OK, I don’t mind quotation, reference, homage and what have you. But let’s just point out that the 2013 song “The Fox,” also known as “What Does the Fox Say” by Norwegian comedy outfit Ylvis, pretty obviously owes a debt to the 2003 “Mod Wolves” sequence from UK comedy TV series The Mighty Boosh.
Homage for the most part doesn’t transcend the original and Ylvis is no different, but this is a pretty pale reflection of the original. Oh let’s call a spade a spade: it’s more ripoff than homage. Anyone who knows the Mighty Boosh can see that The Fox’s colour scheme, dance, and particular surrealism immediately suggest the Boosh’s Mod Wolves.
What Julian Barrett and Noel Fielding of the Boosh owe the greatest debt to, I don’t know, but when do they riff on the past it seems more creative homage than theft. They have been described as Sid and Marty Krofft as engineered by Frank Zappa which isn’t too far off the mark, but ultimately they’re original. Ylvis meanwhile is Mighty Boosh as engineered by some bros.
More Boosh songs here.
Things that the Boosh ripped off…
Starcrash (Tony Harrison)
Le Streghe (The Black Frost)
Gram Parsons’ White Suit
Jodorowsky
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Kenneth Anger
and they’re still about 50 times better than Ylvis.
@AnaDroid Absolutely true. Not to mention the more obvious homages to Python, Roxy Music, Lidsville, the Goons, Red Dwarf, Lou Reed…
This is the first time I’ ve seen Lidsville.
I`m f**king speechless.
Ha ha – I wanted to like that comment but forgot you can’t do that on here. I grew up on Lidsville which probably explains a lot. (It was actually my childhood nickname, as it’s close to Lindsay.)