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National Lampoon Lemmings
Biography
The launching pad for comedians from John Belushi and Chevy Chase to Bill Murray and Richard Belzer, the National Lampoon performing troupe emerged from the pages of The National Lampoon magazine in 1972. The publication itself debuted in April 1970 under the auspices of writers Michael O'Donoghue and Tony Hendra as an extension of the collegiate humor magazine The Harvard Lampoon; famed for its caustic wit and razor-sharp satiric edge, it quickly became a major force in American comedy, setting the stage for its editorial staff to break out into the performing arena.

In addition to Lemmings, a live revue produced by Hendra, O'Donoghue established The National Lampoon Radio Hour, which originated the material comprising the 1972 LP Radio Dinner. Among the featured players was Christopher Guest, later Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel; here Guest satirized Bob Dylan, while Hendra took the reins for "Magical Misery Tour," a send-up of John Lennon. Pop music remained a prime target for the 1973 recording of Lemmings, a vicious Woodstock parody starring John Belushi as the emcee; in addition to jabs at James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the record took aim at the whole of the hippie counterculture, which it described as "a mighty mass of furry little mindless animals.
Selected Discography