Oh, Funny 25…I can’t quit you…

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Solonor

HER: What the hell are you listening to? Oh, it’s that time of year…

Yes, yes, it’s that time of year. I may not have the ambition to write anything serious in this blog, but by gum I have the ambition not to! So, it’s time to update Dr. Demento’s TOP 100 (or so) DEMENTED HITS (from Funny 25’s).

Looks like this year’s list was dominated by Steve Goodie. Even stuff, like the #1 song, that’s not directly attributed to him has his contributions. His “Tweetin’ On A Jet Plane” appeared for the second year in a row, putting it into the Top 100 at #90. This is his first song on the big list.

Lemon Demon re-appeared on the Funny 25, which moved their “Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny” from #50 all the way up to #35.

The other three returnees to the Funny 25 were Kip Adotta’s “Wet Dream”, Barnes and Barnes’ “Fish Heads” and Ogden Edsl’s “Dead Puppies”, all of which stayed put on the big chart. It was the 20th appearance for “Wet Dream” since it first showed up in 1984. The other two are staples on the show, with “Dead Puppies” being left off the Funny 25 only twice since 1977, and “Fish Heads” missing only once since 1978.

Without further ado, here’s the list as can be found at DMDB.ORG (The Demented Music Database).

#25 Burning Ambitions – Nuclear Bubble Wrap
#24 Wet Dream – Kip Addotta
#23 I Hate Mondays – Devo Spice
#22 Shall We Burn A Book For Jesus? – Steve Goodie
#21 Lost Without My “Lost” – Power Salad
#20 Ice Cream Man – Steve Goodie

#19 It’s Good To Be The King – The Great Luke Ski (f/ Devo Spice, Insane Ian, & Bud Sharpe)
#18 Pants On The Ground – General Larry Platt
And I couldn’t resist another look at Neil Young’s Pants On The Ground
#17 Give You A Baby – Johnny Walker

#16 Twitter Tweetin’ – Carrie Dahlby
#15 The Ultimate Showdown Of Ultimate Destiny – Lemon Demon
#14 DiG DuG – Insane Ian

#13 Fish Heads – Barnes & Barnes
#12 You’re Homely But I’ll Sleep With You – Moneyshot Cosmonauts
#11 Hey Iron Man! – Whimsical Will

#10 Dead Puppies – Ogden Edsl Wahalia Blues Ensemble Mondo Bizzario Band
#9 Tweetin’ On A Jet Plane – Steve Goodie
#8 Ten Foot Two, Skin Of Blue – Robert Lund
#7 Black Water (BP Version) – Steve Goodie
#6 The Guy On TV Is Not Happy – Tony Goldmark
#5 Smells Like Karen Carpenter – Moneyshot Cosmonauts
#4 Street Meat (You Keep Tauntin’ Me) – Mike Phirman
#3 Census – Max DeGroot
#2 I Bagged A Tiger – Steve Goodie

#1 Raichu A Song – Nuclear Bubble Wrap

Posted in Demento, Strangeness, Tunes | 1 Comment

All weddings should be this much fun

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Solonor

We trekked up to Maine this weekend for my brother’s wedding, and it was incredible. They rented a house on the coast for the weekend, and it’s been days and nights filled with family, friends, food, drink and music.

Hurricane Earl followed us, and while he made the weathercastnerds do their traditional pee-pee dance of doom, he basically served to sweep out a massive heat wave, giving us gorgeous skies and cool breezes (I almost wish I had a sweater).

After a too-short visit with Venita’s sister, we headed down to the house on Saturday night. It’s a huge old thing overlooking Belfast Bay, and it made the perfect venue. We drank a boatload of wine and got to know everyone while chowing down on paella.

But last night . . . whoa, that was out of the park awesome.

The wedding ceremony was a simple, beautiful affair with no minister or officiating. The bride and groom made their vows and read a giant proclamation of their love and asked us all to sign it. (Venita was the official photographer, so I’m pretty sure there will be some pretty pictures posted.)

After that we reatreated to the huge veranda and ate lobster and listened to a great bluegrass band. We had shrimp and kabobs and delicious potato salad, cheeses from a local maker, cakes and wine. The open bar was well-stocked and well-tended, and there were three kegs of ale. There was laughter and great conversation, including a semi-drunk bull session where a few of us plotted the future of the Red Sox for them (you’re welcome, Theo).

To start off the dancing, they had me sing a Buck Owens tune accompanied by the band and a friend of my brother’s who is a killer guitar player. Then, when the band was done, the party shifted gears to the Venezuelan side of the family. There was a flamenco dancer, followed by hours of everyone kicking up a storm doing the merengue.

Finally, we hauled out our guitars and jammed until the wee hours. Between us we covered everything from Merle Haggard to the Beatles, old banjo tunes to Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a blast.

I think we should do this every year.

Posted in Life, the Universe and Everything | 4 Comments

Egg recall: FDA says delayed rules could have prevented salmonella outbreak

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Solonor

Egg recall: FDA says delayed rules could have prevented salmonella outbreak

Yep, that’s just what we need. Less guvmint puttin’ all them rules on God-fearin’ bizness. If people would just stop buying salmonella-laden eggs, then the free market would take care of the problem!

The rules were first developed in the 1990s during the Clinton administration but languished at the Food and Drug Administration through the George W. Bush presidency. The FDA announced in July 2009 that it was finally imposing the rules but allowed farms a year to come into compliance.

Surprise, surprise…

Posted in Rants 'n' Whines | 1 Comment

Deliver Me

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Solonor

In a brief moment of driving today, I heard an NPR feature on the Blue Shadows. They were a Vancouver band fronted by Billy Cowsill of the Cowsills (the 60’s band that inspired the Partridge Family and had hits with “Indian Lake” and “Hair”). Back in 1993 they recorded an album of what would now be hailed as incredible alt-country songs, On the Floor of Heaven. But back then they were up against Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey with no internets, no YouTube, no iTunes… So, naturally, they went nowhere. But here seventeen years later, I finally heard them, and I have listened to a couple of their song (especially “Deliver Me”) over and over.

I also found that someone taped them performing on the back of a truck on a street in Vancouver. But just watch the videos a couple of times. The first time listen to the awesome sound coming out of this four piece band. The 12-string guitar makes the sound so full, and the harmonies are vintage Everly Brothers. The second time watch what’s going on around them. People just walk on by like nothing’s happening. Sigh. The fools. My God, people! Billy Cowsill was on the freaking Johnny Cash Show! What the hell? I don’t profess to be 1/1000th of the talent of Billy Cowsill, but this is the reality of playing in a band for 99 percent of musicians. For every awesome night with a crowd in the palm of your hands there are ten where you sound like the most amazing thing ever…and everyone acts like you’re not even there.

Posted in Tunes | 1 Comment

Jinxed by Pocket Brain

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Solonor

It’s a conspiracy, I tells ya!

Just as I grab the hot new release of WordPress for Android that includes the ability to do WYSIWYG on the phone, the fan on my video card dies on my PC. So, despite my mocking and scoffing at the idea of blogging via phone (see previous post), it is my new, sole method of making a post, short of using work equipment or setting foot inside a library (if such things still exist).

Pocket brain Android, you win this round.

Posted in Wouldya Lookit That! | 4 Comments

WordPress for Android

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Solonor

I probably won’t post any more than normal just because I can do it from my pocket brain (android), but it is kinda neat…yannow, in case I suddenly have the urge to make a post from a tiny keyboard and makde lotddsa spellllinfg midtakes.

Posted in Wouldya Lookit That! | Comments Off on WordPress for Android

Don’t be a sucker!

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Solonor

Posted in Rants 'n' Whines, Yo! Listen Up! | 3 Comments

Nerd Alert! Richard Curtis, Steven Moffat and Neil Gaiman on completion of his Doctor Who script!

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Solonor

In which Mr Moffat looks more cheerful and Mr Curtis more deb... on Twitpic

Posted in Wouldya Lookit That! | 3 Comments

Dear sirs…your movie appears to be quite violent…

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Solonor

Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eric Roberts and Steve Austin in the same movie? It can’t suck. If only they could have gotten Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and maybe Chuck Norris, it would have been perfect (and the universe would have exploded).

Posted in The Big Screen | 2 Comments

Call me a heathen, but the iPad is still an overhyped waste of money.

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Solonor

iPad Reviews: Raves For Apple’s Latest Product

Wow. If I never believed in the power of fads and blind Apple devotion before, the lunatic fawning over the iPad by the media does the trick. What a load of crap!

Exactly how “revolutionary” is a giant iPod Touch that doesn’t make phone calls, can’t play most videos on the internet, can’t multitask, has a big “scratch me!” uncovered screen, requires a hardwired link to another PC and makes you use Apple’s iTunes, iBooks, iMonopoly, etc., just to get your own picture of Grandma on it?

Even the dumb “look! I can flip pages by waving my finger! can your Kindle do that?” argument is countered with “uh, no, but I can with my Nook!”

Personally, I think Pee Wee has the right idea…

Posted in Rants 'n' Whines | 1 Comment