Brits are Coca-Nuts

"Nuts" wanted for world coconut orchestra record
Mon Apr 23, 2007 3:52PM EDT

By Jessica McGovern

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Thousands of people will gather in London's Trafalgar Square on Monday evening seeking to smash the record for the world's largest coconut orchestra.

Cast members from the musical "Monty Python's Spamalot" will give participating "nuts" a lesson on how to clip-clop in time to the Python classic "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" before attempting the Guinness World Record title.

The current record for the largest number of people gathered in one location playing coconuts at the same time stands at 1,789 and was set in March 2002 in New York, according to Guinness World Records.

The attempt has been inspired by the cult 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", in which knights pretend to ride horses while porters bang coconut shells together to make the clip-clopping noise of hooves.

David Birrell, who plays King Arthur's servant Patsy in the musical romp described as "lovingly ripped off from the motion picture", said the tune was great for a sing-along.

The song is a well known melody which featured in the 1979 film "Life of Brian".

"Every night when we do the song in the show people just join in, even if they don't know the words, because I think it's in the British consciousness now," Birrell said.

Thousands of coconut shells have been ordered for the attempt, each labeled 'left' and 'right'.

Birrell said the markings were important because the coconut is like a finely tuned instrument.

"No pair of coconuts is alike," he said.

Spamalot Musical Director Michael England will be in charge of conducting the thousands of coconut players with help from music over loudspeakers and a giant screen which will show the words and screen the film after the record attempt.