"I dig a Pygmy by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids . . .

John's nonsensical sense of humor, or was there some significance to
it?

Here's a bit about Charles Hawtrey:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001889/bio

Pygmy? Deaf Aids? Doris? Oats?

Do we know?

Well, "I Dig a Pygmy" was apparently John riffing in his usual way on
his own song title "I Dig a Pony." The rest of it just sounds like a
parody of the opening of a radio drama, very much in the style of John's
writings, In His Own Write, etc.

I doubt there's any subtext there, except that Charles Hawtrey was a
name that others present at the time recognized, which made it funnier
to them.

You would have to hear the bit in context to have any chance of
understanding what, if anything, triggered that little bit of poetry.
But anyone who's listened to the Get Back tapes at any length knows that
John often blurted out silly stuff for no apparent reason.

Having said that, now I'm curious--I'll have to dig up the bit in the
Nagra tapes where he says that.

~ Chad

Watching it on "Let It Be".

Next question? Was it spontaneous or rehearsed?

Okay, I found the Nagra clips in question. It was on Jan 21, 1969,
shortly after they'd been listening to playbacks from earlier in the day.

Someone begins messing about on an electric piano while Paul starts a
playfully dramatic recitation of the "Dig a Pony" lyrics, starting with
the "I pick a moondog" verse, almost like a children's play. This soon
this devolves into a silly dramatic exchange between Paul and John in
deliberately slurred accents, like a speech impediment of someone hard
of hearing.

JOHN: "Oh, Paul, somedimes..."

PAUL: "Aye, John, somedimes I don't know (unintelligible ranting)..."

JOHN: "That tongue will be the BEATH of you!"

PAUL: (more unintelligble silliness in the same vein)

After a brief pause, John then follows this up with his announcement "I
Dig a Pygmy, by Charles Hawtrey on the deaf aids" etc., apparently
providing a title for the improvised silliness they'd just completed,
and Ringo punctuates this by thumping his kick drum (or maybe the floor
tom).

Judging from watching these interviews with Charles Hawtrey...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM6p7xQ3_t4

...it sounds like Paul and John (Paul particularly) were deliberately
impersonating Hawtrey, thus explaining John's using his name.

So it wasn't out of thin air after all.

There you have it. Fun stuff!

I'm sure Doug Sulpy documents this in his latest edition of "Drugs
Divorce and a Slipping Image". I ordered a copy recently, should be
delivered next week.

~ Chad

The significance was John's genius with words!

Witness this from The 1968 Christmas message:

''Once upon a pool table there lived a short haired butcher's boy by
the way of Ostergrad... it comes in scent and cesspool ourawick
Airport. Her father was in long story cut short in the middle of his
life... we are indebted to the Colloquial Office for it's immediate
disposal of orowitz including I might add hot patella vertootem. On
the other handbag, I mean to say, L'amore nous some toujourealistic,
free speaking, for this film is about an hourglass houseboat. The full
meaning of Winchester Cathedral defies description - their loss was
our Gainsborough Nil. The sound man servantile defectively lasting
barred up a loft...''

One needs to here it from John to feel the full power of the words!
Here is the complete text of the message and the Christmas message
itself:

http://www.getacd.org/listen_bbrNp18MIV4/the_beatles_christmas_record_1968

Brilliant stuff indeed.

~ Chad

That's fun and interesting indeed, thanks for the transcription!

richforman

I remember Hawtrey from the Carry on series, now that I'm reminded.

Funny little guy - scatalogical sense of humor. Gilbert Gottfried and
Pee Wee Herman type.

Was he deaf? I did see him leaning in to the interviewer on a couple
of occasions as if to hear better.

Is the term 'deaf aids' fairly common in the UK as opposed to 'hearing
aids'?

Thanks for the trip! :)

The Beatles often used to refer to their amplifiers as "deaf aids" as
opposed to hearing aids. They were also prone to dreaming up fictitous
group names and announcing them. During a White Album sessions Paul
announced they were "Joe Perrerie and the Perrerie Wallflowers singing
"Los Paranoias".

You're quite welcome, thanks for the lead!

I don't think Hawtrey was deaf, although he did appear to be slightly
hard of hearing in that interview. But, he was pretty old by then.

I suspect the 'deaf aids' part of John's quip was peculiar to the humor
of the moment, and probably didn't have anything to do with Hawtrey himself.

~ Chad

My pleasure. I love geeking out to this sort of thing.

~ Chad