Many of you might have seen this video of Leonard Nimoy doing a psychedelically choreographed musical number along with what looks like a combination of Charlie’s Angels casting rejects and unsold Sears alternative activewear. Based on dress, style and the structural integrity of Leonard himself this looks like it was made in the 1960’s, not that anybody is going to doubt that. While it’s obvious that this dynamic alliteration can, at least indirectly, be blamed on Timothy Leary, I still have trouble picturing the precise sequence of events that made it possible for me to enjoy that, today, in the year 2006.
It must have been on television, or at least intended for television. I want to know what the story is. How did Leonard Nimoy wind up doing that? What show was this on? Is there more, did he do more? Please tell me there is more! What’s with the buttons, they are very hard to discern but one says “Hobbits Unite” and the other “Leonard Nimoy <…> U.N. <…>” which I hope says “Leonard Nimoy for General Secretary of the U.N.” because that’s one campaign I can get behind.
One of the objects that flies up from behind the hill whilst Bilbo’s heroics are being detailed looks suspiciously like an unconscious Mickey Rooney, is that him, and if so, is he being tossed by Annette Funicello?
Can’t remember where, but I remember reading something about the video a few months back. Basic gist was that during Spock’s short-lived music career (during the same few years he was making TOS) he released a few albums, one of which had “The Ballad” on it. He appeared some TV show or other to promote it, and filmed the video for that appearence.
Indeed Nimoy himself was known to do a little LDS from time to time
It’s a video from his album “The two sides of Leonard Nimoy”. One side was songs done as if Spock wrote them and the other side was just songs by Leonard Nimoy.
The music video of “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” was made for the ABC summer replacement show Malibu U. (1967), which showcased music acts. Sort of like the MTV beach parties.
You can get this song on Napster! They have an album called Spaced Out – The Best of Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner that has this song and several others. Let’s just say that there’s a reason these guys aren’t remembered along with Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney I’m still tempted to buy the album, however, just for novelty value.
Oh, I forgot to explain the back story of why a song about Bilbo Baggins in 1967. The first (unauthorized) paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings was published in America in 1965, and became a bestseller among the campus crowd, selling a half million copies. And the paperback edition of The Hobbit went through 60 printings by 1976.
The badges worn in the video say “What’s a HOBBIT?”, “What’s a LEONARD NIMOY?”, “Frodo LIVES”, “Hobbits UNITE”, and “Admit LEONARD NIMOY to the U.N.” *
Historical context: From 1965 to 1971, the U.N. voted on several proposals on whether to admit the People’s Republic of China to the U.N. General Assembly, in place of The Republic of China (Taiwan).
