Showbusiness and the Law of Three
Posted by David Hepworth on 9 April 2008 - 7:25am.
In this week's podcast Matt Hall proposes his theory that show business is all about threes. Two's a coincidence but three's a pattern. Think about it. Most pop songs have three verses. As recently observed here, most careers are all about a three album hot streak followed by a long period of tailing off. Louis Menand's Iron Law of Stardom holds that the period of genuine stardom can only last three years. Plays are comprised of three acts. The scripts of movies are written as three acts. The classic rock bands (the Who, REM, Led Zeppelin, Smiths) line up with three instruments. Any more?
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The Number of Steps to Heaven, obviously.
1. Finding a girl to love.
2. Her falling in love with you.
3. Kissing and holding her tightly.
All downhill from there, of course.
Three....is the magic number.
As De La Soul told me. :)
How many times you should knock. . .
a lady.
Three Stars
Eddie Cochran's Three Stars. Buddy, Richie & The Big Bopper.
Social Change
Abraham, Martin & John.
And there are three comments on this thread!
[doh]
Tenuous
has 3 syllables.
Ha Ha Ha
That is funny.
And this theory Doesn't Hold Water
Sandinista
by the Clash is the exception that proves the rule surely?
Sandanista
Been revisiting this album recently. Has a wonderful meandering dubby quality. Better than London Calling by a mile. Or perhaps its red wine leading to another state of delusion???
I always thought
It would be a great double. There were just a few too many dull tracks for me. But the double would be better than London Calling so you may have a point.
Russian Dolls
Dwarves - Three Seconds: The Dwarves are probably the only band to have been thrown off their record label for faking the death of one of their members. Their "three seconds is all I need" claim is proven to be wildly optimistic by this song, which lasts a good deal longer.
2 Skinnee J - Three Minutes: "We got, 3 minutes and we're out of here." Actually it's four minutes and 32 seconds.
Nick Drake - Three Hours: Jacamo is three hours from London and "taking his woes down to the sea." Which British coastal resort is he heading for?
Jane's Addiction - Three Days: The Russian doll of ‘three' songs. Perry Farrell recalls a no-holds barred, three day ménage à trios ("three lovers in three ways"). The song is in three parts.
Deville - Three Months: The Homer's Odyssey of whiny emo punk. Deville return home after three months on the road to find their city irrevocably changed.
Ignite -Three Years: "Three years is a long, long time," they sagely inform us.
er um ...
the Fun boy three(?)
oh and the 3 stooges and or the goodies, the proper Goons line up. Nirvana (not as funny as the rest but they were louder).
Goons
I'm glad you mentioned this. For reasons beyond me, there has been a revisionist movement to credit Michael Bentine with much greater involvement than he actually had. The Goons were definitely Milligan/Secombe/Sellers. Nothing against Bentine of course, but he was the Pete Best of the group really.
Bentine
Michael Bentine was very nearly Doctor Who's Fourth Doctor. He didn't get the job because he insisted on having creative control with the scripts. Fulton MacKay was another one considered before they came up with Tom Baker....and the rest (as they say) is history.
Pertwee
Another Dr Who, Jon Pertwee, was contracted to play Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army. He pulled out not long before filming started on the first series because he was playing in a lucrative show in New York which was running longer than he anticipated. The BBC reluctantly - he'd just come off Coronation Street and was deemed "a bit too ITV" - allowed Croft & Perry their original choice, Arthur Lowe.
I'm sure there's a great article to be done about "castings that nearly were".
If Michael Bentine was Pete Best...
...then where does that leave Eric Sykes?
Sykes
Well he's almost stone deaf, and poor old George Martin has hearing difficulties too... so...
Well he's obviously...
the fifth Goon...?
George Martin
...worked with the Goons, of course, on some of their recordings. Apparently an influence in why the Beatles were happy to work with him. I firmly believe the Goons have a much larger influence on popular culture than they are given credit for.
I accept your Three Stooges...
...and that there were six Goodies and Goons in equal total (I won't bring up the Pythons), but would say that there are but three of the many Marx Brothers who everyone recognises. And who did Groucho say was the funniest of all? Zeppo.
The 3 Stooges
Ted Healy, and Moe Howard 1922 - 1923
Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard 1922-1932
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard 1932-1946
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard 1947-1955
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe Besser 1955-1958
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Joe DeRita 1958-1975
Moe Howard, Emil Sitka, and Curly Joe DeRita 1975
Sometimes there were 2, sometimes 3 sometimes 4 and there were 8 in total.
Menage a trois
Jefferson Airplane - Triad: 'I don't really see why can't we go on as three?'. Not an indie band.
Supergrass - Richard the third
Portishead new album is Third. Will there be any more?
Also The Byrds Triad
which was the original. One of the reasons why they booted out Mr Crosby, the writer. From what I can recall.
More than 3 guitars on stage...
...looks wrong to me. Bass and 2 guitars, that should be it.
When you see pictures of The Eagles live, they look a bit heavy-handed. Likewise when you see clips of someone joining in with a band - wrong. Someone posted here a clip of Springsteen, Grohl, Costello and AN Other doing something, all strumming - wrong. Traveling Wilburys videos - wrong.
Genesis - And Then There were Three.....
Hit their most commercial phase with this album (and band members obviously).
how long has...
the Word been going !?
Trio
How about "Da Da Da" by Trio. Spooooky!!!
Unrelated, but....
....how about Da Da Da by Elastica! Fabulous version.
D minor: The saddest of all keys
Spinal Tap guitarist Nigel Tufnel's unfinished solo work - Lick My Love Pump - is part of a musical trilogy.
You're once,
twice, three times a lady....
I think you want
Rock Lyric Trivia Amnesty
And let's not forget..
..that in the good old days, vinyl LPs spun at thirty three and a third.
And if you look in this month's Q magazine (I thumbed through it in a newsagent whilst waiting for a bus) almost every album has been awarded three stars. But maybe that's just lazy journalism.
But then ...
The Threetles just weren't the same, no matter how we wished it so.
Chords
What is the musical basis of the vast majority of popular song? The three chord trick. How many notes are there in the vast majority of those chords? Three. Which note amongst the three decides whether the music will sound happy or sad? The third.