Molly Meldrum: John would make me a nervous wreck – I would never know when he was going to interrupt

Working with John was a joy, but never easy. He was one of the greatest ad-libbers in the history of Australian TV, and I had no hope of matching him, writes Molly Meldrum.

Molly Meldrum described John Blackman as ‘a great family man, with a remarkable love of life’.

During the Hey Hey days, people would always ask John Blackman and I: “Do you hate each other?”

John’s usual reply was, “Of course I hate the bugger, wouldn’t you?”

John – and my nemesis, Dickie Knee – did drive me nuts during my Melodrama segment, but that was only because John was way too clever and quick for me.

Meldrum says Blackman was way too clever and quick for me.

In real life, I’m proud to say John was one of my best mates. I was always in awe of him. Without him, Hey Hey would not have been what it was.

It was John – or Dickie Knee, to be more precise – who dubbed me “The Guru”.

It was a name I never wanted, as I’ve never considered myself to be a guru of music.

Working with John was a joy, but never easy. He was one of the greatest ad-libbers in the history of Australian TV, and I had no hope of matching him.

He was always making fun of me.

When I was King of Moomba, I declared that John would face charges of treason if he continued to send me up. He took no notice.

Meldrum as the King of Moomba in 1985.

Because I take music so seriously, I always had a stack of material to get through, and John would make me a nervous wreck – I would never know when he was going to interrupt.

I remember an interview with Mariah Carey when, for some reason, Mariah was spread out on a couch.

Suddenly, you could hear John going, “Tap, tap, tap, room service!”

I think the viewers almost felt sorry for me – I was the underdog battling the massive brain of John Blackman.

Today, I’m thinking of John’s wonderful wife Cecile and their daughter Tiffany.

John was a great family man, with a remarkable love of life.

Thanks for all the fun, mate. I’ll never forget your voice and that cheeky grin. We had a truly great time.

To use one of your many famous phrases, with a heavy heart, it’s Hooroo from the Guru.

And Ziggy sends a big woof-woof. He loved you, too.