A Bit of a Dagg (Fred Dagg Live)

Television (Full Length) – 1977

By 1976 Fred Dagg had become a star. That winter, Dagg's creator John Clarke joined forces with the so-called Big Dagg Band and John Hore (aka John Grenell) for a highly successful 52-date tour. This half-hour TV special was recorded after they returned from the South Island. It offers a mix of Dagg quips, monologues and musical numbers. Clarke does Elvis, yodels, and ends with a rousing version of 'The Gumboot Song'. Hore brings a country feel, via some John Denver numbers. The Big Dagg Band prove slick operators, with Bernadette and John 'The General' Rangi swapping places in a scene-stealing drum solo.

The Māori guys in the crew had a big pot of soup which was always full. They’d stop on the side of the road to get some puha or we’d shout them a few pork bones … In Nelson, John and I almost got caught because hotels had those smorgasbord lunches. John and I would go in and fill our plates for about $15 a head and then pass the food out the window to the Māori boys.
– Concert promoter Ian Magan remembers the 1976 A Bit of a Dagg tour, AudioCulture, 10 April 2017