How many instances of real musicians/bands appearing on a prime-time television shows (variety shows excluded) primarily as an excuse to promote a new song can we recall? Pure acting gigs by musicians do not count, but we’ll accept acting/performing appearances as characters other than themselves, provided that their performing characters are not too different than their usual performing selves. For instance, there’s an episode of Columbo in which Johnny Cash acts and performs as a character, Tommy Brown. That would count because, as you can see in the following clip from that episode, Tommy Brown has just enough of a resemblance to Johnny Cash.
Had Cash done Tommy Brown as a black jazz trumpet player, however, his performance on a prime-time tv show would NOT have counted. Get it?
I expect that this Last Man Standing could continue well into the summer.
NOTE: There are likely websites out there that catalogs these types of appearances. I ask you not to access such websites for the duration of this Last Man Standing.
The Beach Boys (including Brian) on Full House.
Stevie Wonder on the Cosby Show. He made the kids sing “Oo-ee-vohl-aiee” into his synth, and when he played it back to them in reverse, they found they had said “I love you”!
I’ve always wanted to try that. In fact, I’m going to do it right now, in my rock studio!
On one of the few times that Bonanza wasn’t on TV Land, I actually saw the episode of Sanford & Son that guest-starred B.B. King.
I call bullshit on The Cosby Show! You have to say “Oo-ee-vohl-eeah” to make it work!
RTH Labs debunks another multimedia myth — thanks, Professor Frobisher!
The Seed’s perform (lipsync) “Pushin’ Too Hard on the 1966 TV sitcom “Mother’s In Law’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKc4-NU9oP8
Jerry Reed on Scooby Doo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWG_R6SjUNY
cdm, can we accept butcher pete’s otherwise fine suggestion of Jerry Reed on Scooby Doo? Does a cartoon representation count?
Willie Nelson played himself on Monk a couple of seasons ago. He and Monk jam on “Georgia” at the end. If we were also staging a Battle Royale over top moments of this sort, this one would NOT be in contention!
My only problem with allowing Jerry Reed on Scooby Doo is that it opens the door for a never ending stream of Simpsons’ appearances. Mod, I’ll defer to you on this.
I say if it’s not a living, breathing Jerry Reed in the flesh captured on film then it doesn’t qualify. You’re wise to protect us from a listing of Simpsons’ appearances, cdm!
There’s an episode of I Dream of Jeanie featuring an appearance by a very groovy Boyce & Hart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqOGmSXadIk
Dig the record exec!!!
Chad and Jeremy on Batman. I believe the Joker or Penguin stole their singing voices.
Does Dr. John discussing the meaning of ‘ironical’ at the end of the immortal Polynesiantown on SCTV count?
Boyce and Hart on BEWITCHED doing “I’ll Blow You A Kiss In The Wind”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7XRAlzNYs&feature=related
I think they did a I DREAM OF JEANNIE too.
I covered the Jeannie episode, db. I remember this one too. No wonder I had to think about which show it was that I had in mind.
Dr. John appearing on SCTV does not count because it falls under the “variety show” exclusion. They had a musical guest at that time, right? If memory serves, it’s not like he just happened to be part of that episode’s series of skits.
I don’t think Dr. John actually sang a song on the show. I could be wrong. Anyway I just find it ironical that you’re evoking the variety show exclusion.
The great thing about SCTV is that they actually had the musical guests play small roles in the sketches.
I’ll always remember the Tubes performing “Sushi Girl” on the Fishin’ Musician (John Candy) show. Before the the performance there was a short film of the Tubes (wearing their Completion Backward Principle business suits)and Candy fishing from this tiny boat out in the middle of some icy Canadian lake.
It was just like every fishing show you’ve ever watched (or flipped past) on tv.
Don’t forget the SCTV episode where the Boomtown Rats were in a parody of “To Sir With Love”.
For something that qualifies, how about Paul Williams guesting in an episode of “The Odd Couple” when Felix’s daughter runs away to follow him around.
I just remembered another one: the Standells on the Munsters. That was a popular thread on the Trouser Press message board that I once haunted.
I got a great idea for a thread. How about what rock’s cross-promotional prime time efforts would you like to have seen? For example how about The New York Dolls on The Odd Couple or Motley Crue on Married With Children? What do you think sirs?
Davey Jones on the Brady Bunch.
Joe, I was going to suggest the very same follow-up thread (band appearances on shows that should have happened), which would be competed under Battle Royale rules.
If I can add on to the idea, to pump up the degree of difficulty a bit and make the Townspeople work for it, I would suggest that the band’s appearance on the show should have been possible (as is the case with your examples) and you should briefly describe what the plot of the episode would have been.
I LIKE it, alexmagic!
Diskojoe and Alexmagic, FANTASTIC idea! I’ll get it up on The Main Stage shortly. Thanks.
Anthrax did appear on Married With Children, or was it just that bald dude and extras?
Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids as “Johnny Fish and the Fins” on HAPPY DAYS….
I think we may have to eliminate Fantasy Island characters who want to be famous singers in their characters too.
Man, the Odd Couple was great. There’s no way I would have known Jaye P. Morgan had a “career” as a lounge singer instead of a drunken Gong Show judge without that one episode.
Did Isaac Hayes ever sing on Rockford Files? I don’t remember it.
Motorhead on The Young Ones.
I think Davy Jones was on the Brady Bunch, but that might have been after he had anything to promote.
Loudon Wainwright was on a MASH episode as some kind of officer sitting around with a guitar singing about Tokyo.
Actually I believe Loudon was a recurring character throughout the third season of MASH
weren’t the flaming lips on beverly hills 90210?
You may be right about that. I know that show Gilmore Girls has live performances by hip bands, but I can’t recall who my wife has told me they are.
Gilmore Girls had Sam Phillips, Sonic Youth (just Thurston and Kim, I think) and Joe Pernice all in one episode. I never saw it.
I bet Berlyant has that one TiVo’d! Where is that guy, anyhow, still working out his 38 Top 5 Fall Albums app?
now now…be nice to berlyant!
that mention of *just* kim and thurston on the gilmore girls reminded me of an episode of dharma and greg that featured an appearance by by pat benetar and neil geraldo (with acoustic guitar holstered!).
Does Bobby Sherman on The Partridge Family count?
Dylan made an appearance on Dharma & Greg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESPoK2CgDZw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJg92CV3SF8
Of course Bobby Sherman on The Partridge Family counts!
Does Ricky Nelson on Ozzie and Harriet count? I guess so…
I saw that Gilmore Girls episode. They basically had all those people standing on corners, as though they were “busking.” Nobody was integral to the plot. Sam Philips appeared on the show maybe once, as a busker, but she did the incidental music too. They also had Grant Lee Philips play a subtle tribute to Bryan Harvey after he was murdered, with a brief rendition of “40 years”. Carole King was on the show too, but didn’t perform (except she sang the theme song). She played the owner of a music shop. My wife loves that show and there was no escaping it.
ricky wasn’t making a guest appearance on ozzy and harriet, though. he was home grown talent, in house.
that matters, doesn’t it? it’s not like the other examples.
hmmm….(scratching head…)….
do “appearances” by the red hot chili peppers, aerosmith, the who, etc. on the simpson’s count? probably not. they weren’t promoting tunes, and they’re not really there in the flesh (although it *is* their voices).
The Simpsons – and all cartoon appearances – were already ruled out. Good point about Ricky on Ozzy and Harriet. I’ll accept that and also rule out Chris Isaak and that sitcom he had with his band.
I have to discredit your Motorhead offering, cdm, as Young Ones had several bands in “variety” type appearances. They didn’t always have a musical act, but they had several.
TB
I thought someone would raise this objection. I think the Young Ones is a tough case because it doesn’t fit easily into a category (sitcom, skit, etc). Unless anyone else wants to back me up, I’ll withdraw it.
So based on the disqualification of “in-house” talent like Ricky Nelson on Ozzie and Harriet, my so-obvious-you-all-overlooked-it ace in the hole – The Monkees – cannot be played. If appearances on The Young Ones do not count, then Al is currently Last Man Standing with his citation of Dylan on Dharma and Greg. Can we top that?
Hello RTH, just catching my breath after starting a new job at Rutgers.
No one has mentioned Chad & Jeremy on the Dick Van Dyke show. I also have one more in the hole……
The B-52’s appeared on the daytime soap opera “The Guiding Light” in 1981.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL7SiRJ4ucQ
Beverly Hills 90210 had a whole episode dedicated to the people on the show going to a Stones concert. They were actually touring, too. I’ve got it and I watched it once, but that show was unwatchable. I felt dumber after I sat through it.
I can’t add this as an entry in this specific thread, but last night I was watching an Otto Preminger movie I’d never heard of before, Bunny Lake Is Missing and during a scene in a pub, the bartender suddenly swithed the tv from a new report that was relevant to the plot of the movie to a performance by The Zombies! It was the most highly unexpected musical moment I could remember in a film that in no way pointed toward having cool musical content.