Diamond Geezer (Part 2 of 3)

[ooooooooser]

is it danny thompson on bass?

[strangeones4]

I knew about Viv Stanshall as a teenager because I was a fan of The Who (Keith Moon) with many WHO books. I was also a fan of Monty Python. and knew of Neil Innes with the troupe, and "The Rutles". This is my favorite version of "Ginger Geezer". Despite the "problems", the amount of brilliance that was still coming out of Stanshall in 1991 is incredible.  I wrote this before, but if you are a fan a Stephen Fry, there is a heavy influence of comedic delivery/pace/timing, from Viv Stanshall.

[AlchemicalDavid]

I'm in love. Viv - you total star :D

[michaelstmark]

My recent landlady was Viv's wife, Monica.

Very nice lady... but she had despaired of Viv!

[vulpecula999]

sure is - Mr Slater's parrot !! Cor blimey, it's all coming back now

[JayMaySayHey]

Viv himself sings who's on the sax at the start of this song's bridge: "Back in the ol' days see 'em play hurdy gurdy, Mr. Slater plays a solo on his bass saxophoneo..."

[dharmaseed]

Do you know what song that is at 3:27?

[JayMaySayHey]

It's one of Viv's signature songs, the very catchy "Ginger Geezer" presented in the Cockney slang style in the voice of another of Viv's amazing characters (this man was a creative genius if ever one was) a chap by the name of Buller Bullethead...

[JayMaySayHey]

...Like nearly all his characters, it's really autobiographical, for he saw himself in his middle years as the ginger geezer. One of his countless devotees on the Web came up with the lyrics based on some guesswork from a presumably British perspective...

[JayMaySayHey]

"Geezer, wot a ginger geezer.

Had nearly had a seizure when I clocked him in the Frog.

Spruced up in me piccolo, me tifter and me daisys

Bowling down the rubba with me cherry china fido.

Rolled an oily rag, me cherry bread and cheesed,

you wont adam wot I sees: Some geezer, an ooly ginger geezer. A geezer wiv a hooter I suppose

I really had to rabbit an pork to this geezer, Itie-ice-cream freezer, Ginger geezer sees-ya around...

[dharmaseed]

@JayMaySayHey What's the name of that song? Where can I find it?

[JayMaySayHey]

Back in the old days simply Hurley Girly, Mr. Slater plays a solo on his bass sax-a-phoney-oh

Viv Stanshall, beloved comic entertainer of limitless brilliance, may you rest in peace.

[SRPMITCHTUBE]

Blue men do sing the whites. Vivien Stanshall was exceedingly unnormal an eccentric, bad tempered, melancholic, dipsomaniac genius or English if you prefer the precis.

[SRPMITCHTUBE]

I am all for the short shirt - well you have to be a bit modern don't you.

Viv Stanshall is the great teapot in the sky.

[knibscratch]

ha ha, well your certainly with it, that's the stuff!

[msnoodlebrain]

Isn't that the great Susie Honeyman on violin?

[JayMaySayHey]

Yes. She performed and recorded with Viv from 1983 till his sad death 12 years later.

[pressgangers]

he was on freaking top form for this late show studio gig, not long after he was doing the same at the bloomsbury theatre

[peterj403]

Haven't seen this for a while. Fantastic to see it here !! 5 gold stars to those responsible. THANK YOU SO MUCH for keeping the memory of Vivian Stanshall alive.

Not forgetting Johnny Plee for the great intro and the original BBC team for actually recording it in the first place! I LOVE it very much - it's heaven to see and here it again.

[jesustonight]

i woke up this moring and decided to be a wardrobe

[mummyfunster]

What absolute heaven. Viv's a cracking storyteller. I'd be quite happy to have a bedtime story read to me by Viv. And I'm 33. However, I think I'd laugh myself to sleep.....