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#144577 - 05/23/05 11:13 AM
Re: Stupid songs
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Senior Member
Registered: 12/01/02
Posts: 1790
Loc: Medina, OH, USA
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It's funny how if you recite lyrics of a song, without melody, they will often sound stupid. If you're old enough to remember Steve Allen (or perhaps read in some history book  ), he would occasionaly do just that. Like a song such as "Shake, Rattle, and Roll", he would recite, in a very serious tone: "Get out in that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans, etc). Very funny bit. Glenn
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#144579 - 05/23/05 01:01 PM
Re: Stupid songs
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Senior Member
Registered: 01/02/04
Posts: 7306
Loc: Lexington, Ky, USA
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You can't imagine how brilliant and funny Steve Allen was in his prime, especially in a live nightly setting. In 1962-3 he had a live syndicated late night show from LA (around 350 markets-11:30-1:00 P.M.). I was honored to work as a still photographer and occasional musician.
He would dress up in cheezy news reporter clothes and read the lyrics of popular songs totally dry.
Another thing he would do when back from a commercial was stare through a fish tank in the studio directly at the camera. His thick glasses and distortion on the tank and water would rally distort his image through a wide angle setting. He would say, "Can you believe that the syndicate is paying $25,000 a minute for THIS"?
He also devloped a bit called "chicken man", who was a super hero, a la Clark Kent. He would go into a phone booth...feathers would fly, there would be a clucking sound and he would emerge as "chicken Man".
My favorite segement was called "meeting of the minds", where bit actors, including Steve, his wife, Jane Meadows and others would adopt the characters of famous people and discuss popular topics from the viewpoint of the famous charactors. This was deadly serious. George Washington would be discussing social programs with Ronald Reagan, Aristotle and a pope. The bit got the show canceled after multiple warnings from the producer, but he did the same bit
for years when he went to PBS.
A brilliant man, who never adjusted to the transition of TV to a mass (read less intellectual) communication channel. Through that contact, I met band members Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, and other famous jazz giants like Clark Terry, Jim Hall, Shelly Mann, Charlie Byrd,Lionel Hampton, Rays former wife, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Heady times for a 16 year old. Unfortunately, I was such a novis that I didn't really appreciate the opportunity until years later.
Russ
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#144585 - 05/24/05 03:04 AM
Re: Stupid songs
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Member
Registered: 02/18/05
Posts: 965
Loc: Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
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Stupid songs are absolutely mind killers...  I remember a german band called Trio who sang the song "Da-da-da". This song was THE #1 hit in 13 countries all over the world including Germany itself. The text was in german and went so: Da-da-da, Du liebst mich nicht, ich lieb Dich nicht, Da-da-da, ich lieb Dich nicht, Du liebst mich nicht, Da-da-da, ... Then we have the Chicken-Song and the Ketchup-Song which both were great hits. I've learned that the most people (around 90%) over the world are absolute stupid beings. Their mind is empty, they are crazy, they are nuts, they are the killing point to our society!!! Real good artist try to compose really good songs. They invest more than 2 weeks for a simple song to get the optimum out of it... And then there's coming a HOBO making a kind of crap in 5 minutes and get the world domination with it. I hate them because they are destructing the sense of music. They have turned an art to a fake. I tend to say that those songs have not to be allowed to be played. It's a kind of survival question... Please, don't make the people more stupid than they are! ------------------ Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany), Sheriff ;-) [This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 05-24-2005).]
_________________________
Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)
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#144589 - 05/27/05 07:49 PM
Re: Stupid songs
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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It's great to see such love for Steve Allen. I had the pleasure of knowing and learning from the man and can say he was highly influential in my own musical career. However, as much as I can understand where you could see "Bent Fabric" as being a typical "Steverino" joke, it really wasn't. Bent Bjerre Fabricius was the real name of the Russian composer/songwriter who wrote not only Alley Cat but many other tunes as well. Steve would probably say that he enjoyed saying the man's name as much as playing his song. Originally posted by btweengigs:
Captain Russ...
Steve Allen was one of my all time favorite TV personalities as I was growing up. Spontaneous, clever, smart as a whip and recognized the value of a lot of off-beat talent (ala Don Knotts).
I can't remember the year, late 80's I think, I was working as a PR guy for a performing arts society that hired Steve for three shows. On stage he was all I expected. Off stage he was...well, shall we say just a tad more than extremely eccentric.
He was the focal point of a VIP reception we had for our platinum patrons. Steve showed up in slippers and stuffed his face with finger foods the whole time, not talking to anyone. The patrons and management were very disappointed in his "social skills".
His manager called us and told us not to give him his check, unless Jane was with him. He was famous for misplacing everything. Jane kept him straight.
Three of his musicians who had to travel across the state for the gig got delayed by a major traffic accident enroute. They were a couple hours late for the rehearsal and we got to see a major rant from Steve when they finally showed.
Despite all this, I have always admired his creativity and showmanship.
Remember Bent Fabric (Alley Cat)? That was Steve. You had to love his humor.
Eddie
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