Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks: A Laughing Matter?

Remember Dan Hicks and his Hot Lick Band?

Here’s a video from 1972 that features two songs “By Hook or by Crook” and “Shorty Falls in Love.”

I didn’t read below the view screen and started to hear laughing.

I was trying to figure out what was so funny.

I thought, that fiddle player may be making the audience laugh with some comedy double stops or, the women’s dance steps tickled the audience. I thought… maybe Dan himself was making the audience bust up …?

Whatever was making them laugh, they sure were doing a lot of it… as if a Three Stooges film was shown off stage somewhere.

So then I read the caption and that may explain it all:

“Dan Hicks and the “classic” lineup of his Hot Licks – Sid Page (violin), John Girton (guitar), Jaime Leopold (bass) and Lickettes Maryann Price and Naomi Eisenberg! – performing “By Hook or by Crook” and “Shorty Falls in Love” – identified here as “Another Night”. I would venture that this is perhaps a rehearsal for the Flip Wilson show of 9/28/1972 – of which there is a video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWZ8wjQE_bY – because the backdrop is the same. There is also “strange”, misplaced laughter and applause, which might indicate that something else was going on at the same time.” more

This sounds right… comedy show… laughter…

Might be that the sound guys were practicing as well with the laugh button.

Jim Weaver brought this video to my attention over at our facebook sister site and wrote the following:

“Reputed to be a rehearsal for a 1972 appearance on Flip Wilson’s variety show. My question: Is Dan’s Guild dreadnought an acoustic or not? Strangest pickup I ever did see. Entertaining though”

If anyone has the answer or a guess, please chime in!