Brian, Good Vibes & the "essence of giraffe"

[rasmus skotte]

That quote is from an old post-GV song called 'Canyons Of Your Mind' by Bonzo DOG Doo Dah Band (doodah!) written
by Vivian Stanshall (Vivian's dancehall?).
Let's zoom in on one of the song verses, compare it to the corresponding parts of Good Vibrations and see what'll hap-
pen:
In my cardboard-coloured dreams/colourful clothes she wears
Once again I hear your laugh/softly smile, I know she must be kind
Yes I kiss your perfumed hair/lifts her perfume through the air
The sweet essence of giraffe/

What could possibly be relevant of the last line? Only if it's true that giraffes were Brian's 'pet animals' (besides his dogs) and that he wanted one in his backyard(?) At least he finally got one (virtually) on the Smiley Smile-cover!
The last syllable: -raffe like in rrrrafff (dog barks) are the last 'words' you'll hear on the Pet Sounds-album.
And the dog-senses were the direct inspiration for Good Vibrations....

[signum]

Good work.

[rasmus skotte]

Thx Signum!

[Alex]

Didn't Death Cab get their name from a Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band song?

BTW, good investigation.

[yrplace]

And Paul McCartney produced their song "I'm the Urban Spaceman" under the name Apollo C. Vermouth.

Also the band appears in Magical Mystery Tour

[Aegir]

Yeah, in Magical Mystery Tour they play the song Death Cab for Cutie.

[chris.metcalfe]

...and Viv Stanshall perished in a FIRE. ...

"Five years ago I was a four-stone apology — today I am two separate gorillas." (Mr. Apollo)

[donald]

Interesting how reference/inference can sell a few records:



An article by Steve Smith in the 'Providence Journal' soon followed claiming that Klaatu was the Beatles. He suggested there were some 150 clues and pieces of evidence which pointed to a 'Klaatu Konspiracy'. These included...

- A University of Miami voice print test on Klaatu and McCartney recordings which proved the lead vocalist was the same.

- Australian disc jockey with evidence to show that the 'Klaatu' album was an unreleased Beatles album called 'Sun' (the cover for 'Klaatu' depicts a smiling sun)

- Playing 'Sub Rosa Subway' backwards, using a low speed frequency ocillator and filters revealed the message 'Its us, its the Beeeeetles!'

- On the cover of his 'Goodnight Vienna' album, Ringo Starr's head was shown superimposed on the body of a character from the film 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. The character's name? Klaatu. The connection was strenthened by Apple promotional material for 'Goodnight Vienna', which said 'Don't Forget - Klaatu Barada Nikto'

There was no biographical info on the cover, while the group's manager, Frank Davis, when asked directly if Klaatu were the Beatles, refused to confirm or deny the rumour

[yrplace]

...and Viv Stanshall perished in a FIRE. ...

Sad but true ............

There's a great bio of Stanshall called "Ginger Geezer"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4840262-0740712?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=stanshall&x=0&y=0

[chris.metcalfe]

Thanks for the link.
One of the best things that Viv Stanshall did was to help set up the 'Thekla', a converted hulk of a boat (an old transport ship) in the harbour of my home town of Bristol (England). During the 70s and 80s this was the venue for numerous great gigs and dances. Never quite sure why he did it - I'll read the book - something to do with his art-school roots, but it was a great focal point. Still going strong, evidently - http://www.theklabristol.co.uk/

PS Just found the story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Profanity_Showboat_%28Thekla%29