It sure was. And I can still remember the 1st time I saw it as a child losing my fucking mind laughing at Candy when he does that. Its absolutely perfect.
Also wonderful are: 1. Eugene switching up his tambourine rhythms mid-measure; 2. The three boys' acca pella falling apart so quickly but them plodding through anyway. This skit was brilliant. Long live The Recess Monkeys! 🎸
Anyone who was either in a band when they were fourteen or remember's their friend's first band knows EXACTLY why this is genius!!! John's gulp and Rick's tongue-on-lips concentration during the solo, priceless!!!!
Rick Moanis. The man known as Wayne Szalinski from Honey I Shunk the Kids, Honey I Blew Up the Kid and Honey We Shrunk Ourselves. Barney Rubble from 1994 film The Flintstones
I love that they're actually playing their instruments - and they're good enough to be able so sound like bad players. It's harder than you might think.
Honestly I like this arrangement better than the original, which was kind of over-sung and over-produced. Even with the intentional sloppy playing and goofy singing it's just so much more fun.
The 5 Neat Guys are the parents of the Recess Monkeys. Great musical talent flowed heavy in their bloodline, obviously. Gone Gone Gone Gone So Long will be played at my funeral.
First time I have ever seen this and I can't believe it. This may be the most perfect sketch ever. I have watched it 7 times in a row. The lyrics, musicianship, anxiety, solo... and of course John candy's gulp should be studied forever on the perfection of comedic timing. How is this not more popular?
SCTV was pure comic genius, but this was one of their best skits. I remember nearly choking from laughing so hard when I first saw this about 35 yrs ago.
I'm constantly impressed with how Eugene Levy could transform himself into such a convincing "kid". The makeup/hair/mannerisns.. For being the hairiest guy in the cast..how can he be the best/most convincing kid!?!! Wow!
They are all playing. Rick is playing everything upside down as it’s strung for a righty. Amazing. The arrangement sounds like something from the 90’s.
not sure if you're talking about "channels" now, youtube channels, or channels back in 1981, when SCTV was on the airwaves...used to drive frantically to get home by 1 am when SCTV was on some obscure UHF station in the DC area. Loved SCTV then, good to see it again!
in Chingago, Chilliwack had a previous tunage that got a lot of airplay, so when I saw this, I was thinking 'who came out with this garbage?? it deserves this lampooning!!!' then maybe 8yrs later, I find out it's Chilliwack and - yop - it's horrible!!!
I think they all played their own instruments, I never see this in syndication, I saw it in the original show, I was in high school when this aired, I used to watch it Friday nights after Johnny Carson.
Having grown up in the 80s, there were a good number of bands that sounded just like this live. They'd have over produced studio albums and videos on MTV, and than you'd see them live and they sounded almost exactly like this. 😎
I remember seeing this when it actually aired way back when, and the funniest part was John Candy's "nervous gulp"-- probably because we can all relate to it!
Rick rocking the right handed strat upside down and still strung for righty. How is this even playable? He's really playing it, but wow, all guitar theory, fingerings, chords etc.. out the window here. Hendrix played a right handed strat but strung it upside down as many lefty players do. Considering that, this is pretty good playing. Rick Moranis FTW!
czech oht Doyle Bramhall III! Albert King! Paul Raymond(UFO)! Eric Gales! EARLY Paul McCartney! Paul and Jimi could play righty flip AND proper lefty!!! I'm lefthanded - but learned righty straightaway: I cannot play a lefty ...
As hilarious as everyone is, not enough praise for Levy's completely lost eyes and pubescent deep voice, he really captured that doofus backup vocalist in a mediocre band
This is a real song by the Canadian band Chilliwack. It was a huge hit in 1981. You should check it out if you've never heard it, because this is even funnier when you know what the original sounds like. ua-cam.com/video/yahBtp_1jWE/v-deo.html
I thought it sounded familiar. I had 40 years to wipe it from my memory. At least now, I will always think of The Recess Monkeys version instead of the one by Chilliwack. 🤢
so much memories of starting a band in the 90's - the nervous tension, the palpable fear of screwing up - and the look on your face if not sure if it sounds any good... and then candy dealing with uncontrolled drooling from stage fright... good memories...
For the unknowing, that’s My Girl by Chilliwack. A great song by a Canadian band and of course, SCTV is Canadian. Good choice. Listen to the band here on UA-cam. Great vocal range. 80’s music was great.
It's great to see how the drummer and lead guitarist for the Queen Haters started. I did not know Stephen Sealy and Paul Rey were originally in The Recess Monkeys. I heard Steve Applebaum became a VJ and changed his name to Gerry Todd.
Whats great is they're really playing! John loved playing drums as a hobby and Rick was a musician and played piano and as a guitar player, he is actually playing a right handed upside down guitar LEFT HANDED, loved all of these guys! RIP John
I watched this skit when it first aired and laughed my butt off, there were so many funny bits each guy did, Levy losing count with the tambourine TWICE, Candy's Stephen Seely always getting choked up, Moranis actually playing the Guitar upside down and still strung upside down. After watching this clip dozens of times through the years, I just now realized even their name has a twist to it... The Rhesus Monkeys
Noticed that when they zoomed in for the solo! First I wasn't sure if they were really playing, but you can tell Rick is making chord changes and even looks down when he has to move up a few frets. Though I figured the guitar was setup 'Hendrix' style, but it's crazy he just flips it over without restringing! Only other person I know who does this is Eric Gales!
Agree with all the comments. I cried I laughed so hard when this first aired and I still do today... I don’t know if anyone else remembers but I always thought preteeen world was a direct send-up of a pbs show for middle school kids called Zoom...around in the mid 70s. There was a kid on the show who looked exactly like Stephane. SCTV hit it spot on. Also reminds me of all my high school “coffeehouse” performances. :(...Classic and thanks for bringing this back!
SCTV is unsurpassed in parody and send ups of every aspect of entertainment, sports, television. What a crew of talent. SNL gets all the hype but SCTV outdid them in quality and quantity.
Wow; I only saw the syndicated versions and have never seen this before! This is pure gold. I play guitar, and sounded about that bad when I started at 16!
Agreed. SNL needed a whole studio filled with shills instructed to laugh and clap. SCTV provided the laughs without people telling us to laugh in the background.
@@robkunkel8833 Just human instinct I suppose. The need to feel intellectually or culturally superior to others based on your taste in media. SNL is mainstream and neutered to the point of oblivion while SCTV is underground and risque. Being a fan of SCTV, I tend to favor it over SNL. The comparison exists because they are similar in concept.
Yep that gulp by John Candy should go down as one of the best timed comedic moments of all time
did anyone notice his second one at 2:28?
And he came back from it on the beat. His genius will be missed.
He did that in every Pre-Teen Wolrd skit.
Comic genius
@@carlottarobbins7005 Love him so much!
Candy's nervous gulp...utter genius.
Larry Horricks haha the best!
+Larry Horricks YES!, it is those subtle nuances that give his genius away. Such a huge loss for the arts.
Larry Horricks gulp is fantastic
It wasn't a nervous gulp, the implication was that he had to swallow some spit to keep going. I've been there in a performance before. X-D
It sure was. And I can still remember the 1st time I saw it as a child losing my fucking mind laughing at Candy when he does that. Its absolutely perfect.
Also wonderful are: 1. Eugene switching up his tambourine rhythms mid-measure; 2. The three boys' acca pella falling apart so quickly but them plodding through anyway. This skit was brilliant. Long live The Recess Monkeys! 🎸
DETERMINATION!
Levy hitting the tambourine on 1 & 3 during the chorus, belatedly realizing he’s wrong, then switching to 2 & 4...BOTH TIMES
Catherine O'hara has always been magic. Understated.
Boasting that she's up after midnight then lets out an involuntary yawn!
KEVIN!
Decent!
The tongue sticking out as he's concentrating on the killer guitar solo...🤣🤣🤣
You can tell that they're actually decently competent musician that know enough to know EXACTLY how to fake sucking.
Comedic genius
It sounds ironic but you have to be a genius to play dumb.
I’m impressed Rick Moranis is playing a guitar upside down.
Because for parts of it they were actually good.
@@SherwoodyI wonder if he’s actually right-handed.
ua-cam.com/video/8do_Vsc4Frw/v-deo.html
Anyone who was either in a band when they were fourteen or remember's their friend's first band knows EXACTLY why this is genius!!! John's gulp and Rick's tongue-on-lips concentration during the solo, priceless!!!!
I love that wicked guitar solo by Rick Moranis.
It's all in how you hold your tongue.
jwnagy Yeah, I have been working on that part of the lick.
A Great White North Southpaw.
Rick Moanis. The man known as Wayne Szalinski from Honey I Shunk the Kids, Honey I Blew Up the Kid and Honey We Shrunk Ourselves. Barney Rubble from 1994 film The Flintstones
How can you forget Bob and Doug McKenzie with freaking Geddy Lee??
I love that they're actually playing their instruments - and they're good enough to be able so sound like bad players. It's harder than you might think.
And when you're used to singing in tune, it's so hard not to do so. I love how their voices crack just like pre-pubescent boys!
I've tried to be that bad, and it's very hard
Honestly I like this arrangement better than the original, which was kind of over-sung and over-produced. Even with the intentional sloppy playing and goofy singing it's just so much more fun.
You've got to be GOOD to imitate how Bad beginners are 👌
Also, Rick is playing a right handed guitar lefty (upside down).
It's kind of unreal how good this is.
Gonna tell my kids this was Weezer.
This is such a good comment
it basically is lol
Already did!
That's the most awesome thing ever.
😂😂
I think Weezer stole this band's act.
I agree!
you won the internet for the year
Weezer never rose above copying one act or another nearly verbatim. I always felt sorry for their fans who obviously didn't know any better.
no shit!!!!!!
Kind of reminds me of Dead Kennedys Punk Rock Girl I mean dead milkmen
Absolutely nailed the high school garage band, teenage angst, live performance jitters of playing music before a 'live' audience. Hilarious.
Yep. Too me back to mid-80s Middle School talent show!
The 5 Neat Guys are the parents of the Recess Monkeys. Great musical talent flowed heavy in their bloodline, obviously. Gone Gone Gone Gone So Long will be played at my funeral.
I'll make the egg salad sandwiches.
@@jeffreythames4307 I'll bring the cabbage rolls and coffee
I'll just hang out side . Drink ☕ n smoke 🚬
The apex was the Shmenges. If you haven’t seen it, The Last Polka in on UA-cam, it’s so funny.
LETS! HAVE BAND PRACTICE IN THA REC ROOM!
First time I have ever seen this and I can't believe it. This may be the most perfect sketch ever. I have watched it 7 times in a row. The lyrics, musicianship, anxiety, solo... and of course John candy's gulp should be studied forever on the perfection of comedic timing. How is this not more popular?
This entire sketch is pure brilliance on oh so many levels.
I have watched this dozens of times just to see John Candy's nervous gulp. I die every time.
Stephan's appearance on Mel's Rock Pile was equally hilarious.
@@garyrasberryjr.552 Do you find it odd that he pronounces his name 'Steff-en'?
Same!
SCTV was pure comic genius, but this was one of their best skits. I remember nearly choking from laughing so hard when I first saw this about 35 yrs ago.
Best cover of this song ever.
what is the song??
My Girl by Chiliwack.
“Decent. That should get those phones ringing!” dead
Remember when people said Decent! and Excellent!--?
@@RideAcrossTheRiver What about when people used to say "that's so crescent fresh", or "crescent fresh at best"?
Katherine O'Hara cracks me up in this sketch, haha. Nailed it!
Decent! That should get those phones ringing!
i never realized i need schoolgirl katherine ohara in my life, but here we is nonetheless 🥴😖😤
She's a friggin' comedy genius! That yawn and "...uh oh..." and tired squints at the end! 😂😂
I'm constantly impressed with how Eugene Levy could transform himself into such a convincing "kid". The makeup/hair/mannerisns.. For being the hairiest guy in the cast..how can he be the best/most convincing kid!?!! Wow!
Candy's Beav impression is pretty good too!
Candy's gulp was hilarious and he's also got the Ringo Starr-esque drumming down.
This is better than most music made today.
The brilliance of this at all levels is amazing and so hilarious at the same time.
That's one killer guitar solo at the end.
Moranis, Levy and Candy are superb in this sketch! Actually playing and acting like kids…marverous…simply marverous. 😉🤘🤘🤘
Don’t forget Catherine O’Hara’s spot on teeny popper portrayal!
Rick Moranis is amazing. Such a sweet little guy on the guitar, only one who didn't participate in the epic voice crack at the end.
Great show. So glad we have these clips.
Rick did a great job singing and playing guitar!
Gene did a good job playing guitar along with Candy and the drums.
Like Moranis' guitar lick helped by tongue extension . They are the Best North American comedy group since Leif Erickson and his band of Vikings
That guitar solo at the end and Moranis' "I'm nailing it" face just made me pee my pants. #gold
Eugene plays guitar for real. This skit is amazing in so many ways...captures so much!
They are all playing. Rick is playing everything upside down as it’s strung for a righty. Amazing. The arrangement sounds like something from the 90’s.
Rick is a talented individual.
hahahahaha you dont like the son ?
*song
Wow.
What happened to Rick?
not sure if you're talking about "channels" now, youtube channels, or channels back in 1981, when SCTV was on the airwaves...used to drive frantically to get home by 1 am when SCTV was on some obscure UHF station in the DC area. Loved SCTV then, good to see it again!
So good. thanks for posting. I remember seeing this in the 80s. LOVED IT.
CLASSIC SCTV... Raw humour and talent. Those were the days!! ❤👍
My favourite character changes every time i view this masterpiece. one of their best bits.
Oh man, look at Candy's perm!
I loved this show and am so glad the actors are still working.
+Anner Chisline Except for Candy, who's dead.
+OptimusWombat I remember when he died.
And Moranis who left the business to take care of his wife.
mike dutdut *kids
His wife’s death was the reason he retired.
@@Mr.BeastFacts yea your right i thought the timeline fell a bit different.
As much as I always loved this sketch, it got 10x funnier when I realized they are covering Chilliwack!
YES!!
I just discovered the original song. Incredible.
in
Chingago,
Chilliwack had a previous tunage that got a lot of airplay, so when I saw this, I was thinking 'who came out with this garbage??
it deserves this lampooning!!!'
then maybe 8yrs later, I find out it's Chilliwack and - yop - it's horrible!!!
Really works great as a 1965ish pop song!
I went YEARS, maybe decades not knowing this was a real song!
Damn moranis was old school alternative
I think they all played their own instruments, I never see this in syndication, I saw it in the original show, I was in high school when this aired, I used to watch it Friday nights after Johnny Carson.
Having grown up in the 80s, there were a good number of bands that sounded just like this live. They'd have over produced studio albums and videos on MTV, and than you'd see them live and they sounded almost exactly like this. 😎
Rick's really playing. Excellent.
This was amazing then and it's still amazing now.
I remember seeing this when it actually aired way back when, and the funniest part was John Candy's "nervous gulp"-- probably because we can all relate to it!
Rick rocking the right handed strat upside down and still strung for righty. How is this even playable? He's really playing it, but wow, all guitar theory, fingerings, chords etc.. out the window here. Hendrix played a right handed strat but strung it upside down as many lefty players do. Considering that, this is pretty good playing. Rick Moranis FTW!
czech
oht
Doyle Bramhall III!
Albert King!
Paul Raymond(UFO)!
Eric Gales!
EARLY Paul McCartney!
Paul and Jimi could play righty flip AND proper lefty!!!
I'm lefthanded - but learned righty straightaway: I cannot play a lefty ...
bassists:
Jimmy Haslip!
Lee Pomeroy!
Gerald V. Casale!
Wayman Tisdale!
Same way I learned to play it. That's what happens when you are self taught. Still he knows what he is doing.
Pure no-wave punk genius. Rick’s junky Mission of Burma-style solo... That takes courage.
I'm dying that someone has mentioned Mission of Burma on an old SCTV clip lmao
@@Stzit I just figured out 'rhesus monkeys'
@@Stzit same
Whenever this song comes on the radio in our car, we always start singing it just like these guys!! Good times, good times... XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD
Saw it 35 years ago and still can’t forget it.
bangin' guitar solo, Rick!!
This great 70 band played at my high school in 76. Along with Max Webster and the Stampeders.
And we had April Wine and Edward Bear lol
Man. I want to buy this album.
Rivers Cuomo saw this and had an epiphany. Incidentally, Rick is fretting chords upside down as the strings aren't reversed.
As hilarious as everyone is, not enough praise for Levy's completely lost eyes and pubescent deep voice, he really captured that doofus backup vocalist in a mediocre band
Beat Happening is still one of my favorite bands
Rick playing it left hand!
But strung upside down. Albert King played his Flying V like that.
HAHAHA! John Candy taking a swallow in between words! I've been there performing!
It's eerie how much Moranis looks like Rivers Cuomo from Weezer in this.
kurtispopp conspiracy theory: the reason we never hear from him anymore is because he's a vampire and he never ages, so he is Rivers Cuomo.
U mean how much Cuomo looks like Moranis. Come on now.
Cuomo looks like Moranis, Moranis looks like Robert "Butch" Johnson.
Candy wore that wig to great effect as Pepi Longsocks as well.
This song is better than 99.99% of the stuff played on the radio.
This is a real song by the Canadian band Chilliwack. It was a huge hit in 1981. You should check it out if you've never heard it, because this is even funnier when you know what the original sounds like. ua-cam.com/video/yahBtp_1jWE/v-deo.html
You read my mind!
4 years, later; it is closer to 100 percent, now, in case i forget.
I thought it sounded familiar. I had 40 years to wipe it from my memory. At least now, I will always think of The Recess Monkeys version instead of the one by Chilliwack. 🤢
I agree 100%.
so much memories of starting a band in the 90's - the nervous tension, the palpable fear of screwing up - and the look on your face if not sure if it sounds any good...
and then candy dealing with uncontrolled drooling from stage fright...
good memories...
This is the best Canadiana EVER.
Used to watch SCTV every chance I got in my teen years along with Fernwood Tonight and Mary Hartmann, Mary Hartmann. That does explain a lot LOL!
Whether is the Recess Monkeys or the Queen Haters, John Candy behind a drum kit will always deliver hilarity.
Yeah, that would make me lauuugh....
For the unknowing, that’s My Girl by Chilliwack. A great song by a Canadian band and of course, SCTV is Canadian. Good choice. Listen to the band here on UA-cam. Great vocal range. 80’s music was great.
That skit had Dark Helmet,Barf,Mickey and Maude.Awesome.
It's great to see how the drummer and lead guitarist for the Queen Haters started. I did not know Stephen Sealy and Paul Rey were originally in The Recess Monkeys. I heard Steve Applebaum became a VJ and changed his name to Gerry Todd.
2:53 - the effort he puts into that guitar solo!
he’s playing upside down lol
Ha. It reminds me of the guitar solo in the Dead Milkmen's "Punk Rock Girl" .
Whats great is they're really playing! John loved playing drums as a hobby and Rick was a musician and played piano and as a guitar player, he is actually playing a right handed upside down guitar LEFT HANDED, loved all of these guys! RIP John
First time seeing this funny version of that 70s original great song. Good times are forever.
As a fan of outsider music, I actually consider this a masterpiece
Same
"And opening for The Shaggs tonight please welcome to the stage, The Recess Monkeys!"
If you like this you love The Shaggs
i remember watching this performance on tv, way back when. def classic
5 dislikes proves there are more good people in the world than bad.
Loved these guys when they were on K Records
That's one hot guitar lick laid down by Rick Moranis. 😝
You gotta give this a thumbs up! Brilliant!
I watched this skit when it first aired and laughed my butt off, there were so many funny bits each guy did, Levy losing count with the tambourine TWICE, Candy's Stephen Seely always getting choked up, Moranis actually playing the Guitar upside down and still strung upside down. After watching this clip dozens of times through the years, I just now realized even their name has a twist to it... The Rhesus Monkeys
Wow yer right, it's not re-strung for a lefty ..
Noticed that when they zoomed in for the solo! First I wasn't sure if they were really playing, but you can tell Rick is making chord changes and even looks down when he has to move up a few frets. Though I figured the guitar was setup 'Hendrix' style, but it's crazy he just flips it over without restringing! Only other person I know who does this is Eric Gales!
Agree with all the comments. I cried I laughed so hard when this first aired and I still do today... I don’t know if anyone else remembers but I always thought preteeen world was a direct send-up of a pbs show for middle school kids called Zoom...around in the mid 70s. There was a kid on the show who looked exactly like Stephane. SCTV hit it spot on. Also reminds me of all my high school “coffeehouse” performances. :(...Classic and thanks for bringing this back!
There’s so much going on in this song. Candy’s gulp, Moranis playing the guitar wrong handed, Moranis’ solo at the end, Levy with the tambourine...
Rick Moranis is left handed. Some lefties prefer using their dominant hand to strum
@@someguy23475 as did Jimmy Hendrix.
@@timwarneka5681 AND Kurt Cobain
Rick Moranis is a lefty. He’s playing the guitar upside down which is kind of mind boggling.
@@jeremimcdonald I mean that's what Hendrix did. Watch him play, he is using a standard guitar in lefty position so all of his notes are upside down.
How brilliant is the name Recess Monkeys!
SCTV is unsurpassed in parody and send ups of every aspect of entertainment, sports, television. What a crew of talent. SNL gets all the hype but SCTV outdid them in quality and quantity.
Give them a year or two...these guys will be huge!
1:32 I laugh every time, thanks John!
I watched a lot of SCTV in the early 80s but this one somehow escaped me until just this year. Awesome finding "new" material.
Rick looks so young. Almost did not recognize Eugene. SCTV was so damned awesome.
🙄
Wow; I only saw the syndicated versions and have never seen this before! This is pure gold. I play guitar, and sounded about that bad when I started at 16!
Better than many bands I've suffered thru over the years!
Great jam, man. This is one of my favorite bands and songs. I had a "Recess Monkeys" lunchbox.
I genuinely like that song.
So cool that they covered this classic tune.
John Candy on the drums. That show was legendary
DECENT! She says "Decent" when they finish. I remember around 1980 in Michigan we'd say 'decent' like how Bill & Ted say 'excellent'
SCTV was head and shoulders above SNL.
Not a stupid comment, a fact LOL
Agreed. SNL needed a whole studio filled with shills instructed to laugh and clap. SCTV provided the laughs without people telling us to laugh in the background.
As much as I loved SCTV...they used a laugh track. SNL at least had a live audience.
@@theofficialvernetheturtley338 ... Apples and oranges. Who made this contest.? Why do people need to find one “better “ than the other.?
@@robkunkel8833 Just human instinct I suppose. The need to feel intellectually or culturally superior to others based on your taste in media. SNL is mainstream and neutered to the point of oblivion while SCTV is underground and risque. Being a fan of SCTV, I tend to favor it over SNL. The comparison exists because they are similar in concept.
You could fill a room with how many ways this is funny.
Oh my god Eugene and that tambourine! Shake it!
He really let loose at the end!
I miss John Candy so much, I got to meet him when I was a kid just the sweetest man in the world
The bands' name is funny enough, let alone their performance!
A classic Chilliwack hit song. My Girl