It's easy, especially these days, to get bogged down in all the... well, shit that's going on in the world at the moment. When this happens, I, and I suspect many of you, tend to bog myself down in music as a way of disconnecting from the shit and decompressing. The problem with this is that so many artists--not to mention many listeners--tend to take the music way too seriously. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing and I'm certainly not judging. I can't--I'm just as guilty of it as anyone else.
But
every so often, it's good to appreciate the humour that can be found in
life. Humour is something that gets left out of a lot of popular
music. For some reason, if something makes you laugh, it usually gets
labeled as a "novelty" recording and is relegated to Dr. Demento's radio
show. Again, not that there's anything wrong with novelty songs or Dr.
Demento. I'm a fan of both. But aside from Frank Zappa, Jimmy
Buffett, and a handful of (admittedly really good and well-known)
country artists, musicians usually try to express themselves in a more
"serious" manner.
But
I've discovered something interesting. Just because a song makes me
laugh, that doesn't mean it doesn't address serious issues. Basic human
emotions that are expressed in "serious" ways can also be expressed in a
humourous manner. This doesn't make them bad recordings. They just
approach life from a different perspective.
So
this week, I'm going to submit an album that makes me not just laugh,
but makes me wish I could write songs like this. I also have some fond
memories of it from college, which is kind of a long story and I won't
bore you with it here. In the meantime, please enjoy They Might Be
Giants with their 1990 album Flood.
Until
next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember
that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for
you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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