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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Credibility Gap - Woodshtick And More 1971

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"Woodschtick" is ostensibly a parody of Woodstock, with the world's greatest Borscht Belt comedians -- referred to as "schtickticians" -- gathering in a hotel room in the Catskills for a day-long celebration of comic schtick. Because schtick is the Yiddish word for "piece," it's all a play on Woodstock's promise of "3 days of peace and music," but something strange happens about eighteen minutes into the album side: "Woodschtick" suddenly transforms into a parody of old-time radio dramas, One Night at Dike Bridge, "as told by Senator Edward M. Kennedy to a battalion of highly paid and obedient scriptwriters.” With Shearer playing Buster Crabbe in the role of Kennedy (!), this "William Zapruder production, in association with the Massachusetts Automobile Club" is set on Chappaquiddick Island one July evening in 1969, with only one of the names changed to protect the innocent (Mary Jo Kopechne is referred to as "Mary Lou"). As "schtick," it's a nasty piece of work.
RADIO ANNOUNCER [Beebe]: “Hemingway once defined courage as ‘Grace under pressure,’ but this wasn’t grace under pressure -- it was Mary Lou under water! Without thinking for a moment of his own personal safety, Senator Kennedy panicked. Suddenly, he remembered what his father once said years ago…"
JOSEPH P. KENNEDY [Lander in an echo chamber]: “Teddy! Bring me my pills! And while you’re at it, always remember: If you’re ever trapped under water in a car with a girl, make sure both of you get out alive, or else some politically ambitious judge could write an inquest report that could make you look baaaaad!”
RADIO ANNOUNCER: “Those words ringing in his ears, the senator filled those massive Kennedy lungs with air and dove repeatedly into the murky waters!”
And it just gets more venomous from there. Never released on CD, Woodschtick and More has been out of print for decades (probably because the material is considered too dated) and there's no trace of it on Amazon.com, but it's well worth seeking out if you enjoy comedy albums in general and the work of Shearer, Lander and McKean in particular. Source: Temple Of Schlock

01-24 24 tracks 

Sorry, no track names.



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4 comments:

  1. Was wondering if you might find this one. The Temple of Schlock-ers are right: this one loses its concept a short way in, but it still has wonderful "head" humor (or would that be "headphone" humor?).

    Ed

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  2. Does anyone anywhere know of a resource for a CD version of "Woodshtick"? It was my favorite comedy album of the 70s and i would LOVE to get hold of a digital version of it today!!!!

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  3. Is there anybody anywhere who knows where I can get a CD version of "Woodshtick"???? I played it to death in the 70s and would love to get my hands on a digital version today!

    - Charlie

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  4. Charlie, consider joining the private blog

    ReplyDelete