the bonzos

spent an enjoyable coupla hrs before work yesterday listening to a double-vinyl comp of the bonzo dog (doo-dah) band, a gang of brit university wankers who coalesced in 1966, doing twisted comedy music on a bbc kids' program called do not adjust your set with the future monty pythons, and had a 1968 hit in the uk with the pseudonymously-mccartney-produced "urban spaceman" (the bonzos having appeared in the beatles' ill-fated magical mystery tour tv show the previous year). bona fide nutball frontman vivian stanshall (r.i.p.) and drummer-tapdancer "legs" larry smith were pals with keith moon. guitarist-songwriter neil innes wound up working with the pythons, while roger ruskin spear (various horns and bits of stage business) released a worthwhile-if-you-like-this-sort-of-thing solo alb called electric shocks and designed the ridiculous stage props mott the hoople used when i saw 'em at the uris theater on broadway in '73. in the fullness of time, they became a credible live act (see the set from a german jazz festival in the clips below), and their last 'riginal alb keynsham was a decent-if-idiosyncratic slice of late '60s brit pop psych. like every other band on earth, they reformed and toured in 2006-2007. long live.