Mandatory Fun (Album 14) Speculation :3

[joseyklein]

Your guess is as food as mine... Never mind

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[Killingsworth]

I think my interpretation of Patton's tweet is that we are getting either a kind of song parody/style pastiche hybrid we've never seen before, or a mini-parody medley of 3 or more songs by this one band, which we also have never seen before. Either way, this mystery song, plus the best polka medley ever as approved by Patton and Bermuda, plus the potential timely parody of the next big summer hit song - I have a great feeling this will be Al's best album yet.

If you're suggesting something like "Bedrock Anthem" but with three songs, I'm having a hard time seeing how Al would do that.

Also, I know how much we'd like to see a Beatles polka and how appropriate it might be for this album, but I think we may not see one for the same reason Al didn't get to record "Gee, I'm A Nerd". I realize Al could've easily asked McCartney's permission at Bonnaroo last year for any Beatles songs, but he still would've probably had to go through Yoko again. She might be more open to the idea of Al using a song John and Paul wrote 18 years later...or she still might now be. Really, who knows?

Besides McCartney, the only other acts I personally could've seen Al asking for parody/polka permission from last years' Bonnaroo are The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis. Their hits are songs I have an easier time imagining being in the polka than being parodied. If this next polka is themed, I think the theme is more likely to be that indie/folk rock polka that many people speculated on last year than an all Beatles or all Zeppelin polka (which is another thing Al tried before and we saw how that turned out but since "Drive-Thru" maybe Plant, Page and Co. could also be more open to the idea).

Plus, Bermuda all but confirmed that the flow of the songs and the instrumentation of the medley as a big part of what he thinks makes this Al's best polka (which is something I also speculated about previously) and didn't indicate at all how his own musical taste played into it. I mean, he probably couldn't anyway because that might reveal too much but still, I think this means we shouldn't rule out the next polka being more top 40 songs...or Beatles/Zeppelin songs...or indie/folk songs or anything.

All I'm saying with this post is there can be strong cases made both for and against anything we think the polka might be when we really break it down like this since every idea expressed so far kind of muddies up the issue even further when you try to unpack it everything and take it all in at once.

This is all just speculation based on my own personal opinions on the matter and all of you are free to voice your personal disagreements with anything I just posted.

[joseyklein]

Hey an all zeppelin polka would be badass... Stairway was n the original version of polkas on 45, if that song came full circle 30 years later for his last album it would make sense... An artist finally lettng him do what he couldnt do at the bginning of his career...


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[WesY2K]

Does Patton like Metallica? Just asking because of the capital ONE in the post?

[joseyklein]

Its possible.. But one was released in 89

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[Genius in Maine]

I doubt it would be Metallica, unless they had a silly and lovable side they kept well hidden.

[TMBJon]

I think you all are overanalyzing what Patton meant. LOTS of Weird Al style parodies start off parodying one specific song and branch out to include many others - Germs and Craigslist being obvious examples. Admittedly though, given all the actual clues from Patton, I am, shall we say, Optimistic that we could be in for a Radiohead style parody.

[Moneybags]

I think Radiohead certainly has a lot of potential -- they're one of those artists that I'm surprised hasn't been touched by Al before. Despite there being an existing polka and parody inclusive of them, I could also see Red Hot Chili Peppers as being a potential target, mostly because their catalog has been pretty stylistically varied over the course of the last twenty-five years. As much as I'd like to see Al tackle Dave Matthews Band in some fashion, I can't see Patton Oswalt getting downright giddy about their inclusion in a pastiche. I feel like the Pixies have potential, too, and Pearl Jam (and maybe Soundgarden) could be implicated in this list. But all points considered, I'm stumped. For all I know, maybe it's Ned's Atomic Dustbin.

I'll be honest -- and I'm half-cringing even typing this -- I would far prefer a polka medley filled with modern pop hits than one that's all-Beatles or all-Zepplin or all-one-act-in-particular. I think this has to do with a combination of two things that are more prevalent in Al's newer material: musicianship and sporadic output. Here's what I mean: First, look at a song like Genius In France; this song displays an affinity for the catalog of Frank Zappa better than a 5-minute polka ever could, because the band does an excellent job of replicating Zappa's musical quirks, which can't be replicated to such a tee in a medley, no matter how good it is. If Al were to take on Zep or the Beatles at some point (which I seriously hope he does), I'd much prefer to hear it in a style parody over a medley for this reason.

Here's the other thing: If you look at Al's two polka medleys that were inclusive of a single artist (The Hot Rocks Polka and Bohemian Polka), they both were released on albums that came out in totality only a year (and change) after their predecessors. Since 1996, the time between new albums has grown to a three-year minimum, because most artists make their money from touring, not from releasing albums, so it makes sense that Al would want to spend more time touring (not to mention that he's got more fans than ever, so he has to factor in international tours and the occasional stop in a city he's already been to). So let's say he releases an album this year. That means that we might not see another album (assuming Al releases songs in album format going forward) until at least 2017. And THAT means that, for the time period of 2011 until somewhere in the 2015 range, Al would take on exactly five contemporary songs if the polka consisted of a classic artist. Five songs is not a lot. I'd rather Al go after more contemporary artists in parody and polka form, and use the style parodies to put together the best songs possible with the artists he respects and admires the most as his targets.

Also, I was kidding about Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Although it'd be cool to see Steve get two bass parts in a single song.

[yankochick38]

Yes yes all of Moneybags yes

Why would the polka be all Beatles or Zeppelin anyway that's so out of the ordinary why would anyone think that was happening lol
Pop music is great guys, you're gonna love it

Also Radiohead!!!! Pearl Jam!!!! Any of these specs would be great man

[Kevbo1987]

I completely agree with Moneybags. There are so many promising target songs for the polka that have been released in the last couple of years. I would much rather see a standard pop medley and leave the Led Zeppelin or Beatles homage for a style parody.