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Posted on 05/10/2005 9:00:59 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John
First came Paul vs. John, which begat Dirk vs. Nasty, which begat Eric vs. Neil.
Monty Python member Eric Idle and comedic songwriter Neil Innes were the close friends and collaborators who created the Rutles three decades ago as a parody of the Beatles -- a very popular band, you may recall, whose bitter breakup left close friends/collaborators Paul McCartney and John Lennon at each others' throats.
In the wake of the recently released straight-to-DVD "The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch," Idle, who plays McCartney stand-in Dirk McQuickly, and Innes, who plays Lennon stand-in Ron Nasty and wrote the Rutles' dead-on parody songs, are going at it.
"Neil is a clever and gifted singer and song-writer who's determined to be a failure, and his determination succeeds," volleyed Idle, who wrote and co-directed the 1978 NBC special "All You Need Is Cash" and made a virtual solo project out of the new sequel.
Innes, who tends to be more restrained in his rhetoric, returned, "I look at it all with some kind of amusement because I'm not showbizy and I think probably Eric is, and if people want to be possessive and don't want to share their toys in the sandpit, I couldn't care less."
George Harrison, friend to both Idle and Innes, and British-born humorist Martin Lewis, who has helped produce various projects involving the Beatles and Rutles, couldn't help but notice the parallels.
"The word 'irony' can be certainly applied to the fact that some of the problems that manifested themselves within the Beatles' personal relationships also manifest themselves in the Rutles' personal relationships," Lewis said. "The person who found it most amusing was George Harrison, who said, 'You're supposed to be sending us up. You're not supposed to be emulating us.'
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
It doesn't sound like its very good. I have heard the name before, but have never heard or seen them before. Is the first dvd worth checking out?
The original show, on DVD, is wonderful, especially if you know the Beatles' story. The Rutles' Beatle-like music is great parody and yet very good in its own right. The original All You Need Is Cash is a classic, and it would be tough to equal it, but I still can't resist trying to see this sequel.
Sounds more like it is a remake of Derek & Clive Get The Horn. A film you can find on DVD in England starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore at each other's throats making a final comedy recording.
The CD they put out a number of years back, Archeology, is worth checking out. I don't know about this DVD.
Innes is the only Rutles member to appear in a Beatles' film project (Magical Mystery Tour).
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"All you need is cash" is great! Several old school SNL'ers have bit roles. Like John Belushi and Gilda Radner.
I'll ck out the new DVD.
I actually saw the original Rutles show when it aired in prime time back in the 70's. It literally was the lowest-rated network show that week. Ironically, it is probably more remembered (and viewed on DVD) than most of the other shows that beat it in the ratings that week!
And George Harrison was the only Beatle to appear in the Rutles film.
George Harrison as Eric Manchester, reporting on the financial chaos at "Rutles Corps." Note the logo in the upper right hand corner.
The Rutles TV movie, "All You Need is Cash," is brilliant.
Lots of Python-esque humor. So if you're a Beatles fan and a Python fan, it's a must have.
George with Michael Palin.
I came in late and then fell asleep. I did go out and buy the album though.
That should have aired more often but with low ratings, the network obviously never gave it a second chance.
To clarrify, I remember when it was broadcast and I caught only a small part of it even though I liked what I saw.
FWIW, I still have not even watched the video of the first one.
It's been on my "to do" list for years.
"All You Need is Cash" was the prototype for "This is Spinal Tap". There are a lot of details that a Beatles' junkie will get right away, but even if you're not, it was a brilliant piece of comedy and original music ahead of its time.
Revolution's in the air
I'm dancing in my underwear because I don't care.
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