Friday, February 13, 2009

Watch Out For Them Folk Singers!...

..They might be dangerous!

It's a little known,nor oft remembered fact,that I was enrolled for my entire Freshman year at Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach,California.
I say enrolled,rather than attended,because it was my routine to walk in the front gate when my mom dropped me off on her way to work,and proceed directly out the back gate to meet up with my runnin' mates at the Horse-shoe Pier in Hermosa Beach for some casual misbehavior.
I do have a vague recollection of sitting in on one class,..English I think,..but can't for the life of me tell you why I bothered.
I'm guessin' there was a female involved..

Clearly,..R.U.H.S. isn't bustin' it's buttons over having me as an alumnus.
They can however,boast of the kids featured in today's Jukebox Video.
Not only did Tommy and Dicky Smothers graduate from that noble institution,but they went on to achieve some measure of fame,along with a notable dash of admirable infamy!

Their top-rated television show,'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour',kept the censors working overtime just trying to figure out '..exactly,what did they mean by that??'..
HA!.. Those of us in the so-called counter culture were hip to what was really goin' on..Know what I'm sayin'?..
Every week,they had folks the likes of George Carlin,Steve Martin,and that euphoric and charming miss Goldie Leigh,putting a fine satirical edge on the socio-political morass that was the Vietnam-era of the late 60's.
Eventually,the powers that be over at CBS decided they were all a bunch of radical Hippies,whose intention it was to overthrow the status quo,..and the show was cancelled.
..It sure was fun while it lasted!

Still,I chose this video not for any kind of political statement,but for the simple fact that,..damm..These boys can sing!



'They call the wind Mariah'

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13 Comments:

At 12:12 PM , Blogger sageweb said...

The beautiful girls from Redondo Beach bring chills down my spine.
I loved the video...very nice.

 
At 12:33 PM , Blogger Sling said...

Sage- Oh,..they're world class hotties!
Always have been.
Don't you wish they all could be California girls?

 
At 1:51 PM , Blogger Mom said...

I have always loved these boys. They're funny and talented
I was just in Redondo Beach. The girls are still pretty. The boys are still skipping school.

 
At 2:00 PM , Blogger Random Thinker said...

Brings back memories of sitting in front of the TV watching these guys. Awesome stuff and too bad that with all the TV channels we have these days there isn't anything that can compare.

 
At 2:15 PM , Blogger Willym said...

I had forgotten that I had two of their records - vinyl.. yep they was made of plastic.. big things too..

they really were subversive but they looked like such nice boys... and damn could they sing!

 
At 2:44 PM , Blogger booda baby said...

CBS is so fast on the uptake. What, were they on crack or something? Ah, that was still the heydey of loads and loads of martinis, wasn't it? This year, Obama made America proud. Then, the Smothers Brothers.

They were so cute, too, weren't they?

 
At 2:50 PM , Blogger billy pilgrim said...

the world needs more bass fiddles!

what if willie dixon would have been tommy's partner?

 
At 3:00 PM , Blogger Doralong said...

I used to absolutely love that show! Years later I was amazed to find out it was still hysterically funny even if you weren't stoned. Now THAT'S comedy.

 
At 6:25 PM , Blogger Sling said...

Mom- 'The girls are still pretty. The boys are still skipping school'...
It's gratifying to know that I was in on the ground floor of this west coast phenomenon!

Thinker- There really isn't anything that compares,when you think about breaking new ground.
Oh sure,there are some brilliant imitators,..but still.

Willym- Subversive!!..Thank you!
I was racking my brain trying to remember that descriptive.
Seriously,I'm sure it was the Brother's clean cut demeanor that gave the censors that wee bit of social whiplash.
I mean,..they were so busy monitoring the way they looked,that they forgot to listen to what it was they were actually saying.

Booda Babe- Once again,you have crystallized my thoughts eloquently!
Now..Do you like your Martini dry,or extra-dry?

Billy P.- If Willy had been Tommy's partner,then we might have had some way cool Folk/Blues tunes to post this very Friday!..
Did you know,by the way,that Willie collaberated with Jim Morrison,and that The Doors made an appearance on the Smothers Brother's show?..Of course you did.

Doralong- Exactly!!..The same holds true for Harvey and Tim on the Carol Burnett show...Those guys crack my shit up no matter how sober I am. :)

 
At 7:01 PM , Blogger Jan said...

Thanks for the Blast from the Past. Theirs was the only show I would never miss from that era. I didn't watch CBS for a long time when they canceled it. CBS didn't care.

 
At 10:32 PM , Blogger yellowdoggranny said...

I have several of their albums..and watched every one of their shows...i still have a mad crush on tommy smothers...sigh*

 
At 11:35 AM , Blogger Sling said...

Jan- I remember thinking at the time,that these guy really must have been doing a good job if the network was that afraid of them.

Yellerdawg- Nerdy guys get all the chicks!

 
At 9:04 PM , Blogger Middle Child said...

What happened to them after this Sling? Thanks again...they were excellent...and with faces like those it is amazing that there were not comedy movies made for them.

 

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