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Is there much money in the DVD releases of the original and now this? I wouldn't try and live off it. But I'm always grateful that old work is available and still lives, because so much of what is done in entertainment is dead as a doornail 25, 30 years later. Once you're dead, the cash doesn't count anyway.
You interviewed so many people -- Tom Hanks, Garry Shandling, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Jewel. Are there even more outtakes than are on the DVD?
A lot of it's left out because I did 20 minutes with everybody. And often they were very interesting about the Beatles, even though they were pretending to talk about the Rutles. They'd talk more honestly than they would if they were giving an interview for a show about Paul McCartney. [Laughs] So I learned quite a lot about the Beatles. But a lot of it was irrelevant to Rutles 2; it went into the category of Interesting But Not Funny.
In his interview, David Bowie seems to be under the impression he's promoting his own album – all in jest, of course.
I've known David many years; he's very funny. That's his little-known secret. When I first met him, we used to impersonate dressers, English dressers, and talk like that to each other all the time -- you know, that sort of fey way. [Laughs] He's a hoot -- a very funny guy.
Is it humor that made the Beatles so popular?
They were the funniest lot. That's what took America, I think. They came and they made you guys laugh. That's what was different from everybody else in show business. They didn't give a f--- what they said, and they said it. And that was really new. They weren't sort of controlled by a Colonel, like Elvis.
Did George Harrison (who actually has a cameo in the original) get to see the follow-up?
I got it to George before he died. He watched it here in New York City, and [his wife] Liv said he just watched it with a beatific smile on his face; he just loved it. I just felt: Well, that's why I did it. For many years, that was my reason to have done it, it was a personal gift. Because George loved the Rutles. He would never refer to the Beatles [in conversation]; he always, only referred to the Rutles. There was a wonderful day when Neil Innes and I were both at George's house in Friar Park, and he and Ringo picked up guitars and sang [the Rutles' ''Help'' parody] ''Ouch'' to us. You felt the world turning upside down. It was desperately wrong and desperately funny.
What did Paul McCartney think?
I think Paul didn't find the Rutles quite as funny at the beginning. But Linda loved it -- which is rather significant, I think. I met Paul around the time [of the original Rutles]. He thought it was cool because I grew up in Liverpool, so I was sort of in the family. And he's awfully nice now. I saw him last at George's memorial, and he was just so sweet and dear. He'd been through a lot, you know. He's seen everything and he maintains a sense of humor -- it's very nice.
Any chance for a Rutles reunion?
I desperately didn't want to do that because that's the obvious thing, and it's not funny. And it's not true. The Beatles didn't get together and have a reunion. Parody must follow. It can't lead. I really didn't want to do an after-story [of the Beatle-esque Rutles in later years]. Because what happens is: People get old and fat and die. Or they're shot! Or their wives die of cancer! There's no comedy material at all in that, there's no mileage. It's just all too sad.
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