Cowbell Facts

After the famous "More Cowbell" SNL sketch with Christopher Walken ended with "RIP Gene Frenkel" on the screen (underneath Will Ferrell's character), fans have often expressed their sympathies to Blue Öyster Cult over his death, believing the fictional cowbell-shredding artist was real. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor…

Christopher Walken is one of only two actors (the other being Alec Baldwin) to have a standing offer from Lorne Michaels to host Saturday Night Live whenever his schedule permits. Thus far he has hosted the show 7 times, his most famous appearance being the "More Cowbell!" sketch. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chr…

Nancy Holten, a Dutch vegan and animal rights activist, applied for a Swiss passport but her application was rejected because the locals found her too annoying. Holten had campaigned against the use of cowbells in the village and her actions annoyed the locals. ca.news.yahoo.com/swiss-t…

There is a marathon in the town of St. Charles, Missouri called MO' Cowbell, which was named after the "Saturday Night Live" sketch "More Cowbell" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor…

Unbeknownst to Will Ferrell and SNL, when Blue Oyster Cult originally recorded (Don't Fear) The Reaper, the band had a serious discussion about whether or not to use a cowbell in the first place. youtube.com/watch?v=uFTFT…

While filming a scene in the live action "Jungle Book" where Mowgli meets King Louie (Christopher Walken), director Jon Favreau spotted a cowbell on stage and said, "this is what Mowgli has to use." Mowgli rings the bell to awaken Louie as an hommage to Walken's SNL skit. moviefone.com/2016/04/12/…

Fans still express condolences to the Blue Öyster Cult over the loss of Gene Frenkle, famed cowbell musician, despite the fact that he is a fictional character en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor…

Nostalgia was once called "Swiss illness" due to its occurrence in Swiss mercenaries who in the lowlands of France or Italy pined for their native mountain landscapes. Military physicians thought the cause was brain damage due to the constant clanging of cowbells in the pastures of Switzerland. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nos…

Cowbells weigh over 10 pounds, are as loud as a chainsaw and cause cows to chew less and suffer hearing loss geek.com/geek-cetera/it-t…

Queens of the Stone Age decided to incorporate the cowbell into "Little Sister" because of Will Farrell's stunt on SNL vimeo.com/77352132

In Sardegna Italy, habitants wear a masquerade that contain 60lbs of cowbells, sheep skin, and a dark wooden mask. This 2,000 year old costume creates haunting sounds of the sheepbone-made clapper banging against the bronze of the cowbells, to stave bad spirits off the built-up area. gonomad.com/1161-sardinia…

The cowbell in Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" was added as an overdub at the last minute. washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn…

Is was producer David Lucas, not Bruce Dickinson who wanted more cowbell in (Don't Fear) the Reaper. Dickinson wasn't even a producer. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor…

Will Ferrell actually wrote the famed "More cowbell" sketch. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor…

Years after Will Ferrel's famous SNL portrayal of Gene Frenkle, the fictional excessive cowbell playing band member of Blue Oyster Cult, the band says fans still express condolences and inquire about the lost 'legend'. washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn…

Christopher Walken has been in two projects heavily based on the song, "Don't Fear The Reaper". One was a SNL skit involving more cowbell, and the other was a video game called "Ripper" from 1996. youtube.com/watch?v=FYbAW…

In the "More cowbell" skit, a fictionalized cowbell player was created due to the fact that the song's actual cowbell player was disputed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor…

In 2005, Will Ferrell reprised his role as Gene Frenkle ("More Cowbell") with Queens of the Stone Age on SNL for-those-about-to-rock.c…

Christopher Walken doesn't have a computer or a cell phone, and doesn't drive in traffic because it makes him nervous. theguardian.com/film/2016…

“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”, Otis Redding’s most famous song, was recorded less than a month before his untimely death in a plane crash in December of 1967, and was released posthumously less than a month after his death. Redding considered the song to be incomplete. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Si…

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, was expelled from his school for urinating in the headmaster's dinner. He went on to become singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bru…

A group of stingrays is referred to as a fever.