Seems like we’ve been through something like this before.
There are two issues of vital national interest in the cross hairs here.
1. Was Ollie Halsall a Rutle?
2. Who was Dirk McQuickly? Eric Idle or Ollie Halsall?
Here’s what various sites on the internets have to say:
‘Leppo, The Fifth Rutle’ (Stu Sutcliffe) — seen only in a still photograph in the film – the photo showed Ollie Halsall, who actually played and sang on the soundtrack. (Halsall, in real life, was one of the four musicians who performed all The Rutles’ music, the others being Innes, Halsey and Fataar. Idle did not actually play or sing on the soundtrack.)
The fourth ‘real’ Rutle, Ollie Halsall, died in Spain in 1992.
Ollie desperately wanted to portray ‘Paul’ in the Rutles, alongside Admiral’ John Halsey’s ‘Ringo’. The US backers needed a ‘star’ however, and the part of ‘Dirk McQuickly’ was taken by Rutles creator Eric Idle himself Ollie had to settle for the ‘walk-on’ part of Leppo (original bassist ‘Stuart Sutcliffe’). But Halsey recalls that, when it came to recording the soundtrack, Idle couldn’t quite handle the vocals parts so, Ollie, as well as creating the amazing BeatIe guitar pastiches, also sang ‘Paul’s’ part, speeded up slightly. In this and other respects, Halsall’s contribution the Rutles project has never been fully recognised.
Video after the fold.
Got to 2:53 on this YouTube to see the Fifth Rutle.
The indisputable answer to #1 is “Yes” Ollie Halsall was a Rutle. Sorry, Mr. Retarded Piece of Crab-Louse-Infested Wannabe Biker Trash.
That leads us to #2. Who was Dirk McQuickly? The man who sang and played the parts? Or the man who pretended to sing and play the parts? Hmmmm?
Will the real Dirk McQuickly please stand up so that the remaining Rutle can take his place as the official Fifth Rutle!
For those of you following closely, I fully support Sammy’s revision of my original thoughts, and I fully support the fact that this question leans toward putting Idle, my least-favorite Python, in the Fifth Rutle slot.
Yes – Ollie is definitely a Rutle but he would go into the 5th slot. While the soundtrack is awesome, it is ancillary to the TV show and so Eric’s acting/creative contribution outweighs Ollies vocals and tasty bass lines
Hey Mr Mod – who is your Fav Python? I think I know
Oh – and what does RTH think of the second Rutles release “Archaeology”? I’ve listened to it a few times but it is nowhere near as good as the first.
Were the session musicians whom played on their records Monkees? I think not.
For me, The Rutles is more about the music and the story. Eric Idle running around in a Beatles, er, Rutles wig isn’t half as important as his role as the documentary’s narrator. The music tells the rest of the story, and that’s where Halsall comes in.
I’ve never heard that second Rutles album. I was afraid to hear it and have it tarnish the greatness of the original. Do you own it?
My favorite Python is Mike Finger…errrr – Michael Palin. Lately I’ve been considering whether Palin is, by his presence alone, the funniest man on earth.
Halsall is the Fifth Rutle on two levels: he plays the Fifth Rutle in his cameo in the movie, and he fulfills the Fifth Beatle-ness of the Fifth Rutle spot by being the guy not “in the band” who contributed to the music. That they had someone so perfectly suited to be the “Fifth Rutle” is one of those ancillary things that makes All You Need Is Cash so great, like how it ends up being so close to The Compleat Beatles as to seem like a direct parody, but was made before it anyway.
I have Archeology, it’s not as good as the original set of songs, obviously, but there’s some good stuff in there if you’re into the idea of it. Some of them are existing Innes songs re-done, like Shangri-La, and not all of them are one-to-one takes on songs, but more Beatle-esque in general.