Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Last Friday, I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Neil Innes. He was a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, the unofficial 7th member of Monty Python, and the musical genius behind the Rutles. Now, I've been a huge fan since the mid 70's when I first saw the Rutles when it was originally broadcast and have owned the album since 1978. When I heard he was coming to town, I did everything I could to arrange for him to appear live at the public radio station where I work, the afternoon before his concert. Well, as luck would have it he agreed. I volunteered to pick him up and transport him from his hotel to the studio. He and his wife had already driven thousands of miles across America, so I thought I would make it as easy as possible for them. He was a very charming man and was very very funny. He took the time to answer a lot of my questions and to sign my very own Rutle guitar. Our very own Jeff "Fabgear"Levinson, designed the custom "Rutlebacker" truss rod cover. Mr. Innes really got a kick out of it. And now for something completely different. a few photos....

http://home.austin.rr.com/rickenbacker/neil_guitar.jpg
http://home.austin.rr.com/rickenbacker/neil_guitar2.jpg
http://home.austin.rr.com/rickenbacker/neil_guitar3.jpg
http://home.austin.rr.com/rickenbacker/neil_piano.jpg
The concert later that evening was quite fun. He was a one-man show full of stories about the Beatles, the Bonzos and Monty Python. He even performed the Tale of Sir Robin, from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He was "Lance" the very frank minstrel. I had a great time and was glad that he took the time to end his tour in Austin. He's now returning to England to do some shows as the Rutles along with original drummer John "Barry Wom" Halsey. www.neilinnes.org for more info

Mike,

That's too cool. I've been an Innes fan ever since I bought the same album in 1978. As an Austin resident, you might be familiar with a local musician who used to play a guitar similar to Ron Nasty's Rick. There was a band called The Explosives that used to gig around Texas around 1979-1982. They played a bunch of British Invasion covers and their own originals. It was a three-piece band (guitar, bass, drums). The guitarist was Cam King and he played a sixties Fireglow 615 with a Bigsby tailpiece. That was his main guitar but he often used a Mapleglow Rick 370/12, an orange Gretsch, and a black Stratocaster on a few tunes. I saw them play dozens of times whenever they came through Lubbock, where I attended college. Back then nobody knew one Rick model from another, but I knew it was the same model played by Ron Nasty. I now live in Dallas, and my guitar collection includes (10) Ricks and a bunch of Vox amplifiers. Sadly, I've never found a nice 615 to buy. Someday, someway...

The Explosives, featuring Cam King, were, for a time Roky Erickson's (ex-Thirteenth Floor Elevators) backing band, and one of the best he had during his too-short active solo career. Didn't know he played a Ric; that's cool to discover.

Doug,

I knew they backed Roky on one of his 'come back' albums. In fact, I think it was also produced by one of the guys from Creedence Clearwater (yet another Rick connection). Cam's playing was terrific. He could play many styles of music from surf to rockabilly, and he often played a surf-style instrumental or two on his 615. Someone once told me that he was a well-known country player before he got on the 'new wave' bandwagon. I haven't heard a thing about the guy since around 1983. The Explosives were a favorite live band of mine in the early 1980's.

Randy