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More Cowbell
SKETCH-O-VISION
A VERY GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.
The setup
Watch on YouTube
Watch onYouTube
The premise
Here’s the bit.
In a mock music documentary, Blue Öyster Cult tries to record a song under producer Bruce Dickinson’s supervision. Cowbell player Gene Frenkle dominates each take with increasingly intrusive playing and dancing. The other musicians want him to ease off, but Dickinson insists that Gene is the key to the record. When Gene offers to leave and overdub his part later, his bandmates invite him to stay and finish the session together. The triumphant final take ends with a mock memorial to the fictional cowbell player.
The funny people
Meet the cast. 7
Say it with us
Highly quotable.
Really explore the studio space this time.
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!
Never question Bruce Dickinson!
Behind the scenes
The people who made it.
Will Ferrell
Writer
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Director
A little extra
Notes from the archive.
Ferrell confirmed in a 2024 interview that he wrote the sketch alone. Kattan recalled that Ferrell asked him to push harder during the live performance; the resulting physical comedy helped set off the cast’s laughter.
Script
Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.
- 00:00
Narrator (voice)
After a series of staggering defeats, Blue Oyster Cult assembled in the recording studio in late 1976 for a session with famed producer Bruce Dickinson. And luckily for us, the cameras were rolling.
- 00:14
Bruce Dickinson
All right, guys, I think we're ready to lay this first track down. By the way, my name is Bruce Dickinson. Yes, the Bruce Dickinson. And I gotta tell you, fellas, you have got what appears to be a dynamite sound.
- 00:29
Eric Bloom
Coming from you, Bruce, that means a lot.
- 00:33
Yeah, I mean, you're Bruce Dickinson. This is incredible. I can't believe Bruce Dickinson digs our sound.
- 00:40
Bruce Dickinson
Easy, guys. I put my pants on, just like the rest of you, one leg at a time. Except once my pants are on, I make gold records. All right, here we go. Fear. Don't fear the reaper. Take one. Roll it.
- 00:56
All right. One, two, three, four. first
- 01:27
Eric Bloom
could you come in here for a second please
- 01:28
Bruce Dickinson
that was gonna be a great track guys what's the deal
- 01:33
Eric Bloom
uh are you sure that was sounding okay
- 01:34
Bruce Dickinson
i'll be honest fellas it was sounding great but i could have used a little more cowbell so let's take it again and gene
- 01:46
Gene Frenkle
yeah
- 01:47
Bruce Dickinson
really explore the studio space this time
- 01:50
Gene Frenkle
you got it bruce
- 01:50
Bruce Dickinson
i mean really
- 01:51
Gene Frenkle
yeah
- 01:52
Bruce Dickinson
explore the space
- 01:53
Gene Frenkle
okay
- 01:54
Bruce Dickinson
i like what That's what I'm hearing. Roll it.
- 01:57
One, two, three, four.
- 02:26
Eric Bloom
I'm sorry. Could you come back in there, please?
- 02:29
Bruce Dickinson
Fellas, now, we just wasted two good tracks. This last one was even better than the first.
- 02:36
Eric Bloom
Well, it's just that I find Gene's cowbell playing distracted. I don't know. If I'm the only one, I'll shut up.
- 02:42
Buck Dharma
No, it's pretty rough.
- 02:43
Gene Frenkle
You know, I can pull it back a little if you like.
- 02:46
Bruce Dickinson
Not too much, though. I'm telling you, fellas, You're gonna want that cowbell from the track.
- 02:52
Eric Bloom
You know what? It's fine. Let's just do the thing.
- 02:54
Bruce Dickinson
Okay, roll it.
- 02:56
One, two, three, four.
- 03:29
Bruce Dickinson
That doesn't work for me. I gotta have more cowbell.
- 03:34
Buck Dharma
Don't blow this for us, Gene!
- 03:37
Bobby Rondinelli
Quit being so selfish, Gene.
- 03:41
Gene Frenkle
Can I just say one thing?
- 03:42
Bruce Dickinson
Say it, baby. Just say it.
- 03:45
Gene Frenkle
I'm staring here, staring at rock legend Bruce Dickinson.
- 03:48
Bruce Dickinson
-"I'm a cock and a walk, baby."
- 03:49
Gene Frenkle
And if Bruce Dickinson wants more cowbell, we should probably give him more cowbell.
- 03:54
Bruce Dickinson
-"Say, baby."
- 03:55
Gene Frenkle
And, Bobby, you are right. I am being selfish. But the last time I checked, we don't have a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell.
- 04:02
Bruce Dickinson
-"I got to have more cowbell, baby."
- 04:06
Gene Frenkle
But I'd be doing myself a disservice, and every member of this band, if I didn't perform the hell out of this.
- 04:13
Bruce Dickinson
guess what I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell
- 04:20
Gene Frenkle
thank you Bruce I think if I just leave and maybe I'll come back later we can lay down the cowbell
- 04:31
Bruce Dickinson
baby
- 04:31
Eric Bloom
Jean wait why don't you lay down that cowbell right now with us together
- 04:40
Gene Frenkle
do you mean that
- 04:50
Eric speaks for all of us
- 04:53
Bruce Dickinson
thank you babies before we're done here y'all be wearing gold-plated diapers
- 05:00
Gene Frenkle
what does that mean
- 05:02
Bruce Dickinson
never question Bruce Dickinson roll it
- 05:06
one two three four
The rabbit hole continues
One more couldn’t hurt.
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