22/04/2014 The One Show

Hello, welcome to the One Show. In rehearsal yesterday, we were caught

out by very cheeky OAPs, who decided to play a joke, knowing they were on

the show tonight. Little rascals. They were from a Sunday night TV

show, Off Their Rockers. They will join us later, to gloat. I am very

glad they are here. First, a different rocker. Tonight's guest

has a musical career spanning five decades, and it is all down to these

incredible fingers. Who's are they quelled -- who's are they? Please

welcome Rick Wakeman. Hello, how are you? What a start to the show. It

was a shortened version. It is nine minutes long. Are your hands

insured? Never because I thought if I had to claim, they probably would

not pay out. If somebody says do not get your fingers in the door, you

are likely to do it, so they are not insured. We heard in rehearsal what

you play sounds incredible. We are talking about pranks. Over 40 years

on the road, you must have had a fair few. You did a lot of things to

keep yourselves amused on the road. First in a band, you never fall

asleep on the plane. If you get a cup of warm water and somebody is

asleep and you dip to fingers in the warm water... There is nothing you

can do about it. And you never hanged your breakfast notice outside

the door of the hotel. The order. People in the morning would say what

do you want 67 sausages for? And another one be used to do, every

hotel door opens inwards. You would get a newspaper and tape up the

newspaper on the outside so that when they open the door they just

saw newspaper. People would walk through it. You would have suitably

placed buckets of stuff. Tonight, we are calling on pranksters who are

watching. You might have tied your dad's shoelaces, all, left buckets

inside hotels, who knows? We want photographic evidence. Send your

pictures and we will show some of them later. Last year, we went to

capture the structure in Scotland being created. Six months later

Sarah Mack went to see the finished article.

The opening day of Off Their Rockers's Kelpies. The sun is

shining. Thousands of people have come to see them -- the opening day

of Falkirk's sculpture. When I visited in October last year, the

two horse heads were taking shape. Ten months later they stand together

in their 100 foot, stainless steel glory. Now, they are open and the

big question is what does the public think? They are beautiful and it

will bring people to the area, spending money. I can see myself

coming quite often. It is tremendous, it has regenerated the

area. We come to watch from the other side of the canal. It is

amazing. It has been fantastic. A great achievement. A perfect place

for a family picnic. It has changed a lot. A few years ago it was a

building site. It is great. The Kelpies are amazing from the

outside and you can go inside, if you take a tour. This man has the

right idea. Is it a good view? Awesome. The project director has

been overwhelmed by the response. He gave his reaction to the opening

day. It has been positive. Everybody I have spoken to, it has met and

exceeded their expectations. My children will be brought up here,

and so will their children. The majority of local see that.

Annually, we would hope to get 350,000 people. If we have weather

like this today, I think we will smash that number. It is hoped they

will boost tourism spending by ?1.5 million each year. The Kelpies

originate from Scottish folklore and with the addition of these stunning

sculptures, they look to set their place in Scottish history.

They are quite something. It is so lovely to see sculptures that looked

like something rather than something from a scrap metal yard. You will be

on tour in Scotland. I think the band will want to go and see that.

Beautiful. 50 million people bought your album Journey To The Centre Of

The Earth. You do not want me to name them?! Initially, I read the

book. How old were you? About 14. My father had taken me to see Peter and

the Wolf and there was a story told to music and I fell in love with

it. I wanted to do that and when the opportunity came at the age of 24, I

thought now is the moment. I did not have the money to do it as I wanted

to, in a studio, and then do concerts, because it was expensive.

I mortgage the house and everything I had. We put it on... It was

performed three times, twice at the Royal Festival Hall and also at

Crystal Palace, and we recorded it live. That was the only way we could

get a recording. It was the London Symphony Orchestra, and my band.

David Hemmings narrated it. The major problem was when I rated it

was 55 minutes long but because of vinyl records, you could only get 36

minutes on them and I have to reduce it. The musical went missing. We did

a world tour. We played three shows in England. The musical went

missing. It was before computers. We did not play it for years. It turned

up seven years ago. The conductor's score, in terrible condition. But a

great friend managed to spend six months taking it apart and putting

it onto computer, which meant we could re-record it, put them missing

music on and the website went mad with people saying, take it on tour.

In a fit of madness I thought it was a good idea. We are doing 14 shows.

We will not do it again because it is ridiculous karting symphony

orchestras and choirs around. We can go back in time to 1975 and this is

you in Australia. I remember that. How much do you get

lost in the music? It is a motive to watch you. At my age, I get lost

every where! I had a wonderful music teacher who taught me from the age

of five. She taught me, you are immersed yourself like in a bubble

and you are totally unaware of everything when you do it. I think

actors do the same thing on stage. We have to talk about the hair and

the Cape. It was extreme. Where did you get the idea? It was not

deliberate. The head came courtesy of my piano professor at the Royal

College of music who complained to the principle that my hair was too

long. It was just touching my collar. Being rebellious, I decided

not to have it cut again. By the time I left the college. The Cape

came about because there was a review in America. It said that Rick

Wakeman had played well. But with his arms and legs, he looked like a

demented spider. I became aware of this. We played a show in America

and there was a DJ introducing the show, he was wearing a cape. He

turned round and he was huge, I thought, that covers up everything.

We were paid $200 a week. About ?50. I said I want to buy your cape. He

said it was not the cell. I said I have $200. And he said no. He looked

at the money and took it off and gave it to me. I went on and thought

it was the answer. And then I have made. We have some audience members

wearing capes. The tour begins this Thursday in Newcastle and goes

around the UK. Are you wearing a cape? I have two from the 1970s. It

is ending in Wales on the 10th of May. We will get a taster at the end

of the show. We have checked and around 40 melodies are mixed

together to make up the Journey To The Centre Of The Earth's 80 minutes

of music. The art of mixing melodies to create music has been around

longer than we think. Music defines a generation with the

40s having swing, the 1950s, skiffle, and the 90s gave birth to

the mash-up. The blending of more than one melody into something that

is more than the sum of its parts. Today a TV show has popularise the

form. Glee. But mash-up as a musical history. The German composer Bach

was a master of technical composition. What does his music

have to do with mash-up? I have one word, counterpoint, two distinct

melodies composed so they can be played somewhat tenuously. Before

counterpoint, Western music only had one melodic line, no matter how many

instruments and voices were used. You cannot play any two melodies and

expect them to work, they have to be composed so they blend. This is the

essence of counterpoint. The mathematical part of the brain

instantly gets counterpoint. There is something pleasing about the way

complex tunes fit together. Take the orchestral Suite number two in B

minor. First one melody. And then other compliments. Finally, another

melody -- accompaniment. And you add them together. Counterpoint's time

was almost up as the Barack era came to an end. It fell out of fashion to

be replaced by piano led music of the classical era. By the 20th

century there was musical theatre and composers looked the new musical

devices to express differing emotions of actors and they again

turn to counterpoint. Take this. The two characters express different

emotions and counterpoint helps to express that. 50 years on,

counterpoint is back in fashion in the form on the mash up. This is one

of the mash up's biggest exponents. This is Drop The Pressure which

sounds like this in its normal form. Nice baseline. Exactly, and it

leaves some space to go over the top of it, like this song by Gloria

Estefan. I can hear the similarity! Mash ups are made of two parts but

let's see what they sound like together. They are fighting with

each other but the result is really lovely to listen to. It is like a

live DJ mix but more sophisticated in the way it is put together,

seamlessly in the computer. My challenge is to see whether I can

get some Bach into a modern mash up so I have taken some Daft Punk riffs

and mashed them with Bach. What do you think to my track?

Wicked. Did you dance to it? Of course I danced to it. Even stuff

100 years ago, we can mash it up? Definitely, as long as it has a good

beat to it. I'm sure Bach would be pleased the principles of

counterpoint are still relevant today.

In saying wicked, it is slightly wrong. As we mentioned earlier on,

those folk over there, they cranked us during the rehearsals, can you

believe it? They got us hook line and sinker,

but that's because they do it for a living. I just got through to the

final round and by tomorrow I could be crowned the UK's top male pole

dancer. How do you spell pole dancer? Is it one L or two? Keep

looking at the top of the building. You have a great profile. Would you

like to see it? Put your glasses on. How about that? I think it

really captures the raw essence of you. Thank you, I am glad you are

happy with that. Seb and Rosie are here now. Lovely to see you. That

was last week, so you are huge fan. I love Charlie under the car,

brilliant! The whole concept of the programme is to prank people who are

younger than you. You have grandchildren as well. Yes, they

will take anything you throw at them. They throw more things at us

but they are such lovely people. If you need help, they really do want

to help you. You should know better! Rosemary and Seb, you came

in yesterday, didn't you, and this is what happened. They got us.

Perfect! Lovely! is what happened. They got us.

to say, rosemary, please make me the happiest man of my life. You are so

sweet. You know I don't want to get married. You have a jolly good thing

going physically anyway, we don't want any more. Tell you what, let's

go home and I will cook you want any more. Tell you what, let's

favourite fish pie and then we will have an early night. That would be

nice. That is not serious, is it? Did that actually happen? It

nice. That is not serious, is it? actually happen. Anyway, let's crack

on with rehearsals. We aren't from Off Their Rockers and we have got

you! It was very strange, wasn't it? Yes,

we thought, gosh they were so convincing! What is your background

then? Are you actors? Yes, we are. Three clowns! Rosemary, you were

telling us about a brilliant clip on the show next Sunday. I have

supposedly taken a dog for the walk in the woods but I mustn't

supposedly taken a dog for the walk anybody it is a dog so I say I

supposedly taken a dog for the walk taken my pet for a walk. My pet has

supposedly taken a dog for the walk run into the bushes, and I say that

I am so tired, and can you help me? This is what happens next. Good

boy! At last! William! This is William. Amazing. What about that,

Rick? Absolutely brilliant, and you can see Off Their Rockers on ITV at

7:30pm on Sunday. Technology is everywhere these days.

You can control your central heating with a smartphone, you can even buy

cars that parked themselves. I need one of those. But there is one place

you don't expect to see it, that is until now. This is one of England's

oldest municipal graveyards, a until now. This is one of England's

be told. It is all here. Wars, epidemics and catastrophes, the

lives of ordinary people. The information on the gravestones is

tantalising but the me it is never enough. But now we can learn more

because here, smartphone technology enough. But now we can learn more

is being used to bring history back enough. But now we can learn more

to life. This is ordinarily found in magazines and adverts. You scan them

with your smartphone, usually to take advantage of an irresistible

offer, but in this instance it is take advantage of an irresistible

for something far more meaningful. A special app can tell you all you

need to know about the late Henry Whit. He was a fireman on the

Titanic. Suddenly, Henry becomes more than just a name on a

Titanic. Suddenly, Henry becomes You get a sense of the living man

and what he did. Just a single click can give you information, and it

will let future generations know who their ancestors were. Mr Davies has

secured one of these on this grave. Scanning it takes people to a

website filled with material about his father's exploits during the

war, much of it recounted by the man himself. My father achieved such a

lot and experienced such a lot in life that using this website and the

code, I can basically share life that using this website and the

story with many other people. Dorset life that using this website and the

-based funeral director Stephen was one of the first in the UK to offer

one of these codes. His firm has made around 100 in the past 18

months, but with it costing up to ?275 for technology that

months, but with it costing up to be outdated, and they anything more

than a high-tech gimmick? In be outdated, and they anything more

years' time, these things might be outdated, and they anything more

redundant and we will have gravestones dotted with

redundant and we will have default codes. This is the

technology at the moment. Equally, we will keep up with the technology

and if necessary these are removable and we can replace them. For Niki

Hastings, the idea of creating a living memorial has a particular

Hastings, the idea of creating a resonance. You are thinking of

putting together one resonance. You are thinking of

interactive memorials but it is not for a friend or relative, is it?

No, it is for myself. I was diagnosed with breast cancer years

ago, and at the time they said I had diagnosed with breast cancer years

only months to live but I am diagnosed with breast cancer years

really well. Eventually what do you think your

really well. Eventually what do you this thing? I think it is a

permanent memorial written down all about my life and

my memories so that they know about written down all about my life and

mummy if I am not around to tell them those things, and

mummy if I am not around to tell are just an extension of that. It is

mummy if I am not around to tell a piece of social history really,

isn't it? Her children are now just a piece of social history really,

seven and nine, she hopes they and future generations will be able to

seven and nine, she hopes they and scan the code while

seven and nine, she hopes they and the special videos on her memorial

website. I think it is a nice way of the special videos on her memorial

future generations being able the special videos on her memorial

what great grandma looked like, to hear my voice and see my mannerisms.

And just to be able to remember you. It is this idea of a virtual

And just to be able to remember you. that could make these codes more

And just to be able to remember you. than just

And just to be able to remember you. link not just to a website but a

connection between one and another. Initially I was sceptical about that

but having seen that... Oh, the first time that has gone to

technology! You were saying you remember your father with an old

piano? Yes, he was a great piano player and when he died I inherited

his piano, which is an 1899 upright piano which I love to bits. I have

had a restored. I play it every day, I have a picture of my

had a restored. I play it every day, top. I remember him playing it

vividly, and my mum singing. I remember him playing it more than

vividly, and my mum singing. I mum singing! It was a great

encouragement to me. What a lovely tribute. Earlier on we asked for

pictures of you pranking your friends and family. We have got a

lot as you can imagine. Daniel covered his friend's car in cling

film! Five-year-old Trent did this to his big sister who fell asleep

film! Five-year-old Trent did this after a glass of wine. These people

used their jet-lagged father's head as a table. We are in for a treat, I

have been looking forward to this as a table. We are in for a treat, I

all afternoon. We heard you tickling the ivories as you came in this

all afternoon. We heard you tickling afternoon and now you are going to

play us out, aren't you? From his Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

tour, which continues Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

UK until the 10th of May, it is Rick Wakeman with his version of the

Beatles track Eleanor Rigby. You've become an Eeyore.

And you've got to be a Tigger.