nice to be able to pick a brain like that.”
It’s no wonder they got on – as Edna once said, “If you can’t laugh at yourself, you might be missing the joke of the century.”
So, here’s hoping Sir Michael and Dame Edna are enjoying a good old chuckle, once again, in the next world.
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