Fred Dagg & Friends “Don’t Know How Lucky We Are”

1998-freg-dagg-dont-know-how-lucky-we-areFred Dagg aka John Clarke teamed up with an all-star cast and revisited his classic ditty for the children’s charity Books In Homes.

The video is based around Fred addressing the United Nations, letting the whole world know just how fortunate indeed New Zealand is. While he speaks, all around the country people are tuned in to watch his monumental broadcast. That’s people massive ’90s celebrities such as Petra, Jon and Nathan from Ice TV (in their lounge), Zinzan Brooke (at an airport), Richard Prebble (outside the Beehive), Bill Ralston (on Pondonby Road) and Opposition Leader Helen Clark (in her kitchen; don’t worry Helen, in two years’ time you’ll be Prime Minister).

There are also a few people I don’t recognise. They look like they should be famoush-ish, but time has not been kind to their legacy. There’s also some anonymous talent lurking in the song. Kiwihits notes that Neil Finn, Eddie Rayner, Dave Dobbyn and Graeme Hill played on the song, and it’s clear someone’s having fun with the guitar solo.

As far as being an informal national anthem goes, the song has a timeless quality. The comfort of knowing that when sometimes things seem a bit shit ’round here, it’s still not really all that bad.

But the video serves as a time capsule of the late ’90s, when Pam Corkey and Richard Prebble were popular politicians in popular political parties, when Sports Cafe was hilarious television, when Sean Fitzpatrick and Richard Hadlee were ubiquitous sporting legends, and when Kiwiana teatowels had not yet achieved retro cool.

Best bit: Helen’s awkward auntie dance. Get out of the kitchen and get into the Beehive, Hel.

Next… oil-up and strike a pose.