It's Songs in the Key of Funny with the tuneful hijinks of Chortle's Greg Nix! A veteran comedy writer & performer, he's toiled for Netflix & Nickelodeon, which explains the giggling during frisking!
This was so much fun! I laughed out loud at what Greg said about the British sense of humour… it’s so true! 🤣🤣 We do have a penchant for the absurd this side of the pond!
I think this comedy tone works really, really well for Tune Tag. And I loved how you, Brad, responded so well with some comedy of your own!
PS: I respect Clapton and enjoy some of his records from time to time, but Stevie wins hands down in my heart!
Thanks, Andy! Greg and I did have fun on this one......almost like open mic night at our own 🍹2-drink-minimum Shenanigans!😂Stevie, definitely, has been a fave for me, as well, compared to "Slowhand"!
I feel like the two of you could have gone on for a dozen more songs using only songs sung by non-human entities. And yes, I include Roy Wood in the non-human entity category.
I like how this TT was unlike all the others yet fits right in!
Your last sentence adds to the many things that make TT pretty dang magical! And, what the guests bring to each Tag is so amazing to watch unfold! At the same time I'm amazed at what Greg brought to the 'table, he was surprised at a couple of my contributions, as well!
That would've been a singular challenge, at that---just how far could we have gone with musical anthropomorphism? As always, thanks, Steve!😊
I looked it up as a joke, and now I have it stuck in my head. They did an impressive job at replicating the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon earworm.
That was an incredibly fun TT and laughed out loud at "it’d be funny if the connection was actually super obscure -- like the Kinks’ session drummer was also Stevie Wonder’s great uncle who once punched Eric Clapton." You nailed it , Greg. Brad goes so deep and knows so much that I wouldn't bat an eyelash if he found that kind of connection.
The Lola Top of the Pops video was a real find, such incredible footage of the Kinks up-close, and loved the animated vid Brad found too.
I'd never heard Scary Pockets and what a gas they are. Have watched a slew of their videos now. But the topper for me was Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, who got me to my feet groovin.' I miss the 70s!
Thanks, Ellen! There was a lot of fun'n'frolic in this one, and I appreciate Greg's finds! Did you notice Ray's resonator steel guitar at the beginning of that Top of the Pops vid? That's like what AJDeiboldt plays! It's amazing to think that's the guitar Ray was playing on the song in the first place! I knew he had that sound, but I never pictured that kinda guitar, really.
Scary Pockets was a cool find for me, too.
A sneak peak just for you, Ellen....I just put the button on this Tuesday's Tune Tag with our favorite, Pe, and oh, my goodness! Some incredible turns'n'tunes in this one! Plus, we have our Tune Tag #100 in the books...already played, and that one will drop in about a month! That one has surprises galore, too!😁👍
As for TT #100, Steve's come up with some good ideas, which I've appreciated, and he and I have bounced some ideas around. One hang-up is the #s are assigned (and a publishing date is assigned) only after their notes are turned in. And, it was just yesterday that the notes were turned in and 100 it was! So, it's hard to project just who will be what number at any given point.
I think what I'll end up doing is making a big deal of it all during the composition stage, where the Tag is all put together the week before it drops! Like, extra celebratory bells'n'whistles 'n' such!
Wouldn't it be great if as many past Tune Tag participants as possible chimed in with comments/quotes about their time on the Tag?! They're bound to have more fascinating insight and reflections than li'l ole me!
Yes, happy to do so, but we have our individual experiences whereas you have an overarching view of what it's been like and your insights and reflections would be equally fascinating. I know that could be extra work for you, so it may not be something you want to do. But it could also be a fun look-back for you if it's of any interest.
I liked the sequence of songs by puppets / claymation, but it just occurred to me that you could go from "Can I Get a Witness " to Warren Zevon's "Mutineer" in which each verse ends with, "You're my witness, I'm your mutineer"
hat a fun episode! And every time, I learn something new. I didn’t know Fatboy Slim’s sample was from Camille Yarbrough. Is she related to Cavin Yarbrough of the funk duo Yarbrough & Peoples?
I know from Yarbrough & Peoples, Pe, and I'm disgusted with myself for their name not popping up to me, at all, during the playing, composing and re-reading of this Tune Tag! All that well-meaning self-flagellation aside, good onya, my bruh!
Here's what I just found: It doesn't appear Cavin and Camille (same last-name spelling...I double-checked) are at all related: Camille was born in Chicago, while both Cavin and Alisa Peoples were born in Dallas, and grew up as childhood buds (having met during childhood piano lessons....that's a pretty dang adorable story, there)!
Age-wise, Cavin and Camille are quite far apart, as well....She's late-'30s, and Cavin was born mid-'50s.
Thank you, Pe, for the compliment (mad ups to Greg!), and for having my musical back! My followers/readers/subscribers are the best, and you, my luxe Benelux bud, am da beez kneez!😁👍
That’s what’s your funky disco Benelux bud is for Brad! 😂😂 It is incredible though that there’s no connection. Or is the family name so common in the US?
I think we see (or, at least, I’ve seen) far more of that name with a couple extra vowels extant….except for these two musical Yarbroughs, I can’t think of any other with that spelling.
What I’ve mostly seen is Yarborough, oddly enough….and, etymologically and anthropology-wise, they may all be generally related, and over time, the “o” was lost (or added to the shorter name)!
I’m stunned to discover that this folk singer I HAD heard of (Glenn Yarbrough), spelled his name sans that distinctive “o”…..oh.
To mercifully illustrate my previous point, I’m remembering Texas’ long-ago Senator, one Ralph Yarborough! I’m now wondering if the extra “o” is the anomaly, where I had been thinking the ‘no-o’ spelling was the outlier! Dammit, Pe……did you make me learn something today?!? Why, I oughta….!😉
That is quite a sentence in the opening paragraph of the Ralph Yarborough wikipedia entry -- "Yarbrough had a restless dissatisfaction with the music industry that led him to question his priorities, and he later focused on sailing and setting up of a school for orphans."
Nice Tune Tag. I enjoyed Greg's post about "Lola." The first time I heard that song was having a friend in HS sing it unaccompanied, enjoying surprising people with the story when you actually listen to the words.
There are many successful funny songs (and, now that I think about it, Country music has a bunch of them), but humor is definitely tricky.
I absolutely loved the opening of that "Layla" cover and then it got to the chorus and it couldn't quite escape the Clapton-ness of the whole thing, but it's definitely a fun idea. It reminds me that there are a lot of Soul covers of Beatles songs. Just to pick one, here's Bobby Womack's version of "And I Love Her" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nd-v4vSAqU
I LOVE "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" I can see why you like Martin Mull so much, that is really well done, and she's having fun with it.
"Praise You" is great. That's not one I would have found on my own and really nice.
I thought the Wombles were a lot of fun. I wasn't bothered by the badgers.
I liked the California Raisins' singing but I couldn't decide whether I actually liked the cover. There's something just slightly wrong about that.
And then the Ricky Skaggs was a nice closer -- end on a more serious note (but, thankfully, not too serious otherwise it would feel insulting to the woman he's singing about). It's just good playing and a good song.
Thanks, Nick! Great high school story about your friend singing "Lola"! I can see how teens would get a giggle out of it! Country music, indeed, has a lot of humor....wordplay, mostly, I've noticed! And, I'm not the only one (to have noticed, that is): https://www.npr.org/2010/09/03/129625588/puns-in-country-music-songs-done-right
I knew about Martin Mull's "answer song" to Cash's "A Boy Named Sue," but had forgotten it was actually recorded by (at least) an actual country singer (and not just by Mull).
I'm glad you found "Praise You" and liked Ricky Skaggs and The Wombles!
That's a good article and, thinking about it, there's also the storytelling side of Country music which lends itself to humor. I mean, "Harper Valley PTA" is funny -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VQU-_18i80
Thanks for having me Brad! A very merry Wombling Tuesday to you all!
You're most welcome, Greg! It was a blast having you join us, and I appreciate you putting up with all our good-natured folderol!😁👍🎵🌟
This was so much fun! I laughed out loud at what Greg said about the British sense of humour… it’s so true! 🤣🤣 We do have a penchant for the absurd this side of the pond!
I think this comedy tone works really, really well for Tune Tag. And I loved how you, Brad, responded so well with some comedy of your own!
PS: I respect Clapton and enjoy some of his records from time to time, but Stevie wins hands down in my heart!
Thanks, Andy! Greg and I did have fun on this one......almost like open mic night at our own 🍹2-drink-minimum Shenanigans!😂Stevie, definitely, has been a fave for me, as well, compared to "Slowhand"!
I feel like the two of you could have gone on for a dozen more songs using only songs sung by non-human entities. And yes, I include Roy Wood in the non-human entity category.
I like how this TT was unlike all the others yet fits right in!
Your last sentence adds to the many things that make TT pretty dang magical! And, what the guests bring to each Tag is so amazing to watch unfold! At the same time I'm amazed at what Greg brought to the 'table, he was surprised at a couple of my contributions, as well!
That would've been a singular challenge, at that---just how far could we have gone with musical anthropomorphism? As always, thanks, Steve!😊
Does this count (from _Sita Sings The Blues_, one of the few musical moments not set to a classic Annette Hanshaw song)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HugqxcODjQ
My goodness.....I'm not sure, after that, if I'm left disturbed or fascinated!
I looked it up as a joke, and now I have it stuck in my head. They did an impressive job at replicating the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon earworm.
That was an incredibly fun TT and laughed out loud at "it’d be funny if the connection was actually super obscure -- like the Kinks’ session drummer was also Stevie Wonder’s great uncle who once punched Eric Clapton." You nailed it , Greg. Brad goes so deep and knows so much that I wouldn't bat an eyelash if he found that kind of connection.
The Lola Top of the Pops video was a real find, such incredible footage of the Kinks up-close, and loved the animated vid Brad found too.
I'd never heard Scary Pockets and what a gas they are. Have watched a slew of their videos now. But the topper for me was Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, who got me to my feet groovin.' I miss the 70s!
Thanks, Ellen! There was a lot of fun'n'frolic in this one, and I appreciate Greg's finds! Did you notice Ray's resonator steel guitar at the beginning of that Top of the Pops vid? That's like what AJDeiboldt plays! It's amazing to think that's the guitar Ray was playing on the song in the first place! I knew he had that sound, but I never pictured that kinda guitar, really.
Scary Pockets was a cool find for me, too.
A sneak peak just for you, Ellen....I just put the button on this Tuesday's Tune Tag with our favorite, Pe, and oh, my goodness! Some incredible turns'n'tunes in this one! Plus, we have our Tune Tag #100 in the books...already played, and that one will drop in about a month! That one has surprises galore, too!😁👍
Yes, I noticed the resonator steel guitar and its resemblance to AJ's. It's so cool and I never pictured or knew about that kind of guitar either.
Looking forward to Pe's TT and can't believe you're up to 100. You should do a post about what you've learned or enjoyed doing this!
As for TT #100, Steve's come up with some good ideas, which I've appreciated, and he and I have bounced some ideas around. One hang-up is the #s are assigned (and a publishing date is assigned) only after their notes are turned in. And, it was just yesterday that the notes were turned in and 100 it was! So, it's hard to project just who will be what number at any given point.
I think what I'll end up doing is making a big deal of it all during the composition stage, where the Tag is all put together the week before it drops! Like, extra celebratory bells'n'whistles 'n' such!
That sounds great, but I'm suggesting a special issue just by you on your experience doing TT -- a Brad Kyle retrospective edition!!!
Wouldn't it be great if as many past Tune Tag participants as possible chimed in with comments/quotes about their time on the Tag?! They're bound to have more fascinating insight and reflections than li'l ole me!
Yes, happy to do so, but we have our individual experiences whereas you have an overarching view of what it's been like and your insights and reflections would be equally fascinating. I know that could be extra work for you, so it may not be something you want to do. But it could also be a fun look-back for you if it's of any interest.
Loved the Muppets-to-Wombles leap and that glorious raisin twist.
I liked the sequence of songs by puppets / claymation, but it just occurred to me that you could go from "Can I Get a Witness " to Warren Zevon's "Mutineer" in which each verse ends with, "You're my witness, I'm your mutineer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd2h4yMpOH0
I hadn't heard the Jason Isbell/Amanda Shires cover of "Mutineer" before, and it's really nice . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWuWmANBfJw
What a nice song....but, I much prefer these voices than Zevon's...but, props to WZ for crafting a cool tune! Thanks, Nick!
I agree, I like Warren Zevon, and I think their version is clearly better and, one I'm really excited about as a new discovery.
Never been a Zevon fan, so thus, was never familiar with most of his catalog...just the hits. But, that's a good one, and a crafty match!
hat a fun episode! And every time, I learn something new. I didn’t know Fatboy Slim’s sample was from Camille Yarbrough. Is she related to Cavin Yarbrough of the funk duo Yarbrough & Peoples?
I know from Yarbrough & Peoples, Pe, and I'm disgusted with myself for their name not popping up to me, at all, during the playing, composing and re-reading of this Tune Tag! All that well-meaning self-flagellation aside, good onya, my bruh!
Here's what I just found: It doesn't appear Cavin and Camille (same last-name spelling...I double-checked) are at all related: Camille was born in Chicago, while both Cavin and Alisa Peoples were born in Dallas, and grew up as childhood buds (having met during childhood piano lessons....that's a pretty dang adorable story, there)!
Age-wise, Cavin and Camille are quite far apart, as well....She's late-'30s, and Cavin was born mid-'50s.
Thank you, Pe, for the compliment (mad ups to Greg!), and for having my musical back! My followers/readers/subscribers are the best, and you, my luxe Benelux bud, am da beez kneez!😁👍
That’s what’s your funky disco Benelux bud is for Brad! 😂😂 It is incredible though that there’s no connection. Or is the family name so common in the US?
I think we see (or, at least, I’ve seen) far more of that name with a couple extra vowels extant….except for these two musical Yarbroughs, I can’t think of any other with that spelling.
What I’ve mostly seen is Yarborough, oddly enough….and, etymologically and anthropology-wise, they may all be generally related, and over time, the “o” was lost (or added to the shorter name)!
I’m stunned to discover that this folk singer I HAD heard of (Glenn Yarbrough), spelled his name sans that distinctive “o”…..oh.
To mercifully illustrate my previous point, I’m remembering Texas’ long-ago Senator, one Ralph Yarborough! I’m now wondering if the extra “o” is the anomaly, where I had been thinking the ‘no-o’ spelling was the outlier! Dammit, Pe……did you make me learn something today?!? Why, I oughta….!😉
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Yarborough
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Yarbrough
That is quite a sentence in the opening paragraph of the Ralph Yarborough wikipedia entry -- "Yarbrough had a restless dissatisfaction with the music industry that led him to question his priorities, and he later focused on sailing and setting up of a school for orphans."
As one does . . .
This was so fun!! Love it!
Thanks, Kristin! 'Twas fun getting to know Greg, musically, and thanks again for "mugging" for the camera!😉☕
Nice to know that Ray Davies is a knight now.
Yes, Sir....."All Day and All of the Knight"
😲
You really got me!
And, I never saw that coming! Nice.✨
Anytime you can work the Kinks and the Muppets into the same Tune Tag, I'm in.
👍I think even Ray Davies would be impressed and appreciative (although, he’d be more likely to side with his fellow country”men”, The Wombles)!😁
Great job! 👊🤘🎸
Nice Tune Tag. I enjoyed Greg's post about "Lola." The first time I heard that song was having a friend in HS sing it unaccompanied, enjoying surprising people with the story when you actually listen to the words.
There are many successful funny songs (and, now that I think about it, Country music has a bunch of them), but humor is definitely tricky.
I absolutely loved the opening of that "Layla" cover and then it got to the chorus and it couldn't quite escape the Clapton-ness of the whole thing, but it's definitely a fun idea. It reminds me that there are a lot of Soul covers of Beatles songs. Just to pick one, here's Bobby Womack's version of "And I Love Her" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nd-v4vSAqU
I LOVE "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" I can see why you like Martin Mull so much, that is really well done, and she's having fun with it.
"Praise You" is great. That's not one I would have found on my own and really nice.
I thought the Wombles were a lot of fun. I wasn't bothered by the badgers.
I liked the California Raisins' singing but I couldn't decide whether I actually liked the cover. There's something just slightly wrong about that.
And then the Ricky Skaggs was a nice closer -- end on a more serious note (but, thankfully, not too serious otherwise it would feel insulting to the woman he's singing about). It's just good playing and a good song.
Thanks, Nick! Great high school story about your friend singing "Lola"! I can see how teens would get a giggle out of it! Country music, indeed, has a lot of humor....wordplay, mostly, I've noticed! And, I'm not the only one (to have noticed, that is): https://www.npr.org/2010/09/03/129625588/puns-in-country-music-songs-done-right
I knew about Martin Mull's "answer song" to Cash's "A Boy Named Sue," but had forgotten it was actually recorded by (at least) an actual country singer (and not just by Mull).
I'm glad you found "Praise You" and liked Ricky Skaggs and The Wombles!
That's a good article and, thinking about it, there's also the storytelling side of Country music which lends itself to humor. I mean, "Harper Valley PTA" is funny -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VQU-_18i80
Good point, Nick! Story songs, indeed....."Ode to Billie Joe," "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "Goodbye Earl" are others!