Words And Music
Podcast 009: Strange Things - August 18, 2005

Podcast 009: Strange Things - August 18, 2005

If you collect enough records, eventually you realize you have a few that are just so bizarre you wonder for your own sanity.  I have a few of those, at least enough to do up a show.

Opening the show:  a quick selection of Hanna-Barbera sound effects, followed by "Meet The Mets," the official theme song of the inaugural 1962 season of the New York Mets.  This was back when one still referred to children as "kiddies."  Nowadays, they'll kick your ass if you do that.

Z-100 Morning Zoo, "My Girlfriend Is Inflatable," circa 1989.  These guys are responsible for a surprising number of odd records I have lying around here.  My favorite line is still "she's bi-o-degradable..."

Yer Mom, "Fish Otter Pops," 1999.  Originally appeared on a now-out-of-print sampler CD but can be found on Rock, Punk, Swing, along with such classics as "Mormon Fury" and "I Drink Beer, I Start Shit."  You have to be an Otter Pops fan to get all the references.

Dave Letterman, sound clip, "Where the hell are the singin' cats?" circa 1988

"The International Harvester Song," circa 1955.  Featuring Jerry Coyle, The Nelsonics and Billy Maxted's Dixieland Band.  A strange advertising/sales piece distributed to tractor and farm implement dealers back in the 1950s.  Nevertheless, once the hokey vocals get the hell out of the way, Bill Maxted's band really swings hard.

Brak, "Eating Bugs," 1998.  Brak is a trip, and when Space Ghost was more commonly found on Comedy Central, he was the best part of the show.  Except maybe when Zorak gets blown up.

Mrs. Miller, "Strangers In The Night," from Will Success Spoil Mrs. Miller?, released December, 1966.  Mrs. Elva Miller was a little difficult to figure out.  She was a real person, a fifty-something lady from Claremont, California who recorded several well-promoted albums for Capitol Records, probably on a day when Frank Sinatra was safely hidden in a bunker several states away.  People either took her seriously, or as a seriously inside joke.  For her own part, she always took her music very seriously and only passed away in 1998 at the age of 90.

The Monkees, "Gravy," 1967.  Seven seconds of inscrutable delight.

The Australian Doors Show, "Stairway To Heaven," from Stairways To Heaven.  This is a terrific but strange collection of over a dozen different Australian bands doing some rather... interesting... versions of the Led Zeppelin war-horse.  This recording is merely one of them.

Negativland, "U2 Radio Edit" -- caution!  Strong language and destruction of public images!  This is one of the records that got Negativland sued by U2.  Casey Kasem, oddly enough, didn't sue them.  He's probably now hiding in Sinatra's bunker.

20th Century-Fox Fanfare

Unknown, "belch."

Too Much Joy, "The Otter Song," from Green Eggs & Crack, released 1987, reissued 1997.

I warned you, didn't I?  I mean, didn't I????



Click here for the MP3 file (20.6 megabytes, 30:00 duration).

08/23/2005 12:55:53 AM

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