Style Parody Targets

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

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Moneybags
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Style Parody Targets

Post by Moneybags »

Now that we've gotten a little more insight as far as the process of the band learning about style parody targets goes, I'm curious: What are some of the songs that you had to listen to to get acquainted with the material for the style pastiches on Mandatory Fun? I'm particularly curious about the songs Al asked you to reference for "My Own Eyes" -- amazing Taylor Hawkins-esque fill at the end of the last chorus, by the way.

Also, now that the album is officially out, can we finally hear the stories about the music for "Handy" and whichever other song had you consulting the original artist?
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mellow weasel
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Re: Style Parody Targets

Post by mellow weasel »

Talking about "My Own Eyes" (which is, by the way, my favourite in this album), why is there a guitar part that sonds exactly like one from "Slither" by Velvet Revolver, although it's Foo Fighters style parody? That's really confusing...
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Moneybags
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Re: Style Parody Targets

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My theory is that Slash created the "Slither" guitar riff without necessarily taking into account that the Foo Fighters have a few different songs with similar solos. The solo from "Times Like These" (which, for the record, came out three years before "Slither") is particularly incredibly similar to this. While it's true that the solo in "My Own Eyes" sounds a lot like Velvet Revolver, the song as a whole is unmistakably a Foo Fighters pastiche. Unless I'm mistaken, there are traces of "Monkey Wrench", "The Pretender", "DOA" and "Times Like These", among other influences, I'm sure.
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