Synopsis
The sketch is presented as an episode of VH1's Behind the Music documenting the band Blue Öyster Cult. It begins with what is said to be film from the 1976 recording session that produced the band's biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". The producer (played by Christopher Walken) introduces himself as "The Bruce Dickinson" and tells the band they have "what appears to be a dynamite sound."
The first take of the session begins soon after. The recording seems to be going well but the band stops playing after a few moments because the cowbell part is rather loud and distracting. Dickinson, to the surprise of most of the band, asks for "a little more cowbell" and suggests that the cowbell player, Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell), "really explore the studio space this time."
Frenkle's exuberance in following this advice causes him to bump into his bandmates as he dances around the cramped studio, thrusting his pelvis wildly in all directions, and the band aborts another take. Dickinson enters the studio exasperated at wasting "two good tracks" and says that the second one "was even better than the first." Frenkle sheepishly agrees to tone down his performance in the spirit of cooperation. Dickinson warns Frenkle not to tone it down too much, as they're "gonna want the cowbell on this track." However, Frenkle passive-aggressively plays the cowbell very close to Eric Bloom (Chris Parnell)'s ear and fails to keep time with the rest of the band. Frenkle suddenly knocks over Bloom's microphone stand, ending the take prematurely. The rest of the band expresses frustration with Frenkle but Dickinson remains focused only on getting more cowbell onto the track.
Frenkle then makes an impromptu speech to the rest of the band. He declares that Dickinson's stature lends a great deal of weight to his opinion about the cowbell part and that the last time Frenkle checked, they didn't have "a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell" and therefore he would be "doing himself a disservice, and every member of the band" if he "didn't perform the hell out of this." At the climax of the sketch, Dickinson exclaims: "Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" The band agrees to let Frenkle play the cowbell part his way, with Dickinson claiming they will be "wearing gold-plated diapers" when they are done with this take. When asked what he means by that, Bruce sternly comments "Never question Bruce Dickinson!" As the band begins another take, the sketch ends with a freeze frame on Frenkle with the superimposed message: "In Memoriam: Gene Frenkle: 1950–2000."
The actors who appeared in the sketch had trouble keeping straight faces. They found Ferrell's acting, along with Walken's performance, so funny that they were all on the verge of breaking up laughing and ruining the sketch several times. On "Take Two", Walken can be seen through the booth glass, laughing, as Ferrell's shirt comes up, while he is dancing and playing the cowbell.
The phrase "I gotta have more cowbell" has since entered popular culture, having varied uses, from a commentary on overemphasis of trivialities, a realization that something trivial is actually very important and critical, and a general "this is great, and can be even better" exclamation.
Read more about this topic: The Bruce Dickinson