Last week – on Mardi Gras to be precise – I had intended to post a link to a .zip file of a Swamp Pop compilation that Townsman BigSteve made me last year for my fellow Townspeople to download and enjoy. A week later, that link is now here:
Swamp Pop Compilation .zip file
Track List follows!
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Based on Townsman Mrclean‘s comments the other day, during the Musical Nightmares Come to Life thread, in which he mentioned the nightmare of his old band, The Dead Milkmen, getting paired up with all sorts of “wacky” and “goofy” bands, it seemed right to put aside some time to discuss the role of Humor in Rock. To kick off discussion, a few Townspeople have contributed words on an aspect of humor in rock that they feel strongly about. Other opinions are sure to follow, including your own. Care to chime in with a stance on this union?
As you consider this topic, please make some time to comment on Frank Zappa’s humor. I look forward to your comments.
Does humor belong in music? Emphatically, I say Yes. Bear in mind, I’m among the RTH contingent that not only considers Randy Newman one of the Greats, but also he believes that through humor he gets to the kind of truths that Serious-Minded Rockers couldn’t even come close to grazing. If you’re not down with Newman – he is an acquired taste – you should know I feel the same about The Kinks.
Remember, when I mean humor in music, I don’t mean novelty songs. The key isn’t so much making jokes as it is comic timing. And in fact, I’d argue many of the Accepted Greats of Rock possess this gift: Dylan, The Beatles, The Who, The Stones. (“Baby better come back, maybe next week/’Cause you see I’m on a losing streak” is down to comic timing.)
I lean, then, towards humor that is expressed conversationally in music. So, the elephant in the room, Frank Zappa, doesn’t really register for me. His comic timing doesn’t strike me as tuned to the rhythms of speech as much as the rhythms of the hyperactive xylophone part or crazy time signature.
The humor in the Dead Milkmen music wasn’t labored. It was a natural expression of our selves. I think we often talked about serious issues but tempered the delivery with humor – if only to prevent us from getting weighed down with the shit that was going on. We also thought the hardcore punk scene that we began playing shows in took themselves way too seriously. Our attitude was that this all should be fun.
Rodney is one of the funniest and smartest persons I know. He can think fast on his feet and he still cracks me up!
I think humor brings people together, and by having a sense of humor we were able to bring the crowd to us more. Some bands cultivate the em>”we’re special up here – keep your distance” vibe. We were trying to get to know the local crowd. After all – wasn’t the “punk ethos” something like, “Everyone can do it! Anyone can be in a band!”.
As an aside – one of the items on our “rider” was a local newspaper. This provided a little local information sometimes that we could play off of on stage.
Now, enjoy a whole mess of Dead Milkmen videos here!
Townsman Scott checks in on the elephant in the room.
Before anybody gets upset, let me reassure you: I have no problem with humor in music. My problem is when the humor isn’t funny and/or when it detracts from the overall appeal of the music.
Zappa comes to mind primarily because, more than anyone else, he always made a big deal about the humor he used. And, more often than not, his humor doesn’t do much for me. Let’s face it – the guy was a dork. That doesn’t mean he didn’t make some good music – dorks often do – but his insistence that he was somehow better and smarter than his audience wears on me.
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While we’re on the subject of humor in music – and, inevitably, Frank Zappa – I thought I’d pass along a link to The Real Frank Zappa Book that Townsman Mrclean discovered. Enjoy.
We’ll give you $5.99 worth if you give us something.
