|
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBONZO DOG BANDLondon band formed '66, originally Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band: Vivian Stanshall (b 21 March 1943, Shillingford; d 5 March 1995), vocals; Neil Innes (b 9 December 1944, Essex; d 28 December 2019), vocals, guitar; 'Legs' Larry Smith (b 18 January 1944 Oxford), drums; Roger Ruskin Spear (b 29 June 1943 London), saxes, robots; Rodney Slater (b 8 November 1944 Lincolnshire), sax, Sam Spoons (b Martin Stafford), percussion, others. The art students provided light relief in a pompous rock scene, the early act a mixture of Temperance Seven/trad jazz, Spear's robots running amok, music and lyrics by Stanshall and Innes. Their were flop singles on Parlophone, then a switch to Liberty for LP Gorilla '67, a dadaist riposte to Beatles' Sgt Pepper. Dennis Cowan was added on bass (b 6 May 1947, London); they became more rockish on The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse '68, including digs at the blues boom, concept albums and other vogues. They were regulars at Brian Epstein's Saville Theatre '67 and were seen in Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour; Paul McCartney (as Apollo C. Vermouth) produced their only hit single (written by Innes) 'I'm The Urban Spaceman' '68 (on LP Tadpoles '69). They were featured in an adventurous TV show Do Not Adjust Your Set along with the fledgling Monty Python team. Touring was traumatic; an especially incongruous US tour had them supporting Sly and the Family Stone. They split after LP Keynsham '69, based on Stanshall's experience of a mental home, astringent humour still apparent ('Look At Me I'm Wonderful'). Smith and others joined Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band, still a popular London pub act years later. Stanshall and Innes worked with members of Liverpool Scene and Scaffold in Grimm's satirical review; re-formed Bonzos for LP Let's Make Up And Be Friendly '72, including C&W parody 'Bad Blood', Beatles send-up 'Straight From My Heart'. They began Stanshall's long-running Rawlinson End saga of loony aristocrats: dinner followed by billiards on horseback, or catching the javelin (book, feature film, LPs Sir Henry At Rawlinson End '81, Sir Henry At Ndidi's Kraal '84). Stanshall formed other bands (Human Beans, etc), helped with film That'll Be The Day '72, did LP Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead '74, worked with Stevie Winwood on his Arc Of A Diver '82. Smith appeared on US tours with Elton John and Eric Clapton '74; Spear sporadically turned up with his Kinetic Wardrobe; Slater became a civil servant. Innes formed the World; album How Sweet To Be An Idiot '73 was a collection of various pop styles; he followed a Pythonesque trail with Eric Idle in Beatles parody film/album The Rutles, BBC TV show Rutland Weekend Television, LP Rutland Times '76 (named after a county the Tories had abolished in their reorganization of the UK '73); toured with the Pythons. He maintained a band called Fatso, including Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner. Two-disc History Of The Bonzos was issued '74. Their tradition continued with Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias and in rock spoof This Is Spinal Tap '84. Stanshall's Christmas musical Stinkfoot was praised by The Times late '85. His Rawlinson was based on a real character, Trevor Howard playing the cameo of imperial bombast; the Victorian Sir Henry Rowlinson died on 5 March 1895, and Stanshall died in a fire at his home exactly a century later. His last film The Changeling, based on a Jacobean tragedy, co-starred Ian Dury, Billy Connolly and John Cooper Clarke, premiered at the Glastonbury Festival '95. |