Quit all that riff as I flip the script
In all my copious amounts of free time, I'll try to put together a Za mix CD. No promises, but if I'm satisfied with the project, then I will make extra copies and bring them to the reunion for wider distribution. The focus will be on songs that have strong Za connections. For instance:
Songs that Za listened to incessantly (e.g., Hard to Handle);
Songs that inspired skits (e.g., Don't you Want Me?);
Songs that accompanied skits (e.g., Iron Man);
Songs Za sang 11 seconds of (e.g., Cantaloop);
Songs sung by members of Za (e.g., Proving Ground);
Songs that somehow became part of Za lore (e.g., Momma Said Knock You Out).
Use the comments section to list songs you'd like to see on the mix or think ought to be there. It's more fun if you justify it by giving the rest of us context.
Songs that Za listened to incessantly (e.g., Hard to Handle);
Songs that inspired skits (e.g., Don't you Want Me?);
Songs that accompanied skits (e.g., Iron Man);
Songs Za sang 11 seconds of (e.g., Cantaloop);
Songs sung by members of Za (e.g., Proving Ground);
Songs that somehow became part of Za lore (e.g., Momma Said Knock You Out).
Use the comments section to list songs you'd like to see on the mix or think ought to be there. It's more fun if you justify it by giving the rest of us context.
posted by (d)avid at 1/09/2005 01:26:00 PM
7 Comments:
Okay, I'll hit the obvious choices:
"Don't You Want Me" obviously inspired "Don't you Want Keith Faigin" that later morphed into "Don't you Want Jon Kravis."
Not only did US3 make an appearance on the Wheel of Doom, but Steve Ehrenberg listened to it nonstop for a year.
For that matter, I recall listening to "Cannonball" post-show with the group.
I suppose "Tusk" could be included on the mix, because Mach I apparently believed it was the best song ever for one night.
"Iron Man" is the entrance music for the Evil Avenger.
Felipe, dressed as a nun, stabbed Jon Kravis to "Beat It" at Basement Tapes.
Goose and I (then Peter and I) hoe-downed to "Dueling Banjos."
You'll notice, I know nothing about the musical lore of the younger generations. And I really don't know much about the old fogies excepting that Chris Green got really into Ravi Shankar for a semester and that Randy Hesse blasted the Ronettes in the Swill Den.
No song screams "Combo Za" like the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
I'm shamed that I didn't think of it initially.
All of the basement Tapes music was legendary -- WB already noted Sly Stone's Runnin' Away for my Cabo san Lucas bit -- Ice, you also used Holy War for the opening of the very first Basement Tapes, i.e. "We won't play until Donnie Wahlberg comes back in Barbie intimate Apparel!". There must have been music during the Phantom Valet of Dodd story -- Chris Isaak's Wicked Game methinks. She Caught the Katy for its ignominious role in the first WofD. Tonight I'm Gonna Rock Ya Tonight from WB's and my first B-R show. Groove is in the heart from the first Mach II show. Theme song from I Love Lucy. Randy once played the riff of Barracuda for me on his Jazzmaster -- I still remember it, though don't have a whammy bar to make it kick the way he did -- it deserves a mention. And can I make a special request for -- yes! -- Oingo Boingo's Weird Science. OOOOOOOOOO!
Jason, I only have the tapes from the years I was in the group, so no dice on Barbie Intimate apparel.
Other songs spring to mind:
Rich and Peter proffered a lounge rendition of "The Humpty Dance" at Basement Tapes.
Jeff McMahon led the group in singing "I Got You, Babe" as Sonny Bono (pre-tree) for a skit entitled, "Support Group for Actors whose co-stars went on to be REALLY famous." Highlights of the skit included Pam Dawber (Emily Christiansen) play acting her feelings towards RObin Williams with sock puppets and Art Garfunkel (Rich Leimsider) ending the singing of "I got you, babe" by standing up and yelling, "Will I ever get to sing a song that I wrote?!" I played a lobotomized Peter Scolari in a strait jacket. My only direction was stare at the lights and spit. That about sums up the extent of my acting abilities. Felipe was an excellent group facilitator, who had to tell Janet and Crissy that John Ritter would never be famous enough to let them into the support group.
Felipe's entrance music in "The Honky Institute of Style" was "Low Rider." The highlight of the skit was Fagan switching from Brahman Boston Accent ("What kind of car bounces up and down?") to a guy with a bandana over his eyes and a bizarre Cheech Marin-esque accent threatening to hit Heather Wilkinson with his "chimichanga."
"Celebration" was the background music for the best beer commercial ever ("We Are the Champions" was the music for the worst beer commercial ever).
Obviously, "Shaft" was playing when I woke up, was hounded by Peter, and brushed my teeth. Lord, I wish every day was like that. Did I mention that Peter was wearing my yellow with black pinstripes vinyl jacket and his Kangol? He definitely looked unsavory.
"Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." I don't think we ever used the song, but we should have. Great title. Kind of fits the ethos of the group. We aren't comedy vikings, we're comedy cowboys -- complete with leather riding chaps and french ticklers.
Ed Bruce, Lenny Bruce -- what's the difference?
Reading through the comments above, how was "The Immigrant Song" used in the opening? I have a great image of it being sung by a faux-acapella group.
On that note, our version of "Man in the Box" was awful, but the song ain't and will forever be associated with Za lore (which means all of 15 people know about it).
I seem to recall that the show which ended with me pounding on RIch's back begging him to interact with me began with us singing an acapella version of Stairway to Heaven (or some other Zepplin classic) only to be told be the dreamy Rachel Axelrod that they wanted us to perform comedy, not acapella.
Man, singing bad acapella never failed as a gag.
Her name is Rachel Axler and she's married now.
It wasn't a song used in a performance, but I will always remember "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins thanks to a trip that Ben Cooper and (I think it was) Rich took to Montreal, I'll let one of them tell the story.
Actually it was Felipe and Ben and one of Felipe's buddies, now that I recall, that went to Montreal, not Rich.
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