Rollin' With The ROKY ERICKSON Covers!

 

Illustration by Coop

Got to thinking recently about the great songs that Roky Erickson released in the 70's and 80's as a solo artist (and with his bands Bleib Alien, The Explosives, and The Nervebreakers).  What a songwriter he was!  And what a voice! 

I really should have included Roky on my Do Ya Think I'm New Wave comps, because he was one of the first musicians from the 1960's to embrace punk rock.  When Roky was asked in an interview to name his favorite Sex Pistols song, his answer was "Hot Cars" -- so the Angry Samoans wrote a punk song called "Hot Cars" in honor of Roky's imaginary Sex Pistols song!

Gregg Turner from Angry Samoans has an "A&R" credit on Roky's 1977 "Bermuda" single, and there's an Angry Samoans cover of Roky's "White Faces" which is only available on the cassette version of the 1990 Roky/Elevators tribute Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye.  I couldn't find it online to share with you, but Gregg later recorded another version of "White Faces" with his band The Blood Drained Cows.  (Gregg Turner also covered "Starry Eyes" on one of his solo records.)  

It's interesting to see who else has covered Roky more than once -- Jad Fair, Mike Watt, Mark Lanegan, Pauline Murray (Penetration), Nick Oliveri (QOTSA, Mondo Generator), Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, Entombed), Antiseen and The Electric Six are definitely Roky fans.

The most recent Roky tribute album, 2021's May The Circle Remain Unbroken, was put together by the same guy who assembled Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye, which is kinda cool!  

It's hard to top Bongwater's cover of "You Don't Love Me Yet", so I included the Peel Session version.  The cover of "Cold Night For Alligators" appeared on the Scandinavian Roky tribute album, and there's a track from the shoegaze tribute album -- but the rest of these two dozen Roky nuggets have not appeared on other tributes, making this collection kinda sorta unique, more or less.

CONFIDENTIAL (not really) to Anonymous:  the Smokey Hormel links you requested have been reposted. 

Take That! Songwriters Taking Swipes At Others Vol. 4

Take That! Songwriters Taking Swipes At Others Vol. 4

I feel like I've almost exhausted the cream of the crop of songwriters directing their bile at one another.  Starting with this volume, the doorway to inclusion has been widened to include artists taking a swipe at corporations, the media, Hollywood, and the goverment (& other clowns).  While I don't feel Vol. 4 is where the series jumps the shark, it may have sideswiped it!

Punk Rock Girl by The Dead Milkmen takes swipes at The Beach Boys, California Dreamin’, and any record store that doesn’t carry Mojo Nixon!  Clowns Are Experts (At Making Us Laugh) by The Vandals points out that Ronald McDonald has never made anyone laugh.  The press take it on the chin in Sunday Papers - Joe Jackson, as they do in Crackpot History And The Right To Lie - Adam Ant.  The press get sullied here, to--but a cabdriver inspired the song; Your Early Stuff - Pet Shop Boys.  Jane was always the most empathic of The Go-Go’s; Goodbye Cruel World - Jane Wiedlin.  Lots of bands lash out at their record company, and Chrysalis Records gets a pin stuck in them in Procol Harem’s Butterfly Boys.  Disgust with the average American’s myopic view of Buddhism lead to Bodhisattva (Live) - Steely Dan.  Not above attacking his label with Mercury Poisoning, here Gram bitches that There's Nothing On The Radio - Graham Parker & The Figgs.  FTN (Fuck Ted Nugent) - Goldfinger needs no explanation.  If you don’t want to be crushed by the police state, you’d better Know Your Rights - The Clash.  Another dim view of fame & the media is expressed in Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath.  “Video games train our kids for war” in Open Your Eyes - Lords Of The New Church, and that was way before Grand Theft Auto!  Killing nurses leads to songs like Richard Speck by The Gun Club.  In Cunts On Roads (to the tune of Country Roads) - Howling Willie Cunt states “A funeral home is the place you belong.”  Play It All Night Long by Warren Zevon was suggested in the comments section, but I agree it’s probably an indictment of The South more than an attack on “that dead band.”  Graham Nash addressed David Crosby’s addiction in Crosby Stills & Nash's Wasted On The Way.  “Mr. DJ, won’t you please play” A Real Country Song - Dale Watson.  Familiar pride isn’ the only thing driving; If You Don't Like Hank Williams by Hank Williams Jr.  This song is a tongue-in cheek riposte to those in the music industry that doubted the band in their early days: In One Ear - Cage The Elephant & later naysayers using words like “comeback” lead to Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J.  Seth MacFarlane drags William Shatner into this mean-spirited ditty that lists the actresses who routinely appear topless—especially Kate Winslet: We Saw Your Boobs! - Stinky

Take That! Songwriters Taking Swipes At Others Vol. 3

“Angry young man” Andy Partridge sets his sights high with Dear God - XTC.  The boys have never rocked harder than they do when they’re viciously attacking Amy Grant - The Young Fresh Fellows.  Snotty punk problems abound in A Pop Song - Wreckless Eric.  Paul’s response to one of many public criticisms from Lennon; Silly Love Songs (Live) - Wings.  This tongue-in-cheek tribute was a contractural obligation filler and a hit in Japan; Rollers' Show - Nick Lowe (as Tartan Hordes).  Only A Fool Would Say That was Steely Dan’s response to Lennon’s IMAGINE.  No one lashes out more melodically than John Doe & Exene; I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts (Live) - X.  Impossible to find record I taped because my roommate worked in the studio where it was recorded; Pope John Paul Can Suck My Dick - The Impotent Sea Snakes.  Jonder shares this sentiment; Don Henley Must Die - Mojo Nixon.  Turn off your TV is the message behind Idiot Box - The Damned.  Jello Biafra demands MTV Get Off The Air - Dead Kennedys.  After they wrote New York (on Vol. 1) about The New York Dolls, the reply to The Sex Pistols was London Boys - Johnny Thunders.  When strict disciplinarian Johnny Ramone swiped Joey’s girl, he wrote The KKK Took My Baby Away - The Ramones.  There are varying opinions of WHO is the titular Prince Of The Punks (Live) - The Kinks.  While being respectful toward the author, Kris states he’s known for the worst song he ever wrote, which is served here more to Kristofferson’s taste: Okie From Muskogee.  After inspiring the country period of Rolling Stones that included Wild Horses, Gram Parsons was discarded by the cockney gangsters with electric guitars according to Grams Song by John Phillips.  Tom Petty’s contemptuous story about following Jackson Browne onstage during The No Nukes Show leads into My Problem Is You - Jackson Browne, in which Jackson sings: “I don’t worry about Madonna, or the next thing she might do,” which dovetails into Jammin' Me - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers which really pissed Eddie Murphy off.  “Take back Eddie Murphy” didn’t sit well with the most talented man to ever portray Gumby.  My Baby Moved by The Hillbilly Hellcats—singles out Big Head Todd while giving the monsters a pass.  Van Halen proves Nerf Herder lands in Diamond Dave’s camp. Which leaves just enough room for a blistering LIVE version of Slow Death (Live) - Roy Loney & Chris Wilson—both Flamin’ Groovies who never played together in the band. - Stinky

Boogie Iggy Iggy

Iggy Pop's birthday is just two weeks away -- and I haven't received my party invitation yet.  He will perform at Coachella just a couple days before he turns 79. There are several Iggy compilations here on the blog, mostly from tribute albums, soundtracks, and guest appearances with other artists. 

Iggy may have slowed down a bit.  His most recent album under his own name was 2023's Every Loser.  I only found a few guest appearances from 2024 and 2025.  But another dig through his recording credits yielded a few things that I hadn't heard before, as well as some interesting live performances.  

Iggy joined NRBQ onstage for Wooly Bully, and he sang Rebel Rebel with Lenny Kravitz.  In Mexico, he did TV Eye with Metallica; and Michael Rother was Iggy's guest for a performance of Neu's Hero.   

There are some excellent studio collaborations in today's share, and a couple of odd cover songs that previously escaped my notice.  Iggy contributed a punk version of the Rat Pack classic "I Gotta Be Me" to the soundtrack to Freddy Got Fingered, and he sang the pioneer ballad "Sweet Betsy From Pike" for The Lone Ranger (the 2013 film with Johnny Depp as Tonto).

If you enjoy listening to spoken word performances, the last eight tracks feature Iggy's rich baritone.  I audaciously used Audacity to extract Iggy's recitations of William S. Burroughs from Bill Laswell's Acid Lands.  

PS - when I saw Iggy in concert (on the 1988 tour promoting his Instinct album), at one point he looked to his left, then to the right, and then he flipped off the audience with both hands.  It was just like the photo above! 

WEIRD AL JAMS AT EMO PHILIPS' BIRTHDAY PARTY - A JON-KY Exclusive!

It’s rare that we get our grubby little hands on something that’s unavailable anywhere else, but we believe this WEIRD AL performance to be a JON-KY EXCLUSIVE.  It's hardly The Pharma Brothers Wu-Tang Album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, but it's as close as we're likely to get.

As you know, we’ve been making a pretty solid case for WEIRD AL’S BAND being one of THE WORLD’S GREATEST COVER BANDS.

As near as we can determine this is WEIRD AL and his band (TBITB) performing at a private party on an off night on the VANITY TOUR.  AL’s opening act on that tour was the brilliant comedian EMO PHILIPS who’s no stranger to AL’s fans as he was in the weird one’s first film; UHF.  It’s clearly at least partly Emo’s birthday party as there’s a hilarious short version of Yoda that’s about him.

The impromptu affair begins with Al’s Band jamming, and drives home how good they are.  Al jumps up for Superstition & some wise guy requests (Loudon Wainwright III’s) Dead Skunk which seems to be an inside joke.  

But the band accommodates the request, which emboldens another audience member to shout out Disco Duck, which the band takes a swipe at.  Another heckler calls for (The Tubes’) Don’t Touch Me There, which devolves into I Touch Myself.  The fourth request is the more challenging I’ve Never Been To Me by one hit wonder Charlene—which is actually quite good.  But the hilarity is far from over.  

After the short tribute version of Yoda (with Emo-specific lyrics), the guest of honor cracks a couple jokes.

I’ve rounded out that admittedly short set with the two songs that Al’s Band put out to come closer to our usual goal: CD-length compilations.

WEIRD AL - NPR's Tiny Desk Concert! 3 Live Tracks & An Interview!

What's not to love about NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts?  Or Weird Al, for that matter?  

From Brandon Choe’s fantastic Los Angeles Times feature article about AL:

Yankovic is far and away the most successful comedy recording artist of all time. He’s sold more than 12 million albums. His last album, “Mandatory Fun,” was the first comedy album in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — and the first one to top that chart at all since Allan Sherman dropped “My Son, the Nut” in 1963. It went on to win Yankovic his fourth Grammy Award — of what are now five — in 2015. 

We're clearing the decks of Weird One's posts, with our final gem landing on Wednesday.

 

WEIRD AL COVERS LIVE Vol. 3 The Eighties & Beyond! DEVO Violent Femmes BOWIE Talking Heads

WEIRD AL COVERS LIVE Vol. 3 The Eighties & Beyond!  features fantastic "straight" covers of songs by; Devo, Violent Femmes, David Bowie, Stealer's Wheel, Elvis Costello, & The Talking Heads!

Weird Al Yankovic is the most successful comedy recording artist of all time, & has sold more than 12 million albums. His Mandatory Fun was the first comedy album in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.  It won Yankovic his fourth of FIVE Grammy Awards.

Even the casual fan knows Dr. Demento, was the first person to play Yankovic’s music on the radio when Al was still a student at L.A.’s Lynwood High School. He went on to be the most-played artist in the history The Dr. Demento Show.  Al & Al's Band generally include a serious cover in their live shows & I've collected the best of these, & attempted to break them into general eras.

Weird Al's audience started including young kids when Radio Disney became popular & started playing his songs—but his audiences are “made up of men who have not been 12 for quite a while, except maybe on some internal, spiritual level” as Brandon Choe wrote in the wonderful Los Angeles Times article most of this info came from: L.A. Times.  

Choe wrote: Whether they all would self-identify as nerds is hard to say, but when Yankovic’s opener, veteran comedian Emo Philips, begins a joke by saying, “There’s probably no one here who was not bullied,” he will have to wait out a long and seemingly cathartic laugh before adding, “… today.” 

Emo Philips appeared in Weird Al’s first feature film UHF, and the two geniuses are old friends who joined forces for THE RIDICULOUSLY SELF-INDULGENT, ILL-ADVISED VANITY TOUR.