On such a winter’s day (or at least soggy chilly spring day)…
Here’s a 1967 video from the Ed Sullivan show of The Mamas & The Papas of a song Rimkus has always liked, “California Dreaming”:
Rimkus has also always enjoyed the lovely Michelle Phillips, the M&P’s slinky sweet hippie-girl singer. But having not paid enough attention to this video in the times seen casually previously, upon closer examination, it suddenly becomes clear that Phillips, while swaying and singing, is also eating a banana.
And Ms. Phillips is not eating this banana in some lurid or suggestive manner you might expect (or hope for?) from a later pop star sex symbol such as say, Madonna. No, she is eating the banana as in “You know, I’m kind of peckish. And wouldn’t ya know, there’s some bananas sitting right here on Ed Sullivan’s set! I guess I’ll eat one. Now.” She even proceeds to sing her backup parts with her mouth full!: “Aww the weaves ah bwaaawn…”
Things deteriorate more shortly thereafter with an oversized fire hydrant, a giant fake sun flower and then Ms. Phillips becoming distracted trying to dribble an inflatable Earth.
- Knute Rimkus
PS. Apropos of nothing, Sammy Davis, Jr. steals the show in the first 12 seconds of the video below with his introduction of Mama Cass:
Another gratuitous inclusion. “Midnight Voyage” is a dyn-o-mite, but generally overlooked, song. It was the B-side for the “Dream a Little Dream of Me” single:
Also, we should remember The Mama’s and the Papa’s lovely version of “Do You Wanna Dance?” It forms a nice bookend with the Ramones version, which came out a dozen-ish years later.
