Jun 12 2014

Songs About Bad Dads (Daddy Issues)

As a former contributor to The A.V. Club I vaguely wish I had contributed to this list of Songs About Bad Dads. Just in time for Father’s Day, of course. Then again, I haven’t heard of most of the tunes on here, so maybe I wouldn’t have been the best writer to tackle this assignment, despite my penchant for all things Daddy Issues.

Cyclops and Cable Have Daddy Issues

This isn’t a song, but nobody has more daddy issues than Scott Summers, aka Cyclops.

There are the obligatory indie-rock bands (The Mountain Goats have two entries) but also some surprises, including, I shit you not, Shaquille O’Neal, who apparently recorded a song Biological Didn’t Bother, which I have to admit is a pretty good title. (By the way, because Amazon truly has everything, if you decide you really love Shaq’s song and want to sing/rap it yourself, you can get a karaoke version. Yes. Seriously. For reals.)

Make your way through the full list (it’s not that long) and you will be rewarded with a tune titled Daddy Wasn’t There from Austin Powers in Goldmember, performed by the fake band Ming Tea. It is, as the A.V. Club writers point out, rather catchy, kinda funny, and just a teeny bit sad to those of us with daddy issues of our own. Here’s the video (Bonus: you get to look at Susanna Hoffs.)

The Austin Powers’ movies are, in their way, filled with daddy issues, particularly Scott and his father Dr. Evil.

Click the link below to check out the full list of Bad Dad Songs from The A.V. Club. Here’s a tip: be a great dad and no one will write one of these about you. And happy father’s day!

Bad dads: 19 songs about shitty fathers · Inventory · The A.V. Club.


Jul 19 2013

It’s Really Hot

In case you haven’t heard, it’s very hot outside. When it gets this hot, I think of The Dirty Sock Funtime Band song Magick Fire, because it includes the lyric “it’s really hot.”

Strangely, I had forgotten another Dirty Socks tune, I’m Hot, despite the fact that the word hot is in the title.

Both of these songs are available on the album Mr. Clown and the Day the Sun Got Wet. Which at the moment sounds like a very good idea. Soaking the sun I mean. It’s probably a bad idea in reality, if it’s even possible to get the sun wet. I don’t know. I’m a writer not a physicist.

I’m rambling.

Did I mention it was really hot?

Stay cool, everyone. Literally and figuratively.


Jun 12 2009

Laurie Berkner is Stuck in my Head

Laurie Berkner - Under a Shady TreeFor reasons I cannot explain, I have the song “Me and My Energy” by Laurie Berkner stuck in my head. (Note: the actual title appears to be “My Energy.” See? I don’t even know what the damn thing is called.)

It’s been there for three days.

The only lyrics I know are these:

“This is me. This iiis me. This is me, and my ehhhnergeee. This is me. This IIIS me. This is ME and my ehn-ER-gee.”

That’s it. There’s more I think, but I don’t know it. My kids don’t even like Laurie Berkner. I don’t think I know any other songs by Laurie Berkner.

I have nothing against her, I suppose. I think she’s vastly over-rated. She’s not even better than Raffi, although I guess she’s not Canadian, and is therefore at least a little less annoying. And the idea that she’s “hot” is almost disturbing. Dads who think that need to get out more. Or watch some TV that isn’t for kids. She’s not ugly, she’s nice looking. But “hot”? Really?

No matter what else I can say about Laurie, having a song of hers stuck in my head is not something I would choose.  Especially not a part of a song. Over and over and over again.

Image: Amazon