The Rutles, the hilariously clever brainchild of Eric Idle and Neil Innes, spoofed the Beatles with spot-on musical and visual parodies that were so good, they ended up releasing albums and taking the fictional rock band on tour. Plus, they were friends with the real Beatles!
But before all that, there was Neil Innes & Fatso, the pre-Rutles band that took this playful jab at Elton John, wild over-the-top glasses and all. In November 1976, they aired a cheeky sketch called "Godfrey Daniel" on Rutland Weekend Television. This sketch borrowed W.C. Fields' favorite minced oath, "Godfrey Daniels!"
My grandmother used to scream "Godfrey! when she was startled or mad, though sometime she would use the whole name "Godfrey Daniel!" I always wondered why… I figured it out when I was about 14.
Neil Innes
Interestingly, before these two parody bands, Neil Innes was part of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. One of their songs, "Death Cab for Cutie," later inspired the name of, you guessed it, the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie.
Also see: The time a fake Beatles group tricked South America; Elton John sure phoned in this Sasson jeans commercial
