More cowbell

"The Bruce Dickinson" (Christopher Walken) delivering the iconic phrase "more cowbell!"

"More cowbell" is an American pop culture catchphrase originally derived from an April 8, 2000, Saturday Night Live comedy sketch which fictionalized the recording of the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. The sketch featured guest host Christopher Walken as music producer "The Bruce Dickinson" and regular cast member Will Ferrell, who wrote the sketch, as fictional cowbell player Gene Frenkle. In the television special Saturday Night Live: 101 Most Unforgettable Moments, this sketch is moment number five.

Synopsis

The sketch is presented as an episode of VH1's Behind the Music documenting the band Blue Öyster Cult. It begins with what is said to be film from the 1976 recording session that produced the band's biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". The producer (played by Christopher Walken) introduces himself as "The Bruce Dickinson" and tells the band they have "what appears to be a dynamite sound."

The first take of the session begins soon after. The recording seems to be going well but the band stops playing after a few moments because the cowbell part is rather loud and distracting. Dickinson, to the surprise of most of the band, asks for "a little more cowbell" and suggests that the cowbell player, Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell), "really explore the studio space this time."

Frenkle's exuberance in following this advice causes him to bump into his bandmates as he dances around the cramped studio, thrusting his pelvis wildly in all directions, and the band aborts another take. Dickinson enters the studio exasperated at wasting "two good tracks" and that the second one "was even better than the first." Frenkle sheepishly agrees to tone down his performance in the spirit of cooperation. Dickinson warns Frenkle not to tone it down too much, as they're "gonna want the cowbell on this track." However, Frenkle passive-aggressively plays the cowbell very close to Eric Bloom (Chris Parnell)'s ear and fails to keep time with the rest of the band. Frenkle suddenly knocks over Bloom's microphone stand, ending the take prematurely. The rest of the band expresses frustration with Frenkle but Dickinson remains focused only on getting more cowbell onto the track.

Frenkle then makes an impromptu speech to the rest of the band. He declares that Dickinson's stature lends a great deal of weight to his opinion about the cowbell part and that the last time Frenkle checked, they didn't have "a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell" and therefore he would be "doing [himself] a disservice, and every member of the band" if he "didn't perform the hell out of this." At the climax of the sketch, Dickinson exclaims: "Guess what?! I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" The band agrees to let Frenkle play the cowbell part his way. As the band begins another take, the sketch ends with a freeze frame on Frenkle with the superimposed message: "In Memoriam: Gene Frenkle: 1950–2000."

The actors who appeared in the sketch had trouble keeping straight faces. They found Ferrell's outrageous acting, along with Walken's almost-deadpan performance, so funny that they were all on the verge of breaking up laughing and ruining the sketch several times. On "Take Two", Walken can be seen through the booth glass, laughing, as Ferrell's shirt comes up, while he is dancing and playing the cowbell.

Comedy versus reality

The song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult indeed features a cowbell, but it is overshadowed by the main instruments playing throughout the song. However, the sketch takes liberty with the actual events surrounding the recording.

• Gene Frenkle is a fictional character invented for the sketch, although his appearance was modeled on Eric Bloom's appearance at the time. Despite the fact that Frenkle is fictional, fans occasionally expressed their sympathies to Blue Öyster Cult over his death.^[1][2]
• Christopher Walken portrays producer Bruce Dickinson (not to be confused with the Iron Maiden vocalist of the same name). Although Dickinson has produced many songs and albums for many different artists,^[3] he was not the actual producer of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." The song was produced by David Lucas,^[4] Sandy Pearlman,^[5] and Murray Krugman.^[5] Bruce Dickinson was a mid-level manager at Columbia Records whose name appears on Blue Öyster Cult reissue CDs and a greatest hits compilation as the "reissue producer". Lucas has claimed credit for being the one who suggested the addition of a cowbell to the track.^[6][7]
• There are different claims as to who actually played the cowbell in the original recording.
  • Producer David Lucas, on his website and in interviews when he was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, says that he was the one who played the cowbell.^[8][9][7]
  • Eric Bloom has said that he played it,^[2] but that the original idea came from David Lucas.^[4]
  • According to former band bassist Joe Bouchard, the cowbell part was overdubbed by his brother Albert after the rest of the song had been recorded.^[1]
• While Eric Bloom was the official lead singer of the band, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser performed lead vocals for "Don't Fear the Reaper". Furthermore, Chris Parnell's costume (for portraying Bloom) closely resembled Roeser's actual appearance during the relevant time period as did the costume worn by Chris Kattan, who was intended to portray Roeser in the skit.
• Bobby Rondinelli, who did not join the band until the late 1990s, was not the drummer on the actual track. Instead, Albert Bouchard was the drummer.

Reappearance on Saturday Night Live

On May 14, 2005, on an episode that Will Ferrell hosted, the Gene Frenkle character made a reappearance on the set of Saturday Night Live as musical guest Queens of the Stone Age played their first song of the night, "Little Sister" – which features a jam block, an instrument similar to a cowbell. In his Gene Frenkle costume, Ferrell played the song's jam block part using a large cowbell along with the band, drawing much applause.

Promos for the April 5, 2008 Christopher Walken/Panic! At the Disco episode of Saturday Night Live referenced the "More Cowbell" sketch. The cowbell did not appear during the actual episode.

At the end of the May 16, 2009 Will Ferrell/Green Day episode, Green Day performed "East Jesus Nowhere" with Will Ferrell on the cowbell.

Sketch performers

• Jimmy Fallon as Bobby Rondinelli on drums.
• Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle on cowbell.
• Chris Kattan as Buck Dharma on guitar.
• Chris Parnell as Eric Bloom on lead vocals and guitar.
• Horatio Sanz as Joe Bouchard on bass guitar.
• Christopher Walken as music producer "The Bruce Dickinson".

Comments by individuals associated with the sketch

Will Ferrell 2007: "The cowbell sketch, I'd written it early in the first half of the year...it just didn't get picked for whatever reason."^[10]

Jimmy Fallon 2007: "The cowbell sketch in dress (rehearsal) wasn't as funny. And then Will changed his shirt, he wore a smaller shirt."^[10]

Christopher Walken 2004: "I hear about it everywhere I go. It's been YEARS, and all anybody brings up is 'COW-bell.' I guess you never know what's gonna click."^[11]

Christopher Walken 2007: "I was eating in a restaurant in Singapore, and an Asian couple was at the next table, and the guy turned to me and he said, 'Chris, you know what this salad needs?' I said, 'What?' He said, 'More cowbell.' Recently a guy asked me if I would say 'More cowbell' on his answering machine. And I did."^[12]

Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, Blue Öyster Cult co-founder, lead guitarist and songwriter of "Don't Fear The Reaper," 2005: "We didn't know it was coming. We all thought it was phenomenal. We're huge Christopher Walken fans. I've probably seen it 20 times and I'm still not tired of it."^[1]

Eric Bloom, Blue Öyster Cult lead singer 2001: "I even have it on tape, and it still pretty much blows me away. Buck (Dharma) has it on MP3 and we listened to it in his car one day. It's almost as funny to listen to it as watching it."^[2]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Farhi, Paul (2005-01-29). "Blue Öyster Cult, Playing Along With 'More Cowbell'". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46074-2005Jan28.html. Retrieved 2007-01-03. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Galipault, Gerry (2001-07-07). "A cowbell salute to Blue Öyster Cult". Pause & Play. http://www.pauseandplay.com/boc.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-03. 
3. ^ http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bruce+Dickinson+%282%29
4. ^ ^{a b} Sauro, Tony (September 17, 2009). "Blue Oyster Cult's innovative use of a cowbell will never be forgotten". The Record (Stockton). http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090917/A_ENTERTAIN/909170308/-1/rss03. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: #405, Blue Oyster Cult, 'Don't Fear the Reaper'". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/blue-oeyster-cult-dont-fear-the-reaper-19691231. Retrieved May 30, 2011. 
6. ^ Arena, Joe (2011-06-30). Blue Oyster Cult cowbell ringer honored. WIVB-TV. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
7. ^ ^{a b} "He Really Did Want That Cowbell". Just my Show: Retro Pop Culture Podcast. July 15, 2011. http://justmyshow.com/he-really-did-want-that-cowbell. Retrieved July 19, 2011. 
8. ^ "David Lucas Music – Biography". davidlucasmusic.com. http://davidlucasmusic.com/bio.html. Retrieved May 29, 2011. "Lucas sings the background vocals and is the one who played the now famous cowbell" 
9. ^ George, Eli (June 30, 2011). "Blue Oyster Cult cowbell ringer honored" (text, and video clip). WIVB-TV. http://www.wivb.com/dpp/entertainment/music/Blue-Oyster-Cult-cowbell-ringer-honored. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Saturday Night Live in the ‘90s: Pop Culture Nation – May 6, 2007 TV special, Broadcast Video Inc.
11. ^ "Nobody Does It Like Walken" by Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel, Oct 25, 2004, pg. E1
12. ^ "Q&A With Christopher Walken," by Jeff Gordinier and Tom Betterton, Details.com Retrieved on 2010-01-09

External links

• Even More Cowbell! – Timeline of events from Wired magazine.