Going Gooding at Kalk Bay Theatre

Do you remember “Rugby, Braaivleis, Sunny-skies & Chevrolet” ? “Squad Cars” ? That the next best thing to a Lexington was another Lexington; Scope magazine ? Taking its name from Malcolm Gooding’s late-night rock music show which ran from 1968 to 1974 on SABC’s English Service, which boasted one of the highest listenerships in the station’s history and introduced South Africa to the music of the youth revolution: The Who, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Led Zeppelin, the piecetakes audiences on an uproarious ride through a bygone era of radio broadcasting hosted by the “voice of South Africa”.

Malcolm’s career in broadcasting intersected with the likes of Charles Fortune, Colin du Plessis, Pat Kerr and Brian O’Shaughnessy. He uses his golden voice, as well as his incredible gift for mimicry, to play these characters, and dozens of others, capturing the essence of a lost era: it’s packed with laughs, sprinkled with nostalgia, and leavened with the wisdom that comes with perspective.

Malcolm Gooding grew up in Vereeniging and Germiston, and it was on the insistence of his Welsh mother that he attended elocution classes. After succumbing to the temptations of university life, he dropped out and joined Nedbank for a stint, before trying out at the SABC. Such was his rise that within a year he had his own show. Malcolm’s contemporary music show, ‘Going Gooding’, coincided with the Youth Revolution, a revolution that was expressed so often (and so lyrically) in the music of the day. It was Malcolm’s good fortune to be able to select his own songs and provide the sound-track to the lives of a generation of young South Africans. In 1968 Malcolm began another important stint – this time as the narrator to Squad Cars, that iconic Springbok Radio serial about police cars that “Prowl the empty streets at night”. Squad Cars finally came to an end in 1984. In 1973 Malcolm left the SABC to pursue a freelance career. His voice, described as, “a blend of fine sand and smooth English marmalade” – was considered to have, “The right stamp of authority – with just a hint of seduction.” As Malcolm jokes, “I have done every soap commercial on the market. There was a time, just after TV started, when I was seen as being the right voice for the lady’s boudoir.” One reviewer at the time noted, “When he talks about toilet cleaner being ‘thick and green and clean’, he makes it sound like maple syrup.” With the advent of television Malcolm was the obvious choice to host the first variety show, Good Vibrations, which flighted every Saturday night. He also continued to voice documentaries; and discussion and magazine programmes. Meanwhile his flexible schedule allowed him to take care of unfinished business and he completed his degree through Unisa; acquiring a BA Honours in history. Malcolm still makes a living by voicing radio and television commercials, as well as narrating a variety of documentaries for channels such as Discovery, National Geographic and SuperSport. His incredible voice, as well as his charming and cheerful demeanour, makes him a ‘go-to man’ in the voice industry. Not for nothing do studio engineers, and creative directors, sometimes refer to him as Malcolm Good-thing.History is one of Malcolm’s hobbies, and particularly the confusing and convoluted history of his beloved country, South Africa.