Right? Anyway, one thing I used to do “a lot” of is record beloved records track for track on Apple’s iLife’s Garageband. This was a way to not write that taxidermy book I was supposed to be writing. I did, um…well before the book I did Smog’s Wild Love and then I did Bee Thousand and then I did Camper Van Beethoven’s Key Lime Pie and then I started working for a living and that was sort of over. Plus I couldn’t think of another record to do. I was this close to doing Palace’s Arise, Therefore but who wants to listen to this froggy voice aim too stalwartly at replicating Oldham’s warbles?
At any rate, I found myself trolling through Key Lame Pie recently (that’s the naming convention: self-disparagement) and heard this, and I got really, really proud.
Interlude
It may only work for fans of the record, but the song, in the original, is played on like a Sears organ and is hard to follow or discern. Why I’m proud of it is that I couldn’t begin to play it right now. But months ago I took some time and figured it out, note for note. And so this is what eight years of playing the clarinet and a whole year of AP music theory gets you: a way to just make a song work only by hearing it.
They have those dumb bumper stickers. A mess of some piano score. Mendelsohn or something. Baroquer probably. And then the caption: “If you can read this, thank a music teacher.” But I can read that. And I thank my music teachers. Except you: Richard Bergman. You made me too often feel like an asshole.
Looking forward to hearing what will probably be the only cover of the song with the greatest title ever: “You have *** in your hair and your **** is hanging out”. I can’t even bring myself to type it. What a prude…