Tuesday, February 07, 2017

It's Rock Novelty Records Week (An Occasional Series): Part II (Special Mea Culpa Edition)

From 1974, please enjoy the incomparable Credibility Gap and the greatest Rod McKuen parody ever.




This is not technically speaking a novelty record -- it's just a track from one of the most brilliant comedy albums of all time -- but I feel compelled to post it because, in yesterday's post, I described McKuen as "sandal wearing."

This was massively inaccurate. As my old college chum Eric C. Boardman pointed out to me yesterday, "Mr. McKuen famously wore dirty sneakers---with jeans and turtleneck sweater." And I should have known this, if only because the title of the McKuen parody above is "In Someone's Sneakers."

I regret the error.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Like the Jackson 5 parody on this album better, though both have their obvious merits.

McKuen always struck me as unintentionally funny. In 1968 an older guy took me to a McKuen show at the Troubadour. I didn't know jack about Rod until my date played him on the 8-track on the way to the show. I didn't laugh out loud to spare his feelings. But once we got to the club, I used the pay phone outside to summon some friends to rescue me from the hellish date. I sat through the opening comic, Marty Ingels, before they got there. I just flat out ditched my date, gobbled some acid and went to see the Dead with Taj Mahal at the Shrine Expo.

VR - the only thing I ever experienced more cornball than McKuen himself was Michael Cole, you know, the Mod Squad guy, doing a McKuen reading in his tenth-rate Montgomery Clift persona.

tinpot said...

That was brilliant. Haven't heard Rod Mc in 30 years, but I was instantly transported back. Some of those lyrics are amazing.
It hung me out to dry on the tattered trapeze of manhood, indeed!

Anna said...

Wow! Somebody else bought this rekkid? It was pretty great.

Adding: Firesign Theater's "Don't Crush That Dwarf, Bring Me The Pliers" is *the* best comedy album of all time.

pete said...

I haven't laughed so hard at an internet thing since ever. I especially loved the soulful release of breath at the beginning.