In the TV show Action! (now being re-run by Trio as part of it’s “Brilliant but Canceled” series) the theme song talks about “worms & gnomes”- clearly as some sort of Hollywood personalities. What do they refer to?
Since this is about a song, I’ll move this thread to Cafe Society.
The song is “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”, by the great, soon-to-be-departed Warren Zevon. With instrumentals by REM.
I think the ‘worms and the gnomes’ are the suits and wanna-be’s in hollywood. Agents, lawyers, “production assistants” who aren’t, etc. Basically, the people who get by on connections instead of talent. Here’s the relevent verse, bookended by other verses to give it context:
He wants twenty percent
'Cause he knew you back when
Now they all want a piece if the band
Everybody’s trying to be a friend of mine
Even a dog can shake hands
All the worms and the gnomes are having lunch at Le Dome
They’re all living off the fat of the land
Everbody’s trying to be a friend of mine
Even a dog can shake hands
Sign Page 42
We’ll do the rest for you
Find a way to make it pay
Don’t lose your head
You’ll end up dead
Or you’ll be living in the valley some day
*
That should be “piece OF the band”.
The general idea is that it’s very tough to make it in show biz, and no one wants to have anything to do with you. Until you make it big. Then the weasels come out of the woodwork and try to get a piece of the action.