He talks a lot about his new album with Gillian Welch.

t ears perk up

Robyn Hitchcock did an album with Gillian Welch? Is it good?

Christopher Guest and Michael McKean were in an improv group called The Credibility Gap and did albums in the early 70s and did similar rock stuff.

McKean and Harry Shearer were in the Credibility Gap, along with David L. Lander, who played Squiggy to McKean's Lenny on Laverne & Shirley. McKean & Guest were college roommates. The earliest professional collaboration of theirs that I found was a pilot called The T.V. Show, the cast of which included Shearer, Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal. It also included Martin Mull, whose Fernwood 2Nite sidekick, Fred Willard, has been a mainstay of Guest's films.

Harry Shearer's website has info about and clips from both the Credibility Gap and Spinal Tap, as well as the archived version of his weekly show, Le Show. His page also links to "Chip Rowe's killer Spinal Tap Fan Page", which in turn links to Spinal Tap chess -- it goes to 11!

Joe, do you have the Credibility Gap's records?

Robyn Hitchcock did an album with Gillian Welch? Is it good?

I haven't heard it. It's the album Spooked. David Rawlings is on it too. It's just the three of them sitting in a circle with their guitars, I think. I'll probably check it out.

I've heard Spooked, and I liked it very much. It's available on Emusic if you're signed up.

Joe, do you have the Credibility Gap's records?

No. Let me guess: Chris Guest is on them. I'm going by the stuff I've heard on the Shearer site & years ago on Dr. Demento, plus the Shearer bio & McKean interview.

No. Let me guess: Chris Guest is on them.

No, no! You're right. I was just checking to see if I should tape it for you. I've also got Phil Austin's (of Firesign) solo project Roller Maidens something something.

I had considered doing a sidebar on counter-culture comedy albums for the book since that's kind of a lost world and they were all so music focused. I've got a funny National Lampoon LP (with Christopher Guest) where he natters on (very Spinal Tappian) about his band The Dog's Breakfast and his plans to do a symphony in space with the Sadler-Wells ballet.

I was just checking to see if I should tape it for you.

That would be excellent. And I'd really love to hear the Austin. He & David Ossman are my favorite Firesigns. I think I read that Austin was the one responsible for most of the music, as well as the one who brought a musical sensibility to their approach, and I think that the music is one of the best things about them. Porgie Tirebiter, He's a spy and a girl delighter...

Heh. Back from the Shadows again! Out where an Injun's your friend! Where the veg'tables are green, and you can pee into the stream!

I confess that I don't know one Firesign guy from another, but I do like the songs.

Shoes for industry! Shoes for the dead!

We must pull together, like a twin! All for one, and all for one! Let's hear it for me!