Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 515 of the 1,565, 373rd most listened to podcast on the internet!
This week: poor quality; a couple of dummies; what a family; hacks; a short one; regional humour; swallowed up; time lost all meaning; who is fast and who is furious; gory opener; spoilers at the movies; the king of leftovers; ineffectual chicken soup; melting pot; sweet chilli sauce; Red Robin trivia; scary Muppets; disappointed nostalgia; creative nostalgia; creative gambles; history of animation guesswork; evolving characters; don’t make her over; when Daffy wasn’t daffy; the ’50s sucked out the fun; pro-tramp; it’s back – the Top 5 Songs segment is back with Dave’s picks for favourite “Lady” songs; Questions of the Week – Sneakers respond: and much, much more (only I had to go to the movies so I had to post the show quickly!).
Top 5 “Lady” Songs!
- The Popcorn Rebellion – “Sugar Lady” – RCA Victor b/w “Gina”, 1969 – 1:40:25
- Judee Sill – “Lady-O” – Judee Sill, 1971 – 1:47:05
- Nancy Priddy – “Mystic Lady” – You’ve Come This Way Before, 1968 – 1:53:45
- The Grass Roots – “Lady Pleasure” – Golden Grass, 1968 – 2:03:33
- The Byrds – “Lady Friend” – Columbia Records single b/w “Old John Robertson”, 1968 – 2:11:10
and Bonus Song:
Dennis Wilson – “Lady (Fallin’ In Love) (1970 Stereo Mix)” – Feel Flows, 2021 – 2:17:58
Question of the Week: What was funny in the 1950s – a decade known for its buttoned-down sensibilities?
Sub-question of the Week: Who is a cartoonist you like?
Thanks for listening.
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Dave beat me to the punch by nominating Bilko as a genuinely funny show from the 1950s. In fact, when you were asking about favourite sitcom episodes a few weeks ago, I almost nominated the one in which a chimpanzee sits the army entrance exam. It’s hard to say who has the better comic timing here – Phil Silvers or the chimp – but their scenes together are an improv masterclass.
Jacques Tati was arguably at his peak in the 1950s – M Hulot’s Holiday remains a delight from start to finish and Mon Oncle has some brilliant scenes. Over here, we had the gloriously silly Goons on the radio and the often dark Ealing Studios comedies like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob on the big screen. Otherwise, though, it really does appear that laughter was in short supply during that decade.
A cartoonist I really like is Steve Bell, who was contibuting political cartoons to the Guardian way back when I started reading the paper in the 1980s, and is still a master of the craft. You’d have to follow UK politics pretty closely to get all the jokes and references, but the artwork alone is well worth viewing for his tremendous line skills, brush work and gift for caricature. He has a unique style that is instantly recognisable.
It was lovely to hear Dave’s top five (six) Lady songs this week. The Popcorn Rebellion were what the Archies would have been if Keith Moon sat in on drums. Judee Sill is a huge favourite of mine, and it was great to hear a David Crosby song I hadn’t encountered before.
Speaking of Cros, do know that great story Van Dyke Parks told about Terry Melcher, the Byrds and Beach Boys’ producer? I really hope it’s true…
It seems Melcher once described Crosby as the worst person he’d ever dealt with in the music business. Asked who was second-worst, he replied: ‘Charles Manson’.
PS – Sorry my John Lennon reference last week was a deeper cut than I thought. The target was #9 Dream from the Walls and Bridges album.
PPS – In response to last week’s question, ‘Have you ever had work done around your home by someone who was clearly incompetent?’ Absolutely! In fact, pretty much every weekend…
Neither of you mentioned “Lady” as a popular song that would not be in Dave’s Top 5 Lady Song list. That sprang to mind as it was a huge mainstream hit for Kenny Rogers. Then I thought, wait, didn’t Lionel Richie also record a song called “Lady”? It is the same song? Yes. It was written by Richie but rejected by The Commodores, the fools! My favourite lady song is Loreena McKennitt’s “The Lady of Shalott” which is the entire poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson set to music. It’s 11 minutes and 35 seconds long but, hey, if it’s on your English Lit poetry list, why read it when you can listen to it?
There were some Broadway and movie musicals in the 1950s which as well as being funny, satirized things like small-town cancel culture, religion, class divisions and the entertainment industry. Some favourite titles from that era include The Music Man, Once Upon a Mattress, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady and Singin’ in the Rain.
Hi chaps,
ep 515 was peak Sneaky Dragoness, though could have done with a little more discussion of favourite chocolate bars, obscure small town soda flavours and in depth analysis of Fantasy Island plotlines.
On the topic of Fantasy Island, do you think that the various people on the island who appeared in guest’s fantasies were all aspiring actors on Mr Roarke’s payroll? Sort of like actors who work as entertainers on cruise ships? I wonder if they were SAG members and whether they had the right to refuse certain roles – eg those that required ‘intimate fantasies.’ I never thought about this when I watched the show as a kid, but it must have been a challenging life for the live-in cast on the island. And I can’t remember seeing the same actors in multiple episodes so they must have had a high turn over of performers.
Anyway, this is way off topic. Regarding funny 1950’s content, I love all the heightened monster films from that era that were played absolutely straight. My favourite is Creature from the Black lagoon, which is so utterly over the top, yet nobody in the cast even cracks a smile. I wonder if the filmmakers were deliberately keeping the tone serious despite the outlandishness of the concept.
Apart from Ian, Dave and Nina, my favourite cartoonists include Herge, Schulz, Adrian Tomine, Jeffrey Brown, Raina Telgemeier, Craig Thompson and Allie Brosh.
Not having been around in the 1950’s, I grew up with my Mom’s recalling it as the best decade ever. She remembers it as a blissful time of growth and prosperity but as I got older I realized that the atomic family and buttoned down lifestyle was almost a cover up to what was brewing beneath the surface. Mom and I still have this debate and we agree to disagree because as she puts it, “You weren’t there.” When I mention the society behind the curtain during that decade to her, like the McCarthy red scare, racial injustice and the rise of the atomic age, she declares that she knew none of that from her bubble she was in, so ignorance was bliss to Mom. I’m quick to assume that comedy of the time was also a kind of ruse or distraction from what was really going on. American situational comedy was developed to mask the other side of society in the 50’s and keep everyone happy and wholesome. I remember Mom sharing the Doris Day/Rock Hudson films with me when I was young which I never as found funny as I did light hearted. Comedy became sexier in the 50’s and mixed more innuendo with a situational farce to appeal to the audiences but in retrospect it all seemed like a distraction to keep everyone entertained. Personally I enjoy Billy Wilder’s films from the 50’s as an appealing maturity of comedy as well as the brilliant performances by Jack Lemmon. So to me, 1950’s comedy seems like as much as it didn’t dwell on nostalgia so much it was showing us the funny distractions of life at the time, only under a large looming shadow.
Just today I had someone reach out to me for any Al Hirschfeld Marx Brothers art I might have. I quickly told them that I became a fan of Hirschfeld at a very early age, studying an inside cover of the “Life Goes to the Movies” book my Dad had. The two panel spread on the inside cover was a who’s who of Hollywood royalty brilliantly illustrated by Hirschfeld and I was hypnotized by it. I collected his work and took many attempts at mimicking his style…which isn’t easy. His work is so fluid and basically done but with so many years of practice and skill behind it. I’ve often wondered how many attempts Hirschfeld made to so perfectly capture a caricature of someone, I guess that’s his secret and it died with him. Years ago before he died, I watched a documentary about Hirschfeld titled “The Line King”, I immediately wrote to him after watching it to simply tell him how moved I was by what I saw. Within a month he wrote me back along with a little illustration of him in his barber chair at his drawing table. Below the image he signed his name with a little line that turned into a hand pointing back at the illustration. I’m a big fan of Al.
I’d hate myself if I didn’t mention how great Pia’s illustration style is and no, I’m not sucking up to you guys. I know he’s not the nicest thing to look at but Pia captures the likeness of Donald Trump like nobody else can…I’m sure that wasn’t easy or pleasant but it’s damned good. Ian, I remember asking you if Pia illustrated by hand or was had gone digital on a tablet and you said digital, which is even more impressive. Pia, if you’re listening, your style is masterful and always an inspiration. Sneakers, if you haven’t seen Pia Guerra’s work yet, but I’m sure you have, take the time to enjoy it.
DAVE!! The return of the top five..er, six! Who said life isn’t full of wonderful surprises? I had such a soothing feeling of comfort once those songs started rolling in, what a great idea bringing back a little bit of Listening Party. Next time I’ll have my rumpus room ready with a beverage! Thanks for doing that.
Is that it? Have I regained by spot as the last man standing or is Crystal waiting behind a bookshelf to see what I write first? I still owe Dave some food choices for his visit to the states, maybe next time….
Sneaky Librarians are always keeping a watchful eye on people quietly behind the stacks or from the circ desk. Will we catch Edward ripping a page out of a magazine or scribbling in a book? Of course not… he’s busy using the public access computers to access SneakyDragon.com. 🙂
I’ve mentioned this before in the comments, but I still find I Love Lucy funny. The same goes for the Dick Van Dyke Show. Since Ian opened the question up to include the early 1960s, and the Dick Van Dyke Show first aired in 1961, I thought I would mention it. There was an episode of Dick Van Dyke on last week where Dick Van Dyke was performing as Stan Laurel in a Laurel and Hardy skit. And you know what? It was pretty darn hilarious. I like Laurel and Hardy to start with AND Dick Van Dyke has incredible timing, but he really did have Laurel down to a pat.
I’ve also always liked Chuck Jones’s animation. Maybe it is because I grew up watching Looney Tunes and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but he’s the first that comes to mind when I think of cartoonists.
(Taking a page out of Edward’s book by making lots of comments. Never forget that Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.) 😀
I also wanted to mention how much I enjoyed the Top 5 songs this week. It was such a nice treat.
Hi,
Firstly, thanks Crystal !
Having people on the other side of the world thinking of you because of your silly obsessions is tight !
And having people sending you picture of those too, hi Dave, and thanks!
And yes, they are… in strike… at Deere & Co. Maybe I shouldn’t have drove New Hollands it may have disrupted the balance of the agricultural machinery universe. Or maybe it’s a side effect of the covid, I mean, me driving something else.
More seriously I just read the other day in the Guardian an article making the hypothesis of a rampant global strike in America as people massively refuses to return to too difficult or underpaid jobs across the country.
And for the best two hosts suggestion, not we have the choice, but even if we had, they will remain the best, don’t tempt me to write a too long rant…. Oooh tooo late.
I had a million idea to write, but not the energy. Just had time to start listing to the podcast on sunday, then finishing it on sunday… just in time to start listening to a new episode.
One of my reactions was to snob all of you, english-ish people, with my french superiority about you eating frog… as you should have eaten grenouilles., because all english meat food are in frenglish.
You don’t eat pig, sheep, or cow but porc (pork), mouton (Mutton), veau (veal) and Boeuf (beef). Because London 14th century (don’t quote me on the century, never be able to remember any date) upperclass hired french chefs, because they can cook, but, as usual, were unable to adapt and learn any new language, and refuse to serve anything but blanquette de veau or Boeuf Welligton.
Fun fact, in return England invented Bordeaux winery and Champagne to try cope with them. English alcoholism is a byproduct of our stewborn cuisine.
Otherwise I have a lot of obsessions I always want to brag about. Some life long like sausages, tractors, japan and my failing life, some started more recently as the Wire and the complete David Simon work, and some more recent like neurodiversity.
We’ve brilliantly establish, as a fact, that all of the hosts and listeners where gifted people. Giftedness is is the fun part of neurodiversity… or it should be. We evoke a potentially darker size part with asperger syndrom, which itself is the funniest part of the autism spectrum. Or is it? As sending cars into space is debatedely funny, even with a ton of nerd/geek toppings.
One other difficult part is ADHD, which is my current obsession. As I’m trying to make sens of my quite worrying anxiety.
And speaking of the fun part of those sort of things, did you watch Brooklin 99? A very clever series on, guest what, neurodiversity and it’s social troubles… Or is it an homage to Homicide? or maybe just a spoof show on police? All we know for sure is that it’s a great and funny show.
But for example Amy and Jake have a lot of signs of ADHD, Amy on the coping side, and Jake on the pure hyper active side.
And a looooot of anxieties all around, personal and social. I won’t bother you with a character by character analysis… Because It will require to much attention and concentration on my part and taking too much reading and listening times on yours.
It seems I like my heroes clever but weird and socially awkward, some time a bit toxic too. Luther, Sherlock, Columbo, Doc Martin, Clarkson and now the Brooklin 99 crew.
Oh and Calvin could been one of this weirdos family too… as you ask for my preferred cartoonist, which is Bill Watterson.
Female kickass heroine… yess Emma Peel, exactly!
007 title? No Time to Bond!
Favorite fictional character, my man Omar… RIP Michael K Williams. And the Blues Brothers.
About flossing, first time I heard of it was in Zappa’s Montana Song. In France we are using toothpicks, but it is less and less common.
For the horses, I rode ponies in my teens. Then I rapidly discover tractors which allows to ride hundreds of horses at once… Ok, I rode real horses too but they were too big and frightening too me. You know the one who start gallop, because HE knows where he is going.
And with that I think I’m done with my catch up and a too long message…. But please remember that I fought hard trying not to put a million more subjects with thousands clever or dumb facts for each.
Now you can reward yourselves with a sneaky snack…
PS: It’s getting harder and harder to find a catchy closing sentence
PS2: So Listening Party is a spin-off from Sneaky D, so is the Top 5 making S-D a crossover ? I’m confused.