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Archive for the ‘Funny (ha ha)’ Category

Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever (State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ, November 2, 2012)

Posted in Funny (ha ha), New Brunswick, NJ, Phineas and Ferb, Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever, State Theatre, Technology on November 23, 2012| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 23, 2012] Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb is one of the smartest, funniest kids shows around.  It’s a show that I would watch by myself if I didn’t have a queue of things that I can’t watch with my kids as well.  This live show has been bouncing around the area for months.  It has played at least four locations in NY and NJ that I thought about going to, but I wasn’t really sure if it was worth the expense and effort.  Then, it finally came to the State Theatre, with a mail flier that saved us 20%.  Hard to say no.

So this is a Disney production.  This means, among other things, that they take care of you while you wait for the show to start–they had a dancer ask questions and warm us all up.  It was fun.  They also had good production numbers and a very talented, anonymous cast.

Okay so the TV show is about two boys (with crazy heads) who are on summer vacation.  They are looking for something awesome to do on this particular day and they wind up getting involved in some preposterously over the top plan (building a rollercoaster in their yard, creating a time machine, etc).  It’s not like the show explains anything technical about how they do it–it’s not that kind of smart–but it really encourages creativity.  Their older sister Candace is always trying to get them in trouble for their schemes, but she always fails (but they’re never really mean to her back, which I like).

The other aspect of the show is Perry the Platypus.  Perry is their pet.  But, unbeknownst to the boys, he is also a secret agent who is bent on stopping the evil Dr Doofenschmirtz, the evil doctor who creates some kind of “-inator” machine every episode which is designed to cause some kind of destruction in the tri-state area.

So how can this over the top cartoon translate to the stage? (more…)

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Kurt Vonnegut–“Chore List of Champions” (Harper’s September 2012)

Posted in Canadian Music, Destroyer, Funny (ha ha), Harper's, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, Kurt Vonnegut, Letters, Marriage (Happy) on November 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: DESTROYER-Live on KEXP, March 19, 2011 (2011).

I enjoyed Destroyer’s Rubies album quite a bit.  And when Kaputt came out it was heralded as a masterpiece.  But I have to admit it’s a little two smooth jazz for my tastes.  The DJ in this interview describes it as being like George Michael (well, really, Wham), but George Michael knew howto write pop hits which made the smoothness more palatable.  This is kind of like extended jams of smooth jazz, which is…disconcerting.

They play two songs from Kaputt, “Downtown,” and “Song for America.” “Downtown” has a ton of cheesey sounding sax (and instrument I am growing to dislike more and more).  “Song for America” eschews much of the sax and is catchy with its pulsing bass line.  They also play “Certain Things You Ought to Know,” from Your Blues, an album I don’t know very well.  The song is kind of slow, but it tones down the cheese somewhat.  And “Painter in Your Pocket” from Rubies, a song I like very much gets a new treatment here.  It’s much more sparse, and I think I like it a little less.  Maybe Destroyer should just remain one album for me.

You can hear it here.

[READ: November 15, 2012] “Chore List of Champions”

Even though I said I was going to put off Vonnegut for a little while (there was certainly some burn out by the end), this letter appeared in Harper’s (and is in his newly released book Letters).

As the intro explains, this is a contract that Vonnegut signed with his then pregnant wife Jane, in 1947.

I think of marriage contracts these days as being crazily offensive and mercenary, as being things that would embarrass right-thinking people.  And geez, in 1947, what could he possibly have been asking.

Well, Vonnegut proves that he was a cool dude all along.  And all of the points in the contract are things that he pledges that will do, couched in his own hilarious manner.

Some examples: (more…)

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Maxwell Eaton III–The Flying Beaver Brothers and The Fishy Business (2012)

Posted in Adventure, Children's Books, Contests, Environmentalism, Funky Web Sites, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Kinderangst, Maxwell Eaton III, Short Books on November 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: KINDERANGST-“Let’s Play” (2012).

I heard this song on Kid’s Corner recently and I loved the verses.  This is a very funny song, in which two girls play together.  The verses are sweet, musically–a kind of retro synth sound.  They have a sing-song melody with the lyrics, “it’s so much fun to play with you, you’re my best friend.”

 Of course, as games go, the game devolves, so when they play Princess, the singer is the pretty one and the friend has to stay home.  Or in the pirate game, the friend gets caught by the Navy and is forced to walk the plank.  In the background you hear the friend getting more and more upset:  Huh?  Hey!   So true and so funny.

The chorus turns into a much punkier song, “I don’t like you any more…  If you’re really my best friend, we’ll never ever play this game again.”  I don’t really like the way the chorus fits in with the verse–I think more for the forced rhymes than the music.  I also wish the song had more resolution…it just kind of ends.  But the verses are very enjoyable.  Even if (especially because?) they are kind of mean.

[READ: November 5, 2012] The Flying Beaver Brothers and The Fishy Business

Book #2 in the Flying Beaver Brothers series is even more fun than the first book.  Why?  Because two of the “evil” penguins from Book 1 are back, but this time they help out the Beaver Brothers (one of whom speaks, the other just says “Ka”, (which I find very funny) and neither has eyeballs–in other words, they are adorable).  The two of them have moved into the Beaver’s house (without asking).  At first the brothers are freaked out (at seeing evil penguins) but the penguins prove to not be evil (they make pancakes for everyone).  But before anyone can determine what’s happening with these penguins, Ace notices the volcano that has appeared out their window.

The “volcano” proves to be a factory belching smoke.  And the factory is making Fish Stix Environmental Manufacturing.  Fish Stix are the most popular, best-selling sticks around and they’re good for the environment!  (That last claim must be true, they keep telling us it’s true over and over).  No one’s exactly sure what Fish Stix are, but they are the best! (more…)

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Maxwell Eaton III–The Flying Beaver Brothers and The Evil Penguin Plan (2012)

Posted in Adventure, Beastie Boys, Children's Books, Contests, Deedle Deedle Dees, Environmentalism, Firewater, Funky Web Sites, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Maxwell Eaton III, NoMeansNo, Short Books, Superchunk, Surfing, Trout Fishing in America, Wee Hairy Beasties on November 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: SPARE THE ROCK, SPOIL THE CHILD PODCAST (2005-present).

Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child started as a small radio show in Massachusetts and is now syndicated to whomever wants it.

In browsing their playlists, I see a wonderful selection of tunes for kids (and adults).  There is a definite They Might Be Giants connection (I gather they did the theme song).  But in between bands like Deedle Deedle Dees, Trout Fishing in America and Wee Hairy Beasties, they also play Superchunk (“Hyper Enough”), NoMeansNo (“Joy”) The Beastie Boys (“Intergalactic”) and Firewater (!) (“Ponzi’s Revenge).  These are songs that any kid would love and the fit in very well with some of the more energetic music featured in the rest of the show.

You can see their blog site here.  You can listen to the archives (and subscribe) here.

[READ: November 5, 2012] The Flying Beaver Brothers and The Evil Penguin Plan 

I stumbled upon this book at the library.  I’m always looking for books for the kids, and this graphic novel seemed great for Clark to read before bed.  It turned out that Sarah really liked it and so did Tabitha and now so did I.

Maxwell Eaton III has written several different children’s books, like The Adventures of Max and Pinky which we loved, and Two Dumb Ducks, which was okay.  But we loved The Flying Beaver Brothers.  The brothers are Ace and Bub.  Ace loves adventure!  (The opening sequence is awesome!).  You can see his surfboard by the door and everything.  Bub, on the other hand, would much rather simply nap.  But it is time for the annual island surfing contest and Ace stands a good chance of winning, that is, if the huge beaver, Bruce, doesn’t get in their way (he wouldn’t be plotting something nefarious would he?). (more…)

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Mac Barnett–The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity [Brixton Brothers Book #1] (2009) [audiobook 2009–Arte Johnson]

Posted in Adventure, Arte Johnson, Audiobooks, Children's Books, Dave Eggers, Funky Web Sites, Funny (ha ha), Gangsters, Jeff Kinney, Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, McSweeney's, Noir, Spies on November 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

[LISTENED TO: October 2012] The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

I found this book because I was looking for audio books for my kids.  When we take longish car trips, they absolutely love audio books (which is pretty frikkin awesome by itself).  Anyhow, I was browsing the shelf and saw this title.  Clark and Tabitha enjoy A to Z Mysteries, so I thought this might be a bit more stimulating (it says it’s for 8-10 year olds, but Tabitha (5) enjoyed it and I didn’t find it too harsh for her).

I had never heard of the author [that is not true…more on that later], but the back of the book had accolades from Jeff Kinney, Dave Eggers and Jon Scieszka a triumvirate of trustworthy praise.

The audio book was read by Arte Johnson (yes, that Arte Johnson).  I don’t know if it was Arte’s delivery, but I enjoyed this book more than anything I have read in a long long time.  I wonder if the book would have been as enjoyable had I read it–I assume so because it was really fantastic, but it was a lot of fun listening with the whole family.

So this story is about 12-year-old Steve Brixton, a regular kid who happens to love the The Brighton Brothers Mysteries, a classic series of adventures (think Hardy Boys) in which two brothers get into scrapes and situations, take out thugs using their combination of brawn and brains and solve the mystery.  Steve loves them so much he has written down all of their suggestions for successful sleuthing which he keeps in his Secret Book Box.  He also got the Detective License for 12 box tops and $1.95.

He and his chum (all good detectives should have a chum) Dana have plans for the weekend until their teacher assigns them an 8 page research paper due on Monday.  Topics are randomly assigned and while Dana gets “detectives,” Steve gets “early American needlework.”  Miss Gilfeather suggests that it might be more interesting than he fears.

And boy is she correct. (more…)

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Dean Hale, Shannon Hale and Nathan Hale–Calamity Jack (2010)

Posted in Adventure, Children's Books, Danger Mouse, Dean Hale, Dystopia, Fables, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, James Mercer, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, Nathan Hale, Shannon Hale, The Shins on November 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: JAMES MERCER-Live on KEXP, February 10, 2012 (2012).

James Mercer came to KEXP to play a few songs solo with his acoustic guitar (the set is billed as The Shins, but it’s only Mercer).  DJ Cheryl Waters talks to him about what he’s been up to in the last five years since the previous Shins record (they don’t discuss that the rest of the band is basically gone).  She asks him about working with Danger Mouse and his foray into acting.  But mostly this set is about the music.

Mercer’s voice sounds great and the songs sound wonderful in this acoustic setting.  He explains the origins of the title Port of Morrow (it’s a real place).  He plays “Australia” from Wincing the Night Away and “September” “Simple Song” and “It’s Only Life” from Port of Morrow.

While I prefer the full album versions, this acoustic setting is quite nice and shows what great songs they are as well as how strong Mercer’s voice is (and that he was really the driving force behind The Shins all along)..

[READ: October 31, 2012] Calamity Jack

And they did.  Two years later.  This book is a kind of sequel to Rapunzel’s Revenge as well as Jack’s backstory before he met Rapunzel.

Jack was a petty thief. He and the pixie Pru (who loves hats) began with small scams (apples and whatnot), and slowly built up to larger ones.  In their defense they initially only tried to rob people who “deserved” it, but they were caught on more than one occasion and Jack’s mother had had enough of him.

Then Jack happens upon a score that he can’t pass up.  And he does it (without telling Pru about it).  Jack climbs into the tower of the evil giant Blunderboar.  Blunderboar is an industrial bigwig with a Jabberwock as a guard of his gigantic tower.  As with Rapunzel’s Revenge, the setting is a mix of fairy tale and contemporary real world(ish).  Blunderboar has a lot of money (including a media empire) and he is responsible for all of the troubles in Jack’s village of Shyport.

But the problem is that the beanstalk (there is a beanstalk, but there’s no cow, there’s magic beans and a pawn shop) destroys his mother’s bakery.  And she realizes that he is responsible.  Jack flees the town both because of his mother and because of the giant (who is understandably incensed). (more…)

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Dean Hale, Shannon Hale and Nathan Hale–Rapunzel’s Revenge (2008)

Posted in Adventure, Children's Books, Dean Hale, Dystopia, Fables, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Gilmore Girls, Grant Lee Phillips, Graphic Novel, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, Nathan Hale, Shannon Hale on November 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: GRANT LEE PHILLIPS-Live on KEXP, January 21, 2010 (2010).

I really liked Grant Lee Buffalo back in the day.  I think Grant Lee Philip’s voice is amazing–soulful, expressive, beautiful.  He was also a troubadour on Gilmore Girls!

Since Buffalo broke up, Phillips has released a few solo albums.  I have found that I don’t enjoy his solo music as much as I did the band music.  His voice is still amazing, but the solo stuff is a little too slow and meandering for me.

This set comprises four songs from his album Little Moon.  “Strangest Thing” is my favorite song from the set, it’s upbeat and beautiful.  And “Little Moon” is correctly described by the DJ as moody an intoxicating.  It’s not my favorite of his songs but the description is totally correct.

This is an enjoyable mellow set.  The DJ and Grant Lee are relaxed and comfortable and the between song chats are informative and interesting.  You can listen here.

[READ: October 30, 2012] Rapunzel’s Revenge

This story is a wonderful extrapolation of the Rapunzel story which has been moved to the Wild West.  Yup, that’s right.  Rapunzel is a cowgirl.

Well, in the beginning, the story is pretty faithful to the original.  Many elements of the fairy tale are present–Rapunzel was kidnapped from her parents (or traded for some lettuce) and raised by the enchanted witch.  This story fleshes out the politics of the witch somewhat–she has cursed the surrounding lands and made them barren–all of the fertile ground is within her walls and the peasants must pay tribute to her from their meager earnings.  And Rapunzel is a rather rebellious and outgoing girl who wants to leave her stepmother’s walled fortress and explore the world beyond.

When Rapunzel tries to climb the wall just to see what’s out there (the wall is like 70 feet tall), she is grabbed by the witch’s guard, Brute, an over-sized man who is very grouchy.  But when she learns that her real mother is still alive (and is a suffering peasant) she tries to escape for good.  Brute catches her again, and the witch locks her up (the re imagined prison is a very cool twist).  I loved that she escapes with no help from anyone (just her hair).  And that as she’s running off she meets a prince who was coming to rescue her meets her; she sends him on a wild goose chase.  This Rapunzel needs no prince. (more…)

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The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror 48-Page Chill-Tacular! [#18] (2012)

Posted in Batman, Death, Evil Dead, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Helloween, Magic, Matt Groening, Queensrÿche, Rosemary's Baby, Short Story, Supernatural, The Bride, The Simpsons on October 31, 2012| 2 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: HELLOWEEN-“Halloween” (1987).

Back in the late 80s, I loved Helloween–they played speed metal, they had intricate solos, and they were German–what’s not to love?  Oh, and also, they were quite funny, with their little pumpkin mascot.

In 1987, they released The Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1, a concept album (hooray), with this song as the 13 minute centerpiece.  They also released a “radio friendly” version that’s about 3 minutes long.  How do you eliminate ten minutes of a song?  Take out some verses, some riffs, a whole middle section of vocals, a cool section that sounds like Queensrÿche, a little spoken word section and a whole lotta solos.  Surprisingly you do get the essence of the song, just none of the theatricality.

So Helloween are still around, although I gave up on them after the sequel to this album (Part Two) which really didn’t live up to the majesty of Part One.

But this song is fun and whether you choose the 13 minute or the 3 minute version, Happy Halloween.

[READ: November 7, 2012] The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #18

Yes, that’s right, I read this after Halloween!  Hurricane Sandy means I can throw convention to the wind until I catch up.  Sarah bought this for me before Halloween, but I didn’t really feel like reading it on Halloween, so here it is.

Unlike in the TV show, this Treehouse of Horror has four stories!  The first thing you have to get used to in Simpsons comics is that the characters don’t look like the ones on TV.  This is deliberate–they get different artists to draw the pages, so the artist’s own style comes in.  The characters are obviously The Simpsons; it’s amazing how many liberties can be taken with icons and have them still be recognizable.

The first story is a parody of Evil Dead.  Homer takes the family to a cabin in the woods where Henry K. Duff created the secret recipe for Duff beer.  But when the recipe is read aloud…the spirit of the beer possesses the family.  This story is actually kind of gruesome, although my five-year old enjoyed flipping through the pages.  The twist at the end is completely unexpected and wonderful. (more…)

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Trout Fishing in America (RVCC Arts, Branchburg, NJ, October 21, 2012)

Posted in Branchburg, NJ, C., Children's Books, Funny (ha ha), RVCC Arts, Set in New Jersey!, T., Theater, Trout Fishing in America on October 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2012] Trout Fishing in America

Trout Fishing in America is (primarily) a children’s band.  They are a duo comprised of Ezra Idlet (who plays the guitar and is six-foot nine inches tall) and Keith Grimwood (who plays bass and is five foot five inches tall).  When I first encountered them, Ezra had very long hair–although he no longer does.  They are quite a sight onstage (and they play up this height difference a lot).

Trout Fishing is, I assume, a rather successful band.  They have been around since 1979!  Their first big family friendly record came out in 1991.  Amazingly, given their longevity, they are not opposed to playing small venues.  Two years ago, they played my son’s elementary school.  Which was a hoot.

They came back through the area again and this time they played RVCC.  I’ve said before that RVCC gets some pretty major acts, but I’m not sure exactly what went on with this show.  They played at 1PM and 3:30PM and rather than perform to the audience in the normal theater seats, they let the (much smaller) audience sit on stage with them.

They erected a small stage–big enough for  the two of them and their minimal gear.  The audience chairs were arranged around them in three section and my family got front row seats, approximately ten feet from the mini stage.  It was wonderful.   Since it was the day after T.’s birthday  when Keith asked if it was anyone’s birthday  T. was right up front to get singled out (they said it was okay that her birthday was yesterday).

They played about a dozen songs.  And in between songs, their banter was wonderful.  They told jokes (Keith juggles), they did left brain/right brain challenges (draw a square with one hand and a triangle with other) and they explained to the kids about the instruments they use (they also do musical instruction at schools).   (more…)

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George Saunders–“The Semplica-Girl Diaries” (New Yorker, October 15, 2012)

Posted in Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), George Saunders, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, New Yorker, Short Story, The Airborne Toxic Event on October 24, 2012| 6 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT-Live at KEXP July 23, 2008 (2008).

The Airborne Toxic Event’s “Sometime Around Midnight” was huge back in 2009.  It seemed to be on the radio every time I turned it on.  The ATE put out a new album in 2011, although I didn’t hear much from it.

This show was recorded in 2008, about a year after their debut (with that song on it) album came out.  The set features four songs from the debut.  This was the second time that the band appeared on KEXP (the first time they played three different songs from the debut and “Innocence” which I guess must have been their planned single?).

The band sounds very good live, as a poppy yet downbeat alternative band.  I could see a number of these songs having been huge.  It’s interesting to me that the DJ, who didn’t seem to know the band yet, says that “Sometime Around Midnight” could be on a soundtrack.  The fact that he singled that song out is either prescient or they were already pushing that one.  Although as I say, they played “Innocence” in both sets so I assume that was supposed to be the breakthrough.

Anyhow, I’m not a huge convert to the band, but this was an enjoyable set.  And the band seem like nice guys.

[READ: October 17, 2012] “The Semplica-Girl Diaries”

One never really knows what to expect from George Saunders.  This story is a diary.  And it started off being very irritating to me because of the voice he chose to write the diary in.  “Having just turned forty, have resolved to embark on grand project of writing every day in this new black book just got at OfficeMax.”  I hate this clipped way of speaking/writing and I don’t believe anyone would use it.  And it never lets up.

The other thing that bugged me about the narrator was that he is supposedly writing the diary for future historians to dig up and discover things about whenever this takes place.  And I know that this is a funny trope and that many people imagine that their stuff will be discovered as historical artifacts.  And it’s kind of funny in that he wonders “Will future people know, for example, about sound of airplanes going over at night, since airplanes by that time passé? Will future people know sometimes cats fought in night? Because by that time some chemical invented to make cats not fight?”  For who hasn’t wondered about what will be around in the future.  But these examples (which are preposterous) set a tone which does not match the rest of the story.  And that whole future generation trope gets discarded after a few entries.  I’m not sure if that’s another joke because he explains things like cars and books but not what Semplica Girls are, but I found it very disjointed.

So the first (obvious) joke is that he says he will write for 20 minutes a day and he misses the very next day.  But we learn the situation that the diarist is in–he and his family are in trouble financially.  Their car bumper has fallen off, they have huge debt, and their daughter’s birthday is approaching.  They had just gone to the daughter’s friend’s house where opulence and grandeur are the norm.  This immediately makes the narrator uncomfortable.  This is also the first sighting of the SG in the yard. (more…)

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