daslied

Hey, if Russell Crowe would make coloring books he might soon be number one.

He came to my school once, bearing delicious red dental tablets.

I would think lyrics for a lot of people, which is startling in light of the crap that's popular now. Maybe a combination of crap music and crap lyrics has a cancellation effect, and lulls people into thinking something's great. For me personally, it's music then lyrics. I won't listen to something just because the lyrics are good; there are plenty of books for that. Or I can read lyrics on the internet. But I could give a crap, generally, about the lyrics if the music is good. Look at the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa. Well, Zappa was a least funny and original. But the other two aren't going to be in poetry anthologies anytime soon. (Waiting for someone to point out that "Norwegian Wood" is currently in some British anthologies.) But the lackluster lyrics don't in any way detract from the song for me. Good things happen, though, when people interpret songs by Dylan and Leonard Cohen, etc. Look at "All Along The Watchtower" by Hendrix or "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. They did amazing things with mediocre (musically speaking) songs. The lyrics enhance the music rather than try to carry it. You do have rare cases where music and lyrics are done equally well - Paul Simon, Ian Anderson, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello. It doesn't get any better than that. The lyrics can be beautiful, humorous or merely clever - I just appreciate that they're good or original. I guess the bottom line, for me, is that I'm LISTENING to music and not just treating it as a pleasant background for words. The other way seems to be the tail wagging the dog, and I'm not saying that to offend anybody who disagrees. I just have never been able to listen to music casually enough to tune it out in favor of the lyrics. OK, back to the goofy stuff.

Nobody's laughing at the Wiggles now. I just shelled out $125 for concert tickets. And a buck 95 for a coloring book.

Maybe I'm the only one who saw it. It ran in the U.S. in the early-mid 80's I used to watch it every morning before school. They had a newscaster (Gary Gnu) who was a gnu, and at the end of every segment he would say "No gnus is good gnus". Marvin Hamlisch did a regular music segment, and then they would all fly off in the Great Space Coaster. Surely Slim Goodbody fans would remember it?

Sadly, I have. Damn it to hell.

Ding, ding, ding. They were all on "The Muppet Show". Was it the wok thing that gave it away? I was pretty proud of that.

You guys should do a duet of "The Closer I Get" and send it to me.

Peaches, while I love your selections (sans AC/DC) I think you're giving people too much credit. Maybe I'm just a big (bad word - please don't). Anyhoo... If you've ever been to a karaoke bar, try to remember some special highlights.

I sort of forgot as well. What do these three have in common? Elton John Alice Cooper Johnny Cash It has nothing to do with actual music, and Marty Feldman has the same thing in common. They're not songs from "Yellowbeard". Someday you'll find it. The connection. Let's try not to get too grouchy; I don't want to get chopped in the face or anything. Sometimes I really wish I had a wok. Ah.

I don't mean to, I swear. Is another clue needed?

Hopefully the subject says it all. I'm trying to compile a bunch of songs that take zero skill to sing. Here are a few examples: Tequila - The Champs The Hustle - Van McCoy Rock And Roll Part 2 - Gary Glitter Wooly Bully - Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs Just A Friend - Biz Markie Anything Lou Reed (sorry to any fans) Anything by William Shatner They don't have to just have a few shouts (like "The Hustle") and rap doesn't count. Even people like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits (it kills me to say that) can be included. Basically, stuff anyone can mostly sing along with. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks, John

Oh, the disappointment. No.

Unmitigated, my ass. Brilliant, Peaches! My deepest apologies to everyone for such an odd question. I do love that song, and my brain often wanders towards Marvin Hamlisch. Kari, maybe you should get over and answer the "Common Links" question. Smarty.

Damn. That's twice I've got them all right, and lost because of the tiebreaker. I will taste victory one day.

No, no and no.

Also, Old 55, John Williams was the writer of all of the music from the "Star Wars" movies. Meco had a disco remix hit with it when the craze was so big.

OK, sorry for the delay. Old 55 got the artist/song/movie right a few posts back; he listed two, and it's one of them. Nobody's been even close with the tv show, though? A clue - the show was not set on Earth, and one segment had a very clever catch phrase.

No, but you're sort of on the right track. Off topic, "Yellowbeard" is the funniest damn movie that you can't get on DVD.

That's not what I was thinking, though it appears valid. What say I give a clue, and if there's no answer in a reasonable amount of time, we can call you the winner and you can post one? Clue: - has nothing to do with individual songs or albums. Or lazy eyeballs.

I gotta remember "useless shower of bastards". That's a good one.

OK: Elton John Alice Cooper Johnny Cash Vague clue: Marty Feldman, my idol.

Duh. Opposites. TDN - Black And White The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go Supremes - In And Out Of Love Yardbirds - Over Under Sideways Down Bad Company - Good Lovin' Gone Bad Is there anything Paula Abdul's wisdom can't help us with?

OK, now I think "Easy To Be Hard" is a clue. But I don't think Laura Nyro wrote a song for The Clash. I give up for a few minutes.

Colors? The Clash - Red Angel Dragnet Three Dog Night - Black And White Yardbirds - Nazz Are Blue, Only The Black Rose Supremes - Blue Moon, others Bad Company - Silver, Blue And Gold