Before Tracey Ullman went to
America and became
famous she was
reasonably well-known in her native
Britain. As a
presenter on the alternative/new-wave
comedy programme
"
Three of a Kind" in the late
70s/early
80s she stood out
as one of the few members of the new wave of
alternative comics from that
time who was neither
male nor an ex-student.
Tracey then toyed with the idea of becoming a pop sensation,
releasing "They Don't Know About Us" penned by Kirsty MacColl and
culminating
in her release of "My Guy", a cover of Madness' "My Girl". Notably
chiefly for the fact that the video featured a cameo appearance by
Neil Kinnock, who was at the time leader of the Labour Party, Tracey
quickly realised that realism had to triumph over humiliation and
promptly stopped subjecting the world to her vocal talents. Or so we
thought.
As far as us Brits were concerned she disappeared completely without
explanation. Abducted by aliens? Assassinated by music lovers? Joined
the Labour Party? Nobody knew, she just suddenly ... wasn't there any more.
And then about ten years later, as part of Channel 5s drive to produce
TV at the lowest possible cost, a US import appeared called ...
The Tracey Ullman Show. Was it ... could it be ... that our Tracey had
not only crossed the pond but become a success? Apparently so, and the rest,
as everybody knows, is history. Well perhaps not, but maybe I should leave
it to someone who knows more than I about her life since 1985
to fill in the gaps.