Even the Beatles had “humorous” songs. Do you not see the difference between the Monkees catalog vs The Rutles or Spinal Tap? It’s almost as though the producers considered them an actual band rather than a joke.
Okay, this one is embarrassing but after fifty years I guess I must come clean.
I’ve watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail a number of times. And I’ve watched the show and their other movies repeatedly as well. And I am aware that the six members of the group played multiple roles in the movie.
But somehow I never recognized that Prince Herbert was played by Terry Jones.
But did Davey learn to play the tambourine after he became a Monkee?
I had to look it up several years ago on IMDb, because I just couldn’t connect Herbert to Trrry Jones.
It wasn’t just you.
I was giving myself an out by implying I finally “realized” it.
I didn’t.
Like you, I learned it was Jones when I looked it up to find out who played the character.
I need a thread for “Obvious things about a creative work you don’t figure out even after the millionth time”.
I have the same question regarding “Auntie Grizelda.”
That thought actually occurred to me. If so I assume he was a quick learner.
It didn’t really occur to me until recently that Sam Lowry really was guilty of all the charges leveled at him at the end of Brazil. Granted, Mr. Kurtzman tricked Sam into forging his name on the refund check. And Sam was kind of forced to accept Tuttles air conditioning repair work. And it was the child vandals that destroyed his personal transport. But Sam tried to throw himself fully into rebellion once he got into Jills truck. The ministry was fully justified for questioning him. But of course, the means used by Information Retrieval were still horrifying.
And it just occurred to me that Central Services personnel showed up like 1 minute after Tuttle. So Sam was actually receiving pretty prompt service. Badgering them for a 27b-6 would have been totally unnecessary (and would have avoided the long-term consequences) if Tuttle had been a minute later.
I had a similar revelation re: Life of Brian when I learned that Matthias the stoning victim is meant to be the same character who shows up later as a member of the People’s Front of Judea and pretends to be an old man while the centurions are searching their headquarters. (He’s played by John Young - a.k.a. the historian from Holy Grail.)
I think the scene you’re referring to is only on the European release. I’ve only seen it once, but I recall it’s from Sam’s POV; the flap covering his face and eyes is pulled back, and someone reads a list of charges, then it’s closed. Then opened again, and some is discussing options for how he can pay for his interrogation. I think there’s one other person he sees, too, but I can’t remember who.
Is that the scene you’re thinking of, Hypno-Toad?
In a similar vein Winston Smith in 1984 really is guilty of being a traitor, a rebel and a would-be terrorist, excuses not withstanding. O’Brien spells out that the Thought Police don’t like to make martyrs and so cultivate wretches like Smith as genuinely deserving of vaporization.
Er, in what sense is Drizz’t Do’Urden a gnoll hunter? He’s not a gnoll himself, and while he’s almost certainly fought them in one or more of the stories about him, I don’t recall it ever being his primary focus.
Weren’t gnolls his favored enemy?
I always thought his favored enemy was other drow.
It’s been decades since I read the books, but gnolls only show up once in his online biography. His online stats from 3rd edition onwards show “goblinoids” as his primary favored enemy, which I don’t think includes gnolls.
Does an icon count as a creative work? I’ve had Lewis Black’s website open in one of my browser tabs all day. I only just now realized that the little icon in that tab is hand with its middle finger raised. That is on brand for Lewis Black.
Favicon.
So, a scant handful of slightly amusing songs out of over 120 negates my point that, musically, the Monkees were not a joke band? Largely written by the top song writers of the time and recorded by the Wrecking Crew, they are legit songs rather than pastiches and parodies that would have been the obvious soundtrack to a wacky comedy show. I dunno. I thought it interesting.
Nah, doesn’t negate your point. I lazily misread your statement and was being nitpicky.
I have to say I never thought much about this, just took the overall quality of the music for granted, but you’re right. And it is interesting.
Edit: In fact I watched maybe two episodes ever, considered the TV show dispensible. (Despite Mickey’s being funny.)
During Robin Williams’s first broadcast in Good Morning, Vietnam, he starts his first record on the wrong speed. It’s too slow. So then he intentionally plays it too fast, then imitates playing it backwards, making sounds like a record being played backwards while interspersing that with “Freddy is the devil.”
I always assumed that it was just a name that Robin Williams threw in there while he was ad-libbing.
It wasn’t until my most recent viewing that it clicked: the record he was going to play that started all of the improving was by Freddy & the Dreamers.
This I did not know. Hah.