Does Humor Belong In Music 2?

Following on from my previous blog and with reference to Listen With Sarah in particular, checking out Sarah’s My Space site reveals a bewildering list of influences and amongst them are The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The Bonzo’s are not only one of the most underrated groups the UK has ever produced but they also hold the distinction of containing within their line-up at least one bona-fide genius, Vivian Stanshall (below)

Now I freely admit that the word "genius" is much over-used being, in my opinion, a biased superlative that is frequently trumpeted by both critics and fans searching for that final word when attempting to describe someone’s talent - consequently it tends to be thrown at people who do not merit the tag. In Stanshall’s case, it fits a little awkwardly as he never really reached his true potential but during those moments when he did, he was one of the most inventive & inspired men on the planet. The Bonzo’s surreal sense of humour ran parallel with the Monty Python crew for a short while, though the Bonzo’s got their first. Indeed returning to that television “Twilight Zone” mentioned in the previous post, I was first introduced to the band as a slightly bewildered 10 year-old, via the “Do Not Adjust Your Set” TV programme in the late 60’s that also included the pre-Python talents of Messrs Idle, Palin & Jones. I still have somewhat dim but precious memories of The Bonzo's definitive live version of “Canyons Of Your Mind” being performed on this program. Neil Innes’ dazzlingly bad guitar solo is so hot that sparks fly from his guitar as Stanshall kneels before him in mock awe. The band’s other ace-in-the-hole was Innes, a songwriter with enough talent to have survived easily in any “conventional” group but whose ability for pastiche eventually reached it’s peak in The Rutles, another Python spin-off. The Bonzo’s are remembered best in this country for “I’m The Urban Spaceman” a typically catchy Innes tune produced by one Apollo C.Vermouth (a.k.a. Paul McCartney) which hit the Top 10 in 1968. But on record they were a little erratic particularly during the latter part of their career and were far better served by live performance primarily as they were arguably more entertaining visually than musically and vinyl was never able to capture their manic stage performances.

The Bonzos have reconvened for a 40th Anniversary UK Tour after a successful one-off concert last year and even though Stanshall is sadly no longer with us and I’m not one for trips down memory lane, I nevertheless witnessed their performance in all it's madcap glory @ The Colston Hall, Bristol on the 7th November.

Whilst no longer the dangerous young men of the swinging 60's - at times I found their humour to be stale and terribly old-fashioned, there were still enough moments of nuttiness to endear you to these crazy old codgers. Stanshall's absence unsurprisingly created a sizable hole that the likes of Ade Edmondson and Phill Jupitus found impossible to fill, but the band - augmented by a couple of young whipper-snappers - were marshalled well by Innes & Rodney Slater and considering that some of these guys have reached retirement age, you couldn't deny them an opportunity to bask in some much deserved back-dated glory.



THE BONZO DOG BAND - Mr.Apollo (1969)