Jonathon Coulton: talented nerd folk singer or evil super genius bent on world domination?
So for Xmas a friend gave me a mix CD of Jonathon Coulton (JoCo) songs, which has been burning a hole in my car CD player ever since. I had of course heard the Re: Your Brains song and love it, but I was really impressed by all the songs and feel the need to review his music here.
If you have not listened to JoCo before, shame on you. Turn in your nerd card at the door and don’t let it hit you on the ass. Basically he is a uber nerd folk singer. He has a great voice and is a good song writer, but what sells him to me is when you listen to his lyrics you realize he has the same nerd dream of the future I and every other good nerd has. Evil super villain scientists, zombie apocalypses, robot super warriors, and alien invasion to name a few. His best song is probably Re: Your Brains, the story of a corporate zombie who turns into a real zombie and tries to convince a survivor to give him his brains, but I love the Skullcrusher Mountain song and the Future song. All great and really funny. (Forbidden Planet image courtesy of the science fiction t shirts)
The greatest thing about him, however, is not his lyrics or his nerd attitude but rather the fact that he actually sounds like a mainstream folk singer while performing. In other words you can play his music when with a girl who may not be into anything cool. Heck, even my mom can listen to it and as long as she doesn’t listen too carefully to the lyrics will actually like it. Finally a chance to geek out while hanging out with “normals”. Try it. It really works.
My only concern is this: is JoCo a nerdish folk singer or actually serious competition for my ultimate plan for world domination? If the former I will continue to support and enjoy his music. If the latter I will continue to enjoy his music while I destroy him. There can be only one. For that matter the rest of you had better get on board with the winning team now by subscribing to my RSS feed and Twitter. Don’t delay on this. When I complete my unstoppable plan for conquest there will be those who are members of my new ruling class and live like kings and those who will be slave labor in my underground sewage powered muck farms (by the way, if you happen to be one of the several hundred women who have rejected me over the years don’t bother with signing up for anything. Best you should go shopping now for the muck bucket of your choice. Brenda from high school, I am talking to you).
However, I like to believe JoCo will fit in to the Dave new world order and will live a long and prosperous life as my court minstrel and Minister of the Arts. As long as he enforces my edict regarding street mimes (death to the creepy, pale, silent bastards) then we will get along just fine.
Anyway, check him out. He is phenomenally good. I am not going to bother with the whole stars/black holes thing, as I can’t think of a single black hole and doing all stars will make me look like a mark for him. I’d estimate about 10 stars. Very good.
In answer to yesterday’s who-would-win question, I think it all boils down to will. If Zan and Jayna have the fortitude and will to turn into a Kodiak bear and an ice M1 Abrams main battle tank, Witchiepoo would be done in pretty short order. If, on the other hand, they opt to go with a California condor and an ice pogo stick for Gleep while they try to capture her, Wichiepoo will have them in the cooking pot pretty quick. Personally I would have to bet on the witch of the Living Island.
Today is an interesting question too. Who would win; Alice from Resident Evil or Mad Max from the Road Warrior?
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