Author Archives: Wacky Alex

About Wacky Alex

Creator of FunHouse Radio

“The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum” by The Fun Boy Three

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It’s hard to write about this one because the lyrics say it all. Let’s face it. Well meaning people around the world are currently being manipulated by lunatics.

The phrase is thought to originate in a 1919 remark by Richard A. Rowland about the founding of United Artists. It may have been an allusion to Edgar Allan Poe’s The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, published in 1845.

I found the music video for the 1981 version by Fun Boy Three. The video is passable but the audio sounds low-fi and mono. It appears that it was recovered from a vhs tape of a live broadcast. This is all the record label seems to have at the moment. Perhaps the original film has been lost.

We play the 1981 version, but the song has been recorded many times. The 2019 version by The Specials is much more true to the rock-steady ska style and has flashy modern production. I almost want to reverse engineer the EQ curve and apply it to the original track.

Take a moment to do The Ska today, Rudy. It feels good.

-Wacky Alex

“Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” by The Carpenters – Cover of Canadian Weirdos Klaatu

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Today is National Space Day! We celebrate it on the first Friday in May. Ponder the mysteries of the universe with us for the rest of the day on our live stream.

A Canadian Progressive Rock band called Klaatu first recorded this rather bizarre soft-art-rock number back in 1976. The band got it’s name from the alien visitor character in the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The Day The Earth Stood Still, still frame

“The idea for this track was suggested by an actual event that is described in The Flying Saucer Reader, a book by Jay David published in 1967. In March 1953 an organization known as the “International Flying Saucer Bureau” sent a bulletin to all its members urging them to participate in an experiment termed ‘World Contact Day‘ whereby, at a predetermined date and time, they would attempt to collectively send out a telepathic message to visitors from outer space. The message began with the words…’Calling occupants of interplanetary craft!'” (John Woloschuk, member of Klaatu)

E.S.P. by Klaatu

Klaatu’s version was released as a 7 inch single and then included in their album E.S.P. This radio station would love to get first pressings of these. It’s on the “grail list”.

The version by The Carpenters was recorded in 1977. The session crew consisted of 160 musicians. The track charted in both the US & Canada. The full length version clocks in at over 7:00 minutes. That’s amazingly long for a charting single.

“Framed” by Cheech & Chong

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Today is Cinco De Mayo. Despite being Mexican in origin, the occasion is celebrated mostly in the United States. It’s become something like a Mexican St Patrick’s day. Just like St Patrick’s Day, you get to drink alcohol while trying on someone else’s culture; or perhaps celebrating your own.

In the nation of Mexico the yearly occurrence is hardly an occasion to celebrate. To them it’s about as exciting as Founder’s Day is to Americans. Have you even heard of Founder’s Day? It’s on November 28.

So in a way, the holiday itself has been “framed”. Enjoy the track!

Can you think of other occasions on our calendar that are excuses to drink and play ethnic?

-Wacky Alex

“Seagulls! (Stop It Now)” by Bad Lip Reading

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Attention über-dorks! It’s finally here! Every May 4th, we celebrate Star Wars Day. May The FORTH be with you!

The day has been observed unofficially since the 80s, but in 2011, a group of fans in Toronto held the first organized event. The event included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show, a costume contest, fan- films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes. In 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm and now the holiday is celebrated at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Bad Lip Reading is an anonymous music and video producer who intentionally lip-reads video clips poorly for laughs. They then go on to produce music to go with the nonsensical lip-reads.

There are endless musical production that touch on Star Wars. Maybe I should do a top 10 list. As it stands this would be the number one track on that list.

Remember, There is no “try”. Do or do not.

-Wacky Alex

PS: The image used at the top of this page is a still from Rogue One.

“Build The Bridge” by Deee-Lite

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This song is great for meditation. It also has the feeling of being out in nature. There are no vocals outside of a few animal call sounds. This track is essentially instrumental. There is a lot of stereo movement. It will help you clear your mind for a few moments. Or maybe you’ll just giggle a bit. IDK.

Oddly enough, today is National Garden Meditation Day. If you like that Blue Buddha in the image above, it is available for purchase.

-Wacky Alex

“Savoy Truffle” by The Beatles with George Harrison on Vocals

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“National Truffle Day is celebrated annually on May 2. A dictionary search of the word ‘truffle’ may bring up a subterranean fungus, but that isn’t what we’re celebrating. Right now, we are honoring the great truffle — a beloved chocolate dessert. It comes with finger-licking surprises ranging from added fruits and nuts to cream centers. This holiday is also an opportunity to show off your culinary skills to entertain friends and family. Children will take particular pleasure in this holiday — just make sure to keep them away from the main stash, lest they get a sugar high.” (National Today)

“Savoy Truffle” was written by George Harrison and it first appeared on The Beatles’s White Album in 1968. George’s pal Eric Clapton had a fondness for sweats. Apparently that, plus a warning about tooth decay, is the inspiration for this track.

Are you ready for desert? I didn’t make it through the song. I’m already eating some chocolate in my mind. What is your favorite sweet treat?

“Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That” by Sweet Brown – Super Funky Dance Mix

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It’s been exactly 10 years since Sweet Brown, an Oklahoma City resident, became an internet sensation. People found her appearance on a news report to be endearing and entertaining. She was interviewed by a local TV station after evacuating her apartment building due to fire.

That report became a viral meme. In short order producers created dance tracks with auto-tuned samples from the news report. These too became music-memes. Below is one of the popular ones.

After the video was released, Brown became a minor celebrity. She stared in national commercials. She was on Comedy Central’s Tosh.0 and was even played by Queen Latifah in a skit for Jimmy Kimmel. Beyonce quoted her at the Superbowl. She reprized her interview in the movie Medea’s Christmas.

“My Many Smells” by the Dead Milkmen

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A ridiculous number of National Days are all being observed concurrently today. Spending an hour on each of them would eat up your entire day!

Buckle up, here we go!

Internationally it’s Jazz Day.

In the USA, we’ve got National Sarcoidosis Day, National Rebuilding Day, National Raisin Day and Oatmeal Cookie Day. Plus it’s also National Military Brats Day, Kiss of Hope Day, and Bubble Tea Day. It’s even National Bugs Bunny Day as well as National Adopt a Pet Day.

It’s Honesty Day as well, so please know that this is all indeed true.

All of these Days offer great themes for me to choose from in deciding on the song of the day. But wouldn’t you know it, we are actually observing yet another National Day today. That’s right. It’s National Sense of Smell Day.

The Dead Milkmen have a lot to say about smells.

The song first appeared on their album Beelzebubba in 1988.

Recently someone posted a karaoke version of this song. Since the ability to carry a tune is completely unnecessary to perform this song, I challenge everyone reading this to record themselves singing it.

Upload it to YouTube. Send me the link in the comments! Have a smell day!

-Wacky Alex