Everything Old is New Again

Questions & Answers with the one and only Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, Weird Al's drummer since 1980!

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
bizarreblair
Occasional
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2002 11:40 pm
Location: Joliet, IL

Everything Old is New Again

Post by bizarreblair »

I understand the need to keep some songs in the show, as they are such big hits. As you have spoken to, this squeezes other things out of the show (new concert only songs, older deep cuts, opening acts [that one is fine with me]). In light of this, you guys end up playing the same things over and over and over again. And some folks end up seeing the same things over and over. I know Al doesn't change a lot of things between shows because he sells a lot of tickets and feels obligated to deliver a good product to the people who have paid lots of money for a good show. I can appreciate that. I also really appreciate when Al and the band change things up. Do you guys have any input into these things? Is there a song you would like to do in the catalog that you haven't done live, or not for a long time? It's nice to have small changes (changing up the "Fat" joke w/Santa/ho/hoe, Al hanging on "he's a ghost" on "The Saga Begins", extending the "I can't hear you" bit on "DTBS", etc.). But really changing the song like when " Like A Surgeon" changed to the "Madonna Truth or Dare Version" or writing a new verse like in "Headline News" is a lot more dramatic and enjoyable. Do you guys ever wish to change things up more like this? Like doing a reggae version of something, or actual "unplugged" type version like the MTV promos or the NPR show? Did you get a lot of feedback when you guys wore the costumes that went with different songs during the Halloween show a few years back?

Also, do you have any idea why Al would make such a random small change like in "Syndicated, Inc.", when he changed "The Munsters" to "Mork and Mindy"? Why those shows? Why no other lines/shows, etc?

Thank you!
bermuda
Be jealous.
Posts: 937
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2001 2:00 am
Location: Location! Location!!
Contact:

Re: Everything Old is New Again

Post by bermuda »

I don't really have any thoughts on changes, they rarely affect what I do behind the drums. As for Al's lyric changes, I really don't notice unless it's a radical change, like a new verse for Headline News. I didn't know about the Munsters change!

The costume change-up show - Oct 31, 2000 - was a lot of fun, but it seems like I'm the only one who brings it up now and then in certain contexts, such as doing all the Fat moves in the Nirvana jeans and shirt. I do have a video of it though... :)
User avatar
OneWAY
Obsessed
Posts: 1263
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:50 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Everything Old is New Again

Post by OneWAY »

I would've loved to have seen the show with the costume change-up. You guys should totally sneak a bit of that into one of the MF tour dates... I'm guessing the specific context for that was Halloween, and I doubt you guys will be performing another Halloween night again for a while (especially when Al has Nina), but there must be some other way! April Fools, 2015? ;)
8/26/08, 7/15/10, 7/16/10, 7/17/10, 11/5/10, 9/22/11, 9/24/11, 9/25/11, 4/30/12, 10/19/13, 5/19/15, 8/19/15, 8/21/15, 7/16/16, 3/3/18, 3/22/18, 4/20/18, 4/27/18, 6/14/19, 6/15/19, 6/21/19, 9/1/19, 5/31/22, 6/1/22, 9/4/22, 9/30/22, 10/1/22, 10/7/22
Post Reply