"All You Need is Cash" (1978) -Taking their cue from Beatles documentaries, co-directors Eric Idle and Gary Weis tell the tale of Dirk, Barry, Stig & Nasty...The Rutles. Tracing the career of the "Pre-fab Four" from their beginnings in Liverpool to status as the greatest rock band ever "All You Need is Cash" combines the forces of some of the greatest counter-culture comedy minds of the 1970's. Monty Python's Eric Idle & Michael Palin teamed with Saturday Night Live's Gary Weis, Lorn Michaels, Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner , Bill Murray and Al Franken for a twisted journey through pop music. Look for appearances by Paul Simon, Bianca Jagger and Rolling Stone Ron Wood (as a Hell's Angel). Produced a full 6 years prior to the brilliant "This is Spinal Tap", you may consider this film to be the progenitor of feature length mockumentaries. Original songs like "Ouch", "Hold My Hand", "Cheese & Onions" & "Piggy in the Middle" are all send ups of popular Beatles tunes. Co-Director Gary Weis took over the film shorts on Saturday Night Live after Albert Brooks left the show in season 2. He has a distinguished career of real documentaries about comedians and music legends like Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison and Steve Martin to name a few. "All You Need is Cash" is a must see for Beatle's aficionados and fans of Spinal Tap. Below is a sample from the "I Am the Walrus" influenced Rutles song "Piggy in the Middle":
I know you know what you know
but you should know by now that you're not me
Talk about a month of Sundays
Toffee nosed wet weekend as far as I can see
but you should know by now that you're not me
Talk about a month of Sundays
Toffee nosed wet weekend as far as I can see
Hey diddle diddle
The cat and the fiddle
Piggy in the middle
Doo-a-poo-poo
The cat and the fiddle
Piggy in the middle
Doo-a-poo-poo
Bible punching heavyweight
evangelistic boxing kangaroo
Orangutang and anaconda
Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse
even Pluto too....
evangelistic boxing kangaroo
Orangutang and anaconda
Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse
even Pluto too....
M emailed the following comment:
ReplyDeleteI was reading a piece about The Rutles once and came across this story.
A somewhat awed young journalist interviewed Lennon for a magazine piece. He had been told Lennon could be very nasty and sarcastic and was quite careful at first but by the end of their time together found him to be very friendly and open. Once the interview was over and Lennon was getting ready to leave, the kid kind of sheepishly, asked Lennon if he had seen The Rutles special that had recently aired. Lennon's face grew dark and he said: "No.....I don't watch that kind of bullshiit". Long awkward pause. Kid was pissing himself. Lennon then grabs his leather bag angrily, turns and stomps halfway out of the room before abruptly spinning around and breaking into a devilish grin. He winks at the kind before skipping out of the room, singing, loudly, "I have always thought in the back of my mind...CHEESE AND ONIONS...."
M