Was Mike referencing the Pickle Brothers with his talk of comedy routines?
I had the same thought on first impressions, but this was the UK tour in Fall '66. Al talks of the GV promo film which apparently had not yet been shown. I could be wrong but I don't think The Pickle Brothers were on board yet at this time. I'm thinking maybe it was a nod to similar comments Brian had in interviews mentioning comedy.
Note Mike's comments on Van Dyke Parks in the interview.