My dad, who ironically enough is the one who started my Weird Al fanaticism back in '84, banned "Off The Deep End".
I think it was because of "It sucks, and that's no lie" from "Can't Watch This." My dad hates the word "sucks."
That's just a guess, as he never told me exactly why he made me stop listening to it.
POODLE HAT REVIEWS!!!
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BillyW3
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weirdallie27
- Off The Deep End
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My dad, who ironically enough is the one who started my Weird Al fanaticism back in '84, banned "Off The Deep End".
I think it was because of "It sucks, and that's no lie" from "Can't Watch This." My dad hates the word "sucks."
That's just a guess, as he never told me exactly why he made me stop listening to it.
You're not allowed to listen to OTDE? That......sucks.
~Allison
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Dr_Dad
- Obsessed
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Scotti -- as your pal [and my wife's pal] Barry likes to say:
"This one's for you ..."
{ATTENTION ALL W.O.W.A.Y.F. DENIZENS: THE POST TO FOLLOW IS ... WELL ... *HUGE*
Poodle Hat Dissertation by Dr Dad
For a full appreciation of all aspects of this album, I've divided the review into three parts -- "Graphic Design" [about the album cover, inserts, etc -- the "hardware", if you will]; "Songs" [the music itself -- or the "software"]; and "Bonus Materials" [the ... um ... bonus stuff -- or the ... ah ... um ... "bonus ... stuff" ...]
GRAPHIC DESIGN
ALBUM TITLE:
Poodle Hat. Interesting title. When I first heard the title weeks before in WOWAYF, I thought "Huh??? ..." Now, I must say, I'm a Bela fan, but to be frank, the title just didn't grab me like "Dare To Be Stupid" or "Alapalooza" did. At least the Dr. Demento Interview finally brought to light the source of the title ... Bela crawling onto the Yankovic bed one night and sitting on Al's fluffy couf. At least this album actually *has* a poodle reference in it [in "Genius In France", for those of you keeping score at home], as opposed to RWS [no running and no scissors!]. You know, as Bermuda said once before, maybe another good future album title might be "Innocuous Silhouettes" -- but then again, if people can't spell "Weird", how would they mangle a title like that?!? " Inknokquwuss Sillowwets" ... Yeesh. Hello? Spell checker, anyone? Now ... uh ... where was I? ... kinda lost my place ... well, anyway all I really wanted to say was:
INITIAL VOTE -- 3/10
FINAL VOTE -- 6/10
COVER ARTWORK:
The subway theme is a neat idea. I like the busy photo; reminds me of the WAY ALbum cover drawing -- lots to look at. Very reminiscent of Mad Magazine. Al looks *very* dapper in that suit, and Bela is cute as a button. Now that I know the origin of the title, I can appreciate the pic of Bela on Al more. The 27 on the Scout's sleve is much appreciated too. And of course, BIG grins for seeing Suzanne and Joel there too [especially with Joel in a scrub suit!!]. The back cover is unassuming, and the song titles a wee bit hard to read, but overall okay.
INITIAL VOTE -- 5/10
FINAL VOTE -- 7/10
LINER NOTES & PICTURES:
Photos are generally well done. Good closeup of Al at the beginning of the lyrics section -- I like that furtive grin. Lyrics are in something like a 0.000025 font, though admittedly even readable by these forty-something-year-old eyes. Grateful to *have* lyrics, especially for "Hardware Store" and "Couch Potato". Photo of Al with TBITB is cool; snickering at that "Eat It" jacket of Jim's and Bermuda's "lounge lizard" get-up. The photo of Al leaning against the building and wistfully comtemplating the world is cute also [wedding band is especially prominent there], and the framing of the credits around his slanted body is a nice touch. Also even enjoyed reading the credits [Bermuda did "drum programming" on "Trash Day" -- huh?!?], and knowing who played what on the individual songs [something only done since RWS!] is warmly welcomed by me. The photo behind the CD tray is vintage wide-eyed-staring Al -- well done. Back photo of Al and Bela getting off subway is sweet, though oddly surreal with the faded edges ... All in all, nothing too wild to scare away casu-AL fans, but nothing too super-interesting either [unlike the TBITB photo in RWS!!]. And hey -- where's Ruben???
INITIAL VOTE -- 6/10
FINAL VOTE -- 6/10
CD ART:
When I greedily opened my CD case early on May 20 in the parking lot of Borders and saw Al's wide-eyed stare looking back at me, I lost it right there in the parking lot [thank GAWD the place was nearly empty that time of morning ...]. I've seen it a couple dozen times since and it hasn't gotten the least bit old -- still makes me smile. Unquestionably the *most* clever CD art ever on any album -- Al or otherwise. And yes, I bought both "Big Mouth" and "Small Mouth" versions already.
INITIAL VOTE -- 10/10
FINAL VOTE -- 10/10!!
MUSIC
NOTE: Before all final votes were made, I listened to each original and polka subject, plus heard representative songs for the style parodies, if I was not already familiar with them. Personally, I think it's the only way to really appreciate Al's creativity and thoroughness. Trust me on this one, folks.
COUCH POTATO
An excellent start to the album! I'm not really in Em -- though I admire his vocals and writing abilities, his lyrics and commentary leave me chilled. Al however has here strong vocals and captures the feel of Mr. Mathers' tune beautifully. Though I originally only heard pieces of the original before, I was pretty sure Al nailed M&M's style. When I reheard the original, I *knew* he had. As always, Al's twisting of the original lyrics is legendary. Em's "He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out" becomes Al's "[Simon Cowell] He opens his mouth, always says something foul". "Snap back to reality" becomes "Shows based on reality". "Make me king" becomes "Larry King". "Da da dum da dum da da" becomes "Muppet Show where they go 'Mahna Mahna'" [do any of you folks born after 1985 get that reference?]. Al's last stanza with all the "-ot" rhymes beautifully mirrors Em's final stanza [also chock fulla "-ot"s]! It staggers me to hear how much pop culture he has inserted into a single song -- unbelievable!! He even snuck in a few obscure refs that go past most folks -- like the lines "TiVo now thinks I'm gay" and "'The King Of Queens' jumped the shark the first minute / I can't believe Richard Simmons ain't in it!" Musically, he has Em's rhyme scheme and cadence down *PERFECTLY*. I frankly don't understand Em's decision to nix a video [ya can dish it, homeboi, but can't take it, huh?], but I *DO* know why he okayed the parody itself. The reason? ***IT'S THAT G O O D !!!!!*** Em probably said, "S**T, man, this is great F***ING ****! I gotta let this go. It would be unfair to not let the world hear this!" Positively the strongest parody on the album -- and one of his best EVER!!!
INITIAL VOTE: 8/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 9/10; Lyrics -- 10/10
FINAL VOTE: 9.5/10 [0.5 off for Em's diss of Al]
HARDWARE STORE
A.K.A. "I'll Repair For You -- The Prequel". My first impression on hearing that there was a song called "Hardware Store" was "Mmmm...kay...". I wasn't expecting much. Needless to say I was *BLOWN AWAY* by this song. Granted, I've always loved fast-singing Al [YHFT is among my favs off RWS], but this was -- HOOO BOY!! Now, I know some have dismissed this song as rather colorless and mundane ["A song about hardware?!? Puh-leeze!"], but I respond, *THAT'S* part of Al's appeal -- he takes the everyday [waiting for a new store to open in his neighborhood] and turns it into a colossal event! Others call it "just another list song", and perhaps it is -- but yoicks, it is the *MOTHER* of all list songs! The third verse is outstanding, even though I know he sang it in segments. Lyrically and musically, the song rocks -- the heavy metal [sorry ...] sound with added power tool sound effects is great fun, and the lyrics are excellent, considering how difficult it is to sing *that* fast, yet e-nun-ci-ate so cuh-lear-ly. [And a 27 reference to boot -- Woo!] It's almost replaced "Trigger Happy" as my "Favorite Original That Nobody But A True Al Fan Has Ever Heard Of". I'm gonna go practice it till I get it all correct ... oh, uh, right after I finish this review, I guess ...
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 7/10
FINAL VOTE: 8/10
TRASH DAY
Sorry, but I never cared too much for hiphop. Musically, this song just really doesn't do much for me. Especially since the Nelly original is rather ... ah ... shall we say, "nas-tay". But I love, as usual, what Al has done with the lyrics. As in so many songs before he's taken chunks of the original lyrics and given them a good laundering and spin dry. Take Nelly's line: "I need you to get up up on the dance floor / Give that man what he askin for", which Al converts to "I need you to get that stuff off the kitchen floor / Is that too much to ask you for?" and Nelly's "Warm, sweatin it's hot up in this joint / VOKAL tanktop, all on at this point" becomes "Warm, sweaty clothes piled up in this joint / Stand up by themselves at this point". And of course, Nelly's "butt" becomes Al's "rat". Even the great "Unless you're gonna do it" line is from Nelly's. Al really did his homework with this song. The substituted lyrics are silly and fun -- "roaches wearing slippers", "wipe my feet before I go outside", and "better get a Hazmat suit and a pushbroom" are my favs. Initially, I wasn't too crazy with this song, but after reviewing the original, I appreciate it a lot more. Still not my fav parody by any means, but generally a very strong song lyrically.
INITIAL VOTE: 4/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 3/10; Lyrics -- 8/10
FINAL VOTE: 6/10
PARTY AT THE LEPER COLONY
I *had* heard the live OC version prior to PH's release [on a bootleg tape ... shhhh!], so this one was not a surprise to me. I enjoyed the song when I first heard it; musically, it is a fun song, full of bounce. The sax playing of Tom Evans is superb! As was said earlier, "it's the feelgood song of the summer!" Lyrically, the body parts string of puns is [can I say this with a straight face?] "cute". It does however get a little old after a while. However, the bouncy-trouncy-flouncy-pouncy fun-fun-fun-fun of the music makes up for it greatly. This is one that is sure to be in the concert setlist, and I won't argue. I'll probably be doing handjives right along with everyone else!
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 5/10
FINAL VOTE: 6/10
ANGRY WHITE BOY POLKA
Initially, I was not too crazy with this polka, but after hearing so many others rave about it, I got my hands on the originals. And I am glad I did. As usual, my appreciation of Al's talent rises exponentially with familiarity with the originals. So many of these songs really *are* angry, and Al has done a masterful job of whittling them down to size. Mad props to all the acts who consented to Al's polka treatment; shows they really *don't* take themselves too seriously [unless some OTHER act named after a famous candy-coated chocolate treat]. My fav parts are the "Oo-WAH-AH-AH-AH!" leadin to "Down With The Sickness"; the magnificent doo-wop part of "Last Night"; and Staind's "Outside" complete with jews-harp twanging in the background. As further testimony of this song's worth -- and the need to get familiarit is my teenage daughter's fav song -- because she knows EACH and EVERY song.
INITIAL VOTE: 4/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 6/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
I WANNA B UR LOVR
Well, everybody's gotta have one song on every album that they reach for the skip button for. I guess this is the one for me. While I'm familiar [though not intimately] with Beck's work, this song really didn't hit a home run for me. Lyrically, it's interesting, and it had me smirking on several occasions -- but it was not laugh out loud funny, like most of the others. It certainly evokes a "lounge-lizard-meets-the-such-a-groovy-guy" feel, but it's not a very challenging song musically like HS or CP. Please note -- while it's not a song I'd prefer to "explain" to my 7 or 8 year olds, and while I'm hardly a prude [I actually snickered at the "Are you pickin' up the subtle innuendo here?" line -- and the lines before it!], it's simply a song I just didn't laugh too much over. And if I don't laugh, then it's not funny to me -- end of story. Now, as I listen to it more, I admit, it grows on me ... buuuut not by much. I don't *hate* it -- it's just ... mehhh ...
INITIAL VOTE: 2/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 2/10; Lyrics -- 4/10
FINAL VOTE: 3/10
A COMPLICATED SONG
A cute parody. Not really a great challenge for him though. The three different verses works pretty well -- if the entire song were about one of those three, it would probably be a MUCH weaker song -- which for me would be *abysmally* bad. Al's instincts were dead on about using thre different ones. I could see verses one and three coming a mile away, which detracted a tiny bit -- but verse two came WAY out of left field and evoked a hearty laugh right away! "My neck is enjoying a pleasant breeze" and "move to *AL*abama where that kind of thing is tolerated" are clearly the best lines. However, Al's trademark of using lines from the original is noticeably *ABSENT* here -- not a *single* line of the original is included in the parody. That is my measure for cleverness of the parody lyrics -- anybody can change all the words of a song to suit a retitled parody; a true parodist includes enough of the original to make it memorable. That didn't happen here -- a pity. Musically, the song copies Avril's style nicely, but not too exciting overall. A decent parody, one that will likely be the followup to CP, since Avril still is hot now and the constipated and decapitated lines are sure to make the twelve year olds who are a bit sick of her guffaw. At least it did *MY* twelve year old.
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 6/10; Lyrics -- 3/10
FINAL VOTE: 5/10
WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?
Mmph. This one both hits and misses for me. While Ben Folds never sounded better than on this song, the lyrics I find are a little flat. Some WOWAYFers here were upset about this song -- folks, Al isn't denigrating people who die in earthquakes, he's denigrating people who *DON'T CARE* about people who die in earthquakes [like "Waffle King" was about a guy who does one mundane thing well -- making waffles -- and thus dreams himself as Ruler Of The Free World -- get it?]. While I certainly get the humor of this self-centered jerk who ignores the plight of others around him, I just never found myself really guffawing at this one. It's one of those songs that goes -- okay, here's the set-up ... wait for it ... punch line's coming ... okay ... and ... just a second ... almost ... BAM!! Those prolonged set-ups can be either hit or miss. [Though, I admit, the "Simpsons" line did get me good!] The boss stabbing line even made me grimace a little [much like the girlfriend shaving and abandoning in the forest lines of "Good Old Days"]. Again, I'm not a prude [hey, I think the mutilation lines in OMM are hysterical, for instance], but sometimes it just borders on shock value just for the song. I'm hardly offended by it -- I just wish there was more *to* the song, that's all. Ben Folds' masterful piano work, however, makes me want to hear this song regularly. "Ba baba baaa ... ba baba baaa ..."
INITIAL VOTE: 3/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 2/10
FINAL VOTE: 5/10
ODE TO A SUPERHERO
A very nice parody, in keeping with Al's tradition of using classic songs for blockbuster movies [Yoda; JP; TSB]. Again, reviewing the original lyrics and seeing the movie enhanced my appreciation for the tune. He skewered the movie in just the right places ["again and again and again" made me bust out laughing]. And as always, Al's working of the original lyrics is masterful. "Now Harry the rich kid's a friend of his" hits Billy's original "Now John at the bar is a friend of mine", and Al's "Now Norman's a billionaire scientist / Who never had time for his son" evokes Billy's "Now Paul is a real estate novelist / Who never had time for a wife". Even "It's a pretty sad day at the funeral" resembles "It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday". He also freezes movie moments in song quite well [like, "kiss upside-down in the rain"]. And like others of you, I wanted the song to be longer ["What? That's *it*?!?"], but if you look, the original is the EXACT same length!! Bonus points for the accordion solo in the middle!! Overall, it's not as strongly connected lyrically to the original as CP or TD, but it's very good all the same.
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 7/10; Lyrics -- 7/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
BOB
When I first heard "Bob", I caught the Dylan twang right away; Al's impression is right on. The lyrics initially made me go "Huh?" ... but after a moment, I caught that these were all palindromes! *Rhyming* palindromes!!! OMG!! Fricking brilliant!! Who else would try to do a song like that?!? I almost popped a collar button laughing when I heard Al's prolonged-Dylan-"U" in "May a moody baby DYOOOOOOOM a yam?". The song was much too short, though I imagine the joke would have worn thin if it were too much longer. Musically, the song is very simple, and not too challenging -- but extra points for the Dylan impersonation and a little well-timed harmonica playing. The lyrics though ... wow! He actually pulled it off!! BIG score for originality on this one!!!!!
INITIAL VOTE: 5/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 5/10; Lyrics -- 9/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
EBAY
My first thought was "Al's using a Backstreet Boys' song? Oh great -- more reason for non-Al fans to grouse 'Why's he using an OLD song??'. But when I listened to the end product, I was heartily impressed. The lyrics were really strong -- as a regular on eBay, I can tell you, he *NAILS* all the catchphrases heard on that website!! Loved the lines about "Shatner's old toupee"; "worldwide garage sale"; "wanna buy a Kleenex used by Dr. Dre"; and my fav "the kind of stuff you'd throw away / I'll buy on eBay". Now, granted, the lyrics -- like "A Complicated Song" -- don't fit my criteria of using lines from the original. However, I *DO* have a second criteria for parody lyrics -- if you pick a subject to change your parody to, use plenty of references from that subject to make it relevant. For instance, "I Want A New Duck" has nothing to do with "I Want A New Drug", but it has a myriad of duck references which make a weak parody stronger. If entire stanzas of lines are used only to set up a single joke, then that's not much of a parody -- it's a one-liner joke. ACS seems more of a one-liner joke; eBay is a good parody of ... well ... eBay!! or maybe I should say eBay-ee-eee ... ee ...... ee ................... ee-ee ...........
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 7/10; Lyrics -- 6/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
GENIUS IN FRANCE
Well, I don't listen to much Zappa usually. About the only song I knew really well of his was "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow". So, my first impression of this was "Ehhhh ...". Since then, I've scoped out more Zappa -- and I can tell you for true: Al was indisputably channeling Frank when he wrote this! GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY! More than a style parody, he really captures Frank's spirit with this tune. Musically, at first listen without knowledge of Zappa's stuff, it may seem a bit lame [which is why it's not a commercially viable tune], but with appreciation of Zappa's repertoire, you realize how brilliant the music is -- and how deep Al's admiration for him goes. Plus we get -- yay! -- a little more accordion; it's Al's third song on PH with it [along with OTAS and AWBP]. Lyrically, it is very Zappaish -- though the jokes about being a dope do grate a little after a while. [And gang, it's NOT an anti-France song; this song was written and recorded over a year ago before any of this Iraq stuff even made headlines.] GIF is also notable for being the only song on "Poodle Hat" to actually *use* the word "poodle"! [Plus use a Bela bark too -- Woo-hoo!!] A very nice tribute to FZ, with a cool use of Dweezel in the beginning guitar riff. And hey, you gotta admit -- Bermuda does do a rather remarkable "snork"????? Qua-quaqua-quaqua ... ooh-wee-ooh ....
INITIAL VOTE: 3/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 5/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
BONUS MATERIALS
PHOTO GALLERY
Some nice pics here. Nothing spectacular, but hey -- if they *were* spectacular, they'd be on the album itself, right? Ah, but the Easter Egg of Al and Suzanne however 4 days before Nina is an *awesomely* cute pic! I notice too on this album Al's wedding ring is very prominent, including that pregnancy shot. You can tell they're in love, and that Nina has a good home. Makes ya all warm 'n' fuzzy, don't it?
INITIAL VOTE: 5/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
BONUS MIXES
A "mixed" bag -- get it? Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk. Okay ... *ahem* ... While it was really interesting [to me] to hear HS with music alone and with vocals alone, and while I enjoyed the instrumental P@TLC and WDTAHTM, the rest of the mixes were ... well ... pretty much karaoke versions. The "Al & Ben Mix" of WDTAHTM was just Al singing and Ben playing piano without any drums, bass, or backing vocals -- that's it? I'd almost rather have had the "Ben Only Mix". But hey -- it's always welcome to have alternate versions of Al's work, so I never look a gift horse in the mouth. Nice to have, but a little uninspiring.
INITIAL VOTE: 6/10
FINAL VOTE: 6/10
LYRICS
A really nice feature. Makes learning the songs so much easier when they come up in bite-sized chunks -- and in time with the music, too! As others have said though, the font can be a little hard to read -- though no more so than the 0.000025 font in the liner notes. Being basically Flash animation, the lyrics can't be copied and pasted -- but hey! That's why you have "Alsongs.com" or Happy Steve's "Yankovic!" in your bookmarks, right??? Don't you??? HUH???!??
INITIAL VOTE -- 7/10
FINAL VOTE -- 8/10
And of course, I've saved the best for last ...
HOME MOVIES
In the immortal words of Frank Barone of "Everybody Tolerates Raymond" -- "HOLY CRAP!" Cheez, what can I say? This was absolutely *brilliant*!! A magnificent bonus for those of us non-"HOOLIGANS!" who bought the album!! Not only did we get to glimpse Al as a child and see terrific footage of his antics, we got some of the most hysterical commentary on the movies since UHF ... or even MST3K!!!! Oh my word ... some of that stuff was SOOOOOOO funny, I literally snorked on my soda and had to give myself a Heimlich!! The deadpan "Man, that was ... that was ... greaaat ...". The venomous "Hey, snowman with the pinecone head -- I *HATE* YOU!!". The "Come on! BEAT ME UP!!". The "NONONO!! It's all wrong! It's GARBAGE!! I *HATE* myself!!" And of course, my personal fav: "AAAH!! DUCK!! It's the Water Missle Of Death!!". I *CANNOT* get enough of this!! I'd watch this over even an AL-TV special!! If the album itself was totally blank except for this, I would STILL buy it!! Among the *BEST* fricking things that Al has ever done!!!
INITIAL VOTE: 10/10
FINAL VOTE: 27/10 !!!!!!
OVERALL IMPRESSION
A very strong album!! Not perfect, not my alltime favorite, but one I will *very* much enjoy listening to -- a LOT. I've noticed in others [including myself] that a lot of one's personal enjoyment depends on whether you've heard the originals, and whether you understand the references Al makes [like "TiVo now thinks I'm gay"]. Believe me, it is well worth the effort to look this stuff up; you will appreciate the care Al put into each song much more that way! It's the only way to "get the joke", as it were. Bermuda was indeed right -- "You guys are gonna love Poodle Hat!". And we *do*. Mad props to Al and TBITB for another jewel in the crown!! [And jeers to the Em-thing ...]
FAVORITE ORIGINAL: "Hardware Store"
FAVORITE PARODY: "Couch Potato"
FAVORITE FEATURE: "Home Movies"
FINAL REVIEW: 8/10
And there you have it. The unflinching definitive Dr Dad review. Uncut and uncensored. Thanks for staying awake.
And Scotti, I hope to heck you're *happy* now ...
[Cheez, hope I get an A ...]
Dr. Dad / Jim
"This one's for you ..."
{ATTENTION ALL W.O.W.A.Y.F. DENIZENS: THE POST TO FOLLOW IS ... WELL ... *HUGE*
Poodle Hat Dissertation by Dr Dad
For a full appreciation of all aspects of this album, I've divided the review into three parts -- "Graphic Design" [about the album cover, inserts, etc -- the "hardware", if you will]; "Songs" [the music itself -- or the "software"]; and "Bonus Materials" [the ... um ... bonus stuff -- or the ... ah ... um ... "bonus ... stuff" ...]
GRAPHIC DESIGN
ALBUM TITLE:
Poodle Hat. Interesting title. When I first heard the title weeks before in WOWAYF, I thought "Huh??? ..." Now, I must say, I'm a Bela fan, but to be frank, the title just didn't grab me like "Dare To Be Stupid" or "Alapalooza" did. At least the Dr. Demento Interview finally brought to light the source of the title ... Bela crawling onto the Yankovic bed one night and sitting on Al's fluffy couf. At least this album actually *has* a poodle reference in it [in "Genius In France", for those of you keeping score at home], as opposed to RWS [no running and no scissors!]. You know, as Bermuda said once before, maybe another good future album title might be "Innocuous Silhouettes" -- but then again, if people can't spell "Weird", how would they mangle a title like that?!? " Inknokquwuss Sillowwets" ... Yeesh. Hello? Spell checker, anyone? Now ... uh ... where was I? ... kinda lost my place ... well, anyway all I really wanted to say was:
INITIAL VOTE -- 3/10
FINAL VOTE -- 6/10
COVER ARTWORK:
The subway theme is a neat idea. I like the busy photo; reminds me of the WAY ALbum cover drawing -- lots to look at. Very reminiscent of Mad Magazine. Al looks *very* dapper in that suit, and Bela is cute as a button. Now that I know the origin of the title, I can appreciate the pic of Bela on Al more. The 27 on the Scout's sleve is much appreciated too. And of course, BIG grins for seeing Suzanne and Joel there too [especially with Joel in a scrub suit!!]. The back cover is unassuming, and the song titles a wee bit hard to read, but overall okay.
INITIAL VOTE -- 5/10
FINAL VOTE -- 7/10
LINER NOTES & PICTURES:
Photos are generally well done. Good closeup of Al at the beginning of the lyrics section -- I like that furtive grin. Lyrics are in something like a 0.000025 font, though admittedly even readable by these forty-something-year-old eyes. Grateful to *have* lyrics, especially for "Hardware Store" and "Couch Potato". Photo of Al with TBITB is cool; snickering at that "Eat It" jacket of Jim's and Bermuda's "lounge lizard" get-up. The photo of Al leaning against the building and wistfully comtemplating the world is cute also [wedding band is especially prominent there], and the framing of the credits around his slanted body is a nice touch. Also even enjoyed reading the credits [Bermuda did "drum programming" on "Trash Day" -- huh?!?], and knowing who played what on the individual songs [something only done since RWS!] is warmly welcomed by me. The photo behind the CD tray is vintage wide-eyed-staring Al -- well done. Back photo of Al and Bela getting off subway is sweet, though oddly surreal with the faded edges ... All in all, nothing too wild to scare away casu-AL fans, but nothing too super-interesting either [unlike the TBITB photo in RWS!!]. And hey -- where's Ruben???
INITIAL VOTE -- 6/10
FINAL VOTE -- 6/10
CD ART:
When I greedily opened my CD case early on May 20 in the parking lot of Borders and saw Al's wide-eyed stare looking back at me, I lost it right there in the parking lot [thank GAWD the place was nearly empty that time of morning ...]. I've seen it a couple dozen times since and it hasn't gotten the least bit old -- still makes me smile. Unquestionably the *most* clever CD art ever on any album -- Al or otherwise. And yes, I bought both "Big Mouth" and "Small Mouth" versions already.
INITIAL VOTE -- 10/10
FINAL VOTE -- 10/10!!
MUSIC
NOTE: Before all final votes were made, I listened to each original and polka subject, plus heard representative songs for the style parodies, if I was not already familiar with them. Personally, I think it's the only way to really appreciate Al's creativity and thoroughness. Trust me on this one, folks.
COUCH POTATO
An excellent start to the album! I'm not really in Em -- though I admire his vocals and writing abilities, his lyrics and commentary leave me chilled. Al however has here strong vocals and captures the feel of Mr. Mathers' tune beautifully. Though I originally only heard pieces of the original before, I was pretty sure Al nailed M&M's style. When I reheard the original, I *knew* he had. As always, Al's twisting of the original lyrics is legendary. Em's "He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out" becomes Al's "[Simon Cowell] He opens his mouth, always says something foul". "Snap back to reality" becomes "Shows based on reality". "Make me king" becomes "Larry King". "Da da dum da dum da da" becomes "Muppet Show where they go 'Mahna Mahna'" [do any of you folks born after 1985 get that reference?]. Al's last stanza with all the "-ot" rhymes beautifully mirrors Em's final stanza [also chock fulla "-ot"s]! It staggers me to hear how much pop culture he has inserted into a single song -- unbelievable!! He even snuck in a few obscure refs that go past most folks -- like the lines "TiVo now thinks I'm gay" and "'The King Of Queens' jumped the shark the first minute / I can't believe Richard Simmons ain't in it!" Musically, he has Em's rhyme scheme and cadence down *PERFECTLY*. I frankly don't understand Em's decision to nix a video [ya can dish it, homeboi, but can't take it, huh?], but I *DO* know why he okayed the parody itself. The reason? ***IT'S THAT G O O D !!!!!*** Em probably said, "S**T, man, this is great F***ING ****! I gotta let this go. It would be unfair to not let the world hear this!" Positively the strongest parody on the album -- and one of his best EVER!!!
INITIAL VOTE: 8/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 9/10; Lyrics -- 10/10
FINAL VOTE: 9.5/10 [0.5 off for Em's diss of Al]
HARDWARE STORE
A.K.A. "I'll Repair For You -- The Prequel". My first impression on hearing that there was a song called "Hardware Store" was "Mmmm...kay...". I wasn't expecting much. Needless to say I was *BLOWN AWAY* by this song. Granted, I've always loved fast-singing Al [YHFT is among my favs off RWS], but this was -- HOOO BOY!! Now, I know some have dismissed this song as rather colorless and mundane ["A song about hardware?!? Puh-leeze!"], but I respond, *THAT'S* part of Al's appeal -- he takes the everyday [waiting for a new store to open in his neighborhood] and turns it into a colossal event! Others call it "just another list song", and perhaps it is -- but yoicks, it is the *MOTHER* of all list songs! The third verse is outstanding, even though I know he sang it in segments. Lyrically and musically, the song rocks -- the heavy metal [sorry ...] sound with added power tool sound effects is great fun, and the lyrics are excellent, considering how difficult it is to sing *that* fast, yet e-nun-ci-ate so cuh-lear-ly. [And a 27 reference to boot -- Woo!] It's almost replaced "Trigger Happy" as my "Favorite Original That Nobody But A True Al Fan Has Ever Heard Of". I'm gonna go practice it till I get it all correct ... oh, uh, right after I finish this review, I guess ...
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 7/10
FINAL VOTE: 8/10
TRASH DAY
Sorry, but I never cared too much for hiphop. Musically, this song just really doesn't do much for me. Especially since the Nelly original is rather ... ah ... shall we say, "nas-tay". But I love, as usual, what Al has done with the lyrics. As in so many songs before he's taken chunks of the original lyrics and given them a good laundering and spin dry. Take Nelly's line: "I need you to get up up on the dance floor / Give that man what he askin for", which Al converts to "I need you to get that stuff off the kitchen floor / Is that too much to ask you for?" and Nelly's "Warm, sweatin it's hot up in this joint / VOKAL tanktop, all on at this point" becomes "Warm, sweaty clothes piled up in this joint / Stand up by themselves at this point". And of course, Nelly's "butt" becomes Al's "rat". Even the great "Unless you're gonna do it" line is from Nelly's. Al really did his homework with this song. The substituted lyrics are silly and fun -- "roaches wearing slippers", "wipe my feet before I go outside", and "better get a Hazmat suit and a pushbroom" are my favs. Initially, I wasn't too crazy with this song, but after reviewing the original, I appreciate it a lot more. Still not my fav parody by any means, but generally a very strong song lyrically.
INITIAL VOTE: 4/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 3/10; Lyrics -- 8/10
FINAL VOTE: 6/10
PARTY AT THE LEPER COLONY
I *had* heard the live OC version prior to PH's release [on a bootleg tape ... shhhh!], so this one was not a surprise to me. I enjoyed the song when I first heard it; musically, it is a fun song, full of bounce. The sax playing of Tom Evans is superb! As was said earlier, "it's the feelgood song of the summer!" Lyrically, the body parts string of puns is [can I say this with a straight face?] "cute". It does however get a little old after a while. However, the bouncy-trouncy-flouncy-pouncy fun-fun-fun-fun of the music makes up for it greatly. This is one that is sure to be in the concert setlist, and I won't argue. I'll probably be doing handjives right along with everyone else!
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 5/10
FINAL VOTE: 6/10
ANGRY WHITE BOY POLKA
Initially, I was not too crazy with this polka, but after hearing so many others rave about it, I got my hands on the originals. And I am glad I did. As usual, my appreciation of Al's talent rises exponentially with familiarity with the originals. So many of these songs really *are* angry, and Al has done a masterful job of whittling them down to size. Mad props to all the acts who consented to Al's polka treatment; shows they really *don't* take themselves too seriously [unless some OTHER act named after a famous candy-coated chocolate treat]. My fav parts are the "Oo-WAH-AH-AH-AH!" leadin to "Down With The Sickness"; the magnificent doo-wop part of "Last Night"; and Staind's "Outside" complete with jews-harp twanging in the background. As further testimony of this song's worth -- and the need to get familiarit is my teenage daughter's fav song -- because she knows EACH and EVERY song.
INITIAL VOTE: 4/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 6/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
I WANNA B UR LOVR
Well, everybody's gotta have one song on every album that they reach for the skip button for. I guess this is the one for me. While I'm familiar [though not intimately] with Beck's work, this song really didn't hit a home run for me. Lyrically, it's interesting, and it had me smirking on several occasions -- but it was not laugh out loud funny, like most of the others. It certainly evokes a "lounge-lizard-meets-the-such-a-groovy-guy" feel, but it's not a very challenging song musically like HS or CP. Please note -- while it's not a song I'd prefer to "explain" to my 7 or 8 year olds, and while I'm hardly a prude [I actually snickered at the "Are you pickin' up the subtle innuendo here?" line -- and the lines before it!], it's simply a song I just didn't laugh too much over. And if I don't laugh, then it's not funny to me -- end of story. Now, as I listen to it more, I admit, it grows on me ... buuuut not by much. I don't *hate* it -- it's just ... mehhh ...
INITIAL VOTE: 2/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 2/10; Lyrics -- 4/10
FINAL VOTE: 3/10
A COMPLICATED SONG
A cute parody. Not really a great challenge for him though. The three different verses works pretty well -- if the entire song were about one of those three, it would probably be a MUCH weaker song -- which for me would be *abysmally* bad. Al's instincts were dead on about using thre different ones. I could see verses one and three coming a mile away, which detracted a tiny bit -- but verse two came WAY out of left field and evoked a hearty laugh right away! "My neck is enjoying a pleasant breeze" and "move to *AL*abama where that kind of thing is tolerated" are clearly the best lines. However, Al's trademark of using lines from the original is noticeably *ABSENT* here -- not a *single* line of the original is included in the parody. That is my measure for cleverness of the parody lyrics -- anybody can change all the words of a song to suit a retitled parody; a true parodist includes enough of the original to make it memorable. That didn't happen here -- a pity. Musically, the song copies Avril's style nicely, but not too exciting overall. A decent parody, one that will likely be the followup to CP, since Avril still is hot now and the constipated and decapitated lines are sure to make the twelve year olds who are a bit sick of her guffaw. At least it did *MY* twelve year old.
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 6/10; Lyrics -- 3/10
FINAL VOTE: 5/10
WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?
Mmph. This one both hits and misses for me. While Ben Folds never sounded better than on this song, the lyrics I find are a little flat. Some WOWAYFers here were upset about this song -- folks, Al isn't denigrating people who die in earthquakes, he's denigrating people who *DON'T CARE* about people who die in earthquakes [like "Waffle King" was about a guy who does one mundane thing well -- making waffles -- and thus dreams himself as Ruler Of The Free World -- get it?]. While I certainly get the humor of this self-centered jerk who ignores the plight of others around him, I just never found myself really guffawing at this one. It's one of those songs that goes -- okay, here's the set-up ... wait for it ... punch line's coming ... okay ... and ... just a second ... almost ... BAM!! Those prolonged set-ups can be either hit or miss. [Though, I admit, the "Simpsons" line did get me good!] The boss stabbing line even made me grimace a little [much like the girlfriend shaving and abandoning in the forest lines of "Good Old Days"]. Again, I'm not a prude [hey, I think the mutilation lines in OMM are hysterical, for instance], but sometimes it just borders on shock value just for the song. I'm hardly offended by it -- I just wish there was more *to* the song, that's all. Ben Folds' masterful piano work, however, makes me want to hear this song regularly. "Ba baba baaa ... ba baba baaa ..."
INITIAL VOTE: 3/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 2/10
FINAL VOTE: 5/10
ODE TO A SUPERHERO
A very nice parody, in keeping with Al's tradition of using classic songs for blockbuster movies [Yoda; JP; TSB]. Again, reviewing the original lyrics and seeing the movie enhanced my appreciation for the tune. He skewered the movie in just the right places ["again and again and again" made me bust out laughing]. And as always, Al's working of the original lyrics is masterful. "Now Harry the rich kid's a friend of his" hits Billy's original "Now John at the bar is a friend of mine", and Al's "Now Norman's a billionaire scientist / Who never had time for his son" evokes Billy's "Now Paul is a real estate novelist / Who never had time for a wife". Even "It's a pretty sad day at the funeral" resembles "It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday". He also freezes movie moments in song quite well [like, "kiss upside-down in the rain"]. And like others of you, I wanted the song to be longer ["What? That's *it*?!?"], but if you look, the original is the EXACT same length!! Bonus points for the accordion solo in the middle!! Overall, it's not as strongly connected lyrically to the original as CP or TD, but it's very good all the same.
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 7/10; Lyrics -- 7/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
BOB
When I first heard "Bob", I caught the Dylan twang right away; Al's impression is right on. The lyrics initially made me go "Huh?" ... but after a moment, I caught that these were all palindromes! *Rhyming* palindromes!!! OMG!! Fricking brilliant!! Who else would try to do a song like that?!? I almost popped a collar button laughing when I heard Al's prolonged-Dylan-"U" in "May a moody baby DYOOOOOOOM a yam?". The song was much too short, though I imagine the joke would have worn thin if it were too much longer. Musically, the song is very simple, and not too challenging -- but extra points for the Dylan impersonation and a little well-timed harmonica playing. The lyrics though ... wow! He actually pulled it off!! BIG score for originality on this one!!!!!
INITIAL VOTE: 5/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 5/10; Lyrics -- 9/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
EBAY
My first thought was "Al's using a Backstreet Boys' song? Oh great -- more reason for non-Al fans to grouse 'Why's he using an OLD song??'. But when I listened to the end product, I was heartily impressed. The lyrics were really strong -- as a regular on eBay, I can tell you, he *NAILS* all the catchphrases heard on that website!! Loved the lines about "Shatner's old toupee"; "worldwide garage sale"; "wanna buy a Kleenex used by Dr. Dre"; and my fav "the kind of stuff you'd throw away / I'll buy on eBay". Now, granted, the lyrics -- like "A Complicated Song" -- don't fit my criteria of using lines from the original. However, I *DO* have a second criteria for parody lyrics -- if you pick a subject to change your parody to, use plenty of references from that subject to make it relevant. For instance, "I Want A New Duck" has nothing to do with "I Want A New Drug", but it has a myriad of duck references which make a weak parody stronger. If entire stanzas of lines are used only to set up a single joke, then that's not much of a parody -- it's a one-liner joke. ACS seems more of a one-liner joke; eBay is a good parody of ... well ... eBay!! or maybe I should say eBay-ee-eee ... ee ...... ee ................... ee-ee ...........
INITIAL VOTE: 7/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 7/10; Lyrics -- 6/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
GENIUS IN FRANCE
Well, I don't listen to much Zappa usually. About the only song I knew really well of his was "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow". So, my first impression of this was "Ehhhh ...". Since then, I've scoped out more Zappa -- and I can tell you for true: Al was indisputably channeling Frank when he wrote this! GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY! More than a style parody, he really captures Frank's spirit with this tune. Musically, at first listen without knowledge of Zappa's stuff, it may seem a bit lame [which is why it's not a commercially viable tune], but with appreciation of Zappa's repertoire, you realize how brilliant the music is -- and how deep Al's admiration for him goes. Plus we get -- yay! -- a little more accordion; it's Al's third song on PH with it [along with OTAS and AWBP]. Lyrically, it is very Zappaish -- though the jokes about being a dope do grate a little after a while. [And gang, it's NOT an anti-France song; this song was written and recorded over a year ago before any of this Iraq stuff even made headlines.] GIF is also notable for being the only song on "Poodle Hat" to actually *use* the word "poodle"! [Plus use a Bela bark too -- Woo-hoo!!] A very nice tribute to FZ, with a cool use of Dweezel in the beginning guitar riff. And hey, you gotta admit -- Bermuda does do a rather remarkable "snork"????? Qua-quaqua-quaqua ... ooh-wee-ooh ....
INITIAL VOTE: 3/10
FINAL BREAKDOWN: Music -- 8/10; Lyrics -- 5/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
BONUS MATERIALS
PHOTO GALLERY
Some nice pics here. Nothing spectacular, but hey -- if they *were* spectacular, they'd be on the album itself, right? Ah, but the Easter Egg of Al and Suzanne however 4 days before Nina is an *awesomely* cute pic! I notice too on this album Al's wedding ring is very prominent, including that pregnancy shot. You can tell they're in love, and that Nina has a good home. Makes ya all warm 'n' fuzzy, don't it?
INITIAL VOTE: 5/10
FINAL VOTE: 7/10
BONUS MIXES
A "mixed" bag -- get it? Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk. Okay ... *ahem* ... While it was really interesting [to me] to hear HS with music alone and with vocals alone, and while I enjoyed the instrumental P@TLC and WDTAHTM, the rest of the mixes were ... well ... pretty much karaoke versions. The "Al & Ben Mix" of WDTAHTM was just Al singing and Ben playing piano without any drums, bass, or backing vocals -- that's it? I'd almost rather have had the "Ben Only Mix". But hey -- it's always welcome to have alternate versions of Al's work, so I never look a gift horse in the mouth. Nice to have, but a little uninspiring.
INITIAL VOTE: 6/10
FINAL VOTE: 6/10
LYRICS
A really nice feature. Makes learning the songs so much easier when they come up in bite-sized chunks -- and in time with the music, too! As others have said though, the font can be a little hard to read -- though no more so than the 0.000025 font in the liner notes. Being basically Flash animation, the lyrics can't be copied and pasted -- but hey! That's why you have "Alsongs.com" or Happy Steve's "Yankovic!" in your bookmarks, right??? Don't you??? HUH???!??
INITIAL VOTE -- 7/10
FINAL VOTE -- 8/10
And of course, I've saved the best for last ...
HOME MOVIES
In the immortal words of Frank Barone of "Everybody Tolerates Raymond" -- "HOLY CRAP!" Cheez, what can I say? This was absolutely *brilliant*!! A magnificent bonus for those of us non-"HOOLIGANS!" who bought the album!! Not only did we get to glimpse Al as a child and see terrific footage of his antics, we got some of the most hysterical commentary on the movies since UHF ... or even MST3K!!!! Oh my word ... some of that stuff was SOOOOOOO funny, I literally snorked on my soda and had to give myself a Heimlich!! The deadpan "Man, that was ... that was ... greaaat ...". The venomous "Hey, snowman with the pinecone head -- I *HATE* YOU!!". The "Come on! BEAT ME UP!!". The "NONONO!! It's all wrong! It's GARBAGE!! I *HATE* myself!!" And of course, my personal fav: "AAAH!! DUCK!! It's the Water Missle Of Death!!". I *CANNOT* get enough of this!! I'd watch this over even an AL-TV special!! If the album itself was totally blank except for this, I would STILL buy it!! Among the *BEST* fricking things that Al has ever done!!!
INITIAL VOTE: 10/10
FINAL VOTE: 27/10 !!!!!!
OVERALL IMPRESSION
A very strong album!! Not perfect, not my alltime favorite, but one I will *very* much enjoy listening to -- a LOT. I've noticed in others [including myself] that a lot of one's personal enjoyment depends on whether you've heard the originals, and whether you understand the references Al makes [like "TiVo now thinks I'm gay"]. Believe me, it is well worth the effort to look this stuff up; you will appreciate the care Al put into each song much more that way! It's the only way to "get the joke", as it were. Bermuda was indeed right -- "You guys are gonna love Poodle Hat!". And we *do*. Mad props to Al and TBITB for another jewel in the crown!! [And jeers to the Em-thing ...]
FAVORITE ORIGINAL: "Hardware Store"
FAVORITE PARODY: "Couch Potato"
FAVORITE FEATURE: "Home Movies"
FINAL REVIEW: 8/10
And there you have it. The unflinching definitive Dr Dad review. Uncut and uncensored. Thanks for staying awake.
And Scotti, I hope to heck you're *happy* now ...
[Cheez, hope I get an A ...]
Dr. Dad / Jim
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scottidog
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JohnFudz
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Weird Al Poodle Hat
Hey I'm listening to Poodle hat and I'm up to Party At the Lepor Colony and It sound like a song i know but who know prob Al anyway I think its great and I wanna listen tyo Wanna Be Your Luver I want to know what the fuss is about anyone I went to find out if they had Poodle Hat and they said Weird Who who is that guy I really got angry at him.
Then I went to another Cd Store and the helpful person told me its out Monday so I got it today and can't wait to hear the rest of it
From John Fudz
Then I went to another Cd Store and the helpful person told me its out Monday so I got it today and can't wait to hear the rest of it
From John Fudz
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sarah_yzma
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Orthography Enthusiast
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Thanks for the review, Dr. Dad! QUOTE Al's fluffy couf 
Did you find yourself wondering whether Nelly's lyrics themselves suggested the "filth" theme to Al as a parody topic?
I think I'd rate eBay a little higher than you did because of the wonderful appropriateness of setting a song about acquiring stuff to such a breathy, reverential love song. It's much funnier that way than if he'd picked a bouncy uptempo original.
Again, thanks for your insightful and long awaited review.
Did you find yourself wondering whether Nelly's lyrics themselves suggested the "filth" theme to Al as a parody topic?
I think I'd rate eBay a little higher than you did because of the wonderful appropriateness of setting a song about acquiring stuff to such a breathy, reverential love song. It's much funnier that way than if he'd picked a bouncy uptempo original.
Again, thanks for your insightful and long awaited review.
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BillyW3
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QUOTE
You're not allowed to listen to OTDE? That......sucks.
~Allison
LOL
I'm not banned anymore. (I'm 24, married, and live 2000 miles away from my parents!) I couldn't listen to it from '92 until '96 when I turned 18. Of course, by the time he heard it and stopped me from listening to it, I had pretty much everything memorized.
You're not allowed to listen to OTDE? That......sucks.
~Allison
LOL
I'm not banned anymore. (I'm 24, married, and live 2000 miles away from my parents!) I couldn't listen to it from '92 until '96 when I turned 18. Of course, by the time he heard it and stopped me from listening to it, I had pretty much everything memorized. -
BillyW3
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Now for a post actually on-topic, sort of.
I can't decide if I like an AL parody better if I hate the original song or better if I like the original. At least nowadays I actually know the originals. When I was growing up, I only knew the really big hits that Al parodied, so I didn't even realize that some of the parodies were parodies of other songs. I just thought they were funny.
Poodle Hat doesn't help, because I love "Trash Day" which is funny enough, but mostly because I hated "Hot in Herre". I liked "Complicated" and "Lose Yourself" before PH, and I love the parodies, because they're hilarious!
Maybe that's why "eBay" is one of my favorite songs on PH, because I didn't really care for the original (although it's better than anything from *Nsync), AND I also think it's really funny!
I can't decide if I like an AL parody better if I hate the original song or better if I like the original. At least nowadays I actually know the originals. When I was growing up, I only knew the really big hits that Al parodied, so I didn't even realize that some of the parodies were parodies of other songs. I just thought they were funny.
Poodle Hat doesn't help, because I love "Trash Day" which is funny enough, but mostly because I hated "Hot in Herre". I liked "Complicated" and "Lose Yourself" before PH, and I love the parodies, because they're hilarious!
Maybe that's why "eBay" is one of my favorite songs on PH, because I didn't really care for the original (although it's better than anything from *Nsync), AND I also think it's really funny!