Willy Nilly – The 12th Man’s Biggest Hits

“Oh no! it’s one of those willy nilly high fives!” Those were the words Shane Warne used on TV to describe an incident involving Aussie wicketkeeper Brad Haddin during a recent cricket match in India. Haddin was on the receiving end of a clumsy, mistimed high five from a team mate, and copped a handful of fingers straight in the eyes. Way back in 1990, on his album “12th Man Again”, The 12th Man, (Billy Birmingham) had created just such a farcical scenario and Warne’s use of the term “willy nilly” was a direct quote from the script of that recording. The Haddin incident created headlines all around the sporting world, and, for Birmingham, who was putting the finishing touches to his “Biggest Hits” 2CD album, “Willy Nilly” seemed like a perfect title for the new release.

Where else but in Australia, Birmingham has often asked, could a spoken-word, sports piss-taking comedy artist spend nearly three decades at the top of the charts, right alongside the Barneseys, Farnseys, Kylies, Oils, Madonnas, Chisels, U2s and other international music royalty. The 12th Man’s much loved comedy masterpieces have mainly focused on cricketing and commentating legend Richie Benaud and his fellow Channel Nine cricket commentators, but his ‘Wired World of Sports’ albums also feature a menagerie of sports presenters and sportspeople from around the globe. Into their collective mouths, Birmingham has put words their mothers would probably have washed out with soap, as well as quips, comments, twists, stumbles, asides and observations that a commentator would never, ever dream of unleashing anywhere near a microphone. Such has the 12th Man cult become over the years that many of his most inspiring utterances have become part of the language. Kids hurl them across playgrounds, adults across workplaces and sporting fields.

And so, for his many fans, old and new, here is the long awaited, much anticipated double album collection of some of his most memorable moments: “Willy NillyThe 12th Man’s Biggest Hits (Vol.1)”

From the legendary scenes featuring Bill and Tony going at each other in the commentary box, to the outrageous Player Comfort measuring device called the ‘scrotometer,’ to Big Merv’s Big Guts, to Johnny Tapp exploding, Bill Lawry’s nose surgery, Kerry Packer from heaven, in bed with the Benauds and so many more. And, of course, the scene where a player suffers a horrible injury after his team mate throws a high five ‘willy nilly’ and misses, and gets him straight in the eye. With The 12th Man having predicted the perils of throwing ‘willy nilly’ high fives way back in 1990, and, after seeing the identical scenario play out for real recently when Brad Haddin copped that eyeful from a team mate, Birmingham figured he just had to call the new album “Willy Nilly.The 12th Man’s Biggest Hits” and he has cheekily re-created the recent Haddin episode on the album’s front cover, injecting himself into the famous photo of course!! The album’s back cover also looks eerily similar to the picture of Richie’s recent prang in his beloved Sunbeam.

So, if you’re a bit of a 12th Man fan (or you know a 12th Man fan), and you feel like taking a funny, nostalgic little trip back through the years, remembering where you were and how old you were when each new 12th Man album came out, recalling your favourite lines from each record and which voice you could do the best, then you’re really going to enjoy the hilarious new album…