viv stanshall

It's now 18 years since the ex-Bonzo Dog front man Viv Stanshall died, and it's more than clear his brand of care free humour and devilment has never been replaced. Which is rather an indictment of just how original the man was as well as the sorry lack of biting satire and imaginative risk taking in music today.
This month has seen the re-release of his solo album 'Men Opening Umbrellas' originally released in 1974 and his debut LP. For anyone not having heard or seen his wicked brand of quintessentially English humour, like a rock Monty Pythons on LSD he produced some seriously off the wall comedy aligned with a clever ear for referencing music from a myriad of pop styles to old world vaudeville. He was an intelligent artist and comedian and at the same time appeared verging on the insane. He railed against the establishment, the media and the music business with equal delight and delivered it in an irresistible cultured English upper class voice.
Here he aims derision at the whole radio personality world. A subject most worthy of ridicule.
If you want to explore Viv some more try his archive click here