Does Humor Belong In Music?

Does humor belong in music? This question is posed very specifically by one of my favorite humans to ever take the time to write music down and perform it in front of people, Frank Zappa. In fact he has albums named that, and a chapter in his book "The Real Frank Zappa Book" named that as well. It's interesting to me that very often "funny music" is regarded as a lower form of art than "serious music". Yet, when I hear a piece of music I really enjoy I laugh. Regardless of how sad or moving the song is, when I first heard Townes Van Zandt's "Waitin' Around To Die" I laughed. Not at it, I don't equate laugher with having to put something down and I'm fully aware that Townes wasn't trying to make me laugh when he wrote that tune, however, I sure as fuck did. I laughed because it was great and great things make me happy and when I'm happy I laugh!!

I recently had a discussion with a good friend about this. He's not into funny things mixed with his music. Oddly enough, a lot of the serious music he regards (as I do as well) so highly has many elements of humor in it. For example: Big Satan's album "I Think They Liked It Honey" features 3 very respected Jazz musicians, Tim Berne (Saxophone), Tom Rainey (Drums) & Marc Ducret (Guitar) all great players... but the band is called Big Satan and the album is called "I Think They Liked It Honey" , very funny. Now this music is by no means a giant punchline, this not a comedy album, it's actually a fucking great album with great music... but why does that immediately mean it's not also funny?

That was a sharp left turn, now were coming back to the main road and looking for a stop on the highway with a gas station and possibly somewhere to eat... ah here we are, comedians.

While speaking to my serious music loving friend I brought up comedians. I mentioned Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin and how they were absolutely hilarious but their comedy moved me the way a great record moves it. To me these men are more than just funny. There's more to it. Their means of sharing their creativity has little to do with my absolute favorite thing in the world, music, but it still moves me the way a Magritte painting movers me or a Fellini film moves me. The big difference is that because they are making us laugh they can be regarded as clowns, because they make us laugh people place comedians at the same level as other things that make them laugh. Things like a pie in the face, someone getting kicked in the groin, or more recently some sort of horrible accident caught on camera and uploaded on youtube.

If we're making this same association then great music that enriches your life is at the same level of a good cup of coffee, or a really tasty quiche. In the simplest sense I would hope the music one chooses to listen to makes them happy, even if the music actually makes you sad. Is this making sense?

I adore Maria Teresa Vera & Orlando Vallejo, they are both mildly famous Cuban Singers. Most of their songs are extremely sad and or depressing. I listen to their music to cheer up very often. My mother who is one of those people who lists to vengeful female songwriters and has a taste of depressing "since you left me" kinds of songs called Orlando Vallejo's music "corta vena" which translates to Vein Cutting Music. To me however, this music cheers me up and makes me laugh the same way Hank Williams does.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that humor is so subjective that, whether it's meant to be there or not, it's everywhere depending on what you think.

I can't imagine ever being asked to go out onto a stage and make a random group of people laugh. I seriously regard Stand-Up Comedy as one of the most difficult things to do in the world. Is there anything that is absolutely funny to everyone? NOT EVEN RICHARD PRYOR!! There are some unfortunate souls that don't find him funny. SO, if one is taking on the task of not only making music which can prove at time to be hard enough, but also incorporate humor in their music, that's quite a task, and if they succeed at making me laugh then there's a hell of a lot of value to that. No?

I'm starting to see there's going to be a pattern to these things, here's where I say the point of all this and sign off:

My point is, I personally really see the value of humor in music, music is a huge part of my life and I like funny things and some sad and horrible things are pretty funny to me (like watching someone break their leg on a basket ball hoop when they just too high on a trampoline). I also feel like there is a lot of depth to humor and I think it deserves to be regarded as an art-form when someone can make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. That's the literal equivalent to a somber classical piece making you cry.

Randy Fucking Newman?!! Yes, Randy Fucking Newman!!!

I am a relatively young person. My parents have very varied taste in music. Basically my father hated what my mother liked and she was pretty OK with anything he was into. My father told me for most of my life that most of what was on the radio was "Pop Trash". I believed 99.9% of everything my father told me (and tells me for that matter). After all, this was that man who played my "Electric Ladyland" in the womb, the guy who showed me the Woodstock movie (or rather fast forwarded to Santana's performance of "Soul Sacrifice"). So, when I started getting into Pop Music in the general sense he was very critical. I can distinctly remember listening to Harry Nilsson and him telling me "I didn't even listen to this crap in the 70's".


Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing a taping of Elvis Costello's TV show "Spectacle" and the guest where John Prine, Lyle Lovett and Ray Lamontagne. No exactly a bill I'd run to go see, but I am interested in John Prine and fucking love Elvis Costello (and it was free, thanks Heidi & Mindy!). While Elvis was interviewing Lyle Lovett they discussed influences and Randy Newman came up.

I had had Randy Newman recommended to me by one of my favorite songwriters who I happen to know. Of course, being a relatively young person I associated Randy Newman with Toy Story and later that Family Guy skit. I basically wrote it off the way I wrote off Burt Bacharach (like an asshole because Burt Bacharach is a genius). I downloaded "Short People" a few months ago and enjoyed it thoroughly, but left it at that. It's too obvious that I would love a song hating on short people being a short person and hating myself more than most people can imagine.

This morning I remembered the song "Rednecks" and watched a clip of it on youtube. On the sidebar was another song from the same set called "God's Song". Expecting another comical satire I clicked on it and sat back. The next few minutes embarrassed me more for not having taken this amazing songwriter into account until just today. On every level this specific song knocked me on my ass.

Many people who have had the misfortune of hearing me speak about must extensively will hear me say "[insert album,song or performance] changed my life, it changed the way I walk the way I breathe etc etc". I don't think that this even happening several times makes it any less special. In fact, I feel lucky that I am changed and moved by so many things. "God's Song" is no exception.

I am listening to the full album "Sail Away" for the 5th time in a row right now on headphones while I type. Almost hoping the mystique and allure will wear off and I can delete all this and just write about Zappa, Beefheart or Mingus or Duke Ellington, but no... this shit is just amazing.

There's nothing wrong with having alley in my eyes, and biting, satirical, witty songwriting that is easily misunderstood is right up my fucking alley.

WOW, that was a lot to type out just to say "Give Randy Newman a chance, he's really worth it", I guess that why I called the blog "Music Ramble"