Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
22 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note Tags: bernie taupin, chris elliott, david letterman, elton john, rocket man, william shatner
Above: Hosting the 1978 Saturn Awards (Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror’s Academy Awards equivalent) Star Trek’s Captain Kirk performs Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, introduced by none other than the song’s co-writer Bernie Taupin (doing his best to look “truly proud”).
Below: Chris Elliott, in an appearance on Letterman, parodies not only the performance but Shatner’s perceived status in the 70’s as acting has-been. Elliott’s TV series Get a Life had recently been cancelled.
21 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note Tags: accidental racist, brad paisley, ll cool j, stephen colbert
(Reprinted from Yahoo Music)
While Brad Paisley’s duet with LL Cool J, “Accidental Racist,” has managed to spark some serious conversation about racism in America–the tune inadvertently has done a much better job of inspiring wisecracks.
The latest to hop on the “bag on Brad” train? Political satirist/comedian Stephen Colbert, who grilled the tune on his Colbert Report this week.
Calling Paisley’s song a case of “unifying suckage,” Colbert explained that he was inspired “to write my own awful song in the hopes of bridging another deep cultural rift in America…the gay marriage divide.”
He then donned a cowboy hat and announced his new composition: “Oopsie-Daisy Homophobe.” Halfway through the spoof, he was joined by actor Alan Cumming, who gamely took on the role of misunderstood gay man. Watch for yourself–but be warned, some of the lyrics are a little…colorful.
Watch video here:
21 Apr 2013 3 Comments
in On a Lighter Note Tags: bacon makes it better, dennys
14 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note Tags: new math, tom lehrer
Tom Lehrer, who just turned 85, has mathematics degrees from Harvard and a wit that can’t be taught. Combine it with some serious musical talent and you have a guy who can give a lesson that feels more like entertainment, which is why he was featured on public television’s The Electric Company in the 1970’s. Here he spins your head with “The New Math”, looking for solutions among the convolutions.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/03/14/tom-lehrer-the-elements/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2017/03/10/video-of-the-week-tom-lehrer-we-will-all-go-together-when-we-go/
12 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in General Posts, On a Lighter Note Tags: icky, they might be giants
From They Might Be Giants’ latest album, Nanobots.
Directors David Cowles and Jeremy Galante have perfectly matched the absurd humor of songwriters John Flansburgh and John Linnell in their animated depiction of that guy everyone warns you not to be.
Every Moment Has A Song 