Who the hell covers the Violent Femmes?

[featherynscale]

This morning, as I was driving in to work, I heard something on the radio that I never thought could exist: a cover version of a Violent Femmes song. Now, I do always enjoy an unlikely cover song. But who the hell covers the Violent Femmes? Number one, every person in a developed country born between 1968 and 1990 knows the entire first album. I am certain of this. I mean, I was listening to this in the fourth grade when the college kids were listening to it, and when I was in college, we were still listening to it. They still play Blister in the Sun and Add it Up on the 'alternative' radio now, for the gods' sake. And, number two, what about listening to a Femmes song makes you go, "Yeah, let's cover this"? I ask you. The style is inherently very silly. It's like covering They Might Be Giants or the Dead Milkmen, or something. Except that you'd have to imagine that the Dead Milkmen had the staying power of the Beatles, or something. Like covering a Beatles song in the style of They Might Be Giants, maybe. Don't let that break your brain. Anyway, I think it's pretty ballsy, and it sounded good -- better than the original, though I imagine that's not a high bar to jump.


[Poll #832134]


Also, on the way in, I heard Muse's "Cydonia", which never fails to crack me up -- it's a fantastically textured song, but there is a bit where the guitar line is the same driving bit from Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" (for those younger than me, that would be the song with the viking kittens). And yes, I was doing the Immigrant Song yell in my car this morning, to the wrong song, in a different key. Because I can. At least I do not ever have to wonder why other drivers are looking at me funny.

Comments

Re: The Indigo Girls, apparently

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Well done, sir. You are today's King of the VURD. :)

In addition, I have personally heard OKGo do TMBG's "Kiss Me, Son of God", so I guess that can go on the list of unlikeliness.

Also, I will be bookmarking that site.

[rfunk.livejournal.com]

Um, feeling dumb here... should I know what a VURD is?

Coverville is an awesome podcast. Except on the rare occasions when it's not.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

The Vast and Unpaid Research Department.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

VURD = Vast, unpaid research department. Refers to the practice of distributed processing by asking one's friendslist a question to which you genuinely expect an answer.

It may be a fionnabharism, but I'm not sure. I've also heard at least one person call it "asking for a VURDict".

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

I believe it originates with me among our LJ set, but I cannot take credit for it. That must be attributed to a WGN-Chicago DJ from the 80's whose name escapes me now, but wasn't Larry Lujack. Anytime something came up, he called upon his Vast and Unpaid to answer the question. It usually worked, too. The phrase became a part of our family's patois, along with his other phrase, Steaming Heaps of Audience Participation.