Since age 11, novelty songs, cutesy lyrics, and musical jokes don't do it for me. But on this week's show (Thursday 9:00 AM, Sunday 8:00 AM) I go beyond wacky humor and funny lyrics, all the way to irreverant absurdity. Transcendent, cosmic humor.

Lothar & The Hand People

This week's music is off the wall. It's music in the vein of the transcendently irreverant cartoon show "Ren and Stimpy." Featured artists: Lothar & The Hand People, the first band to use synthesizers extensively and musically. Their off the wall track is the song "Sex and Violence." (which, other than an occasional "um" is pretty much the entire lyric)

Shprongle, Bjork, and the Flaming Lips also contribute to the weird atmosphere. Bob Dylan was (past tense only) as irreverant as any artist. He contributes 2 songs everyone should hear at least once in their life: "Talkin' Havah Nageilah Blues" and "Million Dollar Bash." Les Claypool's musical sarcasm can be too much for an entire album, but fits in nicely here. The Beatles ("What's the New Mary Jane?") and Roger Miller ("Do Wacka Do") fall right off the wall, as does the pseudonym Barnes & Barnes which consists in part of former child actor Billy Mumy (Will on "Lost In Space" among others), whose 1979 version of "Fish Heads" is a Youtube classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNuaDWQ5_YM (you'll try to turn it off but can't)

Australian Rolf Harris shares his warped vision of the man with the "Big Black Hat," and Canada's Arrogant Worms sing about "Jesus' Brother Bob."

Danny Elfman

My personal highlights are The Bobs' "My Shoes"--an accapella tale of a pair of wayward (and perhaps evil) shoes, and Oingo Boingo frontman turned Hollywood composer ("Men In Black" "The Simpsons" "Spiderman" "Batman" "The Corpse Bride") Danny Elfman's "The Cat is Dead." featuring this charming tale:

Deedle Dee, three tots are we.
And we're as clever as can be.
We live with Grandma Ida and our dear old Grandpa Ned
And little Baby Mike (the brat)
And don't forget the siamese cat
And in the attic from Detroit is big, fat Uncle Fred

Oh Grandpa wishes he were rich,
and Grandma just complains (the bitch)
And Uncle Fred gets drunk while Mike just cries all night and day
The cat thinks that he owns the place
He bites and scratches on the face
It'd be so nice if they just went away, away
Ooh daddle, daddle daddle daddle daddle daddle day

(Chorus)
The cat is dead, the cat is dead
I went to pat him on the head
He didn't purr, he didn't meow he didn't blink or snip.
He seemed to have a funny smile
That made me laugh but all the while
The tale that used to flip and flap got awful cold and stiff.

We chopped him into tiny bits,
And seasoned him with apple bits
and with some dust, we made a crust and put him in a pie.
Into the oven he did sit, until the crust was nice and crisp
I'll love that little kitty till I die.
Dee die, dee di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di.

The cat is dead, the cat is dead.
And Mikey too, and Uncle Fred
Expiring oh so suddenly while sipping down some tea.
The tea was hot, the tea was nice
With stricknine and a little spice
To cover up the funny taste of our conspiracy.

When Grandpa saw what we had done,
He went straight for his hunting gun
But we were quick, we stole the clip
The rest is history.
To make sure Grandma wouldn't flea
We gave her a lobotomy
And now's she's just as happy as can be
Dee dee, dee deedle deedle deedle deedle deedle deedle dee