Australian comedian Adam Hills has opened up about the Spicks and Specks question that destroyed his friendship with Men At Work frontman Colin Hay.
In 2007, the ABC host, 53, asked the show’s contestants: ‘what children’s song is contained in the iconic song Down Under?’ with the correct answer being Kookaburra, written in 1932 by Marion Sinclair.
Two years after the episode aired, Larrikin Music, who own the rights to the nursery rhyme, took legal action against Men at Work’s Colin Hay, 70, and Ron Strykert, 66.
Larrikin Music claimed the main flute riff was reproduced in the Men at Work 1981 song Down Under.
Songwriters Hay and Strykert strongly denied the claims.
Australian comedian Adam Hills, 53, (pictured) has opened up about the Spicks and Specks question that destroyed his friendship with Men At Work frontman Colin Hay
The Federal Court copyright trial ruled in favour of Larrikin Music.
And now Hills has opened up about how the saga damaged his close friendship with Hay.
‘I house-sat for him in LA for a month when I was over there in about 2005 and then I rented his apartment in Melbourne. I drove his car around for a while. We were actually quite close,’ he told TV Tonight.
‘It all got weird between us, because he knew it wasn’t my fault that we asked a question about Down Under,’ said Hills.
In 2007, the ABC host, 53, asked the shows contestants: ‘what children’s song is contained in the iconic song ‘Down Under?’, the answer ‘Kookaburra’ resulted in Larrikin Music, who own the rights to the 1932 nursery rhyme, taking legal action against Men at Work’s Colin Hay, 70, and Ron Strykert, 66
‘I house-sat for him in LA for a month when I was over there in about 2005 and then I rented his apartment in Melbourne. I drove his car around for a while. We were actually quite close,’ Hills told TV Tonight. Colin Hay pictured
Hills revealed the pair no longer speak after things turned ‘sour’ and ‘weird’.
However he insists there are no hard feeling between the two.
‘I haven’t spoken to Colin for ages. I don’t think there’s hate there, but there’s definitely weirdness.
‘I think a lot of Men at Work fans hated me.
I got a lot of pretty abusive stuff on Facebook,’ Hills claimed.
Adam returns alongside team leaders Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough for a new season of Spicks and Specks on June 9.
Hills revealed the pair no longer speak after things turned ‘sour’ and ‘weird’, however, there are no hard feeling between the two. Men at Work pictured
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