Barry Wong or Wight? An interview with The Rutles drummer John Halsey

So, it started in 60s Liverpool... Well not really the 60s... It was actually in the 7os... and it wasn't actually Liverpool... actually it actually began actually along way away in actual America, actually... but what ever happen or did not happen, when it was or when it wasn't... in 1978 a film came out, a film about four men from Liverpool, four men with long hair and tight trousers... And a tune or two... The men were in a band called The Rutles, 'The prefab four' and the film was 'All You Need is Cash' and I was here to talk to them... But I was very... Very, VERY late... 37 years late to be precise... And at the wrong end of the country, not Liverpool, but Cambridge... Bugger...



Mind you, I was only 7 in 1978 and had a weak bladder problem, so maybe that wouldn't have been a good idea to do it then either... 

I needed a drink.

I spotted a lovely looking pub just up ahead of me, white fronted and with a welcoming aura, 'The Castle Inn' the sign read...  Well, I thought, I suppose if I couldn't interview music royalty I could still have a drink in a castle. 

Entering the building I noticed that it was even nicer inside and after crossing the busy room, I sat down at the bar and ordered a pint. The barman seemed friendly and personable enough and as he poured my drink we made idle chit-chat; he asked my where I was from and out of politeness I answered him, but, to be honest I was in no mood to, after all I was the one meant to be asking the questions... How could I get it so bloody wrong?!

I saw a menu on the bar and scanned it... Ohh chips! Yes, chips! Chips would do the trick, nobody can be sad with a bowl of chips in front of them, I checked my watch, it was nearly 3pm and I was starving, yes chips would make me feel better! 

It was quite late, so I checked with the barman if the food had finished yet? "My dad is helping out in the kitchen today" he told me, "And he does make good chips!" 

So I ordered the biggest portion they had and continued my conversation with the barman to pass the time until they came... Then, not too long after I noticed the familiar swing of a kitchen door and watched as the guys father walked out with a steaming bowl of lovely hot chips... Now, on a normal day this would have been good enough for me... A nice pub, a cold pint and some hot chips... But this turned out to be no normal day... This turned out to be a bloody amazing day... Because the guy handing me the chips was none other than John Halsey! 

John Halsey is a rock drummer, best known as a drummer and his appearance as Barrington Womble in The Rutles, leading to his playing with Neil Innes's band Fatso and appearing in the television film All You Need is Cash.

So was it possible that I might be able to talk to a Rutle after all?... Actually...

I couldn't help myself and asked if he had a spare 10 minutes - or an hour - to talk about old times? And it seemed my luck was just getting better and better as the kitchen had just closed and he said would love to chat... Beer, chips and a Rutle?! I had to pinch myself!

I grabbed a couple of ketchup sachets, took a swig of my drink and got started.



So, John, how did it all start for you?

"I was a drummer, I’ve played in a lot of bands, but mostly in a band called Patto...  I was in

that band for 6 years and we went all over the world, we topped the bill in small venues and pubs and things like that. We had a bit of a fanatical following and we did lots of supports gigs on quite big tours... and we did about 3 or 4 albums and singles ... we did lots of things over 6 years… We never ever had any money, we always struggled, travelling round in the back of a van. But the band was well respected, it was always tipped for doing well and never ever really did, so eventually it split up and everyone went their own way…"

How did you get involved in The Rutles?

"… I was coming round to that… 
and then I started to work with different people and do different things, and at that time there was a big band called Grimms, in that band was Neil Innes, Zoot Money, Viv [Vivian] Stanshall, Brian Patten from Scaffold, Andy Roberts... There was loads and loads of people in this band and they used to go around doing this travelling review show with poetry and music and everything... It was really good! The drummer Jerry Conway left and Zoot Money suggested that they put me on drums, so I went and played drums for Grimms and we had a few tours and Neil was involved and [so] that’s how I met Neil. Neil and I became good friends and still are, that was 1973 and um… from then there were different bands that I was involved with until I joined a band called Fatso... So anyway, the we were out playing golf one day and he [Neil] said he wasn't doing anything… He moans when he’s busy

and he moans when he’s not doing anything! So he was moaning about not doing anything, so I said “Why don’t you come and play some gigs with this band?” It was a really good band and I was one of the session players and [we were] all really experienced players, so we did some rehearsals with him and learnt some of his songs, and so he started to play with the band, who then became 'Neil Innes and Fatso'…

And then Neil got the part working with Eric Idol - because he had done all that Monty Python work - and with Eric they did this TV show, ‘Rutland weekend television’ and Neil used to right a couple… or one song... every week and with it – This was pre video – would go a little bit of film or a little bit of something to go with the song, and one week Neil wrote a Beatles song ‘I must be in love’ and so they decided to make a bit of black and white film with the Rutles running round in a field and per… What’s his name? That guy who made that black and white film with the Beatles… Dick Lester was it?"

Yes it was…

"So they made this black and white film to go with the Rutles and this piece of music and then it went on from there really… Then it was shown in America and the Lorne Greene picked it up, (from Saturday night live fame), Eric so wrote a script for the Rutles [film] and Neil wrote all the songs…"

And so you became ‘Ringo’?

"Yeah, Initially Eric was going to be the commentator, which he is in the film, Neil was going to be the John Lennon character and I was going to be the Ringo character, Ricky Fataar - who is another drummer – was going to be the George Harrison character - because I think they thought it was funny because Ricky was of Indian descent - and Ollie Halsall the guitar player was going to be the Paul McCartney character – Ollie was in Patto with me. But in the end the American production company said "Well they needed more of Eric in it", so Eric played a duel role, the presenter and also the Paul McCartney character… As they could sell the film as an Eric Idol film … 
But it was his idea anyway…"

Many people saw it as a Monty Python spin off…

"Well it was… Monty Python split up and they all did their own thing… The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band split up and they all did their own thing... And the first thing Eric was involved with after Monty Python was Rutland Weekend Television… Neil didn't wanted it to be called The Rutles, he wanted it to be named after something to do with Liverpool and there is an area of Liverpool called Bootle and he wanted to call it 'The Bootles', but it was Eric who wanted to call it The Rutles, because we were from Rutland, that was the idea of it, we were a Rutland group and there inlays a long story of lawsuits and things like that!"

Oooh yes, I heard about all the law suits…

"Well you see Lord Grade owned all The Beatles songs at the time and who ever worked for him said "These guys are copying The Beatles", so all the songs that Neil had written had to be checked out by George and some had even by John Lennon! There was only one [that] they thought was a bit close, that was ‘Get Back’… I think that was changed or something, and then it was decided by two of the Beatles that all the songs were clean and there wasn't a publishing problem."

Well those are the people who need to say yes after all!

What did the Beatles think of the film? Especially Ringo?

"I don’t know, I've never heard any reaction from Ringo, we don’t know much at all...

Obviously George was very, very keen on it…"

Well he was in it after all…

"Yes, he was in it and he was one of Eric’s mates, and one of Neil’s mates too, he was really, really for it and really thought it was time that Eric sent it all up and took it all down, sort of thing, so he was very, very keen on it…

Paul?.. Well we had the feeling that he wasn't very keen on it, because he considered The Beatles to be his baby and anyone taking the mickey out of it was stepping on his toes a bit, so I don’t think he was too enamoured by it... but Neil’s seen him a few time since and it’s all water under the bridge.

As for Lennon? We don’t know what his reaction was... all we know is that we met somebody who went up and asked John what he thought of The Rutles and John Sung ‘Cheese and Onions’…"

My favourite!

"Yeah, it’s everyone’s favourite! Ha!

In Glasgow on the tour last year, there was a load of people in the audience who we didn’t know were there, and when Neil did that bit ‘C..H..E..E...S...E…A…N…D…O…N…I…O…N…S…’, they had all the cards written out with the letters on it and they held it up, facing the stage, one letter at a time just like they do in the film."

That’s brilliant

"It was amazing!"

Are you a fan of Python… Beatles… Bonzo?

"Very much so, yeah! With Neil I did some work on Monty Python things; on some of the film sound tracks I played drums and various instruments and noises. Then of course we did this Eric Idol thing ‘Rutland Weekend television’ –All the music for that was provided by Fatso, we did some walk on parts as well, because it was meant to be a cheap TV station - which of course the BBC loved! Because it meant they could do it cheaply! - And I did a lot of work with Viv Stanshall too [from the Bonzo’s]. When the Bonzo's went their separate ways there was just Neil and Viv, the two main stays and I was drumming with both of them."

Do you think it’s strange that people prefer The Rutles to The Beatles?

"It does seem a bit weird, yeah... Although a lot of the songs were just recorded with an accent… Neil would say “Don’t forget record it Liverpudlian” ... and we weren't really taking off any Beatles songs, they were just Neil Innes songs that were recorded in a Liverpool way...  to make them sound like Beatles songs. In fact, I seem to recall that there is a Beatles album out there somewhere of all hits or tracks or something like that and it actually has the Rutles on it!"

WoW!

"Yeah! And the other strange thing that happened was that when Neil was being faced by Lou Grade about this criminal ‘nicking the Beatles’ style, (not copying the songs, but saying if there hadn't been a Beatles, there wouldn’t have been a Rutles), so therefore he wanted all the publishing money... which he eventually got!  Neil had to have a report done by a musicologist, which is somebody who compares one song to another song… And they compared a Rutles song, ‘Number one’ to Twist and shout… by The Beatles… But Twist and Shout isn't a Beatles song! It’s and Isley Brothers song!"

So what was filming like?

"It was very intensive because we’d get to where ever we had to be on location early in the morning and work until... Well, more or less light failed, but for me it was really exciting! For Eric - and probably a bit for Neil - it was sort of a typical days work, but for Ricky and myself we’d never made a film before or since."

… Of course Neil was a veteran of the python movies

"Yeah… And lots of them."

And what does Rick actually sound

like? Because of course, being Stig O'Hara, 'The Quiet One', he doesn't say a word during the movie… 

"Ricky has got a very soft Californian accent, very quietly spoken… He’s a wonderful drummer, he’s one of my favourite drummers, but he can play a bit of Guitar and things, which of course he did in the film, even though he’s only miming… But he’s a great drummer and works with Bonnie Raitt all the time."

So did you all mime on set?

"Yes, I played drums, Neil played piano and guitar, we had a bass player whose name I can’t remember [Brian Hodgeson] and Ollie Halsall played guitar... and then when we did the filming Eric mimed to the bass player’s bass playing and that’s Ollie singing as well. Eric synced his voice to Ollie’s voice… So it’s not even Eric singing…"

Well it looks very convincing!

"Yeah, but here is where it gets complicated… Ricky mimed to Ollie’s guitar playing and then Neil did what he did and  did what I do…. It was all rather involved really!"

And how was the accent to master? I mean you obviously don’t come from Liverpool!

"No, no… The accent?! No, it’s not too bad! I didn't really have a lot to say… Well I did have a lot to say, but they didn't use any of it…Ha!"

So did they cut much then?

"Oh they cut loads! When I finished the filming - the bit that I was doing, which was about three weeks – They carried on filming loads of other bits in America and things that I wasn’t involved in – I kept saying to my wife “I'm doing well on this” and Eric kept on saying “You’re doing really well” on the ad-libbed bits, because a lot of it wasn't written, a lot of it was ad-libbed... He said "You’re doing really well, you've taken to this like a duck to water!" and I was rather proud of it! But then when we saw the finished thing - the first cut of the film - none of it was in there! I was a bit disappointed at that… And that was that… 
But they couldn't sell the film on my name, could they?!"

Who came up with the name Barrington Womble?!

"I dunno… I don’t understand it! Eric came up with all the ideas and all the names… I don’t understand Barrington Womble…"

Yes, you would think they might have chosen names based on the Beatles… But Barrington Womble? Nasty? Stig?

"Yeah.. Yeah… I suppose it is a comedy film…. Ha! Ha!" 

Barry went through quite a few looks to parallel Ringos… And a few extra, but what is your favourite Barry Look?
John thought for a while before answering... 

"When I was the hairdresser at the end...  I think if I’d have had really dark golden skin I would have looked like that antique dealer guy off the telly…."

You mean David Dickinson?

"Yeah that’s it! Ha!"

Did you what or listen to much of Ringo before filming?

"Ringo?  At the beginning everyone thought, what a lucky bloke, he’s not a particularly talented drummer, he’s an average drummer, as he was suddenly... within a year or so... in the biggest band in the world! But that’s the way life is… He ended up being an innovator, he ended up with a style of drumming that was all his own and before you knew it everyone was trying to do it… He was an innovator and I was aware of that… and think some of the biggest bands in the world don’t have a really great drummer, like The Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys... bands like that don’t seem to have a really great drummer… But they have a drummer that really works for that particular band... Which is what drumming is all about! And not necessarily doing drum solos with smoke coming out of the kit and flashing lights!"

So how much of the film was scripted?

"Not an awful lot, the ideas were scripted, but [for] most of it we were told the situation, like [the scene where] when Leggy Mountbatten died, there was Eric, myself and Neil and we sort of stood round and Eric said “Say you’re shocked”, so I was “Oh alright”, then in the end I said I'm shocked and stunned and then when we did it (That was during rehearsal). And Eric said “Keep that shocked and stunned bit in, I like that” so I kept in it and then I said “very stunned” and he liked that too! He said “Oh I like that keep that in, that’s funny” and that was kept in also… But, I mean none of that was scripted…"

Must be nice to be complimented by the likes of Idle and Inness… in a field that is primarily theirs!

"Yeah, there were a few bits that I got a pat on the back for... even though the pat on the back was probably given by myself!... And other bits weren’t used!"

So is there a director’s cut?!

"Yes, it’s called Rutles 2…" [Can't by me Lunch]

Oh yes… You didn’t appear in that one…

"I haven’t seen it all the way through, I’ve just seen bits and pieces of it… I thought it was so awful! The first one had Mick Jagger and Paul Simon in it talking about the Rutles and a few notable faces making an appearance - John Belushi and Dan Akroyd, Ronnie Wood and George [Harrison] and all that  -  And in the second one… All Eric’s mates seemed to be queuing up to appear in it… It wasn't spontaneous enough…"

You mention Belishi and Akroyd etc. but did you actually meet these guys?

"No…No…"

No?! So it was all after you’d finished filming?

"Well no… I think the first bit of filming that Eric did was with Mick Jagger... The idea of the film came along and then someone said "Ooh Mick Jagger will do an interview and talk about the Rutles as if they were The Beatles". So I think Eric got the names together, clued Mick into what was happening and none of it really had been devised at all... They sort of grabbed the film crew and talked to Mick and that was the first thing that was filmed I think… And the rest of it circled around that initial interview."

So, what’s your favourite track?

"Um… It probably is Cheese and Onions actually, I think that one is the most memorable one... That one and ‘I must be in love’... That's where it all started really, with Fatso... and then we filmed it in Denham village hall - That’s where we fun around the field as well making the Dick Lester [esque] film."

And favourite part of the filming?
"I think is where um… Neil and Gwen Taylor are sitting in that shower and they’re getting wet for peace... I think that’s funny because Neil nearly corpses! Neil is halfway to breaking into laughter! They said to him "You’re only going to be able to do this once, don’t fuck it up! Because once that suit gets wet and the wig gets wet and Gwen Taylors outfit gets wet, you’re going to look like it’s a retake"... So they said it’s got to be right fist time."

I’ve never noticed him corpsing!

"Oh yes, he gets in that shower and her nearly completely blows it!"

So how many times did you corpse??

"In the film?"

Yeah…

"I don’t think I did… I mean I don’t think anybody did really… But it just makes me laugh every time, I was so close to cracking up!"

Any other good filming stories you can share?

"Yeah, but it was so long ago, I can’t really remember all the funny things that happened... But there was so many good things [that] happened... I think the bit in Liverpool, when we filmed up in Southport and did ‘Ouch’... 
I did note that John called it Help! 
...and there was a load of extras that they got from the Liverpool labour exchange, they got a day’s work appearing in the film! They brought them all up on a coach and they all rode around… There is that big lady with the hula hula girls, grass skirt on and all that… That was good fun... really good…"

Now you obviously see Neil around, but do you get to see Ricky, or Eric?

"I’ve seen Ricky quite a few times, because my wife and I have been to New Orleans to the music festival out there, and about three of those times Bonny [Raitt] has been there,  so I get to see Ricky. I [also] see Ricky when he comes over to London and we all got together when it was the 30^th anniversary of The Rutles... When was that? About oooh 2006 or something... We all got together then, plus we did the

Archaeology album…"

Oh yes, the reunion album

"You see the Beatles did their anthology so we were going to do a Rutles album called 'Analogy', but the American record company said "Nobody over here knows what an anthology is and they definitely won’t know what an analogy is! Call it archaeology." So that’s why it was called Archaeology."

I just thought it was called that due to similarity of the names… That’s excellent!

"No, no... We did 3 weeks recording, but when we all got together for the 30^th anniversary they had a special showing in the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood - where they used to have the Oscars at one time - and Neil and I went over there... Ricky turned up and of course Eric lives there, so we all sort of got together and did a question and answer thing in the theatre… They showed The Rutles again and then we all went into a bar afterwards where there was a band playing and for the first time ever we all played together, the four Rutles! Ricky, myself, Neil and Eric, because Eric can play the guitar reasonably well…"

That must have been an amazing night

"It was, it was good fun"

So when was the last time you watched the film?

"Then I think… 2008."

Ok, going on a bit of a tangent, was it all your real hair?

"Some of it was my real hair... The bit where I’m combing my hair in the mirror, that was my real hair... When I had the rocker haircut with Brylcreem on it. One day I was combing my hair prior to filming something and the camera man just grabbed the camera and filmed me… and they shoved in in the film, but that was my hair… Actually I still have a lot of hair, not gone too thin at all!"

So basically they cut scripted scenes and added unintentional ones?!

"They did film a lot of stuff that was adlibbed you know… You’d be doing something and then suddenly you’d find yourself on this film doing it!"

So how long did it take to make the film then?

"I'm not sure, [but] we did the album in 2 weeks in Chapel in Bond Street…"
Two weeks?!
"Yes, that was all! Well we did some recording in a studio in Hendon in the evenings... We did that for about 2 weeks, from about 6 to 10pm, because the demo studio was somebodies house and then we went into – I was working with Roy Harper at that time and I was recording an album and doing a tour with him… I was a busy player in those days, so I was then going off to do Rutles filming for about 3 weeks... but there was filming done before I was involved... and after... The bit where I was a hairdresser was done weeks and weeks after it. They wanted some bits to round the film off, with nasty in the wheelchair and Barry with his hairdressers, Eric being a punk and Ricky being an Indian airlines stewardess. I did this many weeks later as they didn't have anything to round the film off."

So that ending wasn't initially intended?

"I don’t think it was scripted originally, I don’t know… I’ve still got the original script here actually… Yeah I don’t think that was scripted… They got as far as almost the end and then thought 'we’ve got to finish this somehow…"

And whose idea was it to get back together and tour?

"The 30^th anniversary? Well that just sort of happened… I think in about the year 2000 Neil got booked to appear at one of the rooms connected to the festival hall... the Purcell room or one of them sort of things... and they billed it as Neil Innes and The Rutles and promptly sold all the tickets! Neil phoned me up and said "I don’t know what I’m going to do, they’ve billed it as Neil Innes and the Rutles!" And so I said "So let’s put a little band together", which we did... and went out and did it as a gig. So we did that, we then put a band together, with Andy Roberts and a bass player, Mark Griffiths who plays with us now - who works for the Shadows and Cliff and all those sorts of people - and then we did a few days rehearsals, with Barry Cryer doing a couple of songs, and Phil Jupitus doing a couple of songs and that guy who was Neil in the Young Ones…"

Nigel Planer?

"Yeah, that's it, Nigel Planer did a couple of songs... and we just put this show together and did this one off thing... and it went from there really... Neil enjoyed it, which was the main thing as it is very much Neil’s show… It’s not down to me, you know I can’t say let’s do a Rutles tour... No, that’s Neil’s call."

Did you just slot back into it? Does it feel weird to play with them again?

"No, not at all, in a way I don’t really need to rehearse, when it comes to songs, I can remember things… I’ve always done. I can remember songs from 50 years ago! I’ve just got a memory like that… I think it's like with musicians who  can’t read music... You end up having a photographic memory through it all... So it wasn't weird at all, it was very easy… In fact I could go back and do it now without any rehearsing."

Well you will be in December! Are you looking forward to it?

"Oh very much so, yes! Yes, I haven’t done anything for ages… Because when you’re a 70 year old rock and roll drummer there’s not much work about really."

You have the pub to keep you busy now though!

"Well did have. My wife and I retired 2 and a half years ago and one of my son’s runs a pub now and I go in a couple of lunchtimes a week…"

And do people come in looking for you?

"Yeah there are a few people call in because they’ve seen it, especially Americans…"

Oh yes, Americans must love it…

"Well it was made with American money, by a guy called Lorne Michaels, who’s got a production company called Above Average Productions, they produce things like Saturday night live – which I think is still on – and he used to have guest artists on, Eric was on once who showed this piece of Rutles film and then Lorne Michaels said to Eric "Why don’t we make a film on the rise to fame of the Rutles, paralleling the rise to fame of the Beatles?" and Neil’s very proud to tell people that we had the smallest prime-time Television audience ever! Ha!"

So have you played, or thought about playing in the US?

"No, apart from the Chinese theatre... and I think that was an invited audience. In fact some is trying to fix up something for next year for us to go over there and play…  We could have actually toured easily when the film came out and we got a bit of a cult following from it – which means small, ha! We got offers to do a tour, which we could have done easily because Ollie, could have done it - he sang and played bass and guitar and Eric could have done it... Neil could have and Ricky and I could have, we could have taken it in turns to play drums… but Eric refused to do it…"

What a shame, why?

"I don’t know… Eric tends to be a bit like that sometimes…"

Is this why he’s not touring with you now?

"No… It’s just that if he was with us now we’d have to ask money that people wouldn't be prepared to pay and it’s not really what the Rutles were all about. He wasn’t on the album to start with, so he’s never really been in the music side of it… We did the album at Chapel but Eric never even came down there once, mainly because he was getting over appendicitis… Otherwise I think he would have been down there, but he never came down at all…"

What is Eric like then?

"Well he’s a big star, he’s a big name and he’s very wealthy and I don’t really know what he’s like... When I’m in his company, which I haven’t been for years, I feel like I’m in the company of a big star."

So he’s not a mate, like Neil or Ricky?

"No… he doesn’t want to be like that… He doesn’t want to be one of the lads and come out and have a pint sort of thing... Neil does...  Neil’s very like that, George [Harrison] is very much like that too, the small dealing I had with George was very straight down the line, he said to me one day “Come on Halsey, let’s go and have a pint" and we went to a pub when we were filming in Soho and just have a couple of beers…"

Crikey! Did you get much attention?

"They didn’t even know who he was then… Or they didn’t recognise him, he just kept himself to himself and stood at the bar and had a pint... There may have been people who recognised him, but they never said anything."

And it must feel weird watching Rutle tribute bands?

"We have come across a few, Neil and I performed the Cavern in Liverpool for the Beatles festival about 10 years ago and we were backed by the bootleg Rutles from Scotland who did all the songs very well. But in Japan in June 2014 it was a bit spooky. We played a couple of shows and the two support acts were both Rutle tribute bands. One was the 'Mountbattens,' the other I can't remember. They had the hair, the suits, the correct guitars and had all the songs down with the most peculiar lyrics. It was a very nice compliment, especially for Neil."

And can you still do the cigarette trick?

"Do you know loads of people ask me that… and I don’t know… I don’t smoke anymore so I haven’t tried! But I probably still could, yeah!"

What about the Rutles/Beatles game have you heard of that?

"No…?"

Oh it’s great fun… You play a Rutles track and then a Beatles track and you have to say which is which… Sometimes it's not that easy!

"Oh, how funny!"

You should try it… Ha!

Oh dear, I sighed as I looked down at my empty glass and glanced at my watch, ah crap, my train was in 20 minutes and I had to be on it, so this would have to be my last question, better make it a goodun'. 

So finally, what do you think Barry – if he wasn’t a fictional character that is –  would be doing now?

"I don’t know, I think Barry Wom would have his own all singing and all dancing review

and be touring round like that Dutch bloke (I think he's Dutch?) who plays the violin… with his big orchestra… they have dancers in crinoline dresses and they all sway about… and that’s some of the men! And they play at the Albert hall and they tour all over the world .. I think Barry would be like that… He would have retained his bouffant haircut and would be touring around with a golden drum kit that sparkled… Playing at the Albert Hall and other great reviewable venues."

I picked the last few cold, salty crumbs from the bowl with my fingertips and stood up from my stool, shaking Johns hand and thanking him profusely I took my leave...

... So it seems this legend really had lasted a lunchtime... Well a bowl of chips anyway...

To read more about John and the band just Google them... There are far too many links to post... But here are a few...


http://www.rutles.org/ is the official site
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rutles
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077147/

or maybe visit John's pub; The Castle Inn in Cambridge... He might even be working! http://thecastleinncambridge.com

or go and see them on tour in December, Tickets available at https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/the-rutles

or seriously just Google it...