Because I Require Stimulation

A beautiful friend of mine shared this with me. I think it’s fairly fuckin’ fantastic, but I’ll let you decide. I know you’ll come to the same conclusion as I did… if you know what’s good for you.

Every so often I post something around here about the weird things the Japanese folks do.

I offer this as a counterexample to show you that the Japanese do not have a monopoly on “odd.” This is a little ditty (sing along if you know the words) from an Icelandic sketch comedy show called Steindinn Okkar. To this day, I think the sketch comedy show which set the standard for everything else to come was Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Among other things, Monty Python’s cast made fun of religion and wrote funny songs.

It’s nice to see that these practices continue.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Father Thug by Steindinn Okkar.

What? It’s just a little ditty. A small tune from 1931 about a guy who thinks his girlfriend’s pet cat is pretty cool.

That’s all.

Right?

Ladies and gentlemen, Harry Roy and His Orchestra performing My Girl’s Pussy.

If you don’t understand the title of the post, you really need to see this.

This is my theme song. Everyone should have a theme song. Seriously, it’s like pro wrestling. What if, just what if you had a song that played for you every time you walk into a room? If life had a soundtrack, and I think it should, then every time you see me appear on the screen, this is the song that should be playing.

In other words, anything you want to know about me can be learned from this one song.

Ladies and gentlemen, Frank Turner.

The thing about modern music videos is that corporations got their hooks into them and, being corporate, they suck every bit of creativity out of them. That’s why I haven’t watched an American music video in, oh, probably damn near a decade. The only time I seek out a music video is because someone pointed it out to me and told me I should watch it. Even with my sluttish devotion to music in general, I’ve still never seen all of a Lady Gaga video. I’m told those are creative, but I’m far too jaded to care.

Now let’s cross that small body of water called the Atlantic Ocean and see what Europe can come up with. Well, there’s a group I’ve been into for a while called C-mon and Kypski. They’re a Dutch house/dance group who spin some of the best beats in the world and they do so with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. So not only is their music fun, but it tends to be funny. That and they make some great videos, like this one from 2007 called The Evil Needle.

Dammit we Americans just can’t have nice things. Ladies and gentlemen, C-mon and Kypski.

In the art of sumo, the champion is called the yokozuna. This signifies that they have the highest rank in professional sumo competition. For a while this title was held by an American – a Hawai’ian named Chad Rowan. In Japan he was known Akebono Taro and he was one of the best the sport has ever seen.

Why am I telling you this?

So you’ll know how random, awesome, and funny it is to see him promoting the TV show Glee in Japan.

Ladies and gentlemen, Akebono.

Black and white. Classic setting. Four guys on four different instruments. Jazz.

Ladies and gentlement, the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Back in the day I watched kids shows like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers. There was some good stuff along with that like The Electric Company and Square One. The thing is, while those shows were great, they had a set cast with occasional guest performers who the kids wouldn’t have known anyway. Seriously, Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno were on The Electric Company. I only figured out who those people are when I became a teenager.

Now with these new kids shows my children watch, I’m the one who is learning things. For instance, one of my favourites, Yo Gabba Gabba. Sure, the kids don’t know the guest performers on there, but I get to learn about some really spiffy music. The first time I ever saw the Ting Tings was on Yo Gabba Gabba. Then I happened to see this other band called The Postmarks.

They are excellent.

They’ve got a retro sound to them, something out of the late 60s or early 70s. This is something they are obviously aware of as their rather well designed website is done up like an old vinyl record jacket from that period. I’d advise anyone to check them out, but here’s a couple of their tunes, including the one I heard on Yo Gabba Gabba.

What we have here is Deep Throat. No not this Deep Throat and no not that Deep Throat either. I’m not even talking about this Deep Throat.

This is something different, and that’s why it’s fantastic.

This is Deep Throat by Claude VonStroke. It has a kiddo, a laundromat, a creepy bird ala the Family Guy, and hot Deutsch girls. In short, it’s gotta lotta what I like.

Ladies and gentlemen, Claude VonStroke.

See here, I like all kinds of music. I love Celtic and I love Deutsch industrial. I listen to Brahms and I listen to Flatt & Scruggs. I dig on Lady Gaga and I adore Jonathan Coulton. Basically it works out to one thing, I’m a music junky. If I’m outside the house, there’s at least a 90% chance that my iPod Touch is with me. Why? Well shit, man, I can’t leave the house without music. I’d rather leave without my fuckin’ cell phone. I rarely need to call anyone, but I always need music.

But I have a weakness. I love all those artists and all those styles, and yet I have a favourite. It’s a weird favourite, which you might expect, but it is the thing that I will always stop and listen to and crave more of.

I fucking adore and worship surf rock.

The Ventures, Dick Dale, Omura Kenji, Surfaris, Nokie Edwards, Link Wray… I love them all and I will listen to surf rock all day if I have the opportunity. I know, because I’ve done just that. In my favourite groups of my favourite musical genre there exists one that I think is the coolest. They’re a Russian band bearing the unlikely name of The Messer Chups. While people might think I like them because my last name is Messer, in reality, my last name isn’t worth a dime’s bit of difference here. I’d love this group if they called themselves Ravaged Assholes.

First, they play killer, totally kickass surf rock style music. They’re quirky and they’re a joy to listen to.

Second, this is the bassist.

Yeah. Are there any further questions? If so, you may direct them to this video. Ladies and gentlemen, The Messer Chups.

Here’s one for the musicians in the readership…

I’m a cynical son of a bitch. I really don’t like people. I don’t like how the world works. I hate the wars. I hate the politicians. Between the superstitions and the money, I think the best thing ever would be the planet Earth in my rearview mirror.

But dammit, this little animated short based on an XKCD comic made me smile. I think I’m going to listen to it at least once a day.

I Love xkcd from NoamR on Vimeo.

Look! There’s more!

Ladies and gentlemen, Doctors deGrasse Tyson, Sagan, Feynman, and Nye.

I… I um. I don’t even know what to write.

The weird thing is, this is actually kind of good. Actually, I think it is good. I mean it’s not top ten material. You won’t hear it on Casey Kasem but… well, actually, it’s probably a good thing you won’t hear it on Casey’s Top 40.

Anyway, um… Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Sagan and Dr. Hawking.

I fell in love with the Yoshida Brothers ages ago. I’ve always had a thing for musicians who can take folk instruments and adapt them to modern music. The shamisen, a type of Japanese banjo, is one of the classic instruments of Japan. Used in the bunraku puppet theatre and other forms of Japanese entertainment like kabuki.

The Yoshida Brothers took their mastery of the instrument and brought it into the modern world of music. While well known for one of their their hit songs, RISING, this one, called Kodo, is no less energetic, but a little more traditional. All in all, good stuff.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Yoshida Brothers.

Hi.

Back in college my friend John introduced me to this German band called Rammstein. Today, I fairly well own every album Rammstein ever made and I still listen to them on a regular basis.

Welp, apparently the boys got back together for a little Deutsch thrashing and put together an X-rated music video called, appropriately enough, Pussy. It’s hilarious, and yes it’s totally X-rated. It shows that even hardcore German industrial metal bands can kick back and have a laugh at themselves. And hey, given the standard subject matter of Rammstein’s music, this song is basically an attempt at bubblegum pop.

Which is, I think, exactly the thing they’re making fun of. And, while they make fun of it, they happen to be getting laid.

Ya know, I need to start a metal band.