Dare To Be Stupid Again
There have been a few minor changes in the playlist at home. At the Portland dance party, Belinda and Hova played the Toy Dolls' deeply awesome version of "Nellie The Elephant." I'd forgotten how much I loved that song, and I instantly realized that its essential qualities--fast, silly, animal-related--fit Elijah's preferences perfectly. I downloaded it as soon as I got home. I also added, to the "Elijah Rock" ITunes playlist, a couple of Me First And The Gimme Gimmes songs. Their covers of "Over The Rainbow" and "The Rainbow Connection" seemed to suit the boy perfectly.
Sure enough, Elijah loved all three of them, and has been making me play them over and over again. Nellie The Elephant is fun no matter how many times you play it; the others are innocuous when repeated, though when Elijah is running around to Fat Mike singing "Over The Rainbow," I sometimes feel as though I've been zapped into a snowboarding-themed Mountain Dew commercial.
But those new songs are a minor threat compared with what I've done to our listening schedule in the car. Last week, I made what might have been a fatal mistake. I put "Dr. Demento's Greatest Hits" into the CD changer.
When I was a kid, I loved Dr. Demento, though I didn't understand why. Now I do. Dr. Demento is a stoner nerd. The songs on this collection play that out: The songs are all wacky wordplay, somewhat dated anti-yuppie snobbery, excretory reference, and science-fiction worship. As such, Regina has determined that certain ones are off-limits until Elijah is older. He's not allowed to listen to the one that goes "I'm looking over my dead dog Rover." "Dead Puppies," despite its inherent awesomeness, is also off-limits, as is a weird Shel Silverstein number about the pleasures of getting high.
The rest of the songs have been deemed acceptable by the maternal selection board, but Elijah has chosen his favorites. Unsurprisingly, he likes "Fish Heads." He also shows great interest in Bulbous Bouffant, a fine experiment in psychedelic wordplay. Surprisingly, he also likes Allan Sherman's "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah," and, somewhat less surprisingly, "Shaving Cream."
To warm the heart of Alternadads everywhere, Elijah loves the Frank Zappa Don't Eat The Yellow Snow/Nanook Rubs It medley. But his favorite song on the disc, by far, is Weird Al Yankovic singing "Yoda."
Now, I was a Weird Al Fan as a boy, a proclivity that lead me to receive many a playground beating, and I'm as amazed as anyone that he's not only still going, but even thriving. Also, he's apparently refusing to age at the rate of a normal human being. It doesn't exactly make me happy that Elijah is showing signs of following in my dork footsteps, but Elijah is a lot cuter than I am, so I'm hoping he bears the burden better than I did.
By the way, this video is the funniest thing I've ever seen Weird Al do. I have a feeling that Elijah and I are going to be watching a lot of Weird Al on YouTube.
Yesterday in the car, we were driving along, listening to "Yoda" for the 15th time in a week.
"It's amazing," I said. "Elijah enjoys a parody song from 1984"
"I know," said Regina. "He has no idea that the song actually has an antecedent."
"And he never will," I said.
"What's an antecedent?" asked Elijah.
"Um," I said.
"It's something that's derived from something else," Regina said.
"What's derived?"
"It came from something else."
"So I was derived from mommy's tummy?"
"Something like that."
"Daddy," Elijah said. "You're my antecedent."
"Yes, son," I said.
"Can I listen to Shaving Cream now?"
My son. White and nerdy.
Comments
Your son's not the only one who's recently discovered the genius of Weird Al.
See you next month.
Posted by: ttrentham | February 12, 2007 3:13 PM
I loved Dr. Demento back in my junior high days - every Sunday night I'd be cuing up a 90-minute tape to record as much of the show as I could stay awake for - if I could, I'd stay awake for the Funny Five. Was it just me or did Weird Al dominate the Funny Five in the early 80s? Yoda, I Love Rocky Road, Another One Rides the Bus - it became old hat.
And Dead Puppies, The Streak and Shaving Cream still crack me up. Oh, to be 13 again.
Posted by: Mr. Big Dubya | February 12, 2007 5:41 PM
What about "Titties and Beer?" Can he listen to that one?
Dr. Demento substituted the sound of cuckoo clocks for the word "titties" back when I was listening.
Posted by: KathyR | February 12, 2007 6:57 PM
Ahhh...The Dr. Demento Show, a staple of the Gen X childhood (at least in L.A.). I remember a song called "Kinko the Clown" that I liked. Same band as "Dead Puppies". Regina would probably rain on that parade too, cause she's got something against songs about creepy child molesters or something. Mommy Regina, or Tipper Gore, I ask you? "Dead Puppies" was great, and would elicit howls of laughter from the back of our station wagon and disgusted head shaking from my mother as we drove home from our Sunday dinners at an uncle's house. "My puppy died late last fallllll; he's still rotting in the hallllll..." How come Elijah can't listen to that one? Seems to be just straightforward logic. Dead puppies *aren't* much fun. It's educational.
Posted by: Mieke | February 12, 2007 9:24 PM
Regina is very sensitive to the idea of animals dying.
Posted by: Neal Pollack | February 12, 2007 10:03 PM
what do you do when you son quits the family band?
http://thechestpains.blogspot.com/2007/02/quitting-family-band.html
Posted by: Greg Barbera | February 13, 2007 5:30 AM
Wait. Elijah's never going to be allowed to listen to The Kinks?
Posted by: amy | February 13, 2007 6:17 AM
I remember the Weird Al beatdown days well, which were all the worse because I also happened to be a big Rush fan. Nothing says excessively white and nerdy like a self-proclaimed allegiance to a Canadian power trio that sings songs about black holes and whose lyricist claims Ayn Rand as a leading influence, etc. And I think I first stumbled across TMBG on Dr. Demento when "Don't Let's Start" was young. I think Barenaked Ladies wrote "Grade 9" about me. What a model cement flashback.
Posted by: PhillyD | February 13, 2007 10:37 AM
Dr. Demento - awesome! Great memories growing up listening to that freak show. I can't believe Kinko the Clown was already mentioned...that one was really disturbing.
Hey Neal. Check out LastFM.com
You can download an app that will feature a "live" playlist straight from iTunes to this blog.
Let me know if you need help setting it up - assuming you're interested.
Mine's pretty dead right now, because I'm living with the in-laws. But you can see mine at davemadethis.blogspot.com (scroll down, it's on the right side of the page).
Cheers.
Dave
Posted by: Dave: Two Boobs and a Baby | February 13, 2007 11:51 AM
Dave. I'm definitely interested in setting it up. Email me.
Posted by: Neal Pollack | February 13, 2007 11:53 AM
For more about Dr. Demento and his funny music nerd army, read here:
http://digg.com/music/Tyrone_Kahn_keeps_the_faith_with_more_Demented_music
Posted by: Slob Jones | February 13, 2007 12:49 PM
The good Dr. has the cure for what ails you. And for the ultimate in Weird Al-ness, get the box set.
Posted by: How About Two? | February 13, 2007 3:27 PM
It's fun trying to find music that'll make a kid dance. My son Max loves this Tom Jones cd that I own by marriage. But the boy will dance to a hairdryer...
Posted by: Ashley | February 14, 2007 9:47 AM
OMG, jr. high flashbacks. I think I actually used to call KLSX and request stuff (don't remember what, though). Remember the Halloween and Christmas specials? Man, I haven't thought about "Dead Puppies" in over a decade, and now I'm remember me and some other geeks in jr. high singing the "no no no" part over and over. Of course, "Fish Heads" figured into a conversation at work just the other week. Heh. Good times...
Posted by: daddy in a strange land | February 16, 2007 6:56 AM
The Comstock Brothers, you HAVE to get their CD for the ultimate in Elijah rock!!
Posted by: Crash | February 16, 2007 12:49 PM
I have been hooked on "Nellie the Elephant" since reading this post. Thanks Neal! Can you recommend any other Toy Dolls songs that are just as catchy?
Posted by: Jesse | March 7, 2007 12:15 PM
Jesse, listen to-Sod the neighbours,Kids in tyne and wear or Dig that groove baby. All great Toy Dolls tracks
Posted by: Eric | May 15, 2007 9:46 PM