“Weird Al” Yankovic – Smells Like Nirvana
An evening pause: A parody of “Smells like Teen Spirit,” according to the webpage, but as far as I am concerned it is a very funny parody of most “official” music videos, the kind I generally don’t like to post as evening pauses because, as Yankovic says in the first verse:
What is this song all about?
Can’t figure any lyrics out
How do the words to it go?
I wish you’d tell me, I don’t know
It gets better from there.
Hat tip Alan Hennings.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
An evening pause: A parody of “Smells like Teen Spirit,” according to the webpage, but as far as I am concerned it is a very funny parody of most “official” music videos, the kind I generally don’t like to post as evening pauses because, as Yankovic says in the first verse:
What is this song all about?
Can’t figure any lyrics out
How do the words to it go?
I wish you’d tell me, I don’t know
It gets better from there.
Hat tip Alan Hennings.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Nirvana knew they had made it when Weird Al called to get permission for the parody.
Al says he calls up Paul McCartney every few years to ask permission to do a Beatles song. I guess Paul laughs and says no..
Excellent choice. Have been a huge fan of the Weirdster since ‘Another One Rides the Bus’ back in ’79. I actually met him once at a live concert. I was wearing a nice grey top hat originally purchased for a bit of amateur theatrics I was once involved in. Back in the day, when wearing it, I bore a decent resemblance to Weird Al’s long-time buddy Dr. Demento – just taller and younger. Weird Al is an authentic comic lyrical genius, right up there with the late Tom Lehrer.
Tom Lehrer, timeless genius
Well, we can agree on that at least.
Weird Al for the win! His concerts are amazing.
Weird Al should be doing the Superbowl halftime show instead of Bad Bunny.
I was fifteen in 1991, when one day at the local music store I picked up on a lark the single cassette “Smells Like Nirvana” by Weird Al. At that point I had never even heard of Nirvana. I was a fan of bands like Roxette, UB40, PM Dawn, and Weird Al. So Weird Al’s parody was my first introduction to the Seattle music scene. A week later I was back at the music store to buy Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album, and it changed forever my musical tastes. Over the next few weeks and months I bought Nirvana’s first studio album “Bleach”, Pearl Jam’s “Ten”, Soundgarden’s “Badmotorfinger”, and Alice In Chain’s “Dirt”.
It makes me chuckle to think how one parody song from Weird Al ended up completely upending the kind of music I was listening to over the course of my life. To this day, I proclaim that 90s alternative rock was the peak of the genre. It’s sadly been downhill ever since, with few exceptions like Queens of the Stone Age, Ghost, and Greta Van Fleet.
Emil–
loved the early 90’s music!
Dick–
You resemble Dr. Demento? Very cool!
Ah, here we go:
Finntronaut; Turning Stupidity into Metal
“Smells Like Social Justice”
Nirvana Parody Version
https://archive.org/details/smells-like-social-justice
(5:04)
Steppenwolf
“Monster/Suicide/America” medley
https://archive.org/details/steppenwolf-monstersuicideamerica
(9:17)
“And though the past has its share of injustice,
Kind was the Spirit in many a way.
But it’s Protectors and Friends have been sleeping,
Now it’s a Monster and will not obey.
Yeah, there’s a Monster on the loose,
It’s got our heads into a noose, and it just sits there watchin’.
-The cities have turned into jungles,
And corruption is stranglin’ the land.
The police force is watching the people,
And the people just can’t understand….”