The Folksmen

Last updated

The Folksmen are a fictitious American folk music trio, conceived and performed by actors-comedians-musicians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. Originally created in 1984 for a Saturday Night Live sketch, the Folksmen have subsequently maintained an intermittent public presence for more than twenty-five years. The trio is best known for its depiction in the mockumentary film A Mighty Wind (2003), but has also made a number of meta-performances on stage and television, often in conjunction with the same creators' fictitious heavy metal band, Spinal Tap.

Contents

Film, television and concert depictions

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer first appeared as the Folksmen on the November 3, 1984, episode of Saturday Night Live , the fourth episode of season 10. Guest and Shearer had both joined SNL as cast members that season (though Harry Shearer was previously an SNL cast member for the 1979-1980 season), while McKean was hosting that episode. All three had previously worked together on comedy projects involving musical parody, including the Lenny and the Squigtones LP and a television pilot, The TV Show, which marked the first appearance of Spinal Tap. The SNL sketch, entitled "The Folksmen Reunion", had a similar satirical intent, targeting the renewed interest in American folk music following then-recent reunions of such artists as Peter, Paul & Mary (1978), The Weavers (1980), and The Kingston Trio (1981). Introduced by Pamela Stephenson, the SNL sketch depicted the Folksmen as caricatures of semi-retired folk musicians: three conservatively dressed middle-aged men, spouting homilies and performing simplistic songs with cloying lyrics. [1] In a 2009 interview, Shearer stated that the songs were intended to satirize "the fake folk music being written in office buildings in Manhattan’s Upper West Side." [2]

Guest, McKean and Shearer made a cameo appearance as the Folksmen in the 1992 film The Return of Spinal Tap , which documented the latter group's real-life reunion concert at Royal Albert Hall in London. When the trio subsequently toured as Spinal Tap during 2001, they would occasionally perform in the guise of the Folksmen as an ostensible "opening act"; not all of the audiences appreciated (or even understood) this in-joke, with one appearance in New York City reportedly being booed by a restless audience. Of this twist, Shearer once stated: "You can think you're in control of the amusing notion of the wrong act opening for a rock band—but when you actually find yourself being the wrong act, it doesn't feel any better." [3] In a 2009 interview, Guest reflected further on the phenomenon:

One time, we had The Folksmen open for Spinal Tap because we always wanted to do a culmination of our entirely different personas. So there we were in caps playing folk music, opening for Spinal Tap, and the audience looked completely bewildered, like "What the fuck is going on here?" It was great. My son was at the show, and asked, "Mom, when are the old guys getting off and loud guys coming on?" That may have been a moment of weirdness for some people, but so what? [4]

The line between fiction and reality had previously blurred when, in 1993, Guest, McKean and Shearer performed as The Folksmen at a genuine folk festival held at UCLA in Los Angeles, alongside such real-life folk artists as Arlo Guthrie, Joni Mitchell and Peter, Paul & Mary. According to Guest, the Folksmen went over "better than the other acts", while McKean recalled that "Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary looked at us and muttered, 'Too close, too close.'" [3]

The Folksmen were incorporated into Christopher Guest's mockumentary A Mighty Wind (2003), which depicted a reunion concert of three fictitious folk music acts, following the death of their mutual manager, Irving Steinbloom. The film included interviews with the band members (which established much of their fictional backstory), reconstructed vintage footage and album covers, and various original songs performed in rehearsal as well as the purported concert, An Ode to Irving. To publicise the film, Guest, McKean and Shearer appeared as the Folksmen on a number of television programs, in which they performed songs and were interviewed in character. Between September and November 2003, the three fictitious folk groups from the film "reformed" to undertake a real-life concert tour of cities on the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle) and the East Coast (Boston; Philadelphia; New York; and Washington, D.C.).

More recently, in April 2009, Guest, McKean and Shearer embarked upon the Unwigged & Unplugged tour to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the film This is Spinal Tap . [5] This time, they appeared as themselves, performing songs associated with Spinal Tap, the Folksmen and various other film and comedy projects from their long careers. After touring thirty cities in the United States, the trio performed a special "One Night Only World Tour" concert at London's Wembley Arena on June 30, 2009, in which they performed (this time in full costume) as both Spinal Tap and the Folksmen.

Personnel

The fictional members of the Folksmen are:

During televised appearances, Barrows/Guest has also been seeing playing the autoharp (on "Barnyard Symphony", as performed on Saturday Night Live in 1984) and penny whistle (on "Corn Wine", in a deleted scene from A Mighty Wind). The studio recording of "Skeletons of Quinto", included on the film's soundtrack CD, included guest appearances from prominent musicians David Nichtern (nylon string guitar) and Marston Smith (cello). [7]

Fictional backstory

Origins and early fame

Characteristically, there is some dispute regarding the origins of the Folksmen. It was once claimed that the three members of the group originally met while they were freshmen at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. [8] However, in a 2003 interview, Mark Shubb and Alan Barrows stated that the two had actually met in late 1961 when both were studying at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. Barrows recalled that "we were both interested in folk music and there was a big folk music scene, as there were at many colleges." [9] They subsequently formed a musical duo known as The Twobadors. As recorded in an official band biography, later issued by Folktown Records, "In 1961, Vermont's own The Twobadors boarded a bus bound for New York City. Their first stop: Greenwich Village and The Folk Place. Inside, performing on the legendary stage was Jerry Palter". [10] Palter, who was performing there as a guitarist and backing singer, sang baritone. As Barrows noted, "Mark was a bass singer and I was a tenor singer, so we had lead—no glue, no middle. We ended up getting together, and it just clicked." [9] As their official bio put it, "Alan and Mark had found their mid-range, and the Folksmen were born". [10]

The newly renamed trio soon attracted the attention of folk music impresario Irving Steinbloom (1920–2003), who became their manager and signed them to Folktown Records – as Palter once put it, "THE label to be on." [9] In 1962, the group released the single "Old Joe's Place", which became a Top 70 hit and remains their best-known song. According to one source, the Folksmen remained together for 26 months (i.e. two and a half years), during which time they "played and sang their own brand of 'eclectified folk' music." [8] During this time they released no fewer than five studio albums. In a 2003 interview, Barrow recalled: "We figured that it would be amusing, at least to us, to have one word album titles, and we'd lop off the g's." [9] This, however, eventually came to a halt when, as Shubb noted in the same interview: "We violated our covenant with the audience with a record called Saying Something, which is two mistakes by my account – two words, and two g's. All of our goodwill and tradition and good luck went down the toilet." [9] Compounding the problem, that album was released on a lesser subsidiary label, Folktone Records, which, as Palter notes, was "a decent label – they just didn't have the distribution." [9] The album, elsewhere described as "their one and only experiment in electric", [10] was not a success, and the trio disbanded soon afterward. Relegated to the status of a minor footnote in the annals of American folk music, the Folksmen would later be characterised as "the group who were too popular to be purist and too purist to be popular." [8]

Reunions

Little is known of the activities of the band members after its demise around 1968. In the early 1970s, Alan Barrows began teaching a creative writing course at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia and also taught a yoga class. [1] In 1984, folk music impresario Albert Lilienthal (best known as the man who established the Eighty-eight Cent Hoot at the Seaman's Institute) invited the Folksmen to re-form for a special one-off appearance on Saturday Night Live. [1] At the time, it was noted that this was the first time that they had performed together in almost twenty years. Their appearance prompted a renewed interest in the group's work, and it was subsequently reported that "they are again becoming a popular late addition to folk festivals within a day’s auto travel of their homes." [8]

In 1992, the trio was scheduled to open for heavy metal band Spinal Tap during the latter's comeback concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. However, there was some concern that the rowdy audience might threaten the safety of the performers, so they did not appear; instead, the Folksmen attempted to recoup their costs by busking, performing a version of "Kumbaya" inside South Kensington tube station. It was later reported on Spinal Tap's website that the Folksmen had signed a four-month lease on a 1994 Chrysler minivan in anticipation of Spinal Tap's proposed 1996 Third World Tour, and there were rumours that the Folksmen might put out a CD. [8] However, neither the anticipated tour, nor the album, ever eventuated.

In June 1993, the Folksmen appeared at the Troubadors of Folk festival at UCLA in Los Angeles, where they performed on the same bill as Paul Stookey, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Roger McGuinn and others. [11] (Stookey allegedly saw the Folksmen and muttered, "Too close, too close.") Eight years later, they returned to UCLA to make a guest appearance at a tribute concert, The Harry Smith Project, dedicated to the late folk music anthologist Harry Everett Smith. [12]

In 2003, the Folksmen reunited far more prominently for another tribute concert, this time in honour of their former manager, Irving Steinbloom, who died that year. In the days leading up to the concert, the trio met for a reunion barbecue in upstate New York, during which they rehearsed several numbers from their back catalogue including "Blood on the Coal," "Corn Wine," "Loco Man," and "Skeletons of Quinto." At the concert itself, the group originally intended to open with "Never Did No Wanderin". Unbeknownst to them, The New Main Street Singers, another Steinbloom-managed group performing that night, end up performing the song. Reluctantly, The Folksmen instead performed only their hit, "Old Joe's Place," and the rarely heard "Barnyard Symphony."

Following the memorial concert, which was broadcast live on public television, bass player Mark Shubb came out as a Trans woman, and subsequently performed with the Folksmen in female attire. As she put it:

After that concert I realized I want to spend as much of the rest of my life as possible playing folk music with these gentlemen. And I want to spend all of it as a woman. I came to a realization that I was, and am, a blonde, female folk singer trapped in the body of a bald, male folk singer, and I had to let me out or I would die. [9]

This change had the effect of making the Folksmen lineup identical (at least in terms of gender) to that of Peter, Paul and Mary.

Discography

Concert appearances

TV appearances

Songs

TitleWriter/sA Mighty Wind filmA Mighty Wind CDOther TV or concert performance
"A Mighty Wind"Levy/Guest/McKeanOde to Irving concertYesUnplugged and Unwigged
"Barnyard Symphony"Guest/McKean/ShearerOde to Irving concert-SNL (excerpt only)
"Blood on the Coal"Guest/McKean/ShearerRehearsal footageYesSNL (excerpt only); MadTV; Unwigged & Unplugged
"Children of the Sun"?Vintage film clip (DVD extra)-
"Corn Wine"Guest/McKean/ShearerRehearsal footage (DVD extra)-Unwigged & Unplugged
"Kumbaya"Traditional--The Return of Spinal Tap
"Loco Man"ShearerRehearsal footageYesUnwigged & Unplugged
"Never Did No Wanderin"McKean/ShearerRehearsal footageYesThe View; Unwigged & Unplugged
"Old Joe's Place"Guest/McKean/ShearerOde to Irving; vintage film clip (DVD extra)YesSNL; David Letterman; Unwigged & Unplugged
"Old Ninety-Seven"?--SNL (excerpt only)
"Skeletons of Quinto"GuestRehearsal footageYes
"Start Me Up" Jagger/Richards -YesConan O'Brien; Unwigged & Unplugged

The following songs have been mentioned or alluded to in various Folksmen media appearances, but have never been performed:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Guest</span> British-American screenwriter, comedian, musician, director, and actor

Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest, known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy films shot in mockumentary style. The series of films began with This Is Spinal Tap and continued with Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Shearer</span> American actor (born 1943)

Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, musician, radio host, writer, and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group. Following the breakup of the group, Shearer co-wrote the film Real Life (1979) with Albert Brooks and worked as a writer on Martin Mull's television series Fernwood 2 Night.

<i>This Is Spinal Tap</i> 1984 film directed by Rob Reiner

This Is Spinal Tap is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as members of the heavy metal band Spinal Tap, who are characterized as "one of England's loudest bands". Reiner plays Martin "Marty" Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows them on their American tour. The film satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the perceived hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries such as The Song Remains the Same (1976) and The Last Waltz (1978), and follows the similar All You Need Is Cash (1978) by the Rutles. Most of its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael McKean</span> American actor (born 1947)

Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in Laverne & Shirley, David St. Hubbins in This Is Spinal Tap, and Chuck McGill on Better Call Saul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter, Paul and Mary</span> American folk music group popular in the 1960s

Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers. The group's repertoire included songs written by Yarrow and Stookey, early songs by Bob Dylan, and covers of other folk musicians. They were enormously successful in the early- and mid-1960s, with their debut album topping the charts for weeks, and helped popularize the folk music revival. After the death of Travers in 2009, Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform as a duo under their individual names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annette O'Toole</span> American actress (born 1952)

Annette O'Toole is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in the television series Nash Bridges, adult Beverly Marsh in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's epic horror novel It, Lana Lang in Superman III, Kathy in the romantic-comedy film Cross My Heart, and Martha Kent on the television series Smallville.

<i>A Mighty Wind</i> 2003 film by Christopher Guest

A Mighty Wind is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. Co-written, directed, and composed by Christopher Guest, the film is widely acknowledged to reference folk music producer Harold Leventhal as the inspiration for the character of Irving Steinbloom and more broadly parodies the American folk music revival of the early 1960s and its personalities.

<i>Break Like the Wind</i> 1992 studio album by Spinal Tap

Break Like the Wind is a 1992 album by the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The songs include a range of genres, from the glam metal anthem "Bitch School" down to the skiffle satire of "All the Way Home". The title, and the album's title track, is a double entendre that combines and confuses the idiom "make like the wind" with "break wind", a euphemism for flatulence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Credibility Gap</span> American satirical comedy team (1968-1979)

The Credibility Gap was an American satirical comedy team active from 1968 through 1979. They emerged in the late 1960s delivering comedic commentary on the news for the Los Angeles AM rock radio station KRLA 1110, and proceeded to develop more elaborate and ambitious satirical routines on the "underground" station KPPC-FM in Pasadena, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramblin' Jack Elliott</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1931)

Ramblin' Jack Elliott is an American folk singer and songwriter and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chad Mitchell Trio</span> North American vocal group

The Chad Mitchell Trio, later known as The Mitchell Trio, were an American vocal group who became known during the 1960s. They performed traditional folk songs and some of John Denver's early compositions. They were particularly notable for performing satirical songs that criticized current events during the time of the Cold War, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinal Tap (band)</span> Parody heavy metal band

Spinal Tap are a fictional English heavy metal band created by the American comedians and musicians of The T.V. Show, who wrote and performed original songs as the band: Michael McKean, as the lead singer and guitarist David St. Hubbins; Christopher Guest, as the guitarist Nigel Tufnel; and Harry Shearer, as the bassist Derek Smalls. They are characterized as "one of England's loudest bands".

<i>This Is Spinal Tap</i> (soundtrack) 1984 soundtrack album by Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap is the soundtrack to the film This Is Spinal Tap, released in 1984. It was re-released in 2000 with lyrics and two versions of "Christmas with the Devil" as bonus tracks. The cover art is identical to that of the fictional album Smell the Glove featured in the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Limeliters</span> American folk music group

The Limeliters are an American folk music group, formed in July 1959 by Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassilev (banjo/baritone), and Glenn Yarbrough (guitar/tenor). The group was active from 1959 until 1965, and then after a hiatus of sixteen years, Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb reunited and began performing again as The Limeliters in reunion tours. On a regular basis a continuation of The Limeliters group is still active and performing. Gottlieb died in 1996, Yarbrough died in 2016, and Hassilev, the last founding member, who had remained active in the group, retired in 2006, leaving the group to carry on without any of the original members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Smalls</span> Fictional musician

Derek Albion Smalls is a fictional character played by Harry Shearer in the spoof rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. He is the bassist for mock British heavy metal group Spinal Tap, playing alongside guitarists Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins, as well as with a plethora of drummers and keyboardists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Otto Show</span> 22nd episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"The Otto Show" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 23, 1992. In the episode, Bart wants to become a rock star after attending a Spın̈al Tap concert, so Homer and Marge buy him a guitar. He shows the guitar to Otto, who plays it and makes the children late for school. While racing to Springfield Elementary, Otto crashes the school bus and is suspended until he earns a driver's license. Unable to pay his rent, Otto moves in with the Simpsons.

Russell Kunkel is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Cass Elliot, Dan Fogelberg, Glenn Frey, Art Garfunkel, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carole King, Lyle Lovett, Reba McEntire, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Seger, Carly Simon, Stephen Stills, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Steve Winwood, Neil Young, and Warren Zevon. He was the studio and touring drummer for Crosby & Nash in the 1970s, and has played on all four of their studio albums.

<i>Back from the Dead</i> (Spinal Tap album) 2009 studio album by Spinal Tap

Back from the Dead is an album by the heavy metal band Spinal Tap. Released on June 16, 2009, it is the first release under the Spinal Tap name since 1992's Break Like the Wind, and this is the most recent Spinal Tap's album to this date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ric Parnell</span> British drummer (1951–2022)

Ric Parnell was an English rock drummer. Notable for his work in the band Atomic Rooster, he is probably best known for his role as the ill-fated drummer Mick Shrimpton in the film This Is Spinal Tap.

<i>Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping</i> 2016 American mockumentary comedy film

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a 2016 American mockumentary musical comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone and written by and starring Andy Samberg, Taccone, and Schaffer. The trio, collectively known as The Lonely Island, also co-produced the film with Judd Apatow and Rodney Rothman. Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Imogen Poots, Joan Cusack, Maya Rudolph, and Chris Redd appear in supporting roles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer. "The Folksmen Reunion". www.snltranscripts.jt.org. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  2. ↑ Chris Kohler (April 23, 2009). "Review: Spinal Tap Ditches Wigs, Cranks Up Comedy". www.wired.com. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Barbara Hoffman, "The Old Folkies at Home", New York Post, Sep 20, 2003, p 25.
  4. ↑ Scott Thill (March 3, 2009). "Spinal Tap's Christopher Guest Keeps the World Guessing". www.wired.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ Andrew Gans, "Guest, McKean and Shearer Launch 30-City Tour of Unwigged & Unplugged April 17", Playbill, April 17, 2009.
  6. ↑ Winters, Pamela Murray (September 23, 2003). "A Mighty Wind at 9:30: Kitschy-Kitschy-Goo" . Retrieved January 24, 2018– via www.WashingtonPost.com.
  7. ↑ Sleeve notes to A Mighty Wind motion picture soundtrack (DMZ/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax 5126562000).
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Chip Rowe. Spinal Tap A to Zed: A Guide to one of England's Loudest Bands (Third edition, 2002), p 49.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. "Mighty Wind Script – Dialogue Transcript". www.script-o-rama.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 "The Biography, produdly brought to you by Folktone Records". amightywindonline.warnerbros.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  11. 1 2 Chris Willman, "Folk springs eternal at Festival", Los Angeles Times, Jun 8, 1993, p 7.
  12. ↑ Joe D'Angelo (April 20, 2001). "Folksmen Tapped To Play Tribute To Anthologist Harry Smith". www.mtv.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.