@@@AICN COMICS BEYOND!@@@
With the popularity of comic book properties spilling over into movies, TV, and other forms of entertainment, the @$$Holes of AICN COMICS thought it might be interesting to offer our own take on these things. Ambush Bug here and I’m proud to present one of the coolest articles I had a chance to read in a while, but I’ll let Jinxo take it away!
Jinxo talks about
Dr. Demento & Comic Book Songs!
One of the other things I’ve geeked out on since I was a kid is The Dr. Demento Show, home for all music both silly and obscure. For a long while I had lost track of the show as it slowly disappeared from the radio dial. But this last Christmas I was looking for some crazy songs to add to my annual Christmas mix and I thought…I need Demento. And I found him. Online. He may be gone from the radio but his show has moved to an online stream. Sad as it is that he’s no longer on your AM or FM dial, the good news is that online there’s no censorship. No reason to bleep songs or avoid some songs all together.
Over at the Demento web site you can stream his new shows as well as his older ones for a couple bucks. You can pay by the show or get a membership which, if you’re in for the long run, will save you more money. The show streams as opposed to being a downloadable podcast for music rights reasons (although there are programs that can capture streaming audio). You’ll need a player and even though in a lot of ways it is not my favorite program…I’d recommend Real Player for someone serious about being demented. Ahem.
Patton Oswalt recently wrote a piece on how easy it is now to become an instant expert geek on anything. With the internet anyone can become fully versed in whatever nerdiness they might choose. But what I like about Demento is that he represents for me the gold standard and still hard to reach level of geekery. He not only has the knowledge of his field, he has the goods. He has a record collection that in my head I picture going on for miles. If he was a comic nerd, he’d be the guy who not only knows the whole history of Superman, he actually owns the issues he’s referencing. While what drew me in back in the day was his collection of comedy recordings, I have grown equally fascinated with his older obscure records. To hear a recording from the dawn of the recording industry, for example: to hear some of the earliest voices ever put to wax is kind of mind blowing.
But onto the point at hand. Having rediscovered Demento and gotten a subscription to his site I was suddenly struck with a theme idea for his show. Pretty much every episode of his show features some sort of theme that will run for the full show or for at least half of it. I thought, you know, he should do a show devoted to comic book and cartoon related songs. The show does take requests but I don’t imagine people usually request whole shows. But I figured, what the hell? I emailed them saying it seemed to me there are enough comics book songs out there to fill a whole show. To my surprise they wrote back saying, great idea, send us your suggestions. So I did. The show aired a few weeks back. If you want to give it a listen you can head over to the Demento site. It's the episode for week July 16, 2011. As the Doctor says on the show, they didn’t use all my suggestions…but they did use a bunch. Some of their choices actually surprised me. They only went for the second half of the show with the comic theme but Dr. Demento really did put together a pretty damn fine walk through comic music history (who knew there even was a comic music history?)…
Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
This is literally a song I grew up with. A month ago I flew home to visit my parents and found an old LP of crazy kids’ music which used this song for its title. A song about Snoopy actually laying the smackdown on the Red Baron. Sweet silliness.
Charliesomething - Eric Schwartz
The sordid tale of what became of those Peanuts kids when they grew up. The True Hollywood Story of the comic page! Not sure Sparky Shultz would approve but pretty damn funny.
Barney Google - Billy Jones & Ernest Hare
This song may mark the start of both my serious interest in comics beyond just being something funny in the newspaper as well as my introduction to rare, silly songs. Back when I was ten years old, Loni Anderson hosted a documentary on CBS about the history of comics (can you imagine one of the major networks doing that today?) called The Fantastic Funnies. As they were discussing some of the older comics and Barney Google in particular, Loni Anderson actually performed this song. I remember being intrigued that there were comic characters from before I was born that I had no knowledge of but that had been BIG deals. And, hey, Google, you need to get on the stick and do a Barney Google tribute logo!
Mutt And Jeff (At The Shooting Gallery) - Porter & Kennedy
I had never heard this bit before. My main knowledge of Mutt and Jeff was from my dad calling my brother and I by those names when we were very little. He’d attempt to explain to us who they were and then shake his head in frustration at our failure to understand or care, his attempt to pass on his own geek heritage failing. Sorry, dad. Have to give it up, though, for a comic that has passed into popular slang that survived beyond the comic itself.
Little Orphan Annie - Coon-Sanders Orchestra
This is one of those songs that to me really shows the length of comic book history. This is such an old timey song, clearly from a time before most of today’s grandparents, yet Little Orphan Annie only stopped being published a few months back. Most people today know Little Orphan Annie from the musical. Just compare the sound and style of the modern songs in that show to this and you just get such an audible sense of the stretch of time between them.
Laffin' At The Funnies - Ruby Newman & His Ritz-Carlton Hotel Orchestra
Another old timey song about the comics. But, again, think about how many characters name checked in this song are characters kids today are still growing up with.
Aren't The Funnies Funny - Four Squires
And this just show how little has changed over the decades. This is clearly snarky social commentary in line with what current comics might put out today, in content if not in style.
Superman - Freddie "Schnickelfritz" Fisher & His Orchestra
Even more than the Little Orphan Annie song this song really throws into contrast how far back comic history goes. Superman today is still hugely iconic and relevant. Yet here is a song about the Man of Steel that is just so old timey! Mark that as one end of the timeline and then on the other put Five For Fighting’s song Superman and consider the differences even though they are about the same character.
Actually, when the Demento Show said I could send in suggestions I took it very seriously and really started looking around for songs. Doing a search on iTunes for Superman actually surprised me in how many songs over the decades have been written about Superman. Someone could probably do paper on music charting the evolution of style and culture just through Superman songs through the years.
Superman - Bill Cosby
And a little standup from the king. I think I also through out the idea to use one of Jerry Seinfeld’s bits about dressing up as Superman for Halloween. This bit about Superman using phone booths as his changing rooms is pretty awesome.
Super-Duper Man - Dickie Goodman
I love me some Dickie Goodman. For those unfamiliar with him, Dickie Goodman pioneered the comedy of doing a fake interview where the answers are always provided by clips from current pop music. So, for example, in this cut, Dickie Goodman will shout out, “Superman, what are you doing?” and is answered by the song, “Believe it or not I’m walking on air”. Growing up I freaking loved Dickie Goodman. This is a very funny selection. I also suggested Batman And His Grandmother. They didn’t use that one. A bit more obscure but I still remember a friend in school somehow finding the original single for that one – which was way before our time – and us just howling at it.
Dennis The Menace - Rosemary Clooney & Jimmy Boyd
Another comic character who refuses to die. I don’t have much to say on this one. When I think of Dennis The Menace all I can ever think of are the comics where some local paper flipped the captions for Dennis The Menace with The Farside, leading to a comic where Dennis is looking over the dinner table at his mom and saying, “I see your little, petrified skull…labeled and resting on a shelf somewhere.” Dennis The Menace is ruined for me forever because…you can’t top that.
Alley-Oop - Hollywood Argyles
Alley-Oop was before my time. My main memory of Alley-Oop was that he was included in a Saturday morning animated series focusing on all older comic characters. The show kinda sucked--one of those shows that feels dated as they are making it. It would always come on towards the end of the morning when most all of the other stations had stopped showing cartoons. So if you were still jonesing for a cartoon fix you were stuck with this show. But you’d watch it and just think, “who thought this was a good idea?” That said, this song is pretty great. One of the few cases I can think of where a comic character morphed into a rock hit. Ride, daddy-o, ride.
Red Ryder - Murry Kellum
Another old comic that is still in pop culture in a way. Not many people out there might still be well versed in his adventures, but we all know thanks to “A Christmas Story” that a Red Ryder BB gun is the coolest gift you can get and that, yeah, you’ll put your eye out. Amazingly, having visited the Christmas Story house in Cleveland this past holiday season…I do have a Red Ryder BB gun.
Speedy Gonzales - Pat Boone
I did request this song. I find it impossibly awesome. Pat Boone??? Rocking out about a Mexican mouse some consider a stereotype? But I think it’s amazing. And racism be damned, I always thought Speedy was the coolest. And this song makes his life seem more edgy and...wrong. Speedy drinking, cheating, living in a leaky adobe hut. What? I did mention Pat Boone sings it, right? Not sure how it works but it does.
Comic Book Crazy - Little Sammy Yates
Every comic book nerd's dream/nightmare: a girl who is comic book crazy. But so crazy he's losing her to the comics. The odd thing is the girl's voice is created by playing dialogue extra fast. So I think a bigger problem than his girl being comic book crazy is that he's dating a chipmunk. Weeeeird.
Go Go Pogo - Walt Kelly
Very happy to see a Pogo song make the playlist. When looking for suggestions I had Pogo solidly in mind among others. Just one of those strips I knew there was music about. Can’t go wrong with Walt Kelly and Pogo.
I'm A Boinger - Billy & The Boingers
From the social commenting Pogo to social commentary I grew up with. I used to looooove Bloom County. I love that Bill The Cat started out as a joke about all the Garfield merchandising - with Milo Bloom making the ridiculous suggestion of putting out merchandising centering on the most vile and disgusting cat EVER – to Bill The Cat actually becoming a merchandising powerhouse. At one point in the strip Bill The Cat formed a band called Billy & The Boingers. The strip’s writer Berkeley Breathed actually had a contest for people to submit songs for The Boingers. The tops two songs were then released on a flexi-disk with the Bloom County strip collection that featured The Boingers. I’m A Boinger was the top song.
The Fantastic Four - Norm MacDonald
When I first listened to Norm MacDonald’s comedy album Ridiculous I was so surprised to hear a Fantastic Four skit. A really funny bit about the arrogance of Reed Richards naming everyone else in the group for their powers but then inexplicably calling himself Mr. Fantastic. “Mr. Fantastic because stretching is such a fantastic power!” Ooookay…
Spider-Man – Ramones
I did request this song, one of my favorite tracks from the Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits album featuring big time rock groups doing covers of cartoon theme songs. Dr. Demento, though, one-upped my request by playing a track of The Ramones rocking out the Spider-Man theme live!
Aquaman - Grandpa Griffith
Generally on the Dr. Demento Show they want people to request things that have been played on the show. I had never heard this one when I requested it. If it had been played before I was not aware of it. But when I discovered it on iTunes I hadda ask it be played. Just a story about the pain of being Aquaman, trying to put the moves on Wonder Woman and having freaking Robin get in the way. Protecting all life…as long as it’s, you know, in the sea. But, hey man, ya got a song about ya!
Teen Titans Theme - Puffy Ami Yumi
I know some people really do not care for the Teen Titans cartoon. Too kiddy anime and silly. And I know some people REALLLLLY hate the theme. But I like both. I like that the animated series tried to be so unique in look and tone. It’s not a fully serious adaptation of the comic but I really enjoyed it on its own terms. And the theme to me is horribly, terrifyingly infectious. I also liked how watching the show you would never know if you’d be getting the English or Japanese version of the song. Like it or lump it, that theme is wacky and so perfect for a run of demented comic book songs. Teen Tietans!
Great Lakes Avengers - Kirby Krackle
I was SO surprised and happy this request made the show. Kirby Krackle is a band specializing in comic book related songs. When I first heard their Green Lantern song Ring Capacity I could not stop listening to it. I requested that song as well but am happy Demento chose to use the less-heard Great Lakes Avengers. I only wish he’d explained who they were. As most people reading this will be aware, the Great Lakes Avengers are just about the worst hero team there is. They never even got permission from the real Avengers to use the name. This song is all about a hero desperately trying to find a hero team that will let him join all the while trying not to join the one team that does want him…the Great Lakes Avengers. The song name-checks almost every hero group you can think of, usually making a joke at their expense. And originally being from the mid-west, it always made me laugh that we had a hero team of our own… kind of.
Batdance (edit) – Prince
This is another suggestion that it makes me laugh out loud they chose to use. It might be Prince and the song might be all gussied up as a slick piece of rock music but, I mean, come on. This is really a novelty song in disguise. Prince uses sound bites from the movie to stage a Batdance battle between Batman, The Joker, and his own character creation Gemini. It’s goofy. But not knocking it. Again, not a universally loved song but I love that Prince went geek nutty here.
Stop Talking About Comic Books Or I'll Kill You - Ookla The Mok
The song for people who would not read a column like this. Or maybe for some talkbackers. Such melodic resentful anger.
Bill Watterson - Lemon Demon
For all you Calvin And Hobbes fans, a song from another fan mourning the end of the much beloved comic. Having been a kid with my own personal Hobbes, I feel your pain.
Mickey Mouse – Sparks
A sort of Alternative, Devo-ish tribute to all things Disney. Crazy but it put a smile on my face.
So many other comic book songs that weren't played: Weird Al's "Ode To A Superhero"…
Burt Ward with an assist from Frank Zappa doing "Boy Wonder I Love You"…
The "Wild West" parody "Adam West"...
…but this is a fine sampling of almost a century of comic book tunes. If anyone can think of some other comic related songs, let me know.
Jinxo is Thom Holbrook, lifelong comic book reader, and the evil genius behind poobala.com. He may appear cute and cuddly but if encountered avoid eye contact and DO NOT attempt to feed.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense: Sleazy G
