Funny (not funny) music
 

Funny music. It's a tricky one. As in music that is funny. Not music that is 'funny'. Music that makes you laugh, but doesn't make you want to hurt people. I'm not talking about 'comedy' ska-punk/ metal covers of pop songs. I'm not talking about Frank 'fucking' Zappa. I'm talking about Ivor Cutler and Half man Half biscuit. But other properly funny musicians? I'm at a loss.

Go...

Alien Sex Fiend
Fred Lane
Residents
Gong


Most "funny music" drives me to a murderous rage within about 5 seconds, but some people are clever and musically adept enough to make humor a viable method

Hmmm...lemme think.........

ween

Half Man Half Bisuit and Ivor Cutler are certainly the two obvious ones.

Farces Wanna Mo
Songs from The Mighty Boosh
I, Ludicrous

...um, I'm stuck.

Residents are a funny [sic] one for me. I haven't quite got it yet, but I don't hate them, which is my usual reaction to 'wacky' music. Which makes me think there's something there, I just haven't found it yet.

Gong, top example. Somewhere near the Incredible String Band, who make me laugh in a, "Aww. Twee and English" type way.

Bonzo Dog Do Da band do my head in though.

Couldn't get Ahead is amusing, that band are most good at most funny songs, especially when you don't expect them to be funny (also, Dr Bucks Letter).

Not a huge fan, but I suppose the Jazz Butcher might be one of these types as well.

...I quite agree. But for me, like The Smiths and sometimes Big Audio Dynamite, that's a band inserting the occaisional bit of humour rather than being a 'funny band'.

Sockeye

Kill the Hippies

Sloth

you're the one for me, fatty

Flava Flav has done much good work.

Monster Magnet have some pretty damn hilarious lyrics.

I have to think about this one.I'm awfully drunk and The Shaggs have just come up .

Legendary Pink Dots and Nurse With Wound both have moments of extreme hilarity and whimsical mirth, but this seems lost on a lot of people.

I find Type O Negative very funny. And Cradle of Filth. I've got no proof, but I'm certain Cradle are a joke, but not in a taking the piss way, but a really sophisticated one that makes me a special person for noticing it.

"Special" as in "Retarded?"

reynols
ween

Not really............but Tossers!Full of shit,the lot of you.Goodnight.

Camper Van Beethoven
Laurie Anderson
Beck

Really little turns to not very much.

arent she and lou reed dating?

Yes!
If there is only one other appreciator of this man's genius on this earth, I am made happy by this.

"Having lunch with a White Woman
Everybody wants to have a White Woman
She's a caucasian
I'm a caucasian
You know it's got to be a
White Woman!

Sometimes when I'm a little sad and lonely
I pick up a pen and pad
Jot down a few items that I
Wish I had
When I'm in a Pickle
I'm in a Stew
Just add the celery and
Dream of You!

She's a caucasian
I feel like a Eurasian
Standing on the tabletop
Looking at the view!"

I think they started dating in 1992, and have been living together since 1995.

The only place I've ever heard them discuss their relationship publicly is in a Charlie Rose interview they did together in 2003.

Lou Reed's cover of the Wire (circa 'the Raven') mentions it. Laurie Anderson's Invisible Jukebox (same mag, a few years earlier) also mentions it.

oh god. laurie anderson looks bad now.

Meh. I would.

is lou wearing a trash bag?

Is that a messenger bag?

i still say he's wrapped in a garbage bag.

Oh he is. He just loves....bags. I guess.

i always thought lou reed was homosexual... did i just imagine that?

totally, with type o it's their intention, even thought their music seems tedious to me now. cradle are spot on, but i rather have dimmu borgir, all i need is to see their name and my ribs start aching.

Exactly. Pantomime. There's no point criticising it, it's already taking the piss out of itself.

Like Dragonforce. I've heard people say, "It's just solos and silly lyrics". For fucks sake. Of course that's all it is. That's fucking fun, you schleps!

yep, nothing ironic or intellectual, just what it is.

i sort of side more with carnivore than type o, they were a lot more offensive and musically better.

i sort of think it's stupid when people try to make a debating point on something like power metal or rap rock or eurodance, trying to prove that it's bad music.

Rep, EveryNeurotic, etc.

It's something that annoys me a lot actually. Particularly 'alternative' fans, they tend to think you should have this ultra-austere appreciation of everything, only deeply serious music can be appreciated. Funnily enough, none of them listen to the really heavy stuff... they'll take some rubbish punk band ultra-seriously, but wouldn't find themselves within a country mile of das rheingold (or whatever).

So yeah. Silly music. Rocks!

People Like Us can be quite funny/ridiculous at times.

that reminds of an article tim sommer wrote about how he and his friends thought they were hot shit, so hip and underground just because they listened to elvis costello and the jam, saying how to them they were the most radical music ever when they were miles away from the real underground stuff like neu!, terry riley or the residents and how they denied themselves stuff like blue öyster cult, whom he now appreciates them now that he's a little above the bullshit scene/indie cred stuff.

at the end of the day, music is what it does to you, it has little or nothing to do with it's intentions or it's justifications. unless people don't listen to music and just like to throw names around to seem cool...

i don't know what's really heavy. a lot of people probably think babes in toyland are heavy. i don't personally. i do like some silly music though.

ween
big business have some amusing lyrics
Does Andrew WK count?
Turbonegro- Ass Cobra
Dr. Octagon