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JJ's Bizarre Blog #51 - Laughter is the Best Medicine!
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Wazzap, everybody! Welcome to the latest, greatest, bizzarest of blogs. If you've been following along, you probably know that it's the special 50th entry and the old tradition entails that every 10th blog is band focused. So on that note - SIKE. Slighted! Bamboozled! Discombobulated even! Can't you read? This is blog 51, not 50! Just like Area 51, it's a realm of mystery and conspiracy! Who knows what you might get? Well, I do, so let me tell you! Happy April Fools day and in light of that, let's dive into some absolute shenanigans, tomfoolery, maybe even a little mischief! So here's your surprise blog all about comedy and parody music!
When it comes to comedy music, it really is what it says on the tin. So many artists over the years have decided that instead of cracking their hearts and heads open and laying their raw selves out into the music, they'll create something with the express purpose of making the listener laugh. Humour and jokes are one of the most human things ever and it helps us all stay sane and find joy in all things. We've injected humour into every artform in existence and music is no exception. Usually I like to make a history section with these blogs, but this really isn't feasible here as we've been joking around in music since forever. It has been a time honoured tradition as old as music itself. Folk songs from time immemorial have had jokes and naughty puns in them and even Mozart wrote jovial tunes accompanied by stupid poems in order to make his friends laugh at the tavern. So let's just jump right in and see what the punchline is!
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When talking about comedy music, there's nobody better to kick us off than the immortal legend himself "Weird Al" Yankovic! This polka playing man from Balkan Slavic descent, equally brilliant in music and comedy, uses his trusty accordion to make all kinds of humorous songs about pretty much anything you can imagine. But mostly food, a lot of food. The most famous thing Weird Al is associated with is his parodies of hit songs. He'll take a chart topper of the day, swap out the lyrics for something hilarious, sprinkle in bountiful silliness into the music with accordions, trumpets and slide whistles, pair it with absolutely amazing music videos and voila, a comedic masterpiece is born! Al has been doing this for over 40 years now and he hasn't lost his groove in all that time. He has gathered countless fans, so much so that having your song parodied by him is seen by many artists as a badge of honour, as proof that you've "made it" in music. Sometimes his parodies even outperform the original on the radio! He popularized this whole idea and to this day, nobody does it better!
While his parodies are by far his most famous works, it's far from all he does. He has several style parodies too where he imitates the general sound of an artist while adding his trademark lyrics. Beyond that, he has a ton of entirely original songs too, mostly in the polka variety. His magnum opus has to be the 11 minute long Albaquerque, a whole comedy film in musical form, leading to the dumbest and most brilliant punchline ever. Whatever Al touches, it becomes gold. He's always funny without ever becoming obscene or inappropriate. Laughs for the whole family! This man is a treasure to the Earth and must be protected at all costs.
The next jokesters we need to talk about and a key inspiration behind this blog are the Arizone airheads Psychostick! A thunderous metalcore-adjacent band (self-described as humorcore) who decided that instead of emotional songs about heartbreak and sorrow, they'll write lyrics about food, drinks...and stuff. Don't let the hilarious lyrics distract you though, their riffs are top notch, their songs are instantly memorable, many are very mosh worthy and the bass across all albums is just disgustingly good regardless of who play is! These guys are the kings of funny metal and they will always have a special place in my lunchbox. Remember, this is not a blog, IT'S A SANDWICH!
Comprised of professional yeller and complainer Rawrb, string noodler Josh the J and thing hitter Alex Shmalex, with only changing bass creatures, this metal circus has never stopped in its tracks! As their albums went on, they grew in scale and sarcastic ambition, becoming almost cinematic and always including both bits and sketches between and sometimes within songs, as well as hilarious outtakes. It's shocking to think I found these guys almost 20 years ago right as I started to explore the internet and that all these years later, we're all still here, still going strong and still laughing together. 10/10 tacos for you lads. Mad respect. Be grateful, on Spotify you can never run out of CD space!
For something more mainstream, few have reached the success of comedic music like the trio called The Lonely Island. With some absolutely hilarious parodies that go so far as to feature massive names from the entire industry. It's just so refreshing to see famous artists like this let loose and sing about absolute nonsense with just as much, if not more passion!
If you wanted to imagine what a completely unfiltered Weird Al style parody of modern songs would be like or what the Lonely Island would be if they didn't get invited to family gatherings anymore, check our Rucka Rucka Ali. While his off-colour humour has gotten him into trouble many many times and the jokes are somewhat more of an acquired taste, I and many others definitely acquired it! He also makes some more dull chart songs into absolute bangers and I always appreciate it when parody artists do that!
And on that note, YouTube and the internet at large are a treasure trove of comedy artists that have found their footing through satire, parody or shock value. They're not constrained by any genre so you never know what you're going to get! Oh by the way, nobody tell anyone what Joji was up to before he got into his (admittedly pretty impressive) music career.
But let's all calm down now, let's chill for a bit. Too much of a good thing ain't a good thing. So come, sit by the fire, grab a cocktail of your choice and come sample this marvelous selection of Richard Cheese! This fine gentleman likes to take various popular songs, in particular in the extreme metal and hip hop space, and distill them into these easy going cabaret and jazz tunes worthy of a formal dinner party. Edgy lyrics have never sounded so elegant. It is kind of shocking though if this is the first time you realize what the flip these guys are actually singing about.
If this much lowtempo isn't your jive, then how about some jovial country music, courtesy of the greatest artist the genre has ever seen - Wheeler Walker Jr.! This straight shooter presents the most honest and unfiltered lyricism in the field and if you ask me, no other musician encapsulates the outlaw lifestyle better. It's easy to pretend you're a cowboy when you've been on your parents farm once and own a pickup truck that has never carried anything heavier than a case of Bud Light. WWJ actually lives this life and will tell it to you how it is!
Now that we had our little siesta, let's crank up the intensity once again! As I said at the start, comedy has permeated all facets of music. Among the many artists that have dedicated themselves to the joke are the self-described "worst band in the world" Green Jellÿ (pronounced Green Jellö for unfun legal reasons). A hardcore punk band with absolutely zero seriousness behind them, these guys smash their instruments into each and always bring the greatest of party atmospheres. Remember lads, sometimes, it's all about confidence!
The seriousness can vary a lot when it comes to such bands and it's even more fascinating when artists ping pong between both! Take the legendary captains of pirate metal, Alestorm! These guys helped kickstart an entire new movement within metal, proving that sarcastic yet epic songs have a massive audience and knowing how to have fun is a vital skill to have in today's life! They have some of the best party songs out there and they liven up any gathering! But it's even more impressive that they can still switch on a dime and make completely serious songs about history, the supernatural or the tragic fate of sailors. Fun and fascination, all in one!
As mentioned, Alestorm were the catalyst of many other power and folk metal artists to dive into comedic territories, blessing us with some of the most epic(ly funny) bangers ever created. Amazing fun to blast at parties, incredible to experience live, these guys have injected some much needed life and spunk into the metal scene and ensured that the good feelings never cease! Plus they single-handedly disprove that we metalheads are bitter and depressed edgelords that don't enjoy existence. We know how to let loose!
Among this crowd, one other pioneering band are Italy's Nanowar (of Steel)! These wacky maestros have been bringing us glorious party bangers for ages and they love to make fun of metal cliches and life in general. Every moment with them is hilarity you can dance and mosh to and they even gave metalheads their own summer latino hit and there's nobody else that could've pulled that feat off! They even branch off into various languages, ensuring that everyone can understand their nonsensical lyrics and join in the fun!
If all this power metal stuff is too light and sugary for you and you want something heavier, then worry not for modern metalcore and deathcore bands have you covered! While many of the space are concerned with songs about failed romance and exploring the deepest and darkest recesses of the human psyche, others just say whatevs' and just make songs about pizza and stuff. I mean, who doesn't love to mosh their face (and other people's faces) off to some crushing riffs and breakdowns, while also giggling to silly lyrics all the way through? It's perfect! Sign me right up!
For those that instinctively pull away from anything with -core at the end, consider the phenomenal multi-year one liner that is Austrian Death Machine. It takes a specific kind of sophisticated gentleman and brilliance of delivery to tell the same joke for over a decade and still keep it funny, but this guy manages it! Him being Tim Lambesis from the wildly successful As I Lay Dying, forming this one man thrash metal project exclusively to both parody and pay tribute to all the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger movies was a stroke of brilliance and he has created an experience like no other. Even sound-wise, the mix of fast thrash beats, groovy riffs and the occasional metalcore breakdown make for a meaty feel that is perfect for the gym! Go grab some steel and get clattering!
If that still isn't heavy enough for you, then perhaps the offshoots of the grind scene will be to your taste. You have to employ a serious level of irony and satire to sing about the things these guys do, but it's all in good spirits and in good fun. Plus, as I've elaborated before, the fun at these kinds of shows is guaranteed and being able to let loose completely like this is so liberating and enjoyable! It's good therapy to do some once in a while.
But if heaviness isn’t your jive, worry not, silly! Even in electronic music there’s plenty of humorous tunes so you can dance and laugh at the same time! These bangers will always befit a club. Whether that’s a dance club or a comedy club is up to you!
After all that intensity, we can loosen up a bit. In the recent most patriotic blog I told you how humour is an almost intrinsic property of a lot of my country's music, so it feels very appropriate to mention it here. In particular the comedy folk tunes made by countless iconic bands are a perfect encapsulation of our culture, mixing in folk rhythms both domestic and foreign with some properly hilarious lyrics for an experience that is lighthearted and uplifting. You wanna have a good time? There's few better places to go! Със Черно Фередже, о йе!
So there you have it, a fine and varied selection of musical hilarity! This is just the tip of the iceberg of course, there are countless other joke songs and joke artists that I couldn't cover, but I've given you the setup and I'm passing it on to you. Finish the joke in the funniest way possible and see where it takes you! On a side note, a good chunk of the songs in this blog fit the bill too, so if you need some more ideas and inspiration, check that out as well!
And let’s not forget all the hilarious times when usually serious artists let loose and joke around, poking fun at each other, at themselves, at life itself or whatever else it can be. Finding the random joke hidden inside otherwise serious albums really feels like a proper Easter egg hunt. These treasures are worth digging for!
Either way, any bit that goes on for too long eventually gets dull, so I'll drop the mic here. Hope you enjoyed this jovial little detour we took. Comedy music is such a unique and enjoyable phenomenon. Being able to jam to some quality tunes that also manage to make you laugh is very worthwhile and a must have at parties. It keeps the mood high and the musicality makes it all the more engaging than a simple stand-up routine or sketch. Plus you can experience it anywhere! So remember, laughter is good for you! You'd be surprised how much it helps to just laugh it off when things in life just don't go your way. Making fun of things and yourself is also a lighthearted way of commenting on real issues and acknowledging that they need solving. So loosen up, crack some jokes, enjoy some banter and don't take yourself too seriously. Nobody likes a stickler or a sourpuss.
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May your smiles be bright and genuine and your hearts full of joy! Happy April Fools Day once again! Don't let anyone make a fool out of you, unless it's funny and you're in on the joke! Take care of yourselves and catch you all soon!
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