Fame and feuds
In June 1956, Spike and Peter Sellers had a hit record
with "I'm Walking Backwards for Christmas".
Spike then released "The Ying Tong Song" with
a Sellers solo, "Bloodnok's Rock'n'Roll".
It reached number three on the charts.
In 1979, Peter Sellers was nominated for an Oscar for "Being
There" but didn't win. Spike gloated about this
live on radio and Peter was furious. The feud went on for
months.
Both Michael Sellers and Jane Milligan believe that their
fathers were as famous as The Beatles in the 60s.
"These guys got really famous and they ended up hating
it. They loved hating it as well," said Jane Milligan.
Michael Sellers says, "My dad [wanted to be famous].
He didn't want to be ordinary. According to people
I've spoken to the one thing he never wanted to be
was ordinary. He always wanted to be special and this was
his way to be special. It brought in the money and the acclaim.
You couldn't walk down a street with him, he could
never go anywhere. If you wanted to get anywhere on time,
you'd go in a car. If you walk you're not going
to get there in time."
Michael adds that he didn't enjoy his father's
fame, because it meant not getting to the toy shop on time.
"We went to Hamley's to buy toys, usually for
him not for me, but there you go. I'd get to watch,
but you used to be interrupted by these people and just
want to say, 'Please, just go away. We're just shopping.'"
When the Goon Show ended, Peter Sellers went to Hollywood
and Spike Milligan went to Woy Woy.
Later in his life, Spike feared he would only be remembered
for the Goon Show, but this didn't mean he disliked
his early work.
"I don't think Spike hated 'The Goons' any more than
my dad did because they knew it was their passage here,
apart from anything else, and it epitomised everything they
felt about the world," says Michael Sellers.
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