Spoof and respect

I think Scott Timberg misses the point in lumping the Rutles in with the later mock documentaries (“Hard at Work Making Bad Music,” April 13).

Where Neil Innes truly respected his subject matter (the Beatles), Messrs. McKean, Shearer, Guest and Reiner were clearly disdainful of theirs (i.e., AC/DC, Black Sabbath, etc.).

Spinal Tap successfully lampooned a narrow cross-section of pop culture and created funny but disposable music, while Innes had to write Lennon/McCartney-quality pop songs and also put an ironic spin on the most treasured song catalog in history (which is no mean feat). The result is a body of work that transcends the joke and has become enduring and endearing to countless Beatle fans.

And Timberg, take note: Innes had the thumbs-up from the only four critics that matter on this subject: John, Paul, George and Ringo.

George Fryer

Costa Mesa

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Many thanks for Timberg’s excellent article, which brought a well-deserved spotlight on the amazingly talented actors, writers and musicians who have delighted us with their “bad” songs.

Though the focus of the article was on artists working in feature films, I do wish Timberg had brought the work of Alf Clausen into his discussion. The work Clausen has done these past 14 years on “The Simpsons” has included all of the types of musical parody described in the article -- and then some.

Darren Glaudini

Torrance

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How could Timberg overlook the brilliant work of Paul Williams in “Ishtar”? The deliberately awful lyrics that he put into the mouths of two sweet but long-suffering lounge lizards (Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman) were perfect accompaniment for Elaine May’s droll and whimsical satire. As Williams warned:

“Telling the truth can be dangerous business,

Honest and popular don’t go hand in hand.

If you admit that you can play the accordion,

No one will hire you in a rock and roll band.”

Emmett McGuire

Sierra Madre