Ask 411 Music 05.04.09: Musical Comedy Acts, Dukes of Hazzard, and Christian Metal
Posted by Joshua George on 05.04.2009
Who rates in the top 5 of Joshua's musical comedy acts, where are Bo and Luke Duke now, and ever hear of Bride? You can learn oh so much inside of this installment of Ask 411 Music!
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Here come the... Ask 411 Music Reader Questions
From Eric Whitesides,
In terms of country music success, both Bo (John Scneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) of The Dukes of Hazzard had country music singing careers. Do you know if either of them had any success?
This is a question that I wasn't really certain would ever cross my desk. I loved The Dukes of Hazzard potentially more than anyone in the world until they changed the cast from Bo and Luke Duke to Vance and Coy. That was when the show truly started to go downhill. What happened to Bo and Luke Duke after they left The Dukes of Hazzard to join the NASCAR circuit? Let's see...
John Schneider has made quite a name for himself doing a few things in the acting world. He's been on Nip Tuck, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and the one you know him from the most... he played Jonathan Kent in Smallville. He was in some 100 episodes of Smallville before finally being written out of the script and killed off as Clark Kent's father. Was there music in John Schneider's world? You bet.
John has played Billy Flynn in the Broadway musical Chicago for a couple months in 2008 and he has also been on the country charts like you wouldn't believe. With ten studio albums under his belt, I think it's safe to say that he's had quite a bit of success. Smallville was an INCREDIBLY successful show which helped him out in the acting department, but ten studio albums in a music career also shows longevity and success. You tell me it doesn't? Well, how about this -- 17 songs in the top 100 on the US Country charts and 8 of 10 albums in the US Top 50 Country Music charts, one being a number one... AND to top it all off, he (along with Marie Osmond) co-founded the Children's Miracle Network. Again, I would say that he had a fair amount of success with his music career and TV and Film appearances numbering at 17 in the 80s, 23 in the 90s, and peaking at 34 appearances in the 2000s.
Let's move on to Tom Wopat. He kinda travels in the shadow a little bit as he's apparently chosen to take a slightly more low-key road in his life. Tom has found himself having recorded eight studio albums, some of which are country, some rock, and the last couple dabbling on the pop side. Even though he can't make up his mind about his genre, 9 of the singles from these albums have been on the US Top 50 Country Music charts.
Tom has found his calling on the big stage though, as he spends a lot of his time doing Broadway shows. Tom has been involved in productions of I Love My Wife, City of Angels, Guys and Dolls, the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun (which had him lucky enough to play opposite Bernadette Peters, Susan Lucci, and Reba McEntire), Chicago, The Music Man, A Catered Affair, and 42nd Street. We also got to see Tom and John reunited in a single episode of Smallville where Tom came in as a character who was a long-time friend of John's character, Jonathan Kent.
That pretty much wraps up the lives of Bo and Luke Duke and hereby ends this edition of 411Music's Where Are They Now :)
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From Michael Link,
As a Christian and a fan of heavy metal, I am constantly searching for bands that are good at both. I have found some really good metal bands (pantokrator, antidemon, trouble, place of skulls) but am having a hard time finding bands that are metallica-esque or slayer-esque. Got any leads?
Michael I haven't really been much into Christian music since I was in high school back in 1998 and 1999. I have done quite a bit of research for you on this topic and I think there are a few decent bands out there to consider. One of the good ones that I've heard is Atomic Opera. This band can definitely rock their asses off and they're considered a "Christian Band" with no dispute. I don't know how you feel about music with lyrics that you don't understand, but 2Tm2,3 is a Christian Metal band out of Poland. They're pretty decent, but it's kind of weird considering it's all Polish. If you want a Metalcore bands, As I Lay Dying has a crazy feel to it, as I'm fairly certain the drummer is going to lose his feet because he plays his bass drum so fast. Back to the metal department, you could check out Barren Cross, Bloodgood has sort of a RUSH feel to it, Bride has a more hair-band persona and is fun to hear -- kind of reminds me of GnR to be honest, and Petra is a little more mellow, but still good nonetheless. Let me go ahead and help you out with a link that's going to list all Christian metal bands that are not surrounded by the "are they really a christian band" controversy. You can find a list of Christian metal bands if you look carefully enough! Hope this answers your question and happy listening. Also, thanks for asking this question, because it really allowed me to go in and remember how I actually do like a lot of the contemporary christian music these days. I don't know if you're familiar with them, but check out Burlap to Cashmere. They're not metal, but they're one of my favorite contemporary Christian bands today.
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From Doc Brown,
What was the number one song on the charts when I had Marty drive 88mph to take the Delorean into the future?
Doc, there were probably 5 songs that Marty was bumping in the Delorean because 1985 was a big time for change music. What do I mean by change music? Well, the number one song in 1985 based on all possible charts was USA for Africa - "We Are the World". This was a song that became an anthem for pretty much any "change" program. We're talking any charity event in the 1980s used this song after 1985. The other songs that McFly might have found himself jamming to as he tore down the street on the way to the power line would be a-ha - "Take On Me", Foreigner - "I Want to Know What Love Is", Tears for Fears - "Shout", and Madonna - "Into the Groove". As sissy as all of this would be to listen to during time travel, it's most likely what would be playing in the Delorean if he was into mainstream music at the time. Hopefully this answered your question... now where did I put that flux capacitor???
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It's time for...
Joshua's Top 5
This week: Top 5 Musical Comedy Acts
Two important honorable mentions - Richard Cheese and The Lonely Island. The Lonely Island has hits such as "I'm On A Boat" and "Jizz In My Pants" and they're quickly becoming my favorites.
5. Weighing in at number 5 on my Musical Comedy Acts list is Victor Borge. This guy is an old man that can play the piano like you wouldn't believe. As an immigrant to the United States that knew not a lick of English he learned the language from movies. After that he was able to adapt his jokes to the English audience and everyone embraced him. His show was usually split into two parts. The first was the comical and entertaining part, where he would do things like play the William Tell Overture on the piano and realize he was playing with the music upside down... turn it around and OH, now we recognize the piece. The second half was him unveiling his true talent of playing the piano. This man is an influence in my musical life and an inspiration to anyone that plays the keys. Interested in learning more about him? Check his Wiki.
4. Flight of the Conchords is another one that is definitely on my list and I could probably say that I really like this group. The final four on this list could almost be tied for first, but there are some little things that make them in the order they're in. Flight of the Conchords have a TV show that is self-titled on HBO and it is fucking hilarious. This comedy duo from New Zealand has really brought a crisp dry humor that makes dry British humor look like a rainstorm. Their wit and music is so hilarious that I find myself watching episodes of this show over and over again without regard to how many times I've already seen it. Interested in learning more about these guys? Check their Wiki.
3. I don't think it's any surprise that I would choose Stephen Lynch to also be on this list. How funny can one guy with a guitar be? Well, it's simple... if you watch Stephen Lynch, you'll know exactly. This guy brings some of the most inappropriate comedy that you can possibly consider in musical format. The best part about Stephen is that you think you're about to listen to a real song, that going to be decent, and he ALWAYS swerves and hits you in the head with the impropriety like a bitch in a bar fight. If you're interested in learning more about him, check his Wiki.
2. Bo Burnham is by far one of the best comedians in the music world right now. Just a kid when he started, the now 18 Bo Burnham has put out some seriously funny shit. You don't think that a kid out of Catholic school would really be able to bring it in a world of musical comedians like Stephen Lynch. That's where you find yourself wrong. When you hear Bo talk about being "like a tampon thief" and "pulling some strings" you realize that not only is he hilarious, but he's also an intelligent person. Bo can "run miracle circles around you like sypherical lyrics." and he will on pretty much every song. Wanna learn more about Bo Burnham? Can't say that I blame you, so just read his Wiki.
1. Jack Black. I feel like I really don't have to justify this decision. The guy is a fucking genius and his musical stylings are fucking hilarious. You saw School of Rock I'm sure. If you haven't, that's one movie that I have to say I HIGHLY reccommend to all of you to watch as soon as possible. The sooner you get a chance to see this, the better for you. Now, if we're talking about how fucking funny Jack is musically we of course have to provide props also to his Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass. There's no way you can listen to Tenacious D and not laugh. If you do, you're an asshole and not my kind of person anyway. I don't care how much Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny bombed at the box office, I loved the movie, I bought it the day it came out, and I own every DVD and CD that they've ever put out. Did I burn any of them? No. This is one group that I'm willing to spend the money on every single time. Jack Blacks impromptu lyrics make me laugh out loud in a way that I can't even listen to it while I'm at work unless I want people to stare at me. Do yourself a favor and check Jack Black's Wiki and while you're there you might as well check Tenacious D's Wiki too.
Would you like to share a top 5 with me and all of our readers? Want me to post YOUR top 5 of a certain music related topic? All you have to do is Send me your rant NOW!
Who wants to hear something new???
Things You Should Hear
Top 5 Themed this week bitches and one for Michael Link.
1. Michael, I wanted to go ahead and give you a sample of one of these groups that I listed for you. Here's Bride - "Psychedelic Super Jesus"(Live in Brazil):
2. Here's our number 5 from the top 5 list Victor Borge - "William Tell":
3. Number 4 was Flight of the Conchords - "Hiphopapotamus vs. Rhymenoceros":
4. Holding down number 3 we had Stephen Lynch - "Dr. Stephen":
5. Let's see if I can find a different video from past columns. Here's Bo Burnham - "HOAR":
6. And finally we'll close up with some Tenacious D - "Kickapoo":
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I agree with Jack Black being number one hands down. Two-Five, well I would have made other decisions but I don't write the column and everyone will have a difference in opinion. Overall good job on the column, keep it up!
Posted By: Shawnee (Guest) on May 04, 2009 at 12:48 AM
You know, I'm not really as big a nerd as this is going to make me sound (oh hell, yes I am) but, in 1985, Doc never had Marty McFly drive 88 MPH to go into the future. In 1985, Marty went back in time, not forward, to escape the Libyan terrorists. Of course, they do go into the future at the end of I, and the beginning of II, but Doc is driving/flying, not Marty. Doc does have Marty go into the future at the end of I, but he's doing so from 1955, so your answer should reflect the top songs of November 1955. He also went forward at the end of III, in 1885, but Marty wasn't technically driving.
Posted By: Rob (Guest) on May 04, 2009 at 01:20 AM
Little surprised anyone would leave off Weird Al in terms of musical comedy acts.
Posted By: Guest#8490 (Guest) on May 04, 2009 at 04:44 AM
Would you consider Weird Al to be a musical comedy act? If so, then he definitely deserves to be in the top 5.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on May 04, 2009 at 07:39 AM
No Weird Al for comedy?????
Posted By: gozzz (Guest) on May 04, 2009 at 09:43 AM
You should check out a canadin band called the "doo wops". These guys are funny and always get invited to the montreal just for laughs festival.
Posted By: Guest#0092 (Guest) on May 04, 2009 at 10:36 AM
I didn't include Weird Al because I feel like that's a given. It's not fair to include a true professional in a list of amateurs.
Posted By: Joshua George (Registered) on May 04, 2009 at 01:11 PM
what about the dan band. the way they rework the songs in their setlist is hilarious not to mention the musicians have some legit chops.
Posted By: Guest#0705 (Guest) on May 05, 2009 at 09:17 PM
It seems to me that quality music in the radio has never been great but has hit a significant new low to where we cater to the lowest common denominator I like to call "The Retard Class." Is this a case that I'm only finding or is everyone else? Is the money in radio business where we play this type of horrible music? This is happening with movies to I'm afraid and don't know how far it will go? Anyone have the same view?
Posted By: Nagee85 (Guest) on May 05, 2009 at 11:41 PM
Re: Christian Metal
You're not going to find many of these bands, simply due to metal having always been about a rejection of mainstream thought. It was born out of the anger that Christian rule dictated day-to-day social life, and that the leaders (at least locally) of the Church were often hypocrites. I'm not saying your views don't matter, but I'm saying that Christianity and metal aren't that good of a mix.
But LIVING SACRIFICE might be right up your alley. Only Christian death metal band I've ever heard of. Power metal pioneers HELLOWEEN have a decent amount of Christian overtones as well, especially on their later albums.
But, like I said, Christianity and metal just generally don't mix.
Posted By: AndrewCrow (Guest) on May 06, 2009 at 09:39 AM
