Please explain how in the world the cast of the original Bob Newhart is beating Welcome Back Kotter in the “Who Would Have Made the Best Band” poll?
First let me acknowledge that the original Bob Newhart show is a stone cold classic and the second one had its moments as well, while Welcome Back Kotter wasn’t even funny in a turd-in-the-urinal kind of way.
But what kind of band is going to come out of either Newhart show? All I can envision for the first one might is a Steely Dan meets Kraftwerk scenario with Mr Carlin and Bob on the synths and Jerry and the receptionist on drums and bass. As for the second, maybe some condescending, too-smart-for-its-own-good, purposefully trashy send up of hillbilly music, like a third-rate Southern Culture on the Skids. And those are the best case scenarios as I see it.
On the other hand, it doesn’t require much imagination to see Vinnie Barbarino as Joey, Arnold Horshack as Dee Dee, Juan Epstein as Johnny, and Freddy “Boom Boom” Washington as that other guy.
Seriously, I love Bob Newhart. I have two of his albums. I’m a big fan of the Grace L Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company. But for a band? Explain yourselves, Newhart supporters, or stop voting with your hearts and use you heads.
Easy. People have heard John Travolta sing.
Bob’s a hipster. And Suzanne Pleshette is a stone cold fox.
The Sweathogs would have our out a xouple of fun singles, but the original Newheart band would have split the difference between early Steely Dan and the whimsical side of Pere Ubu and David Thomas solo.
No, the cast of The Bob Newhart show wouldn’t have rocked at all. They would have sounded like The Harmonicats, as Emily had mad harmonica skills and Bob kind of wished he did.
No rocking on that show at all. As the best TV show ever, yeah – it rocked. As a band? No way. Unless maybe Howard’s brother Gordon had some time to practice his guitar in his job as a Game Warden.
I have to say that I was a proponent of “none of the above” but I voted for Gilmore Girls just to be contrary and because both mother and daughter were cute.
Don’t discount the dentist guy – Jerry? He is the secret sauce.
I haven’t voted because I haven’t watched most of these shows, but Bill Daily from the Newhart show (and I Dream if Jeanie) was a jazz bassist before becoming an actor.
no argument there. but how does that translate into a good band? Shit, Charlie’s Angels were foxes too but it’s pretty obvious that their band is just a precursor to the Pussycat Dolls
Yeah, but it’s not just Pleshette’s looks that will carry the day. She’s got that SMOKEY voice. Imagine Bill Daily’s character laying down a walking bass line, Jerry the Dentist playing one of those snake charmer horns, Newhart on vibes, and Pleshette singing some sultry, sly tale of busted dreams. The receptionist and Mr. Carlin make for a pretty out-there guitar tandem.
Charlie’s Angels would be like the Charlie of TV bands: you buy their records for the album covers alone.
There was a real band called Sweathog that had a minor hit in 1971 with “Hallelujah”. Wonder if there’s a Kotter connection?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64ftqWEAJwQ
The band version of the Bob Newhart Show would be a bit like “Life’s Too Good” era Sugarcubes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_D6nxAa7rA
This video would give you an idea: just imagine Bjork and Gunnar (or what ever his name is) as the Suzanne and Bob, throw in Marcia, Jerry, and Norman (the doorman) and you’ve got some weird therapy group/Icelandic band.
Nice. I strayed from that clip and watched some other old Sugarcubes videos. If anyone ever wondered what the most annoying aspects of both Fred Schneider crossed with Andy Partridge would amount to, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_0uVxhHn6U
Yeah, that’s from their second, vastly inferior album. I had a friend say that the Sugarcubes were the cross between Bow Wow Wow and the B52’s. And he meant that in a good way.
I hate to admit that I know this, but there really was a band on Gilmore Girls.
“I don’t really like lobster.”
Yes, and that was a fine show. I resisted watching it for years, but finally joined my wife in catching up with all the years we missed.
Charlie’s Angels would be Dawn wtih an astigmatism to Bosley’s ugly Tony Orlando. That would rock not.
One Day At A Time has the drug-ridden, folk-gened McKenzie Phillips, the future Mrs. Van F’n Halen, the mom with a real name that sounds like a singer, and a crappy standup comedian with a tool belt. That’s an interesting melange, but I don’t see a bass player among them.
Cheers would have to find a place for Diane, that would mean the song would never start.
I would not be a bit surprised if all four original Welcome Back Sweathogs had singles out at some point. Maybe even the fifth preppy guy who took over after Travolta got big would have one. Those singles would all suck.Travolta would have come limping back after Staying Alive flopped and made a new wave album with them. That, of course, would also suck.
Never watched Gilmore Girls, so by process of elimination, they have a fighting chance at this. I don’t think it’s fair though, to expect more than indie whining from a show that recent, instead of rocking. Maybe I’m wrong.
TJ Hooker would be so bad, it might have guilty pleasure written all over it. The front man clash between Zmed and Shatner would play nicely against the Locklear eye candy.
I could see wrestling anthems coming out of this band.
If we’re limited to the core cast of Newhart, it seems like a jazz lineup. However, if we allow that angry guy from the group to be the lead, it could be punk. I imagine they could pull off a Zombies vibe if Emily could sing at all. The Bob takes the organ, Howard’s on bass, Jerry is the angular guitarist would barely plays.
Excuse my usual lack of editing. Although, I’ll stick with “The Bob”.
Good call on Charlies Angels as Dawn.
I’m seeing Cheers as a kind of Commitments style oldies act, just as soulless but without the talent either.
Of course their albums would be terrible but I think the Sweathogs were capable of a fantastic 2 minute punk song or two. Don’t confuse Travolta with Vinnie Barbarino.
I remember Revolta singing some treacly ballad in the late 70s before Grease and SNF, probably around when he did the boy in the plastic bubble role, it had that sort of wet-eyed artlessness. I’m sure there’s youtube footage, but there’s only so far I’m willing to go.
Or Cheers would do that Cougar Melloncramp song with Jack being replaced by Sam in the lyrics.
I think I did a piece on Travolta’s solo works somewhere in our archives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZD4YFJ8bl4
I was out of town and thus way late on this, cdm, but I think you’re overlooking the possiblity that Charlie’s Angels would have turned control of the band over to Kate Jackson and their sound could have ended up being some kind of Rush-fronted-by-hot-ladies thing.
Ooh, making the UNsexy sexy!