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There was another session for “Don’t Worry Kyoko” today, at which overdubs were added and the song was mixed. And as far as I can tell, that’s the end of Plastic Ono Band sessions for this year, and their last with Eric Clapton. Meanwhile, George would not start recording All Things Must Pass until May of 1970, and Paul went through a long period of downtime before beginning to work in his home studio. Only Ringo would spend time in a recording studio in 1969, making his solo debut Sentimental Journey.
But there was another event of historic importance today: The first episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus was broadcast on BBC1. It is difficult now to imagine a world before Monty Python, but those who saw the first sketch:
probably did not know they were witnessing the birth of a legend. Python was a bit of a slow-burner — at first there was a lot of head-scratching, and only over a period of years did it become a worldwide phenomenon. But today the British citizenship test asks questions about Monty Python alongside Shakespeare, Stonehenge, and Rudyard Kipling.
There are many connections between Monty Python and The Beatles, including:
- George Harrison’s Handmade Films bankrolled The Life of Brian.
- Most of the Pythons participated in the full-length Beatles parody The Rutles.
- Frequent Python collaborator (and Rutle) Neil Innes was a member of the Bonzo Dog Band, who appeared in Magical Mystery Tour and whose single “I’m the Urban Spaceman” was produced by Paul McCartney.
- John Lennon was a big fan and once said, “I’d love to be in Monty Python.”
Monty Python is often referred to as “The Beatles of comedy” and if anyone was, it would be them. Of course it’s hard to get thousands of screaming teenage girls to come to a comedy show, now isn’t it? So it’s not quite the same thing. But the Pythons had a good run; they never actually broke up, just faded away, last performing live in 2014. Crack a can of Spam in their honor tonight.
I remember when “And Now For Something Completely Different” came to Berkeley, in the mid-70s I think. It only played at the Northside Theater. Did you know that place? It was funky little 2-room place on the northside (talk about coincidences!) of the UC campus. If each theater held 50 people, I’d be surprised. Sadly, long gone now.
I went and saw it out of curiousity, then I dragged a couple friends to it. They became HUGE Python fans … so a good deed did I. But, yeah, that movie came out of nowhere!
I think I saw a sketch or two at some point, but it was “And Now For Something Completely Different” that got me hooked. Somehow later someone clued me in to faulty towers as well. I spent way too long fighting trying to understand the british language.