General Music Chat

I've written a few funny novelty songs. I used to play them all the time when I was working a lot.

One time I was wooing this guitar player that I wanted to work with, & he told me he didn't think I was a serious musician because I played novelty tunes.

I basically told him to go poop in his headwear.

Lots of pro acts have done the occasional funny song, or at least a little tongue-in-cheek thing, & I am no elitist when it comes to entertaining the public.

I was just curious - how many of you "serious musicians" have played novelty songs to mix up your act & entertain your audience?

Not sure what you are refering to as a novelty tune.
We play Christian Rock, that seems like a novelty around these parts.
Do you mean like some Ray Stevens kind of funny stuff or what?

If done sparingly, they can be fun.
But if you do too many of them, then people may think that's who you are; maybe that's what happened before, I don't know . . .
.
I suspect that there probably has to be a low ratio for that kind of song, though, and that the ratio changes with the audience . . . you know, their mood, and all . . .
You've got to double check the reactions of the majority of the audience.
And I always first consider how familiar they are w/ me & what kind of stuff I normally play.
I never do 2 of them in a row.
But sometimes you might want to do a couple agoing; just be sure that most of the audience is up for it . . .
.
What do you think?

Hey philby,

Yeah , I gotta couple on 4trk cassette..Fallcity Shits and Bitch in the mornin...Ill mix around on them alittle see if I cant putem up..Mostly, as far as club gigs go, bands Ibe been in just change words around like maalox and kaopectate for "watchin the sun bake"...Sometimes you can re write them to the point to makin a whole new tune outta of it which Im sure yallve done...Yeah , heres parta one... I wrote IM A BOLLWIEVEL for "Im a Believer"..Here part of it.

Mississippialabamalousianatexarkanas quite a spread......But my
freinds and I we do-- the best that we can....................Those
cotton balls so tasty da daa daaa da daaa we can never resist da daa da da daaa Here come the farmers and BOY are THEY pissed..............

Then I found my space.....Im a Bollwievel......Its quite a chase......Leavin
them behind....Im in Love IM.. a Bollwievel couldnt leave here if I tried...

The farmers are out to get me... da daa daaa da daaa thats the way it seems...da da daa da daaa....DDT and herbicide on my jeans...............Iwrote that after playin the Bollwievel capitol of the world Enterprise AL...They gotta big ass statue of it right in town square..

Wish I could remember the rest of it off hand, Ive got it written somewhere..Ya get the general idea.. Yeah, sittin around the motel room 1/2 drunk for 15 yrs you'll come up with some sh#&t...
Yeah , put some of yours up if ya gottem recorded , if not then record em...

John

I think it's okay to goof a little, but, that being said...

I did have an experience one time, where I went to jam with a multi-instrumentalist. The song he chose to "sell" me on was a happy little ditty about how his wife liked to sneak in the bathroom behind him...and watch him pee.

I didn't call back.

People have different definitions of humor, I guess.

philbymon
yer rude and thought your comments to my profile were bigoted
Get a grip man oh and by the way I am gay dont me any less a musician!!

Andy...chill out, man. I really do think it's okay to be gay, even if I don't go that way. Sir Elton is gay & I quite like his music. You don't know me, but I've said in other posts that I have no problem with whatever you are as long as you make it all about the music. Yes, my words were unkind, & poorly chosen, but that's what often passes for humor around my neck of the woods. I honestly regret what I said, & whole-heartedly apologize for my statements. Ppl say things like this all the time, without intending to hurt, Andy. That doesn't make it right, & I'll try to do better, but please remember that it was never my intention to insult or hurt you in any way.

Hey, if you wanna get back at me, make some fat American jokes.

Didn't realize you'd get all twisted up inside over my words, dude...this is my 2nd apology to you, & I hope this one sticks. I realize that you probably haven't seen my other apology yet, but I think that it's possible you have overreacted just a tad, at least from my point of view. Still, if you're hurt, you're hurt, & it was my words that did it, so again, I am sorry & will not post remarks like that again. I hope that suffices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back on topic -

Out of 60 or so songs that I've written & performed in public, I have 3 that I've written that are funny things. I also play one by Rev Billy Wurtz.

Ppl ask for each of the ones I play a lot. I think it's funny that anyone would say that a musician who plays these things isn't a serious one.

Weird Al is one heck of a keyboardist & accordion player. I'd say that he's a serious musician in spite of his material. The Beatles did "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Harry Chapin did "6 String Orchestra." Cat Stevens did that godawful "Mona Bone Jakon." I'd say they were all serious musicians.

When you're playing for the public, you're supposed to be entertaining them, aren't you? 15 yrs ago, when that guy said that to me, I would take a 12 string, two 6 strings, & a mandolin to a solo gig. I would switch things up any way I could to keep their attention, & yes, that included playing the occasional novelty song.

Does the fact that I try to entertain make my work any less serious than the guy who just sits & plays his thihg without any humor or interaction with the audience at all? I think that the opposite is true, myself.

Andy, your also hung up like a dog. We dont care if you are gay or not.
We,ve all got our own sins to deal with. So dont make like your special or something.
And yes, I am a biggot as well as any other lables you want to throw around. Its my right to choose what kinds of behaviors I approve of, mine or yours.
If your not secure enough in your own mind to take some steriotypical chides you should probably go hide somewhere. I dont get my panties in a wad when the guys give me hell bout my music, or being a rednecked ass.
I dont expect anyone to approve of me, Why should you expect different?

John...Love "I'm A Boll Weevel!"

It's nice to know that I'm not the onliest guy what does this stuff. Humor is a great tool to use on stage, & music is our bailiwick, is it not?

Yea, the occasional Weird Al tunes come up
Did it once.. I can't remember it very well
*puff puff*

LOL

I just remembered that this is the 2nd time I've posted on this very subject. The 1st time was a couple months ago, I think.

Must be that OldTimers' Disease getting to me.

Eh...I'll post one again in a couple months, if that's alright with you foks!

Yeah , Philby, I think more than anything Its got to be part of your personality to WANNA do this kinda stuff..If ya try to do just becuase ya think it might be a good selling point,or the words are cool so lets do it guys, its not gonna come off very well...You can see by the previous posts "HOW" alot of the younger guys looked at it..Like ya had to PLAN for it to serve a purpose...Hell, many times Ive unexpectantly went into a goofy tune, made strange noises, took off clothes,jumped over my kit on the the dance floor,ALL that stuff done spontaniously was well taken...Im not gonna sit back and analyze whether something will go over or not..By that time, I ll just be going thru the motions and it prolly would come off very well.. The ONLY thing I ever got bitched out for gettin too free with the F word after too much to drink, which back then, wasnt cool... Yeah , Andragon I DO "When I was YOUR age" I got it sequenced and everthing..Yeah, maybe we've strayed too far now from the vaudeville days when Gag songs were percieved entertaining..

John

We've got a few novelty songs in our repertoire. There's a bunch of lame songs that are quite famous that I have fun changing the words to. I think Weird Al is a genius. It's fun doing parodies. Try it some time. Take an old song that you can't stand and change the lyrics. Get a few of them well rehearsed and play them with along with all your covers. Injecting some humor in the mix is a good thing to do once in a while. We've got an instrumental we do which combines Freddy King's Washout with the Surfaris Wipeout. The crowd usually goes nuts when we do it right. Yeah, novelty songs work for me. Later...

We came up with a little jam based on the theme to the Pink Panther. Does that count?