Help with this obscure music joke...

it ends like this:

"Ninja, Ninja, RAP!"

Must have something to do with the brief bits of chatter accessible here and there on various Zeppelin tracks -- for some reason the skit reminds of some acoustic track on the second disc of Physical Graffiti in particular...

At the start of Black Country Woman on the Physical Graffiti album there is a droning sound - as it turns out, the sound is that of an aeroplane (airplane) flying over the studio. Remember Zep recorded this track outside in the garden at Stargroves using the Rolling Stones Mobile Sudio. The dialogue goes like this:

Eddie Kramer: Shall we roll it, Jimmy? We're rolling on, uh ...
Jimmy Page: One?
Eddie Kramer: Oh, one again.
Robert Plant: (laughs at droning sound screwing up the take)
Eddie Kramer: (We) can't get this airplane on.
Robert Plant: Nah, leave it, yeah.

... and Page plays the opening with the airplane sound still droning. It adds to the track's authenticity and kind of makes the song.

I guess the Dead Milkmen joke is that they're desperately trying to capitalise on an opportunity by getting the airplane sound on the track to make it timeless, whereas Zeppelin did it through poor dumb luck.

That sound bite is a case of "independent invention."
Yes, there really was an airplane and we said what we did. It was only later that someone pointed out that the same thing had happened to Led Zep (although I'm sure the Zep'lin lads were having more fun). Strange, yeah. But strange stuff happened all the time, back then.

Thanks,
- Rodney

Other DM questions could be fielded at the message board at:
http://www.deadmilkmen.com/

Dang, Rodney Anonymous! Hang around here more, that could be fun. Big Lizard In My Backyard is one of the ultimate summertime albums ever made.

Oh wow, now I have questions.

1) Was the "Bitchin' Camaro" in question an IROC, SS or Z-28?
2) Did you see that episode of "Beavis and Butt-head" where they were watching the "Punk Rock Girl" video and said "a real punk rock girl would, like, kick this guy's ass"?
3) How often do people stop you on the street and say "hey duuude, like, 'California Dreamin' was the Mamas and the Papas, not the Beach Boys, maaaan"?
3.5) How often do you subsequently smack them upside the head?
4) Who'd win in a knife fight, the Dead Milkmen or Camper Van Beethoven?

oh also dead milkmen dude do you remember a guy named brian smith you used to know, he was my chemistry teacher!!

my friend melissa said she would pass it on, and she did. my only claim to fame being friends with the wife of malory.

methinks that rodney amadeus mellencamp anonymous
is yanking our chain!
i mean, the cover of 'metaphysical graffiti' features a photo
of a building, laid out like the cover of 'physical graffiti'
-- not to mention the title. duh!

sort of like when the guys, when interviewed by 'much music,'
which was canada's version of mtv,
answered the question of how they met and formed the band
by saying it was in prison.

and rodney said he saw morrisey in a diner
and he was eating a big steak and sitting with a chick.

the milkmen did do a cover version of southbound saurez,
dunno if it ever made it on anything...

'metaphysical' has one of my fave dm ditties on it, 'dollar signs in her eyes.'

The Campers would definitely beat us at bowling. But it's a toss up about the knife fight, I mean, we might gain the advantage by biting them in the kneecaps. The Milkmen are, after all, the only band smaller than Prince.
But we'd beat 'em at toilet-heaving shot putt. Hands down.

As to your other questions, they're now posted on the Free-for-All Message board on the DM site
http://www.deadmilkmen.com/wwwboard/index.html
We'll see if you get any responses. All the guys weigh in there from time to time.

cheers, keep away from the bleach,
Mr. and Mrs. Clean