So here’s Part II of my Weird Al picks. Few people know that more than half of the songs on his ALbums (that’s what he calls them… get it/ AL-bums… whatever) are original songs. Though he’s famous for his parodies they are not his only focus. he has come up with some great original pieces, and I’m going to take advantage here to inform you of my favorite 6. Now, I’ll be honest, there are probably some original Weird Al songs better than the ones I’m listing, but like most people I’m more familiar with his parodies. In particular I have not had a chance to listen to his last few ALbums in their entirety, so this list is solely based on what I know.
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This past week Weird Al Yankovic released his latest CD. The guy has now been recording for over 30 years. And he’s still at it, and he’s as funny, clever, and ingenious as ever. Nobody has ever done parody better than he has in any area. Most people write him off as a novelty act, but the truth is that half of his recordings are original songs. He’s just famous for the parodies because let’s face it, things are funnier when compared to an original, especially if they are done well. And nobody has ever done it better than he. So I’ve decided that I am going to do TWO Weird Al Top 6 lists. The first will be, as the title suggests, my favorite Al parodies. Then, the next one I make will be my 6 favorite originals (most of which many of you have never heard, unless you’re name is Javier Unzueta, whom I must thank for introducing me to his other lesser known work). So here is my Weird Al Parody list.
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Today I was getting caught up on my baseball scores online when I came across a tidbit of information I found interesting. It seems that June 21, 1991 was the debut of Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez in the major leagues. So, he just marked 20 years as a major leaguer. This made me think to myself, “Wow, this guy has been playing a long time!” Then I realized that I just finished teaching my 19th year. This made me wonder… how many guys are still playing in the major leagues that were playing back when I started teaching in 1992. I figured that there wasn’t going to be TOO many, but there had to be a few. As it turns out, along with Pudge, there are only a handful. Yes, that’s right folks – only 6 guys who had seen playing time in the major leagues prior to September 1992 are still playing. That made me feel old. So who are the old geezers? Let me introduce you to them… you’ll probably recognize a few of these names if you’ve followed baseball at all in the last 20 years.
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REM – TOP6
This Top 6 is dedicated to my friend Rob, or maybe Bob, depending on who he is or was when he was an REM fan before, in his estimation, they sold out. Though I agree that REM changed their sound and approach to music, I feel they were true to themselves a little longer than he gives them credit for. So here I will have a Top 6 that reflects what I feel is REM’s best work. These Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have a very distinct sound, one that is very unique to them. They were one of the fathers of the Alternative Rock movement even though that wasn’t even their aim. For years they weren’t played on the radio because they weren’t mainstream enough. Only after they made it “big” with their album Out of Time and their single Losing My Religion did the radio show them some love. I think this is where many people felt they sold out. The truth is that it was then that radio caught up with what they were doing and gave their sound the airtime and credit it deserved (something similar happened with the Red Hot Chili Peppers). So it wasn’t so much that they changed their sound, but that radio changed its stand on their sound. That’s how you know a band is revolutionary. MTV actually provided them with love before radio did when it started airing It’s the End of the World As We Know It on its regular rotation. They inadvertently opened the door for the great mainstream success of the band. And the rest, as they say, is history. So here are my Top 6 songs by REM. Continue reading →
Yesterday I posted my top 6 on Prince and suggested that my next TOP 6 would be INXS. Well, honestly I was going to wait about a week before posting that TOP 6 and I had a topic in mind that I wanted to post, you know keeping my readers on their toes and providing a little variety. I went to the beach with the family and actually spent time thinking about my approach on this topic. And then something interesting happened. I got home, and I completely forgot what it was that I was going to write about. Am I totally fried? How does that happen? I actually remember organizing my thoughts on the topic, but now I can’t remember the thoughts I actually organized. I am getting old, people!! So, to stay consistent and write today, I resort to giving you my INXS TOP 6. And while you read this, be aware, you should be reading something else entirely… but don’t let that spoil the moment.
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My taste in music is pretty predictable as a whole. I like Rock, rock, and more rock. Within rock, I will delve a little into the classics (Beatles, Floyd, Zeppelin, et al.) the prog rock (Genesis, Rush, Yes), the newer rock (Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam), and the funk rock (Rage Against the Machine… yes they’re heavy, but what a rhythm section!) And of course there is U2. But I have known from time to time to step outside these boundaries. I, for instance, was really into the whole New Wave movement of the ’80′s and can still enjoy pulling out those songs today. I also had a few guilty pleasures that I couldn’t help but really dig. First was the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I have all his CD’s posy Off the Wall. I love his music. Then there was Janet Jackson… though I think I listened to her because I had a huge crush on her (see video for “Love Will Never Do Without You”. WOW!). And then there was Prince.
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Are you tired of me writing about sports related stuff? Yeah, me too. Of course I’d keep doing it if there was positive stuff to write about, but right now, there’s not, so I will move onto something else: like how about a TOP 6! I haven’t done one of those in over 8 months! So today I will attack The Police (not really attack police, I think that’s a crime in most states, and carries a death penalty in some countries, I’m sure… but THE Police), the 3 man band made up of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Gordon Sumner, a.k.a. Sting. So here are my TOP 6 Police songs. Continue reading →
I know most of us are still in denial… and a few of us hate Lebron as much as the rest of the country does now (I’m not included in this), but I wanted to take this time to go over all the reasons why the Heat did NOT win the title… and there are a few.
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Never has a cough gotten so much attention. And really, never should it have gotten so much attention. It has been three days now, and it seems that whenever the Finals come up, the first or second thing mentioned is Wade’s “impression” of Nowitski coughing… his “mocking” of Nowitski. We are in the midst of watching one of the most compelling NBA Finals of all time for SO many reasons and all the media cares to talk about is the Wade cough. Really? Is the media so talentless that they can’t find a way to talk up the real story so far. They can’t leave this one act as a mere blurb and head on to more important territory like this HUGE Game 6 that’s going to happen tonight?
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I would love to write something tonight, but this is a family blog. What I feel like typing is not kid friendly, so I shall defer… did I say that I want the series to end. I do, but now I want to suffer through Tuesday. UGGGHHHHH!
