Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#516924 01/11/19 02:06 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677


Hi everybody,

my brother Henni has been claiming ever since that I don’t have a brain like anybody else but that there must be some sort of very strange dough in my skull. He’s been a successful pro comedian for more than 30 years and my loving brother for more than 60 years - so he should be able to judge it. And since my lovely wife Maha tends to share his view, I’m afraid this diagnosis can’t be all wrong and whatever that stuff’s made of: I gently call it ‘my weirdough’.

The project I’m coming up with today is indeed the second weirdest thing I’ve put together so far (the weirdest one is yet to be posted here), so it’s probably not everybody’s cup of tea, but there was a time last year (following the „Nothing’s-Easy-Anymore phase) when I simply had to really let it all hang out. And believe me: Everybody involved (Henni, Maha and my best friend Harald) had the fun of their lives!

Let’s get to the beef: The song title ‘Life Is Like A Sewer’ is a quote from a monologue that my all-time favorite U.S. comedian, Tom Lehrer, put in front of his song „We’ll all go together when we go’ on his live album „An Evening (Wasted) with T. L.) which he released in 1959 (!). It may sound a bit rude at first sight, but it continues like this: ’What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it’, which is something we might all agree upon, don’t we. (Although I’m not quite sure if this philosophical principle is still in operation these days.)

Since T. L. has shaped my sense of humor like nobody else I felt that I finally, after more than 50 years, owed him a tribute song, and so writing the lyrics to it I did my very best to catch at least one minute spark of his immortal spirit, that is his ethics, his elegant eloquence and, yes, his cynicism. Tom, if you ever read this: Please forgive me my hubris!

Musically I had a dream come true that I’m sure every musician has: I created a new fusion genre, even though I’m still not sure how to name it: either PRURF or SURTEST. Whatever, it’s a blend of surf music and protest song, either one genre we all grew up with and will love till the end of time, of course.

Now you might think that it would be an obviousness that such a new thrilling style should be introduced by the best musicians of both worlds... Ah, no, sorry, for some inexplicable reasons they turned me down, so I had to make do with what you might consider the worst of both worlds instead. And worse still: These ‘ersatz’ musicians aren’t even native English speakers... Where was the wall when we - ah, I mean; when you really needed it...?

Although I also posted the somg on Soundcloud I think the mere tune doesn’t really work without the video (I’m not really expecting to get into the Hall of Fame with it), and especially the intro will shed a light on how the heck all this could happen. So I recommend that you give the flick a chamce - even if it’s only for making the fortune I spent on Hawaiian shirts and wigs worthwhile...

LIFE IS LIKE A SEWER (video & lyrics)
LIFE IS LIKE A SEWER (audio & lyrics)
LIFE IS LIKE A SEWER (Soundcloud)

In advance: Thanks a lot for watching and listening.

These are the musical data:

Key=Bb , Tempo 130, Length (m:s)=2:38
Style is _SURFSWP.STY (Swing-8ths Surf Pop)
RealTracks in style: ~1844:Bass, Electric, CountryBoogieArp Sw 110
RealTracks in style: ~1549:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountrySwing Sw 110
RealTracks in style: 2427:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RockabillySlowSwingBrent Sw 085
RealDrums in style: SurfPopSwing^01-a:Snare, ClosedHat, b:Snare, OpenHat

I discarded:
RealTracks in style: 2452:String Quartet, Rhythm PopSwingHall Sw 110

and added:
RT 425: B3 Organ
RT424:Harmonica, Soloist Blues Sw 120

To be honest: All the vocal stuff is me, and before you sit down and hammer your disgust at that atrocious falsetto singing into your key pad: I’ve already been nominated for the 2019 Tiny-Tim-Award and as far as I heard it thru the grapevi..., sorry, thru the tulips, of course: I’m still the front-runner.

So if you’re in the right mood you might at least get a bit ... ah, entertained by the flick. And one thing’s for sure: Watching it will undoubtedly leave you with the question, ‘What in the world can make a 67-year old fart spend (did I hear you say: ‘waste’?) three months of his precious remaining time down here on such goofy stuff?’

Weirdough! What else?

Cheers (and please, don't get mad at me)

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,089
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,089
Man, you have a knack for these videos, very well done.

Loved the "band"! Especially the background singers! smile

Enjoyed watching.

User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,755
Veteran
Online Content
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,755
Stefan,
Cool video! I enjoy your offbeat flicks and no matter how funny they are, you are a very good musician. You can't hide it smile

P.S. I enjoy listening to Space Fart music on your site from 1970s some very cool tunes you had going.

Best regards,
Misha.

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,636
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,636
Stefan,

A fun song and a fun video (that must be a LOT of work!). Very entertaining.

The vocals are super. Excellent mix.

I think you did T.L. proud...

(a big Lehrer fan here)

fj

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,214
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,214
ALWAYS entertaining Stefan.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,474
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,474
Stefan

Superb video as always and a very nice tune to go with it.
Great entertainment.

Peter

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,659
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,659
What an excellent way to start my Saturday morning! Hahahaha. I enjoy your humor. Your video editing must take a considerable amount of time, and the effort shows. I like following along the the German translation; it helps me improve with my German.

User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,944
Jim Offline
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,944
I don't know if its the unusual "weirdough" in your skull or the water you have to drink,
but it surely results in some fascinating compositions & videos... smile
I enjoyed it a lot!


Jim
†=☮&♥
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,581
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,581
Stefan,

Now that was cool! Great song and video... I really enjoyed this one.

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
entertaining

toe tapping

well done

enjoyed the video and the soundcloud version


Kenny

User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 5,253
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 5,253
Stephan, you must put an incredible amount of work into what you present here and I want to say that you are one talented individual!! This kinda sounded like something from the early seventies like Don McClean or someone similar! Very good work! Thanks, Torrey




User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: BlueAttitude
Man, you have a knack for these videos, very well done.

Loved the "band"! Especially the background singers! smile

Enjoyed watching.


Thank you very much, Dave - yeah, like I wrote, 'It was big fun to work on this goofy thing'.

Cheers,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: Rustyspoon#
Stefan,
Cool video! I enjoy your offbeat flicks and no matter how funny they are, you are a very good musician. You can't hide it smile

P.S. I enjoy listening to Space Fart music on your site from 1970s some very cool tunes you had going.

Best regards,
Misha.


Hi Misha,

well, that was quite a compliment - thanlk a lot for your very kind words.

And thanks, too, for having a look and listen at the 'musical fruits of my youth ' smirk I wouldn't have expected that anybody - apart from the people who knew us then - would still like any of those songs.

I normally do not tend to glorify the past, but those days with the band were really something special.

By the way: May I ask you where you're located?

All the best,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Stefan,

A fun song and a fun video (that must be a LOT of work!). Very entertaining.

The vocals are super. Excellent mix.

I think you did T.L. proud...

(a big Lehrer fan here)

fj



Dear Floyd,

thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, it took me almost 4 months of daily working on it. Since I always start with the lyrics it took me more than two weeks alone to find all those idioms with HIT, BREAK and KICK and bring them into rhymes.. And searching for suitable video clips with the right license can become an endless job, too.

And it also took a lot of time to get those costumes and and. But that's one of my ways to get along with less pleasant things. Once you have collected all the 'ingredients' putting the video together isn't that difficult anymore.

I was surprises and pleased to read that you're a big Lehrer fan. I think he was not only a very funny and elquent intellectual, but also a man of great musicality and imagination - who would believe that a line like 'Wear a gas mask and a veil, then you can breathe as long as you don't inhale!' was written in 1965.

Again thanks for watching and listening.

Kind regards,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: rayc
ALWAYS entertaining Stefan.


Thanks, Ray - I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Cheers,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: PeterF
Stefan

Superb video as always and a very nice tune to go with it.
Great entertainment.

Peter


Hello Peter,

thanks for watching, listening and your kind words.

Cheers,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: Ezekiel's Storm
What an excellent way to start my Saturday morning! Hahahaha. I enjoy your humor. Your video editing must take a considerable amount of time, and the effort shows. I like following along the the German translation; it helps me improve with my German.


Dear Scott,

what more could I have asked for than making somebody's day start with a smile or, more likely, a broad grin ... So thanks a lot for your very kind comment.

But apparently not so many people share my sense of that goofy kind of humor - there's a German saying that goes like this: "'It's just a matter of taste', said the monkey as he bit into the curd soap." And if that ain't the truth...

I'm glad you found the German translation useful.

Have a great week and thanks again,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: Jim
I don't know if its the unusual "weirdough" in your skull or the water you have to drink,
but it surely results in some fascinating compositions & videos... smile
I enjoyed it a lot!


Dear Jim,

I'm very glad that you enjoyed the flick - thanks for your kind words on it. But your comment about the possible cause of my sillyness made me pensive, and a 1965 Tom Lehrer song came to my mind:

'If you visit American city,
You will find it very pretty.
Just two things of which you must beware:
Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!'

Since this undoubtedly is true for German cities, too, I better should stay away from the water...

All the best,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: rsdean
Stefan,

Now that was cool! Great song and video... I really enjoyed this one.

Bob


Hi Bob,

I really appreciate your kind comment on the video and the song.

I just noticed that you're from Woodstock - so Rob's hairdo alone must awaken sentimental memories of a wild, a very wild era.

All the best,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted By: 44kfl
entertaining

toe tapping

well done

enjoyed the video and the soundcloud version


Kenny


Hi Kenny,

thanks for your kind words; glad you enjoyed it.

Cheers,

Stefan

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!

If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.

A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."

"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."

"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."

Happy Easter! Holiday Hours...

2024 is well underway - it's already Easter Weekend!

Our Customer Service hours this weekend are:

Friday, March 29: 8-4
Saturday, March 30: 8-4
Sunday, March 31: closed

Regular hours resume Monday, April 1st - no joke!

Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!

The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!

There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.

If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.

We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!

Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.

Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created a video to help you learn more about the Volume Automation options in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Volume Automation

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#volume-automation

Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created this short video to explain Audio Input Monitoring within Band-in-a-Box® 2024, and included some tips & troubleshooting details too!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Audio Input Monitoring

3:17: Tips
5:10: Troubleshooting

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#audio-input-monitoring

Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!

We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!

Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.

You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.

See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.

Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,400
Posts732,554
Members38,443
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
danielsk, Mark Morgan, zagrajbarke, Ernest J, Izzy
38,442 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 199
Al-David 132
DC Ron 116
rsdean 84
dcuny 83
Today's Birthdays
(charlie), WobblyGstring
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5