Spike Jones - classic or not that classic?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

BRRRRING!
"Hello?"
(...)
"You don't say!"
(...)
"You DON'T say!"
(...)
"You don't SAY!"
*hangs up*
"Who was it?"
"He didn't say!".

― duane, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Cocktails for Two," says it all right there -- gunshots for rhythm, weird-ass noises as random drop-ins and more. Did Spike Jones invent the hip-hop mix?

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

JUST that classic

― Michaelangelo Matos, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

completely classic. My parents laughed with him and so do I. British people don't seem to find him as funny as North Americans do, in my experience. Why is this?

You can find his old TV shows sometimes on video. They are very funny, too.

I've always wanted to form a Spike Jones cover band, but finding tuned pistols is a very challenging thing....

― pauls00, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic. Any single collection of his work, however, will suffice (although one has Pynchon liner notes if you're into that sort of thing)

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic, of course. One amusing bit I remember hearing once on the radio, that I have never seen on any compilation, is a parody of the song "Sixteen Tons"...sample verse:

"She eats 16 Tacos, everyday, and a dozen enchiladas she puts away, sometimes I think, if I made a proposal... I'd be getting married...to a garbage disposal!"

I also like the skits featuring Winsted 'Doodles' Weaver, like Dance of the Hours or the William Tell Overture.

Another guilty pleasure: the soap opera skit that goes "You have another wife, and I have another husband. And he has another wife. And she has another husband...", etc. Very prophetic of lo this Jerry Springer era, I think...

― Joe, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There aren't enough people saying Spike Jones sux0r. So I say: Spike Jones sux0r. When I was at that age and listening to e.g. the Doctor Demento 20th. ann. comp a lot, the Jones tracks always pissed me off.

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Not as classic as Morton Feldman.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But I loved that video concept where he had the dog head on the guy though. That was just soooo weird. And how he ambushed the academy awards for a scene! He's totally innovative!

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yeah i'd like to see more of those videos. memorable image - a guy with a big axe chasing a guy dressed as just the bottom half of a person - you know just a big pair of pants - around the stage.

― duane, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favourite album, from the time I was 3 till the time I was a preteen and Duran Duran took over, was "Spike Jones Dinner Music For People Who Aren't Very Hungry". I have never heard anything funnier. Especially that one about the girl who thinks that she's going to the Grand Ole Opry and goes to the opera instead. "When I listen to Pal-ya-chee, I get itchy and scraaaatchy..."

Oh, I used to keep the stoner crowd in stiches for hours with my impressions of "Susanna's a funny old man man man Susanna's a funny old man!"

If you don't agree, you HAVE NO SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, you have a soul, but you don't have a sense of humour. Clearly.

― masonic boom, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My friend says Mickey Katz is better.

― X. Y. Zedd, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Josh, you wound me. Let down your cool. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Spike Jones is in my bin along with the Violent Femmes: artists that I "hate" and refuse to try on principle (not that the principles are good: I just have to have something to hate, dammit). But I still hate Spike Jones, like really.

― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ah, it's not everyone's speed. Why the Femmes, though?

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Because I bought "Why Do Birds Sing?" in high school and kept listening to it trying to like it and it was always just boring as hell. So I decided that I should hate them for that (oh, how capricious I was).

― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's your mistake right there. It's all about the first two albums with the Femmes (plus that song they did on the "Crow" soundtrack).

― Dan Perry, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So there ARE records that Josh dislikes after all !!

― Patrick, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

[[high-fiving Josh]] YES!!! Finally--someone else who fucking DESPISES the Femmes the way they deserve to be by EVERYONE! I LOATHE THEM!!! (ESPECIALLY the first album.)

You are, however, completely wrong about Spike Jones. He rules.

― M. Matos, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Patrick, the catch is that I must not try to like them. That would be dangerous.

Once I move in with my new roommate the highlight of my running gags for the following 1-2 months will be me doing my Violent Femmes whine every time my roommate mentions that he saw them last month.

― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

PS. Spike Jones can suck it. Word.

― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is Gordon Gano the Jonathan Richman for eighties types? (Note -- do not read this as a claim that *I* think this.)

One of the other guys in the band had the hilarious "Religion Ruined My Life" on a solo record, which probably led to some amusing band discussions later.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i dislike he violent femmes too. their bass player once pulled a KNIFE on a friend of mine tho, that = RESPECTABLE. (my friend deserved at least some hassle...his band had supported them & they drank their rider while they were on stage & then stole the bass guy's gold-lame cape)

― duane, Saturday, 21 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

four years pass...

hey, spike jones videos on youtube! so that's where the avalanches got &c&c&c!

― etc, Tuesday, 7 March 2006 12:11 (nineteen years ago)

Classic for "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" alone.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

Still classic.

― I'm Not Afraid Of Electricity (kate), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 12:54 (nineteen years ago)

"A fellow said to me the other day, 'Why Doodles, your hair's getting thin'. I said, 'Well who wants fat hair?'"

Could scarcely be more CLASSIC. Possibly only Ivor Cutler can compete.

― Rotatey Diskers With Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

ten years pass...

will always love this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrxXmlnJuJM

― Neanderthal, Monday, 3 October 2016 04:19 (nine years ago)

ten months pass...

Playing a video racing game and his "William Tell Overture (Beetlebaum)" popped into my head. I'm old enough that, between Dr. Demento and my mother, I was well aware of Spike, Looney Tunes, Raymond Scott and lots of pop culture from the 40s. Lots of this stuff is on Spotify, YouTube, etc waiting to be rediscovered.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 15 August 2017 18:37 (eight years ago)

four years pass...

huh, good thread

― unknown or illegal user (doo rag), Wednesday, 23 March 2022 04:53 (three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.