Here is an interview with Simon Sidi, producer of the American Idols Live Tour. It gives some background into the preparation for the tour:

http://www.telegram.com/article/20070830/NEWS/708300361/1111/rss01&source=rss

Two more articles -

This item discusses the genetic component of perfect pitch:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/28/2017526.htm

This article talks about the debate over whether to pay performers royalties when their songs get played on the radio:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083100154.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Post edited by: rosalee, at: 2007/09/27 12:19

Touring 301 discusses the various ways artists can get paid when performing at a venue:

http://mjsbigblog.com/touring-301.htm#more-2911

Rosalee,

An item that is heading was concieved for.

GDA

The Rutles is part of rather large web on interconnections, I will be foolish enough to try to explain.
The Beatles or more likely Paul McCartney had the Bonzo Dog Band appear in Magical Mystery Tour.
The Bonzo Dog Band featured Vivian Stan shall & Neil Innes, they perform Vivian’s Elvis Presley parody “Deathcab For Cutie” in the scene with the stripper.
Paul volunteered to produce for the Bonzos their only charting single “I’m the Urban Spaceman”, a Neil Innes song. The Bonzos wanted the single to chart on its own merit and McCartney is labelled checked an Apollo C. Vermouth.
The Bonzo Dog Band was the house band for the English TV show “Do No Adjust Your Set” (1968). The cast was future Monty Python members Terry Jones, Michael Palin & Eric Idle plus David Jason (his re-occurring character “Captain Fantastic” was late spun off as separate series) & Denise Coffey.
After The Bonzos broke up Vivian Stanshall & Neil Innes joined the Scaffold to become the temporary group named GRIMMS
The Scaffold were Roger McGough, Michael McGear & John Gorman who did live sketch comedy with some songs, the reverse of the Bonzos. Michael McGear is Paul McCartney’ younger brother, who took the name McGear to hide the fact. It never worked. Paul worked on several of the Scaffold’s singles, many charted the most famous were “Thank U Very Much” & “Lily the Pink”. More below
GRIMMS stood for the first line up
John Gorman
Andy Roberts
Neil Innes
Michael McGear
Roger McGough &
Vivian Stanshall.
Eric Idle recommended Neil Innes when the Pythons needed someone to warm up the audience, which then lead to writing music when requested and occasionally appearred on screen. In Monty Python & The Holy Grail he appears as they annoying minstrel.
The two 45 pack called “Python on Song” had a new version of “the Lumberjack Song” produced by George Harrison.
If I remember correctly “All You Need Is Cash” was first screening was in the “Saturday Night Live” time slot. It also part of the Broadway Video catalog as is “Saturday Night Live”.
The Rutles were played by
Eric Idle,
Neil Innes,
Ricky Fataar (originally part of the South African group The Flame who were signed to The Beach Boys’ Brother Records, then for two years a member of The Beach Boys),
John Halsey (I think he and Ollie Halsall played on Neil Innes 1973 album “How Sweet To Be An Idiot“),
Ollie Halsall (was part of Kevin Ayers live band)

Also Roger McGough had a bit part.

According to IMDb, The Rutles started out as reoccurring series of sketches on the English TV series “Rutland Weekend Television”(1975 - 1976) Eric Idle’s post Monty Python series with Neil Innes.
Other IMDb info.
The Rutles 2 - Can't Buy Me Lunch (2003) DVD Warner Home Video at this moment, ignorance most complete






There are two Rutles’ CDs
The movie soundtrack which was available on Rykodisk & now on Rhino
The Rutles Archaeology, which followed The Beatles Anthology series is available on Virgin records. Not all the parodies have a one to one parallel to a Beatle recording like the movie soundtrack does. The English re-released has different cover is on EMI Gold.
On the back of the CD only Innes, Fataar & Halsey appear Eric Idle wasn’t involved and Ollie Halsall is deceased.

In 1978, Dirk and Stig released a single in the UK, "Ging Gang Goolie" b/w "Mr. Sheene." This appeared on EMI Records. (see http://www.rutlemania.org/rutles5.html for RealAudio _link_).
Scaffold recorded “Gin Gan Goolie” (alternate _title_ for “Ging Gang Goolie”) in the late 60’s at EMI Studios on Abbey Road in London. (EMI Studios in London received a name change after the appearance and success of a certain Beatle album). Released as a single November 1969.

The following from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scaffold
Scaffold: “After the 1974 success of "Liverpool Lou," recorded with Paul McCartney and Wings, The Scaffold reunited for their final album, Sold Out, on Warner Bros. Records.”

“In his 1981 book "Thank U Very Much - Mike McCartney's Family Album", Mike McGear describes a later meeting with Elton John during which John advises him he used to sing background vocals for the group.”

“Scaffold; Airbrushed from history? - The Big Untidy Magazine on the history of The Scaffold. Endorsed by the Band Members.’ (Direct article url: http://biguntidy.com/Articles/Scaffold.pdf) - Wikipedia end.

Almost anything related to Neil Innes can be checked or found at “Words of Innespiration - The Lyrics & Unplanned Career of Neil Innes” http://www.neilinnes.org/ including recording information & MP3 files.


Eric Idle: Shrek the Third (2007) The voice of Merlin. Source: IMDb
Shrek! Was written by William Steig, see below

Roger McGough is now a fairly successful published writer of prose & poetry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_McGough

Roger McGough website: http://www.rogermcgough.org.uk/

When they closed the foundries
and the mills
You could have taken
to the hills
But you stayed

Might have given up the ghost
but instead
You took a deep breath
forged ahead
Bright as a blade

* * *

I like this place
my son a student here

City of space
open skies and stars

Sheffield
Twinned with Mars

Roger McGough, Off the Shelf 2006
Source: http://www.erasmuspc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=302&Itemid=81

Roger McGough website: http://www.rogermcgough.org.uk/

“New autobiography Said And Done (Century, 2006) explores overnight fame with Lily The Pink, The Scaffold and Yellow Submarine which he helped write for The Beatles. He encounters Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Marlon Brando, Allen Ginsberg, Pete McCarthy and Salman Rushdie amongst others. “ http://www.rogermcgough.org.uk/press.htm

“John Coates, who was the real producer of the film Yellow Submarine was simply listed as "Production Supervisor",
said, "There was never one _script_. We had about 20. Roger McGough was responsible for much of it." McGough was a Liverpool poet who was brought in to add a Liverpool flavor to the soundtrack. He was paid U.K. £500 for his work, but was not given screen credit.”
Source: The Beatles' Yellow Submarine Turns 30: John Coates and Norman Kauffman Look Back by Karl Cohen: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.4/3.4pages/3.4cohen.html

“The dialogue is littered with puns, double entendres, and Beatles in-jokes, many _script_ed by Roger McGough.”
Source: Yellow Submarine (film) From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Submarine_(film)

Roger McGough books available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/103-7169685-7098236?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Roger%20McGough


Michael McGear now goes by his given name Michael McCartney professionally and has a rather high reputation as photographer. Several of photographs have been bought by museums for their permanent collections.
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/exhibitions/mccartney/home.asp

Just because on curious contradictions

Shrek! By William Steig http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek%21
For years the only thing I knew about William Steig was my father occasion referring to following.

“New Yorker cartoonist William Steig knows a lot about screwed-up behavior. Take his famous "People Are No Damn Good" cartoon, for example. Drawn in 1942 and surviving on cocktail napkins and ashtrays well into the '50s, it shows a curmudgeonly creature seated in a box, a wicked scowl on his wrinkled face.”

This except came from the Newsday: http://www.williamsteig.com/article-newsday84.htm

My father always remembered the box as a coffin.

William Steig Bio & Obit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,4768720-103684,00.html

Post edited by: gdahimself, at: 2007/10/27 18:24

Here are a few interesting articles that I found at MJ's:

GDA, this first one is an interview with Dick Dale (King of the Surf Guitar.) I don't know much about him, but here is some background:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Dale

In this interview, Dick Dale gives advice to up and coming musicians about record labels. He sounds like someone else that we've all come to know and love.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AJxc3Lxn4o

Here's an article about how hard it is to get concert tickets these days:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/business/06money.html?em&ex=1191816000&en=d8a1267aa3f5ba07&ei=5087

This one shows the power of copyright laws and is a cautionary tale for anyone who publicly shares music:

http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9791764-38.html?tag=nefd.blgs

An article on musicians/rock bands "selling out" (or not?) by performing in commercials:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101200496.html

Here's another article questioning the need for record labels. In some cases (for Established acts), the major labels are being abandoned:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101201508.html?tid=informbox