Celebrity Impersonator Stevie Riks Performs Beatles Songs with a Comedic Flair

Celebrity impersonators are a dime a dozen. Perhaps your friends can even turn in uncanny imitations of celebrities such as Jack Nicholson or William Shatner, easily rivaling the work of professional comedians. But can they convincingly recreate performances of Beatles songs, singlehandedly imitating the talents of all 4 Beatles while playing their own instruments? Plus, can they recreate the acts of a slew of other famous 70's performers, such as David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, & the Bee Gees? If you have browsed through Youtube music recently, perhaps you've seen videos by performer Stevie Riks. If you haven't seen his work, you're in for a treat.

Stevie Riks Gives Viewers a Flashback to the Beatles

For years, even decades, after the Beatles broke up in 1970, fans dreamed that they would reunite. Lorne Michaels, the producer of Saturday Night Live, even offered the Beatles $3,000.00 in 1976 if they would reunite. However, with the assassination of John Lennon in 1980, fans were forced to accept the fact that the Beatles would never truly reunite. Furthermore, when George Harrision died in 2001, even his two surviving band mates began to become more firmly aware of their own mortality.

Nevertheless, the Beatles have been able to get back together, thanks to the imagination & creativeness of impersonator Stevie Riks. Under the name caroline372, Mr. Riks has been posted short films on Youtube, showcasing his impressions, skits, & musical talent.

Recently, Mr. Riks even uploaded a video in which he played each of the 4 Beatles, alongside the Maharishi, singing "Hello Goodbye" .

More touchingly, Mr. Riks has performed cuts from Paul McCartney & John Lennon solo albums, impersonating each of the men sitting side by side during each performance. Since each of these songs was originally written by McCartney & Lennon to deal with their turbulent post-Beatles relationship, Mr. Riks' enactment of these performances is not only novel, but for Beatles fans it is also somewhat therapeutic. (For many Beatles fans, McCartney & Lennon represent something of an artistic yin & yang, and seeing them sitting side by side even in the midst of their disagreements is a hopeful sight, suggesting harmony in the midst of chaos.)

A Revival of BBC Comedy

In the 1970's, the BBC was a bastion of comedy. With shows such as Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Benny Hill Show, Are You Being Served, & The Two Ronnies, BBC comedy proved that highbrow and lowbrow humor could function in unison. Week after week, wittily-written double entendres graced the television screens of Great Britain. However, once these shows began to be steadily exported to the United States in the late 70's, standards changed. Humor gradually became sligtly more universal, and lowbrow fart jokes were swept under the rug in order to please the foreign market.

Stevie Riks unashamedly celebrates the British humor of the 1970's. His Youtube homepage boasts that his influences range from Peter Cook & Dudley Moore to Ricky Gervais. In addition, Mr. Riks pays homage to vaudevillian performers such as Milton Berle, George Burns, & Bob Hope.

While so many performers try to do little more than to stand apart from the crowd, Mr. Riks revels in comedy's rich history. Unlike other celebrity impersonators, he actually impersonates people who are themselves born entertainers. Fortunately for internet users, he does so regularly & with the aid of imaginative production techniques.

Riks Lets His Salesmanship Market His Showmanship

Mr. Riks use of Youtube is a fine example of innovative salesmanship. While not every video he posts contain links to his mail-order products, his homepage provides info on how to order his tshirts as well as a link to his website , which gives users a way to shop his store as well as to contact him for bookings. Also, by posting his prime schtick on Youtube, Mr. Riks shows that he's not about to run out of material. By constantly giving his audience the best he has to offer, he picques the interest of viewers, getting his videos even more attention in the long run. Thus, his act takes on a viral life of its own.

Whether you're interested in amusing yourself for a couple of minutes, or you want to see your favorite rock superstars imitated in BBC style comedy skits, consider taking a look at Stevie Riks Youtube videos. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.