Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - GGACP Classic: REAL Bands of 1960s TV (with John Fotiadis)

Episode Date: December 7, 2023

GGACP revisits a memorable mini-episode from 2019 as podcast pal and contributing composer John "Yanni" Fotiadis takes the boys on a guided tour of REAL rock 'n' roll groups that appeared on 1960s TV shows. PLUS: "Far Out Munsters”! Paul Revere & the Raiders! The Peppermint Trolley Company! Mannix meets the Buffalo Springfield! And Chad & Jeremy tangle with Catwoman! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TV comics, movie stars, hit singles and some toys. Trivia and dirty jokes, an evening with the boys. Once is never good enough for something so fantastic. So here's another Gilbert and Franks. Here's another Gilbert and Franks. Here's another Gilbert and Franks. here's another Gilbert and Franks, here's another Gilbert and Franks. Colossal classic. I'm Gilbert Gottfried and I'm here with my co-host

Frank Santopadre and this is Gilbert and Frank's amazing colossal obsessions with our special guest John Vivenvival He gets honorary Paul Music. He gets the Raybone music? Yeah.

But he's not disabled in any way. Yet. Raybone disintegrated. That's why I'm here. Our musician in residence, John Fotiatis. Why even? At least your name isn't Cliff Nesterov.

Yeah, correct. John is back for part two. John has very generously done all this wonderful research and come up with his own premise, which I host, this co-host appreciates greatly. Last week we did, you know, people seem to like the music episodes. People like One Hit Wonders. We love them.

They liked it. Oh, and the death one. We did the death songs of the 70s, which really took off. Peoplery jacks terry jacks seasons in the sun so john is a is an architect by day a very talented musician by night you know his uh his tunes for this podcast listener mail theme that's many others um the producer of the month theme i don't want to leave any out no and john called me and he said, hey, I got a premise. Let's do all the Beatles-inspired bands

that turned up on 60s TV shows. And there were many and we did that last week. So now we're going to do part two, which is basically the same premise, but these are actual bands.

Right. I think somewhere along the line, these bands said, hey, this premise worked. We should just appear as ourselves. Yes, because they were fictional bands pretty much. Or in the case of Gilligan's Island,

the people who sang the theme song, people were drafted into the cause to play these bedbugs and mosquitoes. And I also think that given the fact that they started touring and they were in California and in L.A., it was easier for them to actually get on these shows. Right.

So the first one you have here is from a Batman episode from season two, my favorite show. Right. Season two, His Honor, The Penguin. Yes. The Penguin runs for mayor. That's right. The Penguin appears to have gone straight. Later used in the plot of Batman Returns.

Right. Strangely enough. Right, right. What I find funny about this episode is that there's some kind of provision in the charter of Gotham City that permits felons to run for elective office. Where have I heard that one before? And the mayor who's facing certain defeat, his name in this episode is Mayor Lynn Seed. He's in every episode. Mayor Lindsay.

He's in a bunch of episodes. I think it's very funny. So Paul Revere and the Raiders make an appearance as themselves. Amazing. And in this case, they don't even sing anything. They're at the Penguins fundraiser. I don't know what kind of fundraiser this is. With a belly dancer.

With a belly dancer. And they're playing some trippy Middle Eastern music. It's weird. It's wild. It's certifiably weird. Yeah. So I guess that must have been around the time that Beatles were getting with the Maharishi. Maybe.

Quite possibly. It's getting trippier. Yeah. The music is definitely getting trippier. Yeah. Yeah. We have another Batman episode coming, so we'll do a clip of that one. But Gilbert liked to talk about Chad and Jeremy on the Dick Van Dyke Show.

Well, this is one of the classics, right? And this is that classic premise where the mop-top English guys come over. They're known as the Redcoats. That's the name of the band. A British rock doer. That's all the craze. Performing on Alan's show, Alan Brady, right? Sure.

Which causes issues for the show's staff. They can't keep screaming female fans at bay, so they need to hide them out somewhere. And of course, the Petri home is the natural place for them to go. So they show up and they do a number of musical performances, which are actually quite fun. And their banter back and forth is very funny too. Right. And Chad and Jeremy were a British Invasion act. They are. And their banter is very much hard day's night banter.

You know, that kind of quick-witted repartee when they're speaking to Alan Brady's staff, so it's quite entertaining. You remember that one, don't you? Yes. Do you remember when Harry Twizzle came on the Dick Van Dyke Show and introduced the new dance craze, the Twizzle?

I remember the Twizzle. It was a spoof of Chubby Checker and the twist, the peppermint twist. Do the twizzle. Did I dream this, or is it an actual Dick Van Dyke episode? Yeah. February 10th of 65, the Redcoats are coming. Did you find that that premise was used repeatedly

of the band that needs to hide out? Not only that, but the other half of the premise is that the hosts can't tell anybody. So they have this great moral dilemma that they have to deal with. This is fantastic. It's very funny. I miss 60s television so much. Speaking of Chad and Jeremy, they also turn up on a December 66 episode of Batman.

The Bats Kowtow with the lovely Julie Newmar who was on this very show. Right. I might add. What was the premise of this one? As if I didn't know? Well, this is the most

outlandish one I've heard where somehow Catwoman who's involved here steals the voices of Chad and Jeremy forcing a blackmail

on the British government who somehow can't collect tax revenues on their performances. So she wants a million pounds from the British government and somehow Batman and Robin To return their voices.

eventually capture them. But what's cool about this episode is that they actually perform in a theatrical setting and for a gear geek like myself, they're using all this great 60s gear and guitars and stuff. So you enjoyed doing this research. I really did. I got a chubby on this one.

A little bit of trivia from that episode. They appear on the Alan Stevens show, who was played by Steve Allen. How funny. Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they played Teenage Failure, which was one of their songs.

It's a pretty good song, actually. Let's hear a little bit of this Batman episode, Frank. They got the screaming girls. Went up to my boss today. I said, hey man, can I have more pay? I said, will ya? Please, sir. He took one look at me and then

he said, if you ask me that again, I'll kill ya. Aren't they great, Alfred? Well, they certainly do sway. Very hip, Alfred. It's hip and hurried. They changed it. Former podcast guest, Brett Warner. Oh, God, I want that guitar. Same sort of thing with the birds in this town.

I pick them up, they put me down. Still, you can't complain much if I had a fancy car. Here comes Commissioner Gordon. Jack, you are a thriller. Well, Bruce Wayne. Commissioner Gordon, how nice to hear your voice again. Former podcast guest Adam West. Everybody's been on this podcast.

It's like a show. Do you remember this episode, Gil, where Catwoman steals their voices? I remember a voice stealing thing that happened with the monkeys. Really? Yeah. That one I don't know. That's a whole other world to drill into. That's another world.

Actually, the monkeys is kind of the culmination of all of this. Yes. Where at some point, somebody finally decides, you know what, let's just make a show about a band. Let's go for it. Let's go for it. Next one up, the Beverly Hillbillies. I did not know this one.

You didn't know it because it's so weird and bizarre. Robin Hood and the Sheriff was the name of the episode. I tried watching this, at least clips of this episode, three or four times. It was a total shit show. I couldn't understand what was going on. Jethro was in a Robin Hood outfit. He's in a public park. Played by former podcast guest Max Beardry.

Former podcast guest George Washington. podcast guest, Max Beard. Former podcast guest, George Washington. So these guys, the Peppermint Trolley Company, that were actually an American kind of sunshiny pop band. They were real? The Peppermint Trolley Company, Gilbert. They had a single called

Baby, You Come and Rollin' Cross My Mind. Also performed on Mannix. Love it. And they did an arrangement of performance of the Brady Bunch theme. So there you go. Like this weird intertwining stuff.

The Peppermint Trolley Company. Exactly. On the Beverly Hillbillies. And here they're just playing in this public park in the background while Jethro is doing his weird Robin Hood stuff.

How about a little of this, Frankie? This man needs peace and quiet. Here they are. Here they are. Here you go. These are all on YouTube. Oh, Robin Hood. Oh, Robin Hood.

Sounds like Bo Diddley. Sounds like Magic Bus. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, come on, come on now, Robin Hood. Robin, Robin Hood. Hey. What was that Bo Diddley beat? The laugh track is so obtrusive. I just want to get the laugh track. There's Ellie Mae.

That little break with the guitar, it seems like that was played no matter what kind of music. No matter what. You always had that structure. Whether it was jazz or anything what you always had that that structure so whether it was jazz or anything it always had that that beat this band showed up on manix too that's right yeah the peppermint trolley company and speaking of manix yes so this is where take it john this is where things get a little dark uh-huh because you know manix is a detective show

violence and and so the buffalo springfield a real band and a quite important band of the period appear as the bar band in a manix episode uh called warning live blueberries i don't know if that's some kind of obtuse drug reference i'm not really sure but manix is hired by an old friend to find his college-aged daughter who's living in a commune. So, you know, it involves hippies and, you know, Charles Manson-type stuff. And he penetrates this commune to try to find out what happened to this person. And there's this one scene where you see them playing in the background. You see Stephen Stills and Neil Young with the fringe and the Gretches and the whole bit.

Yeah. I watched the clip you sent me. It was dark. By the way, there's a monkey dancing in this Beverly Hillbillies episode. In a Robin Hood outfit. In a Robin Hood outfit, which will make Gilbert happy. And Abraham Lincoln. Dancing next to a monkey.

Well, you should be okay with that. Yes, yeah. The monkey, excuse me, the monkeys. The Mannix episode was disturbing. It really was. And dark, but it was nice to see the Buffalo Springfield on Mannix. And they're singing, and they're singing for quite a while. So they're kind of doing a Yardbirds thing in Blow Up, you know, where the Yardbirds are in that film and they appear as the house band.

That's what Buffalo Springfield is doing in this episode. And what about this My Mother the Car episode from 65, November 65? Yeah, this is just, I was going really deep. This is a deep cut. This is why you know this show failed so miserably because the name of the episode is My Son the Ventriloquist. That's the name of the episode. Oh, geez.

Season 1, episode 10, and the name of the band is called The Spaths, which it turns out was a real garage band out of Garden Grove, California. How did you even find this stuff? Amazing. They performed on Shindig. They released a couple of albums. That's the same one they're on Shindig. Including a couple of albums including a single called Gator Tales and Monkey Ribs

had you heard of the Spats Gilbert? that sounds like Gilbert's next book yeah right it could be the sea will tell rubber balls and liquor I didn't have to mention bestiality Gilbert woke up

so this is a horrible show. And I think like the show and the band, they're both relegated to the ash heap of history. Did I send you a clip for this one, Frank? Or do I have a clip? There was a clip here. I don't know if you sent it. I don't know if I gave him that one. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast after this. So what's the next episode? Well, I've got a few more. Sometimes I didn't use the clips because it was an entire episode that you sent me.

That's right. And I couldn't find any isolations. That's fine. Talk about the flying nun. Flying nun. I'm just proud that Gilbert has said nothing of the chimp that was on the screen all that time. I know. I expected a big reaction.

Fate waiting to be... Because he's normalized Simeon's in clothing. That's why. Yeah. It's no longer an issue for him. That was one of the cunnilingus chimps. You had to say it, didn't you? You couldn't help yourself.

you had to say it didn't you you couldn't help yourself and one of the first ones we played one of the guys outfit in that Beatles-esque band with the hat

and the glasses was like the outfit they wore for the Nairobi chimps the Nairobi trio Nairobi trio can you play

the cunnilingus chimps music please sure throw the episode completely off the rails we'll add that in later yeah he'll add it later.

Tell us about Song of Betrill from The Flying Nun. So this is very funny. They're still pushing this thing, like 68. Unbelievable. And this one is the weirdest, most psychedelic song out of them all. It's a band called The Sundowners that I believe were also a real band. It turns out one of the guys in the band was a friend of Sister Betrill's before she becomes a nun. Sister Betrill had a musical interest in trying to raise money somehow, so she writes a song.

They decide to perform it, but of course it's performed in this very tripped-out, psychedelic way that nobody appreciates. Sonny and the Sundowners were a real band. And it's a very trippy rock song. What's funny about it is that the guy singing it sounds like the lead singer of Steeler's Wheel. He's doing like a really bad Dylan imitation. Wow. Jerry Rafferty. Wow.

Gilbert, was The Flying Nun a show you watched? No. No, huh? No. Never watched The Flying Nun. I would think that would be one of your favorites. Yeah. How could I have gotten that so wrong?

He was big into Alejandro Rey. Yes. She's a matril. She's a matril. They're children. She's a matril. Okay. Bet you never heard an Alejandro Rey imitation.

What about this other Beverly Hillbillies episode? So the other Beverly Hillbillies is featuring a band called The Enemies. You talk about a proto-punk garage band. I've never heard of these bands. called The Enemies. You talk about a proto-punk garage band. I've never heard of these bands.

And in this case, hoping that a party will help Jethro and Ellie Mae meet people their own age, the Clampetts want to hold

an old-fashioned hoedown. So they enlist the help of Miss Hathaway to go out and find a band. Somehow they wind up in this club and they hire this band

that probably sounded more at home playing on the docks of Hamburg than they did in Southern California. I almost feel guilty forcing you to watch all, sit through every one of these episodes. It was, it was oddly fascinating because they do a couple of songs. They do a version of pretty woman, which is okay.

Really? And then they do a version of, I got my mojo working, you know, the old blues standard, which is actually, you know, it's got some, I laugh thinking about how the writers would, you know, the old blues standard which is actually, you know, it's got some...

I laugh thinking about how the writers would, you know, submit scripts for that season and everybody had their rock and roll episode. You know, everybody had to submit

an episode with, oh, the band's hiding out. In the case of the Munsters, they rent the house out to the fucking standouts. Hey, let's hear from

the Jolly Green Giant. We'll get to that one. But it's like, it was almost mandatory to have your rock episode. And these Hey, let's hear it from the Jolly Green Giant. We'll get to that one. But it's like, it was almost mandatory to have your rock episode. And these guys, what's interesting also is that they were

mostly garage bands too. I mean, they didn't, they were like out doing like on B record labels. Somebody wanted to put out the money to get Voice of Heart.

I'm sure they were available for like, you know, 20 bucks or whatever. So these guys were a garage band from Buffalo, New York and then they went on to do different things. I think one of them wound up in the Three Dog Night.

You're kidding. One of the members of the Enemies. Oh, was it Corey Wells? Yes, Corey Wells. Bravo, Frank. You get the cigar. What a great podcast guest. We're going to try to get Chuck Negron for Three Dog Night.

Never heard of these bands. I love that you did all this research. What about Ben Casey? So Ben Casey features the Standells, which is a band that turns out appeared on many episodes. They kind of get my award for having the most exposure. There's an episode called Three Little Lambs, which actually also features Marlo Thomas.

There you go, Gil. And Carol O'Connor's in that episode. That's right. So he's trying to lasso in three neurosurgeons that he's responsible for, and he needs to give them all a talking to about how they're living their lives. And of course, he does it in a bar

listening to a garage rock band. Did you watch Ben Casey, Gilbert? Yeah. And with... Sam Jaffe. Yeah. Dr. Zorba. Dr. Zorba. Dr. Zorba.

Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, so yeah, they're playing in the background and, and I always found, you know,

the black and white shows kind of weird, you know, cause this should have been in the color era, but this was still a black and white show. What's fascinating is that you, you wonder if the Standells representation were on top of this. Like how many shows can we put you guys on? Because it was three shows in a year.

That's right. They did Ben Casey. They did the Ben Crosby show in January, Ben Casey in March, and the Munsters in March. Munsters in March. And the other thing I found out about them, you know how they kind of have this 50s clean-cut look with the suits and the pompadours?

But it turns out they were much more of a hippie band kind of coming out on the scene, and their management forced them to look a bit cleaner, almost what Brian Epstein did with the Beatles because they were trying to book them on all these shows, and they didn't want to be too outlandish. It's amazing how many shows got mileage out of this idea. And the Sandells, as we said, turned up on the Bing Crosby show, which is a clip you sent me that I couldn't really watch

because it was hard to watch. This was the only, out of all of these episodes, out of all the series, the only one I couldn't really find any premise for. There's not a lot written on. I think it was a very short-lived sitcom. Do you remember the Bing Crosby show?

No. I mean, he had done like three or four of these types of shows in the 60s, I think. There were a few weird shows. Like, I remember they had the Henry Fonda show. The Smith family. Yeah, and the Jimmy Stewart show. Yep.

Ron Howard was on that Henry Fonda show. Yeah. He was the son. That was a weird time when they had these movie stars. Yeah. Well, and they were the twilight of their careers. Yes, yeah. And they would give them a TV show to front. I mean, Fred McMurray, too. Yeah. Right. Yeah, they were the twilight of their careers. Yes. And they would give them

a TV show to front. I mean, Fred McMurray too. Yeah. Right. Yeah. My Three Sons. And we saved the best for last.

My absolute favorite. Mine too. Oh. Yeah. Far Out Monsters. Oh, okay. Okay.

Eddie comes up with a new musical taste rock music. Okay. After putting a record in the phonograph, Herman and Grandpa get very angry about the noisy music. Later, a rock group manager sees in the paper

that the Munsters' house is a perfect shelter for the Standells. So they rent the house. Of course. The Munsters go away. The Munsters come back, and it turns into this whole beat generation, Allen Ginsberg poetic party thing.

With Zalman King. With Zalman King doing some great spoken word poetry. Yeah. But I love Herman's poetry the best. I watched the whole episode because I had to see Grandpa hanging in the closet. Me too.

I did it. This is the only one I watched from start to finish. We lead sad lives, Frank. We really do. Well, you know, we share an Al Lewis obsession. I'm going to get you back here

at some point to do some kind of All Monsters episode. I don't know what it is yet. But we'll come up with some kind of premise. You need to get Billy West for that. Yeah, I will get Billy West.

Frankie, let's see a little of this wonderful clip of the Standells on the Munsters. We'll all wing it. We'll all sing it. Kyle Lombardo's back in town.

That's the poet known as the hermit. So hip. The hip jokes are so hip. Kyle Lombardo joke. He sure cuts away the tinsel, darling. He sure cuts away the tinsel. Isn't this a fun party? Yes.

I haven't seen so many good-looking people in one place since we closed down the mausoleum back home. Let's hear from the Jolly Green Giants! Are you gonna hear this? Oh, oh, oh, no, not me. Bibbidi-bibbidi. I wrote it down. This is great.

It's Harman's poetry? Yeah. I think he's going to recite! Um. It's Harman's poetry. I think he's going to recite. Ibity bibity sibity sab. Ibity bibity canal boat. Dictionary. Down the ferry. Mary Mary quite contrary. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy lost his hair.

Scuba do and scuba die. That chicken's not too young to fry. Remember the scuba? That's great. That chicken's not too young to fry. Remember the skill? That's great. Life is real. Life is earnest. If you're cold, turn up the furnace.

Fantastic. I thank you. That's great. Can we go back and hear a little of the stand-ells? Are they before this or after? It's so weird that it's supposed to be Beatles, but they're still thinking in terms of, yeah, the beat generation.

So it's kind of straddling, you know. Yeah, what a message. Go back a little bit, Frank. We'll see if we can... You marked 1143, but that was what we just said to a song called...

I marked it wrong. Do the Ringo, and they also do a Beatle track. I want to hold your hand. No, we don't want to hear Lily singing with the harp. Go back to the Standells. Yeah.

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Right here. There we go. It's a little bit after this. Some cats from L.A. just... Blew in! You don't understand. It's a little bit after this. We don't know anybody either! Did you dig that crazy getup? Man is that way out.

You see the hairdo on the tall one? It's the greatest thing since Carl Sandburg. It's references. Carl Sandburg. Guy Lombardo. Here's the Stan Bells. Yeah. Any memories of this skill? Come on and let yourself go. Everybody ring go. Any memories of this, Gil?

I banged. Do I remember smoke coming out of Grandpa's ears at some point? That's when they do, I want to hold your hand. I see. Yeah. Fantastic. John, this was a great premise. A lot of fun.

Yeah. And fun to do the research? Yeah, yeah. It was great. I mean, it kind of rekindled my interest in garage rock. There's a whole... It's a deep mine to go down. Are there any you missed?

I think probably there was a My Three Sons. Okay. Because I remember still images My Three Sons. Okay. Because I remember still images of them holding guitars. Okay. And like I said, Flintstones and I'm sure some other cartoons covered as well. I think they were covered in every form of the medium. This man loves Al Lewis, Gilbert, and we have to come up with a Munsters premise. Oh, absolutely.

We'll come back and bring him back. Yeah. Here's one that's not a band that I remembered, but a 60s artist on Batman. Ah. Does this ring a bell? Jim Windhoff. I recognize this.

Jim is here. Maybe he knows. This is from a Catwoman episode. Gilbert? Oh. It's Leslie Gore. Oh, wow. Gymnos.

It almost sounds like a Brian Wilson type of track. Little Beach Boys kind of thing. California Nights. Yeah. Sunshine Pop. Yeah. It's great. I remember this song.

Leslie Gore playing Pussycat on Batman. So I had to find one and throw it at you. Not a band. Fantastic. Gil?

Okay. I'm Gilbert Gottfried and I'm my coach one and throw it at you. Not a band. Fantastic. Gil? Okay, I'm Gilbert Gottfried and I'm my co-host Frank Santopadre and this has been Gilbert and Frank's amazing, colossal obsessions with our special guest John Fivenvoyvelvachen. John,

this was fun. Thank you. Thank you guys. Let's do more. Absolutely. This was a lot of fun. Thank you, guys. Let's do more. Absolutely. Okay, this was a lot of fun. Monster, go home. California Night California night It's a way to my way Thinking now that I'll stay Ooh, baby