Bungalow Bill or The Continuing Story of How George Bush Parades Around the Desert
Jack Handey, of SNL’s “Deep Thoughts” fame, recently gave a speech on NPR called “My Speech to the Martians.” It’s a very fine commentary on human-martian relations.
I think my favorite line is: “I came here in peace, seeking gold and slaves, but you have treated me like an intruder.”
This imagery of the bungling human (or American) reminds me of my newest, favorite Beatles song from the White Album. When I hear this song I can’t help thinking of “W” and his masterful foreign relations policy. Mr. President is Bungalow Bill. The song describes a rich, young American and his mother who come to India to stay at the ashram of the Maharishi, Mahesh Yogi, and happen to be there at the time the Beatles are there. What actually happened is somewhat disputed, but one way or another, the young man went out on an elephant, killed a tiger, and came back to the ashram proud of his kill. John didn’t seem to like this American even before the incident, but he remarked “But wouldn’t you call that slightly life-destructive?” although others claimed that it was a necessary defence. No matter what actually happened, a great song was created from it. This song is also special because it has the only female lead vocal (Yoko) on any Beatles track – a single line.
Hey, Bungalow Bill
What did you kill
Bungalow Bill?
He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun
In case of accidents he always took his mom
He’s the all American bullet-headed saxon mother’s son.
All the children sing
Hey Bungalow Bill
What did you kill
Bungalow Bill?
Deep in the jungle where the mighty tiger lies
Bill and his elephants were taken by surprise
So Captain Marvel zapped in right between the eyes
All the children sing
Hey, Bungalow Bill
What did you kill
Bungalow Bill?
The children asked him if to kill was not a sin
Not when he looked so fierce, his mother butted in
If looks could kill it would have been us instead of him
All the children sing
Hey, Bungalow Bill
What did you kill
Bungalow Bill?
I can imagine Bungalow Bill giving a similar speech to the Martians.
The Beatles – The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
A bee has got to sting…but you don’t like it, you love it
After further inspection of the newest Weezer single:
I’m enjoying this edited version of the song. It could be put on Pinkerton with no problem. Maybe add a little distortion and screaming at the beginning instead of falsetto, take out the part in the middle that sounds like The Green Album, also the middle part that sounds like Make Believe, and the part that sounds like Elvis, and the part that sounds like Sweet Adeline(My Evaline) and the part that sounds like “You Gave Your Love to me Softly” or “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams” and easy peasy you have a Pinkerton single. But seriously, this edited version is very radio-friendly, unlike the 6 minute epic.
- 0:00 – 0:51 Very Pinkerton-esque
- 0:52 – 1:17 Sounds like the Green Album
- 1:18 – 1:50 Synthy like parts of Make Believe, but also similar to B-side “Devotion”
- 1:51 – 2:21 Rivers talking like Elvis – un-Weezer like unless you consider intro to “Undone”
- 2:22 – 2:54 Reference their barbershop roots (see: Blue Album b-side Sweet Adeline(My Evaline)
- 2:55 – 3:10 Sounds like old “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams” (Pinkerton b-side)
- 3:10 - 3:38 Again Pinkerton-esque
Weezer – The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Variation Edit)
Interesting news: according to Karl’s Corner, Weezer are releasing a cover of “The Weight” by The Band as an addition to the UK version of the album.
I don’t know much about Cinco de Mayo…two weeks later…
With summer coming around I’m not looking forward to the upcoming TX summer. I think it’s going to be even more humid than usual. Regardless, it makes me pine for a northwest summer, where you cherish every day that is about 70 degrees. Every sign of warmth was an excuse to play catch and practice(?) for church league softball.
Recently I came across this cover(courtesy of Fong Songs), which reminded me of how much I Iove Cake (the band, not the baked good – I prefer pie). This song reminds me of summers in Portland and driving to Multnomah Falls with a good friend and fellow Cake lover.
Kim Richey – Mexico (Cake cover)
He always let me pick the music in his Stang. I always appreciated that. He’s on a list of people I need to call. This cover is dedicated to him. Also, dedicated to the fact that Cinco de Mayo crept up on me and flew right past me. I showed up at school totally unprepared to celebrate.
New Weezer or Something to Smile About
Just wanted to shoot this out quick. Did Rivers just become Brian Wilson? I can’t believe how many tempo changes there are in this song, but on first listen I think it’s the best Weezer song post-Pinkerton. This song makes me smile thinking about “the good life.” It also sounds like a classic rock epic…and it’s been awhile since I’ve heard once of those. Makes me really wish they’d finish “Songs from the Black Hole.”
Even the second song here has, I think, the first bridge since the Blue Album. More smiles.
Weezer – The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
Weezer – Everybody Get Dangerous
Kermit does Elliott
This is kinda brilliant…
Apparently someone has decided to make the happiest frog ever the saddest frog ever. Hey, Jim’s death hurt me too, but I’m still clean.
Needle in the Hay is quite possibly my favorite Elliott Smith song if only for the guitar part. I could hear an instrumental of it on repeat for at least…3 times through. This has to be my favorite cover of it, but I haven’t heard many other covers. I’m also partial to this song because of this video and its Royal Tenenbaums references.
My next Halloween costume/Outift to work:
Just because I love the picture:
Sad Kermit has a few more covers, and another Elliott song. For more info and downloads visit his site.
The Swell Season
I know you’ve seen the movie Once and I’m sure you loved it as much as I did. I convinced many a friend of the need to watch it. One said friend then convinced me to go see The Swell Season with her to listen to the songs live. I have to admit, I kind of just went because she wanted to, and the excitement about the film (and my addiction to the soundtrack) had definitely dwindled between the point months ago when I bought the ticket and last Saturday when we went to see the show.
That said, their performance is one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a long time. It was at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House here in Denver, a gorgeous gorgeous theater with such perfect sound that when Glen Hansard first took the stage he stepped in front of the mic and monitors, said, “Can you hear me up there? I hear they do opera here and figured, what the hell” and then proceeded to perform the first song solo acoustic right there, sans mic. It was perfection.
I could go through song by song about how the show was really good. But I just want to instead say that I think an ideal show for me, no matter what kind of music, is one where you feel like the artist has successfully created a specific mood and atmosphere. You feel like they’re really tuned in to something. This show had such an intimacy to it that, even though I was in a balcony probably 100 feet away from the stage, I felt I was the only one there sitting in a living room listening to friends play songs.
Instead of further describing this, go here and listen to the entire concert from when they were in DC at the 9:30 and tell me you don’t just become totally enraptured listening to Glen’s story about how “Drown Out” got made or by the clarity of Marketa’s voice or that you don’t get all goosebumpy listening to “Star Star” and their cover of “Into the Mystic” or just get ecstatically happy listening to their second encore covering “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”
Raise a Toast to Secrecy or Posting at Work Without Being Found Out
There are better things to do when you’re supposed to be doing other things. But I’m not sure what those things are.
I’ve only heard Elliott Smith’s version of his own song as a live version. I’m not sure if there is a studio version, but I’ll take these versions and be happy because I can hear Elliott in Mary Lou’s voice. Apparently he didn’t think the song was good enough so she took it off his hands. Lucky girl. A full Mary Lou Lord post will come one day, but until then enjoy her studio version and these two live takes.
Mary Lou Lord – I Figured You Out (studio)
Mary Lou Lord – I Figured You Out (live with intro)
Elliott Smith - I Figured You Out
A New America or Ways to Not Die
Recently I was reading this book:
My daughters separately asked me what this book was about. They both know who Barack Obama is and so I told them that it was basically about how he thinks he can make America better. My youngest volunteered to tell me how to make America better and her plan included the following:
- Don’t litter.
- Save water.
- Recycle.
- Be nice to people.
My oldest daughter had a little different way of looking at things. She’s obsessed with things that scare her and currently her biggest fear is a tornado. Her “New Deal” included:
- Make houses tornado proof.
That’s about it. She just wanted to make sure catastrophic events didn’t happen.
As for me, I say: Let’s start by not littering so that tornadoes don’t have garbage in them.
Willy Mason – The Message
