Ok, so i know a few people might be wondering why i have ineedmorecowbell.com as my website. It goes back to the early Budapest days - probably last August or September - when the boys and i were discussing favourite SNL sketches, and came across a great website that had many SNL video clips (the clips have since disappeared off the site due to legalities). We watched many Celebrity Jeopary episodes, along with almost daily viewings of of the infamous Blue Oyster Cult: Behind the Music episode, featuring Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle, the wild cowbell player on the track Don't Fear the Reaper. Christopher Walken is producer Bruce Dickinson, and gets to lay down most of the classic lines in the sketch, including "I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!".
I thought the relative obscurity of the focal point of the sketch - the cowbell track on Don't Fear the Reaper - along with the fact that it came off as so damn funny, was inspiration enough to grab a related domain name to keep the inspiration alive. The site was originally planned to chronicle our Budapest experiences, but since 2 out of 4 of us that went over are back in Canada, the focus has changed to my personal website. The blurb on my homepage outlines some future plans for the site. But in the meantime, here are a few links to some additional BOC: Behind the Music info: the SNL episode information, a Will Ferrell fansite that lists that sketch as his #1 SNL moment and a transcript of the sketch itself. Maybe try searching for it on Kazaa or something. Anyhoo, enjoy!
Posted by scotty at August 11, 2002 06:05 PMI love it that the term "beastslap" has not died. Too much fun.
Posted by: michael on August 27, 2007 04:48 PMIf you need more cowbell go to:
www.walken2008.com
OUR MAIN MAN IS RUNNING!!!
You can get T-Shirts too!!!
What this country needs is more cowbell...
Has anyone found out where one can download Cowbell by Dirty Gringos? I've heard it on BPM and love it! Thanks.
Posted by: Brannon on August 30, 2006 09:03 AMyes, thanks for sharing the good word!
Posted by: scotty on July 17, 2006 08:07 PMThank you Jeff. :)
Posted by: Rachel on July 16, 2006 01:10 PMRachel, you can find it on www.zippyvideos.com
Youtube have stupid budget versions instead. I just found the original today.
hope that helps.
Posted by: Jeff on July 16, 2006 08:01 AMDoes anyone know where I can find the infamous cowbell skit? Youtube used to have it but now it's gone. :(
"I gotta fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!!"
Posted by: Rachel on July 11, 2006 11:05 AMLa liga del video aquí:
http://www.kaitaia.com/funny/movies2/
Posted by: Yo Mero on January 9, 2006 11:46 PMCan anyone tell me who the shady character is in the sound booth in the cowbell clip (long curly hair, moustache) in the background.
It's driving me nuts...
Posted by: Dan on January 5, 2006 05:00 AMyeah man, that's a great track! find it if you can kids.
Posted by: scotty on November 1, 2005 09:38 AMIt's been out for a while now, but have you heard "COW BELL" by The Dirty Gringos?
Posted by: drew upp on October 31, 2005 03:40 PMhey tei. it's on SNL best of will ferrell vol. 1. dig it!
Posted by: scotty on August 16, 2005 02:22 PMThat cowbell skit has to be the funniest sh** I had ever seen! I laughed so hard I was in tears. The sad thing is, whenever I'm hanging out with friends and I make a joke referencing that skit, they don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Is there an SNL video that contains that skit?
I live in the Atlanta, GA area, and (I think) every Friday one of the local rock stations do an "I need more cowbell" segment during which they play rock songs from 60's and 70's with a lot of cowbell in the background. It's too hilarious!
Posted by: Tei on August 16, 2005 02:12 PMYa i saw that saturday night live skit and i was laughing my ass off.Probably the funniest thing Walkens ever done and one of Farrels best."We need more cowbell"!
Posted by: chris on July 21, 2005 03:05 PM Whither the cowbell? That most laughable of
musical little brothers is now a pop culture signpost
thanks to a funny Saturday Night Live skit. But what
is the real value of the cowbell and how is it best
employed? Who is the current master of the 'bell and
why (apart from that skit) do people find it so funny?
The current archetype of the rock'n'roll cowbell
mix is of course Blue Oyster Cult's ("be occult")
"Don't Fear the Reaper," but this is somewhat
disingenuous. The 'bell has been put to much better
use by others before and since. The 1970's were,
indisputably, the golden years of cowbell, but even
today there are committed practitioners who are doing
some marvelous work. Before the BOC there was
absolutely sublime cowbell work done by the unfairly
maligned Grand Funk Railroad on their seminal radio
hit "We're an American Band." "We're comin' to your
town, we'll help you party down, we're an American
Band" indeed. The key to the song's high powered
intro (and the key to partying down, for that matter)
is, of course, the cowbell. Hit hard without accent
on each and every quarter note of a 4/4 beat, the
instrument is a call to arms for the rhythmically
remedial. The cowbell is to rock -- especially '70's
rock -- what the mullet is to hair styling. To
paraphrase Bill Burroughs (speaking about his 'cut-up'
method), "It ain't always pretty, but in the hands of
a master it works."
Peter Criss of Kiss put the cowbell to excellent
use on several mid-seventies tracks and the Dutch
group Nazareth used it to devastating effect on the
title track of their "Hair of the Dog." At a cursory
glance, the cowbell would seem to be the White Man's
domain; the hillbilly equivalent of a conga drum,
disrespected as a non-instrument the way the triangle
is disrespected by the string section of a symphony
orchestra. The cowbell was an instrument to be taken
seriously only by rednecks and old-school metalheads.
People who think that Uriah Heep were as good as the
Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd are better than both of
them.
Ultimately, though, like nearly every other
instrument used in popular music, the cowbell is at
its best in the hands of a Black Man. One need not
delve to deeply to accept this statement as truth;
anyone who has ever heard "Low Rider" by War knows
what I mean. But there is also the Watts 105th Street
Band and Sly Stone and Tavares and Santana. All of
these folks can safely laugh at Blue Oyster Cult.
Probably the ultimate cowbell artiste was a
Philadelphia rap artist from the mid 1980's who called
himself Schooly D. In an era when drum machines were
asserting primacy over both rock and hip hop, Schooly
injected a strong dose of (God forbid) humanity into
the increasingly mechanized exercise which pop music
was becoming. That humanity took the form of wicked
cowbell syncopation played against the rhythmic
tyranny of a cheap beatbox.
Now the cowbell has become no more than a joke.
This is a shame.
I remember listening once to Love's "Forever
Changes" with Brett from the groups Built to Spill and
Caustic Resin. We were on our way from San Francisco
to Los Angeles, when Brett made the following comment:
"You know," he said, "the tambourine is a highly
underrated instrument." Stoned, ironic, whatever. He
was right. And that is precisely how I feel about the
cowbell, a highly underrated instrument. And now we
need more cowbell.
man i missed that one! i'll have to track it down for the collection. cheers man.
Posted by: scotty on June 22, 2005 03:51 PMI seem to remember another cowbell skit with Gene in heaven with a band made up of all these famous dead musicians. Gene's doing more cowbell over Jerry Garcia and Jim Morisson etc. Does anyone remember this? (Did I dream this?)
Posted by: Ben on June 22, 2005 03:03 PMThe link to the website is http://www.cafepress.com/cowbellcraze in case anyone else wants to see it. A guy at my school did a cowbell version of a Green Day song..hehe.
Posted by: Julie on June 1, 2005 02:34 PMThey even did a skit of that SNL sketch at my college orientation. It was hilarious. I love it so much, I made my own Cafepress store with "More Cowbell" stuff.
Posted by: Julie on June 1, 2005 02:32 PMi would be doing myself a diservice, if I did'nt perform the hell of this thing...
This blog is pretty interesting, will add a bookmark, thanks.
Posted by: Shannon on August 12, 2004 02:09 AMThe Cowbell Lives On!!! Gotta have more cowbell!!! Never question BRUCE DICKENSON.I LOVE YOU MARI MAR!!!!MARRY ME!
Posted by: Old Man Pigeon Master Leo on July 18, 2004 04:35 AMBabies.. before we're done here.. y'all are gonna be wearing gold-plated diapers.
I am being selfish, But the last time i checked we don't have a whole lot of songs that feature the cow bell
go to http://www.ojai.net/swanson/snlshows.htm
you can get the cowbell movie clip... its not great quality, but it'll do ~ 5MB
Took the day off and was just reading up some blogs and thought I would post here
Posted by: Evita on March 28, 2004 07:08 AMMORE COW BELL!
CLUCK
CLUCK
CLUCK
CLUCK
CLUCK
CLUCK
CLUCK..
la la laaa laaa laa..
DUDE, I NEED MORE COWBELLLL...
Posted by: guy on March 20, 2004 09:25 PMWhere can i find a good cowbell mp3??? Does the new napster have it?
Posted by: Slayer Bob on March 2, 2004 09:57 PMDamn it Ric, wish you had some contact info.
Would like to use that song in a Flash animation =).
Hope you don't mind to much if I just go ahead.
It'll be uploaded to newgrounds.com , when completed.
Full audio credit given, of course.
MUST GIVE PEOPLE MORE COWBELL ...
Posted by: _altr_ on February 16, 2004 12:42 PMI'll try to link to the song this time!!
More Cowbell MP3.
Posted by: Ric Perrott on February 14, 2004 12:49 AMHi!
I've created a club mix of "More Cowbell"
Have a listen and tell me if you like it!! :-)
http://www.ricperrott.com/music/morecowbell.mp3
Posted by: Ric Perrott on February 14, 2004 12:48 AMI made several bumper stickers currentlly adorning cars all over Seattle that say "More cowbell."
It's getting out of crontol!
Posted by: Doc on February 11, 2004 02:04 PMI LOVE THE COWBELL!!!!
Posted by: Amanda on February 5, 2004 03:31 AMjust wonderin if you found any bill brasky skits.
Posted by: curt on January 29, 2004 03:41 PMHere is the video...
http://65.164.129.41/media/cowbell.wmv
it's been a long time since i've had anything to say about the COWBELL, but, my recent research has turned up a link to a website that features the entire audio clips (realplayer) of the dirty gringos cd with the cowbell single on it (house music feat. audio clips from the SNL sketch).
http://www.vitalvinylmusic.com/album/44784.info
enjoy!
-jim
p.s. i plan to buy the dvd which has this SNL clip on it, digitize it , and release a full screen, high quality version. will post here when i do.
Posted by: Jim Revillini on January 12, 2004 02:36 PMBill brasky once fucked my grama with a steak knife and called it modern art.
Posted by: Josh on December 31, 2003 07:27 PMI need the lines and words to the brasky sketch please. gm
I so have to disagree with one person on here. SNL may be one hilarious sketch comedy show, but it's nothing against the satirically, 'heil'arious comedy of the famous Goof Troupe, Monty Python. Their sketch shoe, Flying Circus, was one of the most profiting gross shows ever. And was, at one point, watched by atleast (according to a study of TV done by Nelson Ratings {the company that does statistics and ratings for almost ever network in the world}) 1 000 people at ANY given time around the world. And it's 'heil'arious. THE funniest SKETCH comedy show, EVER. In a close second is SNL, and a distant third is Kids In The Hall, and a very distant fourth is M.A.D. TV.
Posted by: SagD on December 19, 2003 06:41 PMNBC just closed down our ebay auction for the Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken SNL skit Cowbells we listed under blueflamemusic. It was obviously a gag item and we had a lot of fun with it, but I guess they didn't get the joke.
Posted by: Glenn on December 18, 2003 08:40 AMThanks for the reply, Scott.
Next question: What the hell does that mean? LOL!
-------------------------------------------------
*Starring in "Elf" isn't the best way to "explore the space", Will...
"cock of the walk, baby!"
Posted by: scotty on December 16, 2003 09:58 PMFor any SNL buffs out there, do you know what Christopher Walken said in that brief response to Will Farell's comments, "Can I just say one thing? I'm standing here, staring at rock legend, Bruce Dickinson"?
Walken said something, but I can't figure out for the life of me what it was. It sounded like he said, "Cock and a walk, baby", but that makes absolutely no sense. I looked at an alleged copy of the transcript, but it wasn't on there.
Any takers?
"I've got a fever..."
Posted by: Andre the Great on December 15, 2003 02:16 PMI am seriously considering going down to this little store at the mall that makes personalized bumper stickers and getting that reads---I NEED MORE COWBELL!!!---for the back of my dodge caravan.
Posted by: Nova on December 15, 2003 05:18 AMI found the video here as well: http://65.164.129.41/media/cowbell.wmv
Posted by: Brian on November 20, 2003 04:41 PMThere is a popular arcade game called "Crimsonland" which uses the Reaper track as background music.
I told them how they could improve it but I guess it needs more people to put it through.
Go here to post your support ;)
http://www.reflexive.net/reflexive_forum/viewtopic.php?p=3382#3382
Hey Katie...you are a hottie.
Post more pics of you in your website!!
:)
Hey Katie...you are a hottie.
Post more pics of you in your website!!
:)
I dont give a shit... but i really like that sketch!
Posted by: Likey on November 17, 2003 05:23 PMCowbells and bourbon.
Posted by: sfotw on November 5, 2003 06:55 PMIt may interest you to know some Eagle fans use the SNL skit and the power of the cowbell as a pre-game thread on their message board.
Posted by: Mark on October 17, 2003 10:09 AMYES! WE NEED MORE COWBELL! this is a great site. thanks! woo! :)
Posted by: katie on October 3, 2003 04:30 PM"It would be advantageous to my personal endeavors if I get procure further auditory stimulation from the stroking of a rudamentary bolvine tracking device with a wooden implement."
....or should i just say: I NEED MORE FRICKIN' COWBELL!!!!!
Posted by: Joe on September 25, 2003 04:13 AMI can't believe nobody has posted this, here's the skit:
http://www.geekspeakweekly.com/cowbell/#
Posted by: mde420 on September 24, 2003 08:32 AMCowbell (the song) is finally available on vinyl... complete with 2 new mixes from Jay Tripwire. Check out www.essentialgroove.com to get your copy. Email me with any questions.
Posted by: tabitha on September 23, 2003 10:37 AMjust sample the bits off the wmv or then vhs like i did....have used them in a drum n bass jazzy track...hehe classic shit!
"dynamite sound!!"
I love the cowbell! I watch that skit maybe 10 times or so a day...and it's STILL funny! SNL will always be the best sketch comedy show in history.
Posted by: Lisa on September 4, 2003 04:51 PMTHANK YOU! Preserve this Cowbell moment in history! This was a great skit, and Walken only made it funnier.
I would like to mention one thing, though. There is another Bruce Dickinson, not just that famous record producer. The other fella would be the lead singer of Iron Maiden. The confusion makes for interesting discussion now and then.
Anyway! Best of luck to you and your web page, and thanks for protecting the SPIRIT OF THE COWBELL!
Posted by: Poetgrrl on August 29, 2003 04:49 PMWalken is god. Is there any doubt? That is one of the funniest skits I have ever seen. Being a psychotic Walken fan, its kinda like JFK assasination or something. I know right where I was the first time I saw "cowbell". God bless Walken and god help Will Ferrell. All the funny SNL guys have something bad happen to them. Anyhow, we need more Ferrell, we need more Walken and WE NEED MORE COWBELL!!!!
Posted by: Walken Around on August 28, 2003 04:59 PMi waited for the cowbell file to download for an hour, and I got nothing! you and your website suck you fucking canucks
Posted by: Fred Sturt on August 21, 2003 02:39 AMThis sketch gets funnier everytime I see it!! I'm not a big SNL fan, but Will Ferrell is one of the funniest humans alive, and Walken is, well...Walken. I got a feva! Perfect satire of the bloated VH1 show too.
Posted by: Bruce on August 11, 2003 02:30 PMi found you because i was searching for a picture of will ferrell in this skit. it is seriously HILARIOUS!!! :) we just saw it again on the "best of will ferrel" SNL saturday (7/26/03) and it brings me to tears every time.
Posted by: jessica on July 28, 2003 01:21 PMDunno how much cowbell you cowbell afficionados are prepared to take, but my friend and I put together a sort of pseudo-sequel to "Don't Fear The Reaper" (along with a couple of other obscure tunes with cowbell references). You can get it by the link to our web page (just click the link on my name below). It's not all that great (and isn't intended to be) and not nearly as funny as Will Ferrell, but hey... it's MORE COWBELL!
Posted by: Jeff on June 26, 2003 12:10 PM'Dirty Gringos - Cowbell' will be released on 12" (with additional remixes) in the near future. Email me for more info: tammytabby@yahoo.com.
Posted by: tabitha on June 16, 2003 11:52 PMI have blue oyster cult cowbell with a few other snl will ferrell skits looking for more with video let me know
Posted by: thomasb@rhd.org on June 11, 2003 02:52 PMif you want it email me i am looking for will ferrell skits like bill brasky and others
Posted by: i have the cowbell skit on June 11, 2003 02:48 PMhey man. not sure what eac is, but any audio editing program should do the trick - get that cowbell!
Posted by: scotty on June 7, 2003 04:01 PMSo how do I cut that trac apart? Will eac do it? I'll have to take a look. Not a big fan of tecno but damn, gotta have that cowbell.
Posted by: pididente on June 5, 2003 10:07 PMI NEED MORE FUCKING GOD DAMN MOTHER FUCKING ASS MUNCHING PIG FUCKING COWBELL!!!!
Posted by: sdf on May 28, 2003 10:10 PMnow THAT is fuckin' cool, man! Walken's lines dropped into a big techno mix. have to snag the individual track when it's available. thanks for the heads up, jimmer!
Posted by: scotty on May 3, 2003 04:55 PMTHE SEARCH FOR MORE COWBELL CONTINUES...
Guess what I found! Ok, it's not the cowbell track by iteself, but it's a long, long mix that has the cowbell song in the middle somewhere. Go to http://www.nativetheory.com/talent/hisham/mixes.php and click on download on the left and you can download the whole mix! Then scroll forward to about 74:32 and you are listening to COWBELL!
I'm in heaven!!!! WOOOOOOocowbelll!
Posted by: Jim Revillini on May 2, 2003 02:40 PMGOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS! The good news is, I know the name of the techno song now: it's Cowbell by Dirty Gringos. The bad news is: it's not released yet. :(
But you can get more info @ www.nativetheory.com
"You're gonna want that COWBELL!"
Posted by: Jim Revillini on May 2, 2003 01:52 PMHey! For those of you who have a feva, there is an EXCELLENT techno track that you have got to hear. It features all the classic lines from the skit, and electronic cowbell bombardment! Unfortunately, I don't know the name of it, or the artist, but it has been played twice in the past 2 days at www.protonradio.com. Just click tune in on their main site page and hope it comes on. I think I heard it at around 12p EST. I will write to the peeps at proton radio and see if I can find out who does that track, cuz in winamp it only tells who the dj is that's mixing the stuff live.
For me, interestingly enough, the song led me to this site. I hadn't seen the skit, but I could just tell it was Christopher Walken with his notable voice. Thanks! Work that COWBELL!
Jim
Posted by: Jim on May 1, 2003 12:33 AMSearchon Kazaa. Thats where I found the video clip of the whole thing! Just watched it, still awesome! ;)
Posted by: Leslie on April 3, 2003 01:44 PMIf any of you out there have a copy of the Halloween `81 episode staring Donald Pleasence w/ musical guest "FEAR", let me know and sell me a copy. you name a price. thank you for your time. the cowbell sketch does rock.
Posted by: Drake on March 15, 2003 12:55 AMBabies.. before we're done here.. y'all are gonna be wearing gold-plated diapers.
Posted by: Jackson Petty on March 11, 2003 01:40 PMIn honor of my friend Wes ... 'Easy guys, I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of ya's - except once my pants are on, I make gold records."
Posted by: Jeannie-san on February 13, 2003 06:30 PMClass 03B USAF SNCOA (Flight 19) Needs more cowbell ! Don't fear the reaper... "Explore the space!"
Posted by: Jim on February 6, 2003 08:07 PMwe'll all be wearin' gold diapers
I can thank Mike MC for my now joy filled day. thank you. and thank you for this site my friends.
many a Beastslap to you and yours.
nate
Posted by: crash0veride on January 31, 2003 02:21 PMhttp://mknx.com/v/cowbell.wmv
Cowbell video
Hey man this is great! I like what you have done here, but I want u to really explore the web space. JK.
A tribute to the best skit ever, i love it.
Thanks for commemorating this great sketch. It absolutely deserves the recognition. Though being a musician/engineer/producer makes me appreciate the humor more than most, it's nice to know there are others who recognize... I NEED MORE COWBELL.
Posted by: 009 on December 15, 2002 04:48 AMhey there guys and gals. the skit used to be freely viewable on a great snl site that has since passed on. i downloaded both the audio and video off kazaa - try that - and i have a few still pics posted on my site here...
http://www.ineedmorecowbell.com/skitpics.html
dig'em!
There is a short (52-sec) clip of the skip on this site: http://www.blueoystercult.com/Media/TVappear.html
Look under SNL ... and laugh your ass off.
Posted by: Jack on December 8, 2002 11:18 AMLooking for a "Video clip" or "still picture"
of the part of the "Cowbell skit" on SNL where
Will Ferrell is playing the cowbell in the skit.
I woild like to download it.
Thanks for any help
JIM
Posted by: Jim on December 7, 2002 09:54 PMI love that skit I can't listen to the song now without laughing my ass off!!! Please where can I download the sound clip of it?
Posted by: sweetiebug on December 6, 2002 05:42 PMI GOT A FEVER...AND THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION IS...MORE COWBELL. HELL YEAH, MAY GENE FRENKLE LIVE FOREVER!!!!
Posted by: GENE FRENKLE on November 24, 2002 04:06 AMI love this website, and of course the inspiration behind it. That SNL skit is my favourite of all time! I used the MP3 as a promo for my radio show last year... too funny.
Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
The Cock of the Walk (aka Jill)