Here's a remarkable video of Frank Zappa's band doing whatever it is that they do, with some help from John Belushi.

Related on TSOYA: "Belushi" with Tanner Colby and Judith Belushi Pisano (MP3)

I love how gentle and sad this show is.

Great Rip Taylor story from a poster on Aspecialthing.com (name withheld):

Rip Taylor just walked into my (my boss's) office for an audition and started talking to the other actors about a game show he did where people had to guess celebrities' secrets.

RIP
Corbin Bronson, Bernsin, what's his name? Anyway, he collects those snow cones that you shake and make it snow in. No one could guess what my secret was.

ACTOR
What was it?

RIP
You have to guess.

ACTOR
Is it about your... [stares at wig] um... [stares at wig] hair?

RIP
No.

ACTOR
About your early career? Where you grew up? Something about your, um, lifestyle?

CASTING DIRECTOR
Rip, come on in.

ACTOR
Before you go in, tell me what your secret is.

RIP
I used to be a page in the Senate.

KERA-TV in Dallas was the first PBS station to broadcast Monty Python's Flying Circus, and it was the Pythons' first stop in the US after the premier of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Los Angeles in 1975. This interview footage first aired live on KERA that year, and hasn't been seen by the public since. It was discovered on an old reel that had been saved by an engineer, and as you can see, it cuts off after about 14 minutes... the engineer taped over the rest. It's a look at the group being candidly questioned by fans at the peak of their fame and creative powers.

If you prefer not to watch the video in-line, it can be downloaded in iPod-ready format. You can also download the video or subscribe to our free podcast from iTunes. Our show, of course, features many in-depth interviews with folks in entertainment and the arts, and particularly comedy.

"Monty Python's Personal Best" airs this month on PBS, and Flying Circus returns to PBS later this year. Personal Best was also just released on DVD, and as a DVD box set.

Please share this blog link, but understand that KERA and the Python folks retain the rights to their footage, so please refrain from redistributing the file itself.

If you're coming from outside the blog, I encourage you to check out our radio show / podcast, The Sound of Young America. We've interviewed many comedy legends, from Bob Odenkirk & David Cross to, just last week, Terry Jones of Monty Python. It's totally free, so take a look at our archives and see if something interests you. You can also check out our blog for news and views from the world of art & entertainment.

My thanks go to KERA in Dallas for sharing the footage with us, especially to Kim and Bill Young, who made the arrangements. Also to the Python organization for giving us clearance to share the Flying Circus footage seen in the clip. Also, thanks to Tyler MacNiven and Jessica Jardine for their help shooting the introduction.

I'll post some more Norm MacDonald stuff, some folks shared a real treasure trove with me, but here's a great clip of Norm upon his return to SNL. As you may or may not recall, he'd been unceremoniously dumped from the Weekend Update host chair at the request of Don Ohlmeyer, then the Big Boss at NBC. Since he never really did much in sketches, he quit shortly thereafter.

Two years later, he returned to host SNL, and this was his monologue. I remember thinking at the time that it was the greatest thing of all time. My stance has moderated only slightly.

I've already done my fair share of gushing about Jimmy Pardo and his fun new podcast, but it occured to me that I have a radio show, and I could interview Jimmy, and let him speak for himself.

So I present to you a special Sound of Young America bonus interview with "The Shooter" himself, Jimmy Pardo.

Download (MP3)

Jimmy Pardo's Website

R. Kelly is constantly flirting with the line between New Sincerity ("Ignition Remix," "Step in the Name of Love"), and Old Irony / Bad Sincerity ("I Believe I Can Fly," "Trapped in the Closet").

According to Best Week Ever Blog (current home of our old pal Alex Blagg), he premiered a new song at a show last night at Radio City Music Hall called "The Zoo." Among the lyrics:
"It's like Jurassic Park, but I'm your Sexasaurus" and "You and me hopping like two kangaroos... you got me locked in your cage of ecstasy and I don't want to be free... I'm your Tarzan and you're my Jane."

Simply amazing. The Arruh has topped the interlude on which he said "It's the Pied Piper, your musical weatherman, and it's love o'clock, baby." And all of the food/sex metaphors in Sex in the Kitchen. And to think the man is functionally illiterate.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Fader Blog has a great rundown of the show. Among the highlights:

At the end of "Feelin On Your Booty", the lights go down. When they come back up, Kells has on a hat, the Pied Piper mask, and a cape. Standing before him is a stand with sheet music. He holds a conductor's wand. The band launches into a huge, orchestral number and - you guessed it - Kells knocks out an opera remix of "Feelin On Your Booty".

Oh shit.

Amazon has the Naked Gun trilogy box set for $12.47.

Frappr is a neat toy which allows groups to make maps of their members' locations, using Google Maps. I've set up a group so you can add yourself to the map, and check out where other TSOYA listeners live. You can also add photos and crap, but I'd be happy just to know where our listeners are!

NAME="frapprGroupPhotos" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash"
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

Keith sent in this great little story from the front lines of the battle for America's hearts & minds:

Thought I'd say your show is great. I live in Minneapolis, and I thought you should know that during Minnesota Public Radio's pledge week I called them and said I'd give money if they canceled A Prairie Home Companion and put TSOYA on instead. They asked how much I'd like to donate, and I said twenty-five dollars. The poor lady explained to me that she had never heard of your show, but APHC is recorded here, and it wouldn't look good to the affiliates if the home market axed the show. "Well, can you at least make it funny?" I asked. "That's up to Mr. Keillor," she replied. So, we're doomed.

This came in last week, and now, of course, Keith can donate directly to The Sound, but his heart's undoubtedly in the right place. Here's a strategy -- your local public radio stations have contact info on their websites. Write them (or even better, call them and ask for the program director). Tell them about The Sound, how much you like it, and how happy you'd be if your local public radio station carried it. If you're a member of the station, be sure to mention that. If you can't find contact info, email me and ask, I'll find it for you. In the meantime, give your money to TSOYA.

(PS: if you like magic, Keith hosts a magic podcast with the great name "Go, Magic Go!")