Funny meets funky as we take another spin on the parody turntable! Some say rockers take themselves far too seriously. To that, we can only skeptically respond, "Oh, yeah? C-flat for yourself!"
Great song - great dude. R.I.P. Mojo. He was awesome in concert too and I am grateful to have seen him a few times.
Your comment also made me think of El Vez, the Mexican Elvis, who also is/was amazing to see live. Check out this Bowie/Elvis medley below. It's rawer than some of his more polished covers, but one of my faves of him.
This was sooo much fun! This series keeps getting better and better.
Thanks so much for the shout-out and signal boost!
Glad you liked the Ariana impressions. She’s so talented. And I loved how you branched out, so to speak, including actors and other celebs.
Now, THAT video of mini Bruno… how adorable is that?! I knew he had done some Elvis imp as a kid, but I’d never seen footage until now! This is why we come here… Front Row and Backstage!
Thanks, Andy! I appreciate your contributions (and others'), and was surprised I found what I found! Yes, Baby Bruno is a scream! He, like Wayne Brady, was born too late, IMO. So multi-talented, artists like those who can act, sing, do comedy, dance, do impressions, NEED a variety show to display their talents! In my mind, Brady and Bruno are the new-age Sammy Davis, Jr.s!
Wayne tried, bless him, in a half-hour attempt, as I recall, but around the turn of the century, that particular passe TV animal was just too far gone from the audience's viewing desire, and ad buys were tough to secure for networks!
I hope Bruno can "grow" and move a bit beyond the "hip" younger lane to explore how to exploit his talents and share them with a (perhaps older) larger audience......somehow! I will say, to produce such fun, mass-appeal songs like "Uptown Funk" is a genius way to reach out to a mass audience; let's face it, he could just disappear into the "dirty word" rap world, and still make millions, but what a waste of his talent!
Spot on. I wholeheartedly agree. I love Bruno, all of his work, but particularly his ballads. I mean, him sitting there, playing piano, sunglasses on, crying his heart out and belting out "When I Was Your Man" with such crystal clear tone... Stevie, watch out... oh, well, no... Stevie, be careful! 🤣
Cool to hear, David! I didn't know that. I've always thought he's a little underrated in the rock arena over the decades....by media-types, anyway, and those who chronicle careers, etc. I sense The Guess Who has always sort of slotted into the pop lane (again, from a mass media POV), along with, say, Three Dog Night, and that ilk, and have ended up lacking a sort of "serious" rock gravitas over time.
I don't think Burton's solo work has swayed that perception.... BUT, impressions like the ones we've featured point even more to his vast overall talent, and if nothing else, those who may have thought he was a "rock lightweight" will hopefully more fully appreciate his singing, at the very least!
Granted, I'm biased being a lifelong Winnipegger regularly exposed to his music over the course of my life- thanks to the CTRC we hear Canadian music much more often than that of other countries. You guys have a wider volume of choices...
I don't know if Tracy Ullman has impersonated rock stars, but she does amazing impressions of famous politicians and actors and she also had a brief time as a UK pop star -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99U6Zeoh5p4
Yes, I had not seen that "AW" vid before....I enjoyed it, too! It reminded me of a comedy piece I wrote about 2 dozen years ago for a comedy website, "Corduroy Galaxy" (no longer online, so I'm just spit-ballin' here, wildly guessing what I actually wrote back then! Bear with me!) that me and half-a-dozen of my late-'80s high school youth groupers put together (my core group when I was a full-time pro youth minister in L.A. county)!
My premise was simple: Current movies (around the turn of the century, of course) and their promo ad copy, BUT if somehow the movie title had just one letter (or word....but, I strived for just a letter) missed or badly-proofread by the PR dept., and of course, that would radically change the ad copy! For example: "The Hunk for Red October".... Sean Connery is submarine captain, Red October who uses his non-traditional, underwater vacation to explore some new personal horizons. Or, "Leg Ends of the Fall"....Brad Pitt plays a struggling new tailor, particularly when it comes to hemming men's dress pants in early Autumn. And, so on!
As for Tracey, I've seen quite a bit of her comedy bits, and have loved her impersonations....including men! That's a cute Corden clip....loved her impromptu run at "They Don't Know"...I'm glad James let her keep going! BTW, for you and other readers, I've written about my massive adoration of her and that song, here:
I should have known you already did a post about her! Brilliant! I became a huge fan when I lived in the UK and saw her comedy specials on one of the British networks. I can't see anyone capturing Camilla better than she did.
Love the premise for your comedy piece with the youth groupers. I can see that being a blast for them and you. (Corduroy Galaxy is a perfect name for a comedy website.)
Jason came up with that Corduroy Galaxy name. What a talented handful of young men....intelligent and truly funny, and each in a unique way! I would tell them that if I could win the lottery, we'd form a comedy "factory," churning out books, sitcom scripts, comedy albums, etc!
One of them, Joe, never went to college, took a temp job at Disney Studios/Burbank in the early-'90s, and is still with them today....he's tech savvy, and used that to his advantage, and for several years, now, he's been in their video department, working on creative, groundbreaking ways to use video (drones, GoPros, animation, etc) for the studio.
Thanks, Ellen......My bro and I grew up with "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in first run, and I was drawn to the incredible Warner Bros animation dept output (Bugs Bunny is my spirit animal!), and we grew up watching Johnny Carson!
Plus, with Dad's access to promo albums, he'd bring home and play new LPs by Bob Newhart, Cosby, Tom Lehrer, Spike Jones, and Nichols and May (and others), so we grew up with a classic, incredible comedy exposure. Plus, Dad was hilarious himself!
We weren't surprised when my bro took up a stand-up career in the late-'70s (in his early 20s), and when he tapped me to help him write his act, I was gung-ho for the job! He moved from Houston to L.A. around '78, and I followed him in '80!
We were lucky, such great comedy in the 60s, and you were lucky to have a dad who was hilarious, and then a bro who did stand-up. It's clear you're part of a Kyle dynasty of comedy meisters!
Thanks again for the shout out! My wife has mentioned that Rick Springfield was on her General Hospital show back in the day. (187 episodes!). Anyhoo, I'm sure you'll get some more future contributions to the new Mock the Rock segment!
Brad, what do you make of Mojo Nixon? I used to get a real kick out of that "Elvis is Everywhere" song and video:
https://youtu.be/5DcTY9i-fx8
Was never really exposed to Mojo...only was aware of his name. That was a fun video, though! Thanks!
Great song - great dude. R.I.P. Mojo. He was awesome in concert too and I am grateful to have seen him a few times.
Your comment also made me think of El Vez, the Mexican Elvis, who also is/was amazing to see live. Check out this Bowie/Elvis medley below. It's rawer than some of his more polished covers, but one of my faves of him.
https://youtu.be/StY6rPPcHYk?si=ouGg6dUfjJsggKFi
Well, that was new to me, too! El Vez.....odd to see him do a Bowie song.
Great singer. I definitely want that dude to hang around my house and just sing for me all the time!
I also went down a bit of an Elvis conspiracy rabbit hole (never seriously, but for tremendous weird fun as like a senior in high school).
This was sooo much fun! This series keeps getting better and better.
Thanks so much for the shout-out and signal boost!
Glad you liked the Ariana impressions. She’s so talented. And I loved how you branched out, so to speak, including actors and other celebs.
Now, THAT video of mini Bruno… how adorable is that?! I knew he had done some Elvis imp as a kid, but I’d never seen footage until now! This is why we come here… Front Row and Backstage!
Thanks, Andy! I appreciate your contributions (and others'), and was surprised I found what I found! Yes, Baby Bruno is a scream! He, like Wayne Brady, was born too late, IMO. So multi-talented, artists like those who can act, sing, do comedy, dance, do impressions, NEED a variety show to display their talents! In my mind, Brady and Bruno are the new-age Sammy Davis, Jr.s!
Wayne tried, bless him, in a half-hour attempt, as I recall, but around the turn of the century, that particular passe TV animal was just too far gone from the audience's viewing desire, and ad buys were tough to secure for networks!
I hope Bruno can "grow" and move a bit beyond the "hip" younger lane to explore how to exploit his talents and share them with a (perhaps older) larger audience......somehow! I will say, to produce such fun, mass-appeal songs like "Uptown Funk" is a genius way to reach out to a mass audience; let's face it, he could just disappear into the "dirty word" rap world, and still make millions, but what a waste of his talent!
Spot on. I wholeheartedly agree. I love Bruno, all of his work, but particularly his ballads. I mean, him sitting there, playing piano, sunglasses on, crying his heart out and belting out "When I Was Your Man" with such crystal clear tone... Stevie, watch out... oh, well, no... Stevie, be careful! 🤣
Never before heard, or seen the vid for, "When I Was Your Man," but I enjoyed it...thanks for sharing!
Burton is royalty here in his old home town, Winnipeg- a theatre and community center are named for him...
Cool to hear, David! I didn't know that. I've always thought he's a little underrated in the rock arena over the decades....by media-types, anyway, and those who chronicle careers, etc. I sense The Guess Who has always sort of slotted into the pop lane (again, from a mass media POV), along with, say, Three Dog Night, and that ilk, and have ended up lacking a sort of "serious" rock gravitas over time.
I don't think Burton's solo work has swayed that perception.... BUT, impressions like the ones we've featured point even more to his vast overall talent, and if nothing else, those who may have thought he was a "rock lightweight" will hopefully more fully appreciate his singing, at the very least!
Granted, I'm biased being a lifelong Winnipegger regularly exposed to his music over the course of my life- thanks to the CTRC we hear Canadian music much more often than that of other countries. You guys have a wider volume of choices...
That was so much fun.
I don't know if Tracy Ullman has impersonated rock stars, but she does amazing impressions of famous politicians and actors and she also had a brief time as a UK pop star -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99U6Zeoh5p4
Loved that American Woman video, too funny.
Yes, I had not seen that "AW" vid before....I enjoyed it, too! It reminded me of a comedy piece I wrote about 2 dozen years ago for a comedy website, "Corduroy Galaxy" (no longer online, so I'm just spit-ballin' here, wildly guessing what I actually wrote back then! Bear with me!) that me and half-a-dozen of my late-'80s high school youth groupers put together (my core group when I was a full-time pro youth minister in L.A. county)!
My premise was simple: Current movies (around the turn of the century, of course) and their promo ad copy, BUT if somehow the movie title had just one letter (or word....but, I strived for just a letter) missed or badly-proofread by the PR dept., and of course, that would radically change the ad copy! For example: "The Hunk for Red October".... Sean Connery is submarine captain, Red October who uses his non-traditional, underwater vacation to explore some new personal horizons. Or, "Leg Ends of the Fall"....Brad Pitt plays a struggling new tailor, particularly when it comes to hemming men's dress pants in early Autumn. And, so on!
As for Tracey, I've seen quite a bit of her comedy bits, and have loved her impersonations....including men! That's a cute Corden clip....loved her impromptu run at "They Don't Know"...I'm glad James let her keep going! BTW, for you and other readers, I've written about my massive adoration of her and that song, here:
https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1983-they-dont-know?utm_source=publication-search
Thanks, Ellen!
I should have known you already did a post about her! Brilliant! I became a huge fan when I lived in the UK and saw her comedy specials on one of the British networks. I can't see anyone capturing Camilla better than she did.
Love the premise for your comedy piece with the youth groupers. I can see that being a blast for them and you. (Corduroy Galaxy is a perfect name for a comedy website.)
Jason came up with that Corduroy Galaxy name. What a talented handful of young men....intelligent and truly funny, and each in a unique way! I would tell them that if I could win the lottery, we'd form a comedy "factory," churning out books, sitcom scripts, comedy albums, etc!
One of them, Joe, never went to college, took a temp job at Disney Studios/Burbank in the early-'90s, and is still with them today....he's tech savvy, and used that to his advantage, and for several years, now, he's been in their video department, working on creative, groundbreaking ways to use video (drones, GoPros, animation, etc) for the studio.
We see your comedic chops in your posts and comments, so they had a great role model, which makes a big difference in the lives of the young'uns.
Thanks, Ellen......My bro and I grew up with "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in first run, and I was drawn to the incredible Warner Bros animation dept output (Bugs Bunny is my spirit animal!), and we grew up watching Johnny Carson!
Plus, with Dad's access to promo albums, he'd bring home and play new LPs by Bob Newhart, Cosby, Tom Lehrer, Spike Jones, and Nichols and May (and others), so we grew up with a classic, incredible comedy exposure. Plus, Dad was hilarious himself!
We weren't surprised when my bro took up a stand-up career in the late-'70s (in his early 20s), and when he tapped me to help him write his act, I was gung-ho for the job! He moved from Houston to L.A. around '78, and I followed him in '80!
We were lucky, such great comedy in the 60s, and you were lucky to have a dad who was hilarious, and then a bro who did stand-up. It's clear you're part of a Kyle dynasty of comedy meisters!
Thanks again for the shout out! My wife has mentioned that Rick Springfield was on her General Hospital show back in the day. (187 episodes!). Anyhoo, I'm sure you'll get some more future contributions to the new Mock the Rock segment!