Brand on the run are back on the road
The Rutles are back with their unique blend of music and humour. The irreverent songwriter and satirist Neil Innes talks to Chris Bond. THE RUTLES have probably had more comebacks than the great Frank Sinatra, although according to the band this really is it. “Last time was just the last time. This time it really is the last time.”
For the uninitiated (where you have been all this time?), The Rutles are an affectionate, and at times hilarious, pastiche of The Beatles conceived by Monty Python star Eric Idle and Neil Innes for Idle’s comedy series Rutland Weekend Television during the mid-1970s. What started life as a one-off sketch turned into an hour long TV special, All You Need Is Cash, and spawned two albums as well as a touring schedule that’s still going strong today. Charting the career of Ron, Dirk, Stig and Barry (Innes, Idle, Ricky Fataar and John Halsey) the 1978 “rockumentary” featured cameos by luminaries like Mick Jagger, George Harrison and Paul Simon. All You Need Is Cash predated This Is Spinal Tap and paved the way for the torrent of tribute bands that have flooded the music scene in recent years. It also made The Rutles overnight stars and next month they embark on their latest UK tour which takes in Fibbers in York and Leeds City Varieties.
Source: Yorkshire Post, UK
