h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

From somewhere I'd got an idea he was one of the writers - having checked it seems he isn't.

I would therefore suggest that you don't mention The Young Ones.

Ok I' leave that on the back burner.

Great entry

I only have a couple of comments:

There needs to be a space between >>around.Like<< in the intro italicy bit.

>>In total they released four albums and toured including to the USA before disbanding in 1970.<< reads oddly to me Perhaps re-word it along the lines of >>Before disbanding in 1970, they released four albums and toured countries including the USA.<<

Six Fb

As one who listened to Radio Luxembourg under the sheets in boarding school, I can swear on the correct spelling of Keynsham: K E Y N, S H A M, Keynsham, Bristol. Horace Batchelor and his famous Infra-drawr method. That and the H Samuels ever-right watch. And "take a biscuit that's no bigger than a button, take a raisin that's been lazin' in the sun, find yourself a mellow chunk of chocolate, take a Tiffin, taste them all in one".

Not sure what Recumbentman wants me to add here.

But the rest is done.

You put an extra e in Keynsham.

Any description yet from Gnomon, about the piggy grunt/Quentin Hogg episode?

There doesn't seem to be anything on the web about it. I seem to remember reading about it in the sleeve notes of the album.

I think there's a brief description of what happened in the liner notes for the Best of the Bonzos - a double LP which I have... and which is in a box of LPs, buried under a big pile of other boxes in the shed... and I'm not going to try and dig it out.

If that's not where I read it, then I don't know where I heard about it But it was certainly a long time before the internet.

" SCANDAL IN BONZOLANDIA!!: As if the appearance of Adolph Hitler were not enough to ruffle some feathers.... The Bonzos were pressured into re-recording "The Intro. & The Outro.". Originally among the performers was a reference to British MP Quintin Hogg. ("And Now Just Arriving, Quintin Hogg on piggy-grunt"). Mr. Hogg apparently tightened a few screws in the right places, and Vivian Stanshall, went into the studio and re-recorded it. (It is not known if any copies of the original version exist.)"
http://www.bonzodog.org/bonzos/gorilla.htm

"Gorilla was delayed for a month as Quintin Hogg MP (later Lord Hailsham) objected to his mention on The Intro And The Outro: "and now just arriving, Quintin Hogg on piggy-grunt". The band had to re-record the track without the reference."
http://www.iankitching.me.uk/music/bonzos/history.html

It would have helped my search if I had spelt "Quintin" correctly.

Ah - I left 'Quintin/Quentin' out of it altogether and searched on

I'll get working on that addition.

Ok if there is nothing more I think if is ready.

Awaits a flying past Quintin Hogg carrying a Sub.

Not *quite* ready, it needs another polish to make it a little easier to read.
For instance:

"Like many bands in the mid sixties, the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band formed from a collection of friends at art school, in this case Goldsmith's College of Art1. The original line-up included Vivian, or Viv, Stanshall, Neil Innes, Roger Ruskin-Spear, 'Legs' Larry Smith and Rodney Slater although they featured several others. As a result they started out on the London pub and club scene."

Now, decyphering the paragraph, I think I've worked out that 'as a result' refers to Goldsmith's College, but there's too much in between for that to be clear. I'd suggest a rejig there so that you say who the band members were, explain that like many other bands they met at art college and then draw the conclusion that this was the reason for their early London-based gigs.

I'd also suggest a title change - 'Intro and Outro', a Song by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band' makes a little more sense, methinks.

Neil Innes - "being the voice behind The Book Tower, Puddle Lane and the Raggy Dolls."

I'm not sure he was only the voice behind The Book Tower. Certainly when it was hosted by Tom Baker he was in vision, and I seem to remember Neil was too. Perhaps this could be fudged by 'being a contributor to...'. And don't forget to italicise the TV show titles

One final point - did this come before or after Sgt Pepper's Lonely heart's Club Band? Reads very much like a mickey-take of it to me, but it'd be nice to know for sure. Neil Innes made a bit of a career mocking Beatles songs, after all.

We are huge fans of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band in the towers, and look forward to being able to accept this entry

I'll print off and read through at lunchtime but all your suggestions have been taken on board.

Good entry

'Session Gorilla was a late addition to the players see the section on controversies at the end of the entry.'

This sentence needs some kind of punctuation adding.

Alex

Iconic album sleave --> sleeve.

I am amazed to learn that Gorilla was post-Peppers! I would have placed it so much earlier, by faulty memory. And that was their first album! Well I must go and rearrange my recollections

All done!

Hi there, St.Demon Drawer.

My friend Recumbentman just told me of your heroic efforts on behalf of Bonzo Dog DooDah Band.

As a hopeless BDDDB addict since the late 60s, I was delighted to read your piece. Here are some more points to bring it closer to perfection.

I read through carefully, and there are still a few typos, as you probably realise.

Section The Band: "released released"...one released is ample...
"they Reformed..." capital R not needed.

Section Legs Larry Smith: apostrophe needed "on the band's album."

Section Neil Innes: On a point of info, Neil Innes also wrote, and performed in the BBC series "The Innes Book of Records," circa 1980.

Section Viv Stanshall: He also wrote "Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal." Both it and "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End" are available on CD. Viv tragically died as a result of smoking in bed. Out cold on whiskey, he didn't smell the smoke when his cigarette set fire to the bedclothes. Horrible.

Section Adolf Hitler: " did wanted to own them all..." no 'did' needed.

Vox Humana section: "no theatre OR cinema organ..."

Incredible Shrinking Man section: Actually, a euphonium is not the largest instrument in an American or any marching band. I used to play the euphonium in our school CCF band. The joke here is that the euphonium is the smallest member of the tuba family, and looks like a shrunken tuba.

Peter Scott section: Sir Peter Scott was most famous as an artist who almost exclusively painted ducks ( famously lampooned by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the infamous National Gallery sketch.)


And that's enough for now.

Congrats anyway, most enjoyable.

Cheers,

C \|/