One of my first posts on the first AW site was to ask which Beatles match which Pythons.
The received wisdom was that
John Lennon – John Cleese
Paul McCartney – Michael Palin
George Harrison – Eric Idle
Ringo Starr – Terry Jones
(I may have got Ringo wrongo)
Here’s a new one – The Monkees : Friends
Davy Jones – Jennifer Anniston (diminutive, cheeky crowd pleaser)
Peter Tork – Lisa Kudrow (geeky, angular one)
Mike Nesmith – Matthew Perry (thoughtful, cynical serious-minded one)
Mickey Dolenz – Matt LeBlanc (the clown)
(I’m going to forget about David Schwimmer and Courtney Cox)
Any other collectives, musical, thespian or comic you’d like to compare and contrast?
Sex Pistols – Young Ones
John Lydon – Rick (obvs)
Steve Jones – Vyvyan (double obvs)
Glen and Sid (for different reasons) – Neil
Paul Cook – Mike (because he was cool, compared to the others)
With Malcolm Mc as a pretty decent Jerzy Balowski
No, Moose, step away from that Sex Pistols – Young Ones comparison, you’re wrong. Steve Jones is the ladies’ man, Sid is the nutter, Paul Cook is the laid-back one, thus…
John Lydon — Rik
Steve Jones — Mike
Sid — Vyv
Paul — Neil
I maintain Sid as Neil. Whiny pathetic self-pity. And he’s the tallest. Paul as Neil doesn’t work at all.
Vyv not a ladies man? for shame.
You would be a better man in every sense if you’d just admit your mistakes and apologise for them. I’ve never read anything quite so wrong in my life as your absurd and manifestly inappropriate attributions, Moose. A lamentable performance that diminishes you on the blog. I’d hesitate to suggest which sporting personality would be your counterpart, but Lance Armstrong comes readily to mind.
What do you know about the Sex Pistols?
They were a punk rock group.
I SAID A THEY WERE A PUNK RO-– oh never mind. Have your tea.
Rolling Stones/ Today programme
Evan Davis – Mick Jagger; Tiggerish bounciness
John Humphries – Keith Richards; awkward sods, capable of brilliance and making you want to throw things at them in equal measure
Mishal Hussain – Charlie Watts; dependable, unshowy, the real stars
Jim Naughtie – Bill Wyman; boring, trainspotter- ish; goes on interminably
Sarah Montague – Ronnie Wood; can be great but prone to going off the rails
Justin Webb – Mick Taylor; capable but just a bit boring
Brian Jones – Brian Redhead; both Brian’s, both sadly no longer with us
“And here are the racing selections…. It’s a return to form, the best since Exile”
Rabbi Lionel Blue – Bobby Keys (eccentric but very welcome contributions)
Ed Stourton – Ian Stewart (chucked out because his face didn’t fit)
Sue McGregor – Marianne Faithfull (crucial in the imperial period, surprisingly tough posh bird)
5 million ups. Fabulous lateral thinking, deeply impressed.
Brian Jones and Brian Redhead in wrong order there, and shocked and mortified at the errant apostrophe in Brians.
This may finally be the thread where i get to say that the first thing I thought when I saw Brett Anderson in 1992 was that he reminded me of Richie from Filthy Rich & Catflap.
I can’t connect a group with anyone else in that series, except that Eddie Catflap could be pretty much anyone from Black Grape.
The Who as Blue Presenters
Pete Townshend = Biddy Baxter. Responsible for driving the thing along, but can’t do it alone
Roger Daltrey = Peter Purvis. Often looking for a solo outlet, hence the Crufts/Trout Farming alternative careers.
John Entwhistle = Valerie Singleton / Lesley Judd (depending upon Rose Tinted Spectacles era). Mostly in the background, but by far the most practical of the lot.
Keith Moon = John Noakes. Complete loose cannon. Prepared to do daft stunts and put himself in danger for (a) the good of the others. and (b) to enhance his own reputation
“Here’s one I smashed up earlier”
“If you’re going to drive a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool, do get permission from Mummy and Daddy first”
No brand names allowed on the BBC please. It’s a limousine and please put something over the hood ornament so no one will know what make it is.
Father Ted as a Manchester supergroup:
Mark E Smith as Father Jack (Feck! Drink! Damo Suzuki! Yarbles!)
Tony Wilson as Ted: constantly trying to organise the chaos around him; dreams of greater things in America but can’t believe he’ s stuck in this dump
Bez as Dougal: great big eyes agog, has no idea what’s going on
Shaun Ryder as Father Damo, a bad influence on Bez
That couple that pretends to get on in public but are always fighting: Steven Morris and Gillian Gilbert
Mrs Merton as Mrs Doyle
Ian Brown as The Monkey Priest
Ian Curtis as the guy with all the Nazi paraphernalia
Mike Pickering as the di with only one record
And so on..
Cream as Only Fools and Horses
Eric Clapton = Delboy. The first one anyone thinks of, highly compotent but prone to daftness (“I’m supporting Enoch Powell”)
Jack Bruce = Rodney.
Ginger Baker = Grandad. Sitting at the back, prone to the odd outburst, but you’d miss him if he wasn’t there (Del & Rodney did, even when Uncle Albert turned up)
I protest! Jack Bruce was definitely not a plonker.
Ah, that’s just’s Del’s opinion. We, the viewers, know that Rodney did all the real work and didn’t get the credit.
Always, always saw Ginge as Albert Steptoe meself.
Yes, I can just picture Ginger eating pickled onions in a tin bath.
“Arrrroollllld!”
“Do Toad, you duhhtty old maaan!”
So that just leaves Eric as Harold and Jack as the horse…
New Order as Not The Nine O’Clock News
Mel Smith = Peter Hook (reason: likes a drink)
Griff Rhys Jones = Bernard Sumner (reason: Hooky’s Partner In Crime)
Stephen Morris = Rowan Atkinson (reason: there is something of the Mr Bean about him)
Gillian Gilbert = Pamela Stephenson (reason: token female (?))
Which, by this torutured logic, makes Chris Langham = Ian Curtis
Someone take these dreams away…
(too far?)
John Lloyd = Tony Wilson?
I like Truckin’ = Blue Monday?
Kinda Lingers = Perfect Kiss?
Tony Soprano – Brian Wilson. Tortured genius with daddy issues.
Silvio Dante – Carl Wilson. Lavishly-coiffed emollient.
Paulie ‘Walnuts’ Gaultieri – Dennis Wilson. Unpredictable loose cannon with hidden depths.
Junior Soprano – Mike Love. Feeble psychopath under impression that he is *actually* the boss, when really…
Chris Moltisanti – Al Jardine. Perpetually-sidelined, seething with quiet resentment.
Artie Bucco – Bruce Johnston. Amiable doofus with life ‘outside’ the family…
Johnny Sack – Paul McCartney.
er….
U2 as The Inbetweeners
Bono = Will Mackenzie. Whiny, self righteous, self important slight misfit
Adam Clayton = Neil. Slightly loveable, doesn’t actually do much, prone to getting cock out.
The Edge = Jay. Lifts the work of others, prone to unnecessary over embellishments
Larry = Simon. The sensible one. The business man. The one who’s forever youthful looks clearly indicate a pact with Satan
Paul McGuinness – Mr Gilbert. Overbearing, masochistic cock
Hookfoot as TV’s popular “Compact”
Caleb Quaye as Marc Viccars (charismatic genius)
Ian Duck as David Rome (competitive, devious)
Roger Pope as Richard Lowe (noisy troublemaker)
David Glover as Doug Beatty (dependable, ability to keep things grounded)
The Faces as TV’s Crossroads:
Rod Stewart – Meg Richardson/Mortimer – the business brain, ruthless, self absorbed control freak
Ian Mclagan – David Hunter – suave, debonair, does more work than you think
Kenney Jones – Sandy Richardson – tends to go along with the others, slightly put-upon, sits down most of the time.
Ronnie Wood – Shugie McFee – Small, slightly irritating with regular flashes of genius
Ronnie Lane – Amy Turtle – Idiosyncratic, doesn’t always seem to doing a lot but absolutely crucial to the ethos of the thing.
Sparks as George & Mildred
Ron: Nice ‘tache
Russell: Nice hair/ blouse
Awesome, Sew!
ABBA starring in The Good Life
Agnetha as Barbara (the sexy blonde one)
Benny as Tom (the funny, chubby one who can’t believe his luck and makes everyone dress in nettle-coloured knitwear)
Bjorn as Jerry (the serious-minded breadhead)
Anna-Frid as Margo (the stuck-up one, in the shadow of Barbara, who’s actually a bit of a goer when she’s had enough small dry sherries).
Thanks to everyone for the imaginative and witty comments – great ideas!
Did I ever tell you that I’ve bumped into Benny Andersson here in Stockholm on two (count ’em – TWO!) occasions? [Yes – Ed.]
The Rolling Stones as Today presenters (above) is brilliant. In my mind, they are – not inappropriately – Dad’s Army characters:
Captain Mainwairing/Mick Jagger – rather pompous, think they are the leader of the outfit
Sergeant Wilson/Charlie Watts – suave, debonair, the actual leader of the outfit
Corporal Jones/Bill Wyman – considerably older then the others, associated with meat products
Private Pike/Ronnie Wood – youngest recruit, eager to please but not terribly competent
Private Godfrey/Keith Richards – both regularly disappear into the toilet
Allen Klein:”Your name will be on zer list”
The Wu Tang Clan as The Bash Street Kids
RZA – Danny (obvs)
GZA- Cuthbert (again obvs)
Ghostface Killah – Wilfred (Hidden depths)
Raekwon The Chef – Fatty (obvs)
Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Smiffy (SO OBVS)
Method Man- Sidney (would totally stand out of not for Danny)
Inspectah Deck – Plug (tall and skinny)
U God – ‘Erbert
Mastah Killa – Spotty
Cappadonna sadly unrepresented. Toots just isn’t right for him.
Nothing to contribute at the moment I am afraid, but would just like to say that IMHO, this thread sums up this site completely.
Only on T’afterword…
Various Britpop types as Eastenders.
Brett Anderson as Dot Cotton
The Gallaghers as the Mitchell brothers.
Jarvis Cocker as Ricky
Damon and Justine as Den and Angie
Countdown do Sonic Youth:
Richard Whiteley as Steve Shelley
Nick Hewer as Thurston Moore
Jeff Stelling as Lee Ranaldo
Susie Dent as Jim O’Rourke
Rachel Riley/Carol Vorderman as Kim Gordon (young and old).
Daydream Nation, indeed
Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond in Sorry!
Richard plays the diminutive Timothy, who is in his forties now and would like to escape his mother’s influence so he might venture into the world and perhaps even meet a lady.
But Jeremy as Mother is a stifling influence, trapped by her own stubborn belief in a world that’s gone about which she pronounces with all the certainty of the maniacally deluded..
with James May as Father – affable old cove, half asleep most of the time, mocked and told to shut up by the other two.
Nah, as has been pointed out by many, including some of the Top Gear presenters, it’s Last of the Summer Wine (albeit without the stylish wardrobe of the Yorkshire mirth-avoiders).
Clarkson = Compo
Hammond = Clegg
May = the interchangeable tall one
Hmmm..
Maybe Mary, Mungo & Midge?
Jezza is Mary – in charge
May is Mungo – big dopey Labrador
Hammond is typecast as rodent Midge
The Police as the Three Stooges:
Sting = Moe
Andy Summers = Larry
Stewart Copeland = Curly
U2 / The Office
Bono (Brent)
Edge (Gareth)
Adam Clayton (Finchy)
The drummer (Tim)
Genesis as Blackadder
Tony Banks = Captain Darling
Mike Rutherford = Prince Regent
Steve Hackett = Edmund Blackadder
Peter Gabriel = Queenie
Phil Collins = Baldrick
The Grateful Dead as Magic Roundabout characters
Dylan – Jerry Garcia
Zebedee – Mickey
Florence – Donna Jean
Brian – Bill Kreutzmann
Dougal – Bob Weir
Mr Rusty – Phil Lesh
Mr McHenry – Keith Godchaux
Pigpen – a sort of male Ermintrude