I have always heard the title “The Beatles of Comedy” bestowed upon Monty Python’s Flying Circus. This article: http://www.latimes.com/theguide/events-and-festivals/la-et-guidefeature8-2009oct08,0,7878256.story says it was first given to The Firesign Theatre. I’m so confused!
After much thought, I would give it Python. How about you?
George Harrison said he felt as though the bands’ spirit lived on in the Pythons, and funded Life of Brian. The article says the US Library of Congress called the Firesign Theatre the Beatles of Comedy.
He may not have used the exact phrase, but I’ll go with the actual Beatle.
Despite personally believing that Firesign Theatre is funnier and more innovative, Python definately was far more influential.
So I would give the prize to Monty Python.
It would seem the Beatles of Comedy would have to be universally popular as well as talented. MP is a niche. I cannot think of anyone that qualifies.
Here’s the test. Does anybody call a group “The Pythons of _______”? or “The Firesign Theater of _______”?
Yeah, I didn’t think so. Although plenty of groups have been compared to both.
Personally, I find that the Pythons are the Rutles of Comedy and that the Beatles are the Rutles of Music. Dirk, Stig, Nasty and Barry. The Pre-Fab Four.
That’s the Monkees!
… third base.
garygnu writes:
> The article says the US Library of Congress called the Firesign Theatre the
> Beatles of Comedy.
Note that that was said in 1970. At that point Monty Python had only been around for a year and was unknown in the U.S. They weren’t comparing Firesign Theater and Monty Python to determine which was the best.
Firesign was more like the Grateful Dead of comedy. Sold like crap, but its fans are quite devoted.
I’ve never heard of Firesign Theater. A quick trip to Wikipedia and I’m none the wiser. I’d say I’m pretty on the ball with these things so, would I be right in saying they are more an American thing? Did they really cross over to the global scene?
Cross over to the global scene?
I didn’t think they crossed over state lines…
They’re no fun. They fall right over.
It was probably a stateside thing: three or four absolutely hilarious record albums that were highly innovative and filled with multiple levels of meaning. Back in the 70s, people quoted them as much if not more than the quoted Monty Python a few years later. I knew people who, when fed the line, “Wait a minute, Danger. What about my pickle?” could go on and do the rest of the side of the album, then warp back to the start.
The innovation was amazing. In one album, a character orders “A pizza to go, and no anchovies.” On another, you hear the other side of the conversation. Someone repeats a line from the the other side of the record, and checks – and you hear the other side of the record, playing backwards. It was filled with non sequitur and absurdist humor that went even further than Python at its best.
If you could track down, “The Further Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye,” it’s a good place to start (not necessarily their best, but probably their best entry point).
“I want to order a pizza to go, and no anchovies.”
No Anchovies??? You got the wrong guy. I spell my name DANGER!..
Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers gains something over time. It’s one for the first comedy concept albums. It doesn’t spoon-feed the laughs to you; you have to meet these guys more than halfway.
Hard to compare the two. I think Python was always meant to be a visual (i.e., you actually watched the players perform) entity. Firesign Theater was meant to be presented on radio, and then LP from the get-go. This distinguished Firesign from all other comedy albums up to that point. Until Firesign, a comedy album was essentially a stage show that had been recorded. Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, all released comedy albums in this vein. As brilliant as those albums were, hafter listening to them a half-dozen or so times, there was nothing left to be mined from them. Firesign Theater were totally unique in that their albums can stand up to dozens of listenings, or even more, since the LP was the meduim for which their material was conceived.
In 1966, the Beatles decided to give up touring to contentrate on recorded material that could never be reproduceded in a concert setting. Thus, we had Sergeant Pepper’s. I think the Beatles may have been the first popular group the eschew live appearances as a way to sell albums, and albums being used to support concert tours.
In that context, I think the comparison with Firesign Theater is most appropriate, in that they both did groundbreaking work solely within the context of the LP.
I saw Procter and Bergman on stage in '75, I think it was. They were very funny, but couldn’t begin to approach what the Firesign Theater did on record. While Firesign did radio shows, I don’t think they actually ever took the show on the road and toured.
Not really. Several years later, the #1 best selling album (ANY album, not just comedy album) was Vaughn Meader’s The First Family, which was essentially a series of radio skits, created just for the LP format. Meader’s career completely collapsed on November 22, 1963, of course.
Absolutely true. Firesign filled their records with so many jokes that you often didn’t get them all, even after dozens of listenings.
They seem to be touring now.
“Welcome to side six. Follow in your books and repeat after me as we learn three new words in Turkish. Taffy . . . . towel . . … border. May I see your passport, please?”
Excellent point - I’d forgotten about The First Family
A. It’s “book” not “books”
B. It’s “towel”… “bath”… “border".
What next “You’re all Clarabelle’s on that train.”?
Stop singing and finish your homework.
“Later”?