Chocolate

Hullo! Though it's a new month, this is not an artist of the month post. If you read the little sidebar, you'll notice it's on hiatus. You'll also notice I've provided one of my SM:TV Live gifs for your viewing pleasure. I have no idea when I'll return to doing the artist of the month. I've bought a lot of new music lately, but I haven't listened to a lot of it. This is a very strange time in my life - you must excuse me. But I shall be posting!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

It's no secret I'm a fan of 60s music, but my obsession doesn't end there. I just want to take the whole era and put it in my pocket. The good, the bad, and the smelly.

I watch a number of television shows from the 60s, and one of my favourites is The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Last month I read Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which is a biography about the Smothers Brothers and their show (mentioned above). Their show aired from 1967 to 1969. It began as a typical comedic variety show, but it soon became too revolutionary for its own good. Tom and other writers on the show constantly fought the censors to say what they wanted to say (whether it be a slightly off-colour joke or social commentary). The war raged on until The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was cancelled after its third series, even though a fourth series was contracted.

Dick and Tom Smothers are (believe it or not) really brothers and their last name is truly Smothers. When I first started watching the show, I assumed it was all a gimmick. :P

I made the mistake of not finishing this post when I started writing it last month, so most of that nice biographical information I obtained about  Dick and Tom is gone. I do remember they started out as a folk trio in the early 60s (and yes there was a third man at the time), which eventually morphed into them doing folk/comedy as a duo, with Dick being the straight to Tom's funny man.


One of our favourite songs the Smothers Brothers do is a song called 'Chocolate' which opens with the line: "I fell in a vat of a chocolate..." Its punchline is hilarious as well. (You have to listen carefully, though, cause Tom says it very quickly.)

They perform it on the second season of their show, but sadly that clip is not on youtube. But luckily, it was also on their 1962 folk/comedy album The Two Sides of the Smothers Brothers, so you can listen to it, at least!





(Supplemental link: Watch them perform 'My Old Man' on the third season of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. I know it must be the third series since they have moustaches. :P)