From: cory davis
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 9:56 AM
To: Kipp, Thomas J
Subject: Mock Rock?
Hi TK. What would you recommend for anyone who likes Weird Al? What’s out there that’s better? What’s the name of that one group that was two guys just sorta spewing stream-of-consciousness about celebrities of the time? Thanks!! ~FC
Hi FC:
Ahhhh….Mock Rock, Novelty Rock, Parody Rock, Comedy Rock, Joke Rock, and Lovingly Comedic Musical Pastiche!
It’s delicate work, without question, and seldom funny for very long, or nearly so funny in the first place as its most passionate (tending-toward-a-junior-high-school-sensibility, methinks) advocates often claim, alas. Would that it were!
Anyhow, here’s what I can tell ya:
Re: the “two guys spewing stream-of-consciousness about celebrities”, you prob’ly mean that New Zealand act that had a hit show on HBO a few years back, Flight of the Conchords, who’re pretty clever.
Their send-up of “Bowie” is quite hilarious, for example, as is their Barry White-derived “love man” parody, “Business Time”!
I have their Sub Pop ep debut, which contains the latter—http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Future-Flight-Conchords/dp/B000SM7QSE/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1345482678&sr=1-3&keywords=Flight+of+the+Conchords
This collection includes both those songs— http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014DBZXS/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&qid=1345482678&s=music&sr=1-1
In general, the compilation albums put together by wacky radio personality/music scholar “Dr. Demento” (aka Barry Hansen, who actually discovered Weird Al over 30 years ago) are quite wonderful. Not every weird/lame-o song he unearths is a masterpiece, of course, but the ratio is pretty high!
This 2cd/36-cut 20th anniversary collection is a great overview of the stuff he was infamous for spotlighting on his long running syndicated radio show, and is available used for cheap from Amazon Mktplace ($6.35 in very good condition!)—http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Demento-20th-Anniversary-Collection/dp/B0000032MK/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1345483200&sr=1-1&keywords=dr.+demento+20th+anniversary+collection
When it comes to our good friend Andy’s beloved “Joke Rock” I could certainly make some recommendations (e.g. They Might be Giants, whom I find overly/ickily twee, if musically quite adept; Camper Van Beethoven, whom I find overly obscure if often quite droll, and whom I definitely prefer to TMBG; and my own beloved The Moldy Peaches, whose self-titled ca. 2001 album was, to my mind, THE BEST ALBUM OF THE 2000s (!), and who contributed a particularly great track—“Anyone Else But You”—to the fluke million-selling JUNO soundtrack!), but in general I’d prefer to abstain!
As far as Rock or Pop music (or recorded Comedy) that I personally find durably hilarious goes, there are only two candidates, and their accomplishments DWARF even the fine artistes mentioned above:
The Firesign Theatre created the greatest series of Comedy albums of all-time between 1968-74, and you can’t go wrong with the near-perfectly-selected 2cd compilation that came out about 20 years ago, which includes many of their unforgettable songs & jingles, in addition to the delicious game show parodies, surreal puns, bonkers authority figures, and greezy salesmen that were a specialty, as well as their immortal-if-hapless private detective, “Nick Danger: Third Eye”— http://www.amazon.com/Shoes-Industry-Best-Firesign-Theatre/dp/B0000028OU/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1345484885&sr=1-6&keywords=Firesign+Theatre
The Firesigns’ 2nd & 3rd albums, from 1969-70, are the two greatest comedy LPs I’ve ever heard, no question, and are essential on their own, once you’re hooked:
As funny Rock bands go, however, no one touches The Bonzo Dog Band, who were active in Britain from about 1966-72. None of their albums is quite as perfect as the two Firesign selections, but they were every bit as great overall, and because they were a band their stuff tends to be more accessible to first-timers. This fabulous collection got me started back in late-high school, and is among the very greatest compilation albums ever put together, period!
But in recent years their label released a 3cd box set of their collected works (five proper albums, plus various odds & ends) called A DOG’S LIFE: THE ALBUMS 1967-1972, which can be had on-line for under $12, making it practically the steal of the decade! http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Life-Bonzo-Dog-Band/dp/B04FUZLX2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1345485652&sr=1-1&keywords=bonzo+dog+band
Much of Monty Python’s music & supremely irreverent sensibility also comes straight outta The Bonzos, as their co-leader, Neil Innes, was later musical director for The Pythons. He also wrote all the songs for the immortal Beatles parody album/1978 TV special, THE RUTLES— http://www.amazon.com/Rutles-Neil-Innes/dp/B00000348L/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1345486090&sr=1-2&keywords=rutles
The late Vivian Stanshall, The Bonzos’ dulcet-voiced, astonishingly eloquent madman/frontman (bald or blond hair,fourth from the left in both photos below), is more often the star than the long-suffering Mr. Innes, but together they and their intensely wacky cohorts were “unstable radicals” of the finest sort!
By the by, for those pursuing The Advanced Course in Brit Humor, Mr. Stanshall’s 1978 album, SIR HENRY AT RAWLINSON END, is the most wonderfully-expressed example of outlandish adoration/contempt for the pompously blundering ways of Ye Olde Empire, and his masterpiece.
http://www.amazon.com/Sir-Henry-At-Rawlinson-End/dp/B0000082FB/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_2
But since it’s more like FAWLTY TOWERS crashing into PETER AND THE WOLF than ye olde Rock & Roll (it’s a mellifluously spoken tale, in other words), I hesitate to recommend it to anyone not already well-versed in the above blandishments! Once you’re ready, however, there’s simply NOTHING that compares! Needless to say, no True Blue Anglophile should be without it.
Anyhow, FC, I hope something amongst this “higher brow” comedic selection will pique the interest o’ yer Weird Al-lovin’ pal!
For me, this stuff’s Head of the Class….by MILES!
Amusedly,
TK
P.S. Thanks fer the inquiry; this was fun!
P.P.S. If I had to nudge someone all the way in my direction, I’d avidly recommend “Joke Punk”, as I’ve taken to calling it, since I’ve seldom laughed harder (or more consistently) than when listening to those amongst my favorite Punk bands who also boast cruel or demented senses of humor. Top Tier—The Ramones, Flipper, Black Flag, The Angry Samoans, Half Japanese, The Butthole Surfers, The Dictators, and Devo.
By the by, The Sex Pistols were often pretty damned hilarious themselves! All much superior (musically, as well as humor-wise) to Joke Rock, at any rate.
But that’s another piece, I suppose….
I’ll agree with most of what is here, but also add Seattle’s The Squirrels (especially their Christmas material such as "Smoke on the Rooftop" and "Peaceful Easy Town of Bethlehem", but also their album-length Pink Floyd rework "Not So Bright Side of the Moon"), and definitely also would give high marks to NOFX for the humer in songs such as "We’re the ‘Brews". Also, National Lampoon’s "Lemmings".
– Joe Mabel
Tommy K.,
Shame, shame, how could you have forgotten Fred Lane’s two absurdist masterpieces “Car Radio Jerome” and “From the One That Cut You”?!? Admittedly, the humor is more amused-chuckle rather than belly-laugh . . .
– Andy Cohen
Squirrels/SKWM University Sports Bar And Grill Seattle 19ninety-something.
Those were the, uh, days.
Yes they were.
– Joel RL Phelps
I was stumped trying to add to Tom’s excellent summary of Wisenheimer Rockers, when it hit me – Dread Zeppelin. A most perfect union of RAWK.
From the glory years of MTV –
“It’s a fine line between stupid and clever…”
Spinal Tap (another fine choice, btw)
Also by the way…for a significant period of time, Liam Gallagher of Oasis was convinced that Spinal Tap was a REAL band – and not a parody documentary. Then again, is Oasis a real band – and not a parody???
– Ched Stanisic
