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Lemmings (National Lampoon)

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Productions
  
1973 Off Broadway

First performance
  
25 January 1973

Lemmings (National Lampoon) With a little help from my friends National Lampoon39s Lemmings

Music
  
Written and Arranged by Paul Jacobs and Christopher Guest

Playwrights
  
John Belushi, Harold Ramis, Tony Hendra

Lyricists
  
Tony Hendra, Douglas Kenney, P. J. O'Rourke, Sean Kelly, Henry Beard, Anne Beatts, David Axelrod, John Boni

Composers
  
Christopher Guest, Paul Jacobs

Similar
  
Leader of the Pack, Henry - Sweet Henry, First Lady Suite, Caroline - or Change, Big River

National Lampoon: Lemmings, a spinoff of the humor magazine National Lampoon, was a 1973 stage show that helped launch the performing careers of John Belushi, Christopher Guest, and Chevy Chase. The show was co-written and co-directed by a number of people including Sean Kelly. The show opened at The Village Gate on January 25, 1973, and ran for 350 performances.

Contents

Lemmings (National Lampoon) Inside National Lampoon WNYC News WNYC

The first half of the show was sketch comedy; the second half was a mock Rock festival, "Woodshuck: Three Days of Peace, Love and Death", a Parody of "Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music." "Woodshuck" featured spoofs of Woodstock performers, including Joe Cocker and Joan Baez, as well as parodies of John Denver, Bob Dylan and James Taylor, plus songs performed by fictional groups (e.g., the "Motown Manifestoes" singing Papa was a Running Dog Lackey of the Bourgeoisie).

Lemmings (National Lampoon) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumb6

The songs from the show were subsequently issued as a record album. A video of one of the original performances, National Lampoon: Lemmings: Dead in Concert 1973, was eventually made available several decades later.

Lemmings (National Lampoon) Lemmings National Lampoon Wikipedia

Cast

The cast included:

Lemmings (National Lampoon) NATIONAL LAMPOON Lemmings 1973 Vintage Vinyl by thevinylfrontier

  • John Belushi - bass guitar
  • Chevy Chase - drums
  • Garry Goodrow - sax
  • Christopher Guest - guitar
  • Paul Jacobs -guitar, piano
  • Mary-Jennifer Mitchell
  • Alice Playten

    • Later cast replacements:

  • Rhonda Coullet
  • Nate Herman
  • Bob Hoban
  • Zal Yanovsky
  • Peter Elbling
  • Archie Hahn

    • Writers

    The writers included:

    Lemmings (National Lampoon) With a little help from my friends National Lampoon39s Lemmings

  • Christopher Guest – music, musical arrangements
  • Paul Jacobs – music, musical arrangements, musical director
  • John Belushi
  • Sean Kelly
  • Tony Hendra
  • David Axlerod
  • Anne Beatts
  • Henry Beard
  • John Boni
  • Doug Kenney
  • P. J. O'Rourke
  • Harold Ramis
  • Zal Yanovsky

    • Acts

    Lemmings (National Lampoon) With a little help from my friends National Lampoon39s Lemmings

  • Welcome to the Woodshuck Festival: Three Days of Peace, Love, and Death; plus band introductions throughout - John Belushi
  • Freud, Marx, Engels, and Jung, performing "Lemmings Lament." - A parody of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the songs Woodstock, Long Time Gone, and others. (Also referred to in performance as Freud, Pavlov, Adler, and Jung)
  • Bob Dylan, performing "Positively Wall Street," a parody of several of his styles, with the title taken from "Positively 4th Street" - Christopher Guest
  • Goldie Oldie, a parody of old, 1950s-style performers, performing "Pizza Man," a parody of the "teen tragedy" songs - Alice Playten
  • John Denver, performing "Colorado" - Chevy Chase
  • Joan Baez, performing "Pull the Triggers, Niggers," a parody of her protest songs and of Dylan's song "George Jackson," in particular. Listed on the album cover as "Pull the Tregroes, Negroes." - Mary Jennifer Mitchell (later replaced by Rhonda Coullet)
  • Joe Cocker, "Lonely at the Bottom" - Belushi as Cocker, Paul Jacobs as Leon Russell on piano.
  • James Taylor, "Highway Toes," a parody of his heroin abuse - Christopher Guest
  • Motown Manifestoes singing "Papa was a Running Dog Lackey of the Bourgeoisie" (parody of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"), with most of its lines taken from The Communist Manifesto.
  • Donovan, "Nirvana Banana" - Peter Elbling (later addition to the show).
  • Joni Mitchell, "I Do for You" - Alice Playten (replaced by Rhonda Coullet).
  • Farmer Yassir (parody of Max Yasgur, owner of the land on which Woodstock was held), greeting the audience - Gary Goodrow
  • Megadeath, a parody of heavy metal groups, who end their act by turning the amps so loud that the audience dies.
  • "Jackie Christ, Superstar." Parody of "Jesus Christ, Superstar." Jesus is a stand-up comedian, while John Belushi played King Herod.
  • "Deteriorata." A Tony Hendra parody of Les Crane's recording of "Desiderata."
  • "Defeat Day" - a parody of America's first military defeat in the Vietnam War. "Put all your troubles in a nickle bag and smile, smile, smile."
  • The Rolling Stones Parody, with Alice Playten playing "Mick Jagger."

    • Awards

  • Alice Playten – 1973 Obie Award for Distinguished Performance

    • Cast recording

    A cast recording of the show was released in 1973, with album cover art by Melinda Bordelon.

    Side One

    1. Stage Announcements
      Performed by John Belushi
    2. Lemmings Lament
      Lead vocal by Paul Jacobs (as David Crosby); instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Paul Jacobs and Sean Kelly.
    3. Stage Announcements
      Performed by John Belushi
    4. Positively Wall Street
      Lead vocal by Christopher Guest (as Bob Dylan); instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Paul Jacobs, Christopher Guest, and Sean Kelly.
    5. Weather Person
      Performed by Garry Goodrow
    6. Pizza Man
      Lead vocal by Alice Playten (as Goldie Oldie); instruments and back-up vocals by the cast; written by Christopher Guest, Sean Kelly, and Tony Hendra
    7. Stage Announcements
      Performed by John Belushi
    8. Colorado
      Lead vocal by Chevy Chase; instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Christopher Guest, Sean Kelly, and Tony Hendra
    9. Richie Havens
      Performed by Christopher Guest (as Richie Havens)
    10. Crowd Rain Chant
      Performed by John Belushi

    Side Two

    1. Stage Announcements
      Performed by John Belushi
    2. Papa Was a Running Dog Lackey of the Bourgeoisie
      Lead vocal by Paul Jacobs; instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Paul Jacobs and Tony Hendra
    3. All-Star Dead Band
      Performed by John Belushi
    4. Stage Announcements
      Performed by John Belushi
    5. Highway Toes
      Lead vocal by Christopher Guest (as James Taylor); instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Christopher Guest and Sean Kelly
    6. Hell's Angel
      Performed by Chevy Chase
    7. Stage Announcements
      Performed by John Belushi
    8. Farmer Yassir
      Performed by Garry Goodrow
    9. Lonely at the Bottom
      Lead vocal by John Belushi (as Joe Cocker); instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Paul Jacobs and John Belushi
    10. Megagroupie
      Performed by Alice Playten
    11. Megadeath
      Lead vocal by John Belushi; instruments and backup vocals by the cast; written by Paul Jacobs and Sean Kelly

    References

    Lemmings (National Lampoon) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA