Post by Euan Buchan on May 14, 2006 12:40:10 GMT -5
Neil Innes never dreamed mankind would best remember him as one of the Rutles.
"It's still a source of pride in my household that when it first aired on NBC (in 1978), it was among the lowest-rated shows in the history of primetime TV," Innes said this week. "But who remembers the episode of Charlie's Angels that killed the Rutles in the ratings that night?
"It really has become an unofficial biography of the Beatles."
Innes was one of the masterminds behind All You Need Is Cash, a mockumentary about a fictional group called the Rutles that obviously was based upon the Beatles. Innes wrote the songs and played the John Lennon-inspired Ron Nasty.
Innes, 61, will be playing a few Rutles tunes tonight, as well as some numbers from his years with Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, when he takes the stage at the St. Lawrence Centre's Jane Mallett Theatre.
"You'll either cry with laughter, or just cry and laugh about it later," Innes said when asked what fans can expect.
Innes' three-piece band is in the midst of a quickie, five-city Canadian tour.
"It's not about making money at this point," Innes said. "We're just having a great time doing this. The show is a mixture of a lot of things.
"When I was getting questioned at Canadian customs, I was asked, 'What kind of music do you play?' And I had to say, 'I don't know.' "
The Rutles project is one of those rare satiric endeavours that has been embraced by fans of the act being lamthingyed. Many Beatlemaniacs have line-by-line knowledge of All You Need Is Cash, even though one of the stars -- Monty Python's Eric Idle -- has expressed puzzlement over the continued fascination.
"I thought it would be cheap and cheerful to do a send-up of A Hard Day's Night (for British TV)," Innes recalled. "Then the next thing you know, Eric (Idle) hosts Saturday Night Live, they play a clip of what we had done, it's well-received and (SNL guru) Lorne Michaels gets involved in the full deal.
"But it wouldn't have been anything without George Harrison (who had many partnerships with the Python crew and also played a TV reporter in All You Need Is Cash). George was the one who got Mick Jagger and Paul Simon involved. George really wanted it to happen."
Tickets for Innes' show tonight are available by phone at 416-366-7723 and 1-800-708-6754, or online at stlc.com.
"It's still a source of pride in my household that when it first aired on NBC (in 1978), it was among the lowest-rated shows in the history of primetime TV," Innes said this week. "But who remembers the episode of Charlie's Angels that killed the Rutles in the ratings that night?
"It really has become an unofficial biography of the Beatles."
Innes was one of the masterminds behind All You Need Is Cash, a mockumentary about a fictional group called the Rutles that obviously was based upon the Beatles. Innes wrote the songs and played the John Lennon-inspired Ron Nasty.
Innes, 61, will be playing a few Rutles tunes tonight, as well as some numbers from his years with Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, when he takes the stage at the St. Lawrence Centre's Jane Mallett Theatre.
"You'll either cry with laughter, or just cry and laugh about it later," Innes said when asked what fans can expect.
Innes' three-piece band is in the midst of a quickie, five-city Canadian tour.
"It's not about making money at this point," Innes said. "We're just having a great time doing this. The show is a mixture of a lot of things.
"When I was getting questioned at Canadian customs, I was asked, 'What kind of music do you play?' And I had to say, 'I don't know.' "
The Rutles project is one of those rare satiric endeavours that has been embraced by fans of the act being lamthingyed. Many Beatlemaniacs have line-by-line knowledge of All You Need Is Cash, even though one of the stars -- Monty Python's Eric Idle -- has expressed puzzlement over the continued fascination.
"I thought it would be cheap and cheerful to do a send-up of A Hard Day's Night (for British TV)," Innes recalled. "Then the next thing you know, Eric (Idle) hosts Saturday Night Live, they play a clip of what we had done, it's well-received and (SNL guru) Lorne Michaels gets involved in the full deal.
"But it wouldn't have been anything without George Harrison (who had many partnerships with the Python crew and also played a TV reporter in All You Need Is Cash). George was the one who got Mick Jagger and Paul Simon involved. George really wanted it to happen."
Tickets for Innes' show tonight are available by phone at 416-366-7723 and 1-800-708-6754, or online at stlc.com.
