Pre-Teen Telethon: The Recess Monkeys 

Yep that gulp by John Candy should go down as one of the best timed comedic moments of all time

Candy's nervous gulp...utter genius.

The tongue sticking out as he's concentrating on the killer guitar solo...🤣🤣🤣

Also wonderful are: 1. Eugene switching up his tambourine rhythms mid-measure; 2. The three boys' acca pella falling apart so quickly but them plodding through anyway. This skit was brilliant. Long live The Recess Monkeys! 🎸

Levy hitting the tambourine on 1 & 3 during the chorus, belatedly realizing he’s wrong, then switching to 2 & 4...BOTH TIMES

Absolutely nailed the high school garage band, teenage angst, live performance jitters of playing music before a 'live' audience. Hilarious.

I love that they're actually playing their instruments - and they're good enough to be able so sound like bad players. It's harder than you might think.

I love that wicked guitar solo by Rick Moranis.

You can tell that they're actually decently competent musician that know enough to know EXACTLY how to fake sucking. Comedic genius

Catherine O'hara has always been magic. Understated.

I think Weezer stole this band's act.

The 5 Neat Guys are the parents of the Recess Monkeys. Great musical talent flowed heavy in their bloodline, obviously. Gone Gone Gone Gone So Long will be played at my funeral.

This entire sketch is pure brilliance on oh so many levels.

Anyone who was either in a band when they were fourteen or remember's their friend's first band knows EXACTLY why this is genius!!! John's gulp and Rick's tongue-on-lips concentration during the solo, priceless!!!!

It's kind of unreal how good this is.

I have watched this dozens of times just to see John Candy's nervous gulp. I die every time.

Gonna tell my kids this was Weezer.

First time I have ever seen this and I can't believe it. This may be the most perfect sketch ever. I have watched it 7 times in a row. The lyrics, musicianship, anxiety, solo... and of course John candy's gulp should be studied forever on the perfection of comedic timing. How is this not more popular?

That's one killer guitar solo at the end.

SCTV was pure comic genius, but this was one of their best skits. I remember nearly choking from laughing so hard when I first saw this about 35 yrs ago.

“Decent. That should get those phones ringing!” dead

Candy's gulp was hilarious and he's also got the Ringo Starr-esque drumming down.

Katherine O'Hara cracks me up in this sketch, haha. Nailed it!

Rick Moranis is amazing. Such a sweet little guy on the guitar, only one who didn't participate in the epic voice crack at the end.

Moranis, Levy and Candy are superb in this sketch! Actually playing and acting like kids…marverous…simply marverous. 😉🤘🤘🤘

I'm constantly impressed with how Eugene Levy could transform himself into such a convincing "kid". The makeup/hair/mannerisns.. For being the hairiest guy in the cast..how can he be the best/most convincing kid!?!! Wow!

Best cover of this song ever.

Eugene plays guitar for real. This skit is amazing in so many ways...captures so much!

This is better than most music made today.

As much as I always loved this sketch, it got 10x funnier when I realized they are covering Chilliwack!

That guitar solo at the end and Moranis' "I'm nailing it" face just made me pee my pants. #gold

Rick did a great job singing and playing guitar! Gene did a good job playing guitar along with Candy and the drums.

Damn moranis was old school alternative

Great show. So glad we have these clips.

Rivers Cuomo saw this and had an epiphany. Incidentally, Rick is fretting chords upside down as the strings aren't reversed.

It's eerie how much Moranis looks like Rivers Cuomo from Weezer in this.

Like Moranis' guitar lick helped by tongue extension . They are the Best North American comedy group since Leif Erickson and his band of Vikings

Rick playing it left hand!

Rick's really playing. Excellent.

Rick is a talented individual.

Having grown up in the 80s, there were a good number of bands that sounded just like this live. They'd have over produced studio albums and videos on MTV, and than you'd see them live and they sounded almost exactly like this. 😎

Pure no-wave punk genius. Rick’s junky Mission of Burma-style solo... That takes courage.

CLASSIC SCTV... Raw humour and talent. Those were the days!! ❤👍

This song is better than 99.99% of the stuff played on the radio.

So good. thanks for posting. I remember seeing this in the 80s. LOVED IT.

Rick rocking the right handed strat upside down and still strung for righty. How is this even playable? He's really playing it, but wow, all guitar theory, fingerings, chords etc.. out the window here. Hendrix played a right handed strat but strung it upside down as many lefty players do. Considering that, this is pretty good playing. Rick Moranis FTW!

Oh man, look at Candy's perm! I loved this show and am so glad the actors are still working.

bangin' guitar solo, Rick!!

As a fan of outsider music, I actually consider this a masterpiece

2:53 - the effort he puts into that guitar solo!

Beat Happening is still one of my favorite bands

HAHAHA! John Candy taking a swallow in between words! I've been there performing!

This is the best Canadiana EVER.

5 dislikes proves there are more good people in the world than bad.

Whenever this song comes on the radio in our car, we always start singing it just like these guys!! Good times, good times... XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD

This was amazing then and it's still amazing now.

Whether is the Recess Monkeys or the Queen Haters, John Candy behind a drum kit will always deliver hilarity.

so much memories of starting a band in the 90's - the nervous tension, the palpable fear of screwing up - and the look on your face if not sure if it sounds any good... and then candy dealing with uncontrolled drooling from stage fright... good memories...

That skit had Dark Helmet,Barf,Mickey and Maude.Awesome.

I remember seeing this when it actually aired way back when, and the funniest part was John Candy's "nervous gulp"-- probably because we can all relate to it!

My favourite character changes every time i view this masterpiece. one of their best bits.

Man. I want to buy this album.

not sure if you're talking about "channels" now, youtube channels, or channels back in 1981, when SCTV was on the airwaves...used to drive frantically to get home by 1 am when SCTV was on some obscure UHF station in the DC area. Loved SCTV then, good to see it again!

There’s so much going on in this song. Candy’s gulp, Moranis playing the guitar wrong handed, Moranis’ solo at the end, Levy with the tambourine...

I think they all played their own instruments, I never see this in syndication, I saw it in the original show, I was in high school when this aired, I used to watch it Friday nights after Johnny Carson.

I genuinely like that song.

Loved this show!!!

The bands' name is funny enough, let alone their performance!

Oh my god Eugene and that tambourine! Shake it!

John Candy with an afro?! What a time to be alive.

Rick looks so young. Almost did not recognize Eugene. SCTV was so damned awesome.

That's one hot guitar lick laid down by Rick Moranis. 😝

I love that they’re actually playing

You gotta give this a thumbs up! Brilliant!

Saw it 35 years ago and still can’t forget it.

John Candy on the drums. That show was legendary

I watched this skit when it first aired and laughed my butt off, there were so many funny bits each guy did, Levy losing count with the tambourine TWICE, Candy's Stephen Seely always getting choked up, Moranis actually playing the Guitar upside down and still strung upside down. After watching this clip dozens of times through the years, I just now realized even their name has a twist to it... The Rhesus Monkeys

Love that song ❤️

i remember watching this performance on tv, way back when. def classic

SCTV is unsurpassed in parody and send ups of every aspect of entertainment, sports, television. What a crew of talent. SNL gets all the hype but SCTV outdid them in quality and quantity.

Pure genius

You could fill a room with how many ways this is funny.

Better than many bands I've suffered thru over the years!

Agree with all the comments. I cried I laughed so hard when this first aired and I still do today... I don’t know if anyone else remembers but I always thought preteeen world was a direct send-up of a pbs show for middle school kids called Zoom...around in the mid 70s. There was a kid on the show who looked exactly like Stephane. SCTV hit it spot on. Also reminds me of all my high school “coffeehouse” performances. :(...Classic and thanks for bringing this back!

This great 70 band played at my high school in 76. Along with Max Webster and the Stampeders.

Pure Genius Right down to their hemlines

The Recess Monkeys are soo metal

Sooooo great!!!

This is beautiful-comedy-genius.

Used to watch SCTV every chance I got in my teen years along with Fernwood Tonight and Mary Hartmann, Mary Hartmann. That does explain a lot LOL!

so good!

1:32 I laugh every time, thanks John!

I love this

Great jam, man. This is one of my favorite bands and songs. I had a "Recess Monkeys" lunchbox.

Greatest show ever.

Give them a year or two...these guys will be huge!

Love this!! Talented guys❤❤

As hilarious as everyone is, not enough praise for Levy's completely lost eyes and pubescent deep voice, he really captured that doofus backup vocalist in a mediocre band

All these legends in one show ❤❤

It's great to see how the drummer and lead guitarist for the Queen Haters started. I did not know Stephen Sealy and Paul Rey were originally in The Recess Monkeys. I heard Steve Applebaum became a VJ and changed his name to Gerry Todd.