Noise Junkies - Cover Songs

Weird Way Media. Bruce Springsteen once sang I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me. But was he speaking metaphorically? After all, this is a man whose songs have been covered and amazing four hundred and twenty four times, according to who sample dot Com by such artists as Johnny Cash, Tegan and Sarah, and Mini Driver. Discovering a cool cover of a favorite song or by a favorite artist can mean everything to music nerds like us.

But what makes a good cover song? And what are some of our most and least favorite cover songs of all time? Tonight the Noise Junkies take on cover songs. Good evening, everybody, and welcome to Noise is John Kies. I am in the Captain's chair this week.

I am HP and with me is the wonderful Heather Drain from Mondo. Heather, Heather, how are you tonight? I'm doing great. I'm ready to dig and dive into the subject matter at hand. Also on the weirding Way Network, from such podcasts as Dark Destinations is my good friend Father Alone, Father ma Alone?

How are you this evening? I'm covered in something I'm not sure what it is. Glory perhaps yeah, okay, Laurie doesn't smell like this. This week we are covering cover songs every pun intended there very exciting. But first, as we do every episode, we're going to first do a little show and tell.

We're going to talk about what we're listening to lately. Heather, why don't we start with you? What are you listening too lately? Oh? My gosh.

I always have to narrow it down because I'm just a total musical omnivore and continually voracious. But one song and one album has definitely been blessing my audio experience more than most. One is a fairly totally new artist for me named as are Swan, which is basically this dark scynth pop out of Brooklyn. It's mainly just this one, this one artist, with occasional collaborations from her producer. But her song over is so beautiful.

It's I don't know, it's very makes me think of the show Forever Night And I don't even know if that would make sense anybody but me, but it makes me. It's just very effocative and just seems it's just like something you would hear at three in the morning having some emotional angst possibly with vampires. The song isn't about vampires. I tend to just like to add vampirism to things in my head because it's fun. But it's a beautiful, just a nice, little shadowy, effocative pop song and it's great.

You can hear it on Spotify. She also has a band, Cueue, as does our lovely host HP, so anybody listening to this please feel free to check him out and support him. But in the second, which is an album, and this is a band that I love fiercely. I even did an article about them years ago for Dandrew's Minds, and that is The Gleaning Spires and their album Walk on well Lighted Streets. The Spires three album discography recently got a beautiful rerelease and remaster courtesy of Omnivore Records, and these releases are cherried out and this is great because until recently none of these albums were ever available on CD and and some of the great highlights they have some a lot of bonus tracks, including their songs Funk for Children, no Hargumn, no mistake, you got to make that riff for goodness sake.

I just relimed be my second guest say Funk Children Gonna Catch All That, which there was a music video made for it, but I don't think it was ever a single. It's a bonus checks even on this album proper and they're signed Brain Button, which is really cashy tune. I drink it explosed by No I saw everyone Oh and you can hear it. And I believe the Dark Brothers Devil and Missus Jones three and or four, like the Gleaming Spires, have music that pop up in those movies as well as of course most people know them for Are you ready for the Sex Girls? Which isn't Revenge the Nerds?

Yeah, I love that, I love Yeah, I love that song the real sex girls. Nobody's ready for the sex sex girls? Are you a for the sex? Golst they big girls? Any for the sex girls?

The right right, ultravital sexpects, the people in your house and golf? No, No, They Fires are really incredibly underrated band and I think definitely worth some time, a lot of angst, biting, wit, satire. No other band like them, and I'm on the core duo of Lesboham David Kendrick were on some of the sparks best albums too. Well then I'll check it out now. I guess yeah, you better if you know it's good for you.

It'll make it to the Spotify playlist for those listeners following the show, we'll have a nice playlist you can check out all these tunes and more Fall the Malone. What are you listening too lately? You're mileage may vary on this particular artist, but I've been listening to her fourth album, which is called The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the screw, and whipping chords will serve you more than ropes will ever do, which is a much more brief title than her second album, which was When the Pawn Hits the Conflict, He Thinks like a King. It's Fiona Apple. For a while there, she held the world record for the longest album title.

I was on tour for two weeks once in the Pacific Northwest, and I had a USB with about fifteen thousand songs on it, and with rare exception, this was the album. I was listening to this about eight or ten years ago, So I'm kind of re examining Fiona Apple. She's always a ferocious lyricist. The music has never been secondary to that, but as far as pop standards goes, she wasn't gonna get much better than that second album. When I think of it, my figure's tone of things.

But I never did anything to you, man, no matter what I try, and you treat me with your fit of life so calmly crazy home it I'm making me crack it off. I'm baby Bess. You won't be lunting, You'll be line with in your own hands. Her songwriting, specifically, the music catches up with her lyrics on this album. I thought, and there are no singles here.

It's all discordant and there's minor key stuff. There's a song in there with nothing but timpani and combative harmonies. The farmer better then he's a heart of life, teams my heart almost he excepts me must be like the genesis of rhythm. I get fusting whenever I'm with them. There's the sound of what I think is a bottling plant who says a backbeat at one point, Oh and a bridge on one tune is completely layered with what turns out to be a recording of children playing in a playground.

But for listeners who don't know that, it just sounds like a horrifying scene of murder. I like you do a lot of things, but always calm around because only sensible girl. I love, but you su the second to get or with the moon real like a lusting world and the boat of the electricity. They did release a single which went nowhere called every Single Night, which is haunting and gorgeous and beautiful and that you're also going to hear on the Spotify playlist. That's where the thing comes in, like a second scultin chime to face theneath.

I can't but the fie and know every single night life. With my it falls to me to talk about what I've been listening to and among other things, I've been listening to an album. It's by Mark Garson, which is a favorite myself, Ageather. This is a brand new I was caught off guard. I did not know this was coming out.

This is an album called Journey to the Moon and Beyond. It's the latest in a year's long reissue campaign of Garson's music by the Sacred Bones label. This is a carefully curated album selections from what is apparently a massive archive. He has a vault somewhere in Mark Garson where they're eagerly going through and transferring everything to digital probably and putting out these collections. There's been a couple of collections.

They also put out his album and Plantasia, which was a big cult record. For this record, the main draw is a track called moon Journey, which is a six minute synthesizer composition that CBS commissioned Garson to soundtrack The moon Landing. So it estimated six hundred and fifty million people heard Garson's music as the moon Landing captured the nation's attention. I think that is fantastic. Oh my god, I love that.

It was thought to have been lost, but I guess as they were going through the masters this archival vault they founded and were much the better for it. Also on this set is a song called Black Eye Main Theme, which was another surprise for me. This was apparently he Garson composed the music for a nineteen seventy four black exploitation movie starring Fred Williamson. This is very much just a theme song in the spirit of Shaft or Black Black Caesar, things like that. Also, there's a lot of non electronic compositions here, but plenty of mogue stuff to make folks like me happy.

But now and so here's hoping that they're eventually going to get around to remastering Wizard of I got my fingers crossed. Oh my god, yes, now it falls to me. I'm very excited about this. We started a little tradition last episode with the games with a little I think Heather you had a little guessing game or word association game. But this week, in the spirit of the theme of covers, I have created a game called is It a Cover?

Very creatively titled is It a Cover? I'm going to give you, guys, a song title and an artist, and you're gonna have to tell me is a cover or is it not a cover? And bonus points if you correctly guess that it's a cover, give me as much info on the original artist as you can. Okay, is everybody ready? Do we have to buzz in?

Or you're gonna ask us for a time limit? What's what are the rules here? How about you raise your hand and I'll call on you. Okay, I prefer a buzzer, but okay, sorry, the buzzer got lost by FedEx. I shipped one out to both of you and apparently you never received it.

So we're left to just raise our hands. How about that? Give the tracking number the song Saturday Nights all Right for Fighting by Elton John nineteen seventy three. Is it a cover or is it not a cover? Follow alone is not a cover.

I'm also going to say it's not a cover. You are both right. It is not a cover. Of course. It was off of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Is Monster Monster Album? Not a cover? Number Two Akey, Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus in nineteen ninety two. Just don't thank you, don't stay out, Heather, you got in just ahead. It's a cover.

It is a cover, very good, and I'm gonna play you a little bit of it right here. Actually, before I do that, do you know anything about the original artist? And not really? I know it's a lesser known artist. And I want to say it came out in the eighties.

It did not. It was originally written by someone named Don Vontress. It was recorded a year prior by a group called the Marcy Brothers under the title Don't Tell My Heart, and we have a little bit of it right here. Don't tell my Heart. I thank you.

I just don't think you understand, did you? Jill By Breaking Home, Who kill this last? Whoa? What was it? The fad who production?

That's me it got psychedelic. That's I had to make it interesting. Just a straight cut off was not going to do so. Yeah. So, as you can hear, there's really not much difference between the original and the cover.

It's there's some lyrics that are heart break achy breaking, heart not achy breaky Oh. Also, there was backwards masking in the original version. Here's to my Sweet Satan is that no no? It says say hi to Lucile at waffle house. So there's some lyrics are different, but ultimately it's really just the same song.

Okay, Number three the first cut is the Deepest by Rod Stewart nineteen seventy seven. That's a cover, Heather, do you have a guess? No, you don't have a guest. Well, follom alone, you are correct. What do you know anything about the original artist?

See, this was a little bit of a trick because everybody, I think most people know the Cheryl Crowe version that came out maybe ten to fifteen years ago. It's a little bit of a trick there. But follom alone, what can you tell me about the covered artist? If anything? Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen close?

This was written by of all people, Pat Stevens. I didn't know that. And it was recorded by a woman named P. P Arnold in nineteen sixty seven, so a full ten years before it became a hit for Rod Stewart. Interestingly, E P.

P Arnold Arnold, we're so much. Yeah. So she started out, all right, I'll give me a minute here, I'll give Heather a minute here to I'm listening. Compose yourself. Listen.

My inner child is a Beavis. I have never denied this on any show. No, no man, pepe like literally initials, P period, P period. I sorry, I'm sorry. We introduce you to can.

I'm sorry, I'm listened. I'm not that sorry. I mean, shame is for the week, but I apologize. HP. Please tell us about missus Arnold.

In fact, she interestingly she started out as an iket before striking out as a soul singer in her own right. And here's a little bit of the original. First cut is the deepest cut, deep cut, deep, I'm still doing. It's very much in the motown mold. Yeah, I like that, which I think is fantastic.

Fade I love the HP fade. There's a lot of that here. I apologize to miss Arnold because that was actually I enjoyed that. It's a it's a great great I actually prefer that, to tell you the truth, to the Rod Stewart. It's just tougher.

It's got great production, and she sings the hell out of it. I Want to Know what Love Is by Foreigner from nineteen eighty four. Jesus Christ, I watch you show Follom alone. Not a cover, Heather, It's not a cover. It is not a cover.

You're absolutely right, both of you. This is heart with alone. How do I get you alone? That's a cover, Heather. I thought it was an original, but I'm not a fan of that erra of heart.

So yeah, I'm not sure. So you're saying cover, not a cover. I don't know, man, I guess not a cover. I mean, Butlin super smart, so he's probably right. Fog Malone, you are correct.

It was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and released by a band called I Ten on their album Taking a Cold Look in nineteen eighty three. So here we go. So some if you heard the whole song, it's a little bit extended, there's some there's an extra bridge in there here and there, but but very much a very similar song. It's just the Heart made it their own and made a big hit out of it. It was a huge hit for them.

Number the next one is You're No Good by Linda Ronstat nineteen seventy four. That's a cover. Yeah, that's a cover. Did you raise your hand, sir? I don't need if we're talking, Linda Ronstad, I don't need to raisin all right, all right, Linda rons that rank here, Heather, Do you have a counterpoint?

No? I mean he's right. I just all right. Then you're all right, Fallow Malone. But what can you tell me about the original?

There is no need to know anything about the original. It's Linda Ronstat's there at the end. See that's what you're wrong. The original was written by someone named Clint Ballard Junior and recorded by d d Warwick, Dion's sister in nineteen sixty three. And here's a little taste of that left by so another again another nod to motown basically, as was the prevalent sort of musical style at the time.

It's very different though. I like when these covers come kind of come out of nowhere. You've heard them all your life, and you're like, wow, I never knew there was an original. Next one, just like Paradise by David Lee Roth nineteen eighty seven. Oh my god, I love him.

Hold on, Yes, I'm gonna say, not a cover, Father Alone. Oh that's tough. I think it is a cover. Do you think it is a cover? Yeah, well, you, sir would be wrong.

It is not a cover. I just I thought it was just odd enough. I could see because he does a lot of covers, obviously, justin Jigglow, the diver Down album had a bunch of covers, you know, the final one. Last one is Betty Davis Eyes by Kim carn She that Betty Dave aside shell unease you, that jest to please you. She's becose yes and she knows jes what it takes to make proble stand up.

She's low bad day side bother alone. That's a cover, Heather, I honestly had no idea. I'm gonna go with Father Alone because he's got that big brain of his. But I do say my favorite version of that song is the Buckwheat version. So you were both you you did the right thing by following Father Malone's lead.

It is indeed to cover. This one is perhaps the most fascinating to me. I'm gonna play you a little bit of this, bearing in mind obviously the Kim Karen's version is iconic. We all know it. We all right, it's a guy right.

No. This was written by Jackie DeShannon, who's and it was released in nineteen seventy four, which is a full seven years before Kim Karns made it a hit. Here's a little bit of that. And she she love wow just in she's because and she knows just what to make up. This one was by far the most surprising because it started apparently as kind of a rocking, little bluesy number, and Kim Carnes, I don't unfortunately, I don't know who did the production on that record, but she totally changed it around and made it her own.

But yeah, I thought that was incredible. Yeah, that was fun. Here. I had never heard it. I knew it was a cover, but I had never heard the original.

I did, Yeah, I did not. And by the way, because of my poor production skills, I had to throw away I was going to do New York groove. But I'm sure Heather already knew that was a cover. I'm sure she come on at the Space Man is my favorite member Kiss. The biggest surprise there is that version is literally no different at all from the Ace Freely version.

Like if I played it for you, you would just go, oh, that's just Ace Freely. It just sounds exactly the stomping beat. Everything is exactly the same, So very good. Thank you for playing along with me. Maybe some of you folks at home learned a little thing or two about covers as I did, So let's get into this initial discussion here.

What makes a great cover song? Is it fidelity towards the original? Is it? Or is it better to just be completely irreverent and tear it apart, build it back up and make it your own? Or is the answer somewhere in the middle.

I want to start with Father Blown. What do you think makes a really good cover song? In your opinion? I think the covering artist has to interpret it in their own style or a new style of their choosing. Or what's the point If you're not going to switch it up, then I don't find any interest in it.

And I agree, I think and we'll get to this when we talk about some of our most and least favorite covers. But obviously, if you're going to be completely slavishly dedicated to the original, then to your point, there really is no point. All you're doing is basically making a karaoke version with a brand new set of vocals that maybe don't even sound that much different from the original. So I agree, I love it when an artist I mean to a degree, I guess, but I do love it. I appreciate put it this way, I have appreciate it when an artist puts completely their stamp on it and makes it an original.

Doesn't mean that I love the song or their interpretation of it, but I do respect the fact that they're being true to their own muse and to their own style of music. Heather, what do you think about this? I think what for me makes a great cover song. Honestly, if Malone Father Malone kind of nailed it is that if somebody's just doing a straight cover, I mean, that's fine if you're at a kegger or something like that, But if you want to make something interesting, if you want to make good music, yeah, make it your own. Otherwise it's just kind of regurgitation, and I can have various shades.

I mean, some bands can kind of do a deconstruction reconstruction, say like The Residents did with Satisfaction. You could do something that's slightly less deconstructed but still reconstructed, like Divo's version of Satisfaction. That was when you said that, that's the first thing I thought of it. They did that, and they did are You Experienced, which was also a departure from original. But but I love their versions and it's not so far afield, but it definitely is unmistakably a Devo song.

I think. Yeah, No, they're both great. I mean, but the Residents cover Satisfactions even more, just like it's like emerging out of the primordial soup of sound and it's and I love it so yeah, yeah, I mean, for me, just what makes a great cover song? Just what makes a great song? Is it a great song?

Does it move me? Now? Does it make and I'm passioned and print there you go? But what about HP. Yeah, that's totally concur with everything you're saying there.

Like I'd said earlier, I do think I love hearing somebody's like I said, following their musical sort of muse and making something interesting out of it. When I in college, I don't know if I mentioned this yet, but in college I was the music director at the dorm radio station where I was living, and one of the best things about it was we would every day I would go to the post office and just literally have a stack of records and CDs that record labels. They thought that we were actually like broadcasting beyond the confines of the dorm, so they would send us all kinds of promo stuff and it was always the cool part for me. One of the cool parts for me was oftentimes you would get a CD single of whatever the current artist was, and they would always have a B side, or a lot of them would have a B side where it would be them covering a song or something that wouldn't have appeared on the album, just in the days before that became like a usual practice, like on Spotify.

You can find all this stuff now, but at the time there was a little bit of cache and discovering it and kind of this exclusive little club of being at the radio station. And I always I just I loved hearing an interesting cover of something that I that I wasn't aware that they were even a fan of the artist in question. One of the things I remember best is there was a label I don't know if they're still a round call Alternative Tentacles Yellow after his level, and as a as kind of a commemorative thing, they put out a CD called Virus one hundred, which was a CD full Are you guys familiar? I see you nodding a little bit, did I view? Do you know?

Are you familiar with the CD in question? Oh? God, that name is so familiar. I feel like I've heard of I feel like I've either at the families have heard of it. I'm not sorry.

So it was. It was a CD. It was a CD basically of nothing but tribute songs or cover songs of the dead Kennedy's by like a whole slew of artists. Everybody from Faith No More was on it. L seven there was a band that was really popular at the time that I like called Disposable Heroes of Hypocrisy.

They did an amazing cover of California uber Alice, which I thought was fan I actually liked it better than the original. But that was a good example of something that was like like a treasure trove of cool covers I was like, this is amazing. So that always excited me just as a listener, as someone forming my musical tastes at the time. I loved it to hear a cool cover of something that was kind of far afield at the time because everything was about alternative radio at the time. So cool.

I also wanted to bring up a little bit this idea of cover bands versus tribute bands I have of late. I love going to see whatever tribute band is playing because what I've discovered is if they're really good and can reproduce the original, it's fantastic. But if they're really bad with bad wigs and bad stage set up and bad everything, then it's almost even better. It is even better. Now, how are This is a slightly off topic from cover songs specifically, but we're talking about bands that kind of make it their career or their side career to cover an artist.

Now, cover bands versus tribute bands, how are they different or alike? If at all? I'm going to give it to you, Heather, what do you think? I think it depends on the venue the band, because I've seen. The reason I say that because i've seen, I mean, at least on the bills.

There's a band in my area that's a tribute band, is Sublime, and they always people love Sublime. We got the nostalgia factor. And I don't know this band personally. I'm sure I'm hoping this is like a labor of love. But cover band tribute band.

If it's like a venue, especially like in a college town where it's like a popular bar kind of venue, then they're kind of one of the same because you're going to be seeing a cover band regardless. But if you say it's a tribute band, then you're just a cover band that's dedicated to one artist. But it isn't Sublime itself. Kind of a tribute band at this point or a cover band since Brad Noel has been dead for how many years? And they have a guy who sounds just like them.

Yeah, But I mean you can say I've got any number of older bands touring to some degree. I mean, like Leonard Skinner showed up like recently Lovely and I'm like, who the fuck's even Gary? I wasn't gonna just die. I don't know, it's a bit whatever. But so for me, like I would be more impressed.

I feel like if you're a tribute band to say, like the Shags, that's something that's not going to get as many asses in the seats. I mean, you'll get me for sure. I would go see that because I love the Shags. But but that's like a deep cut it afterwards. Okay, you're that's a labor love.

This isn't just so people can sing Santa Ria while they're drunk on their eighth michelobe A Rita or whatever. But I don't know, what do you guys think. I'm open. Well, it's interesting because I just heard from some friends locally here that there's a band that we've known about for years, and I'm guessing you guys have already heard of them. They're called Max Sabbath.

Have you guys heard of Max Sabbath. Okay, yeah, they've been around for years, but they haven't really they're performed, they're coming here, They're going to perform in Worcester. I don't know. I think actually Halloween, I think they're coming, which is an exciting prospect. But you're talking about ends that kind of you know, dedicate themselves in an interesting or offbeat way to the music, and I can't think of anything more offbeat than a McDonald's themed Black Sabbath tribute band, which I think is its own thing.

And I mean they're doing Black Sabbath covers to be sure, but I think they're the lyrics reference Grimace and Hamburgler and the rest. But but no, I, like I said, a fan of going to tribute bands. I mean, the thing of it is like these bands that they're that are being paid tribute to their many times. There's no way you're never going to see Jim Morris and perform with the doors, but you can go see the Crystal Ship and get sixty percent of the way there and it's an interesting time. What are your thoughts?

Fought them alone? I have seen Crystal Ship. Look, the differentiation is pretty simple. A cover band does songs from many artists and a tribute band is dedicated to one artist alone. Right, So yeah, Crystal Ship.

Remember that Kiss band from the movie Tribute. He was singing his notes all off key, The vocals are just terrible. He's unverre and all is bullshit. But here in Vegas we got a we got a band called the Spasmanics. They're like an all eighty sort of new wave band.

There's a yacht rock band out there now. Yeah, and there's yacht Rock Review also that I've seen them around here as well, and that's there. You're to your point. They're not just doing yacht rock. They're performing like all sorts of weird things that I may not get behind, but people go crazy.

I mean they did last time I saw them. They did like a Britney Spears song and people win nuts. And I just sat there shrugging, like, why am I here? This is not good? Did you yell out poser at those sell out you suck sell outs?

Play Breason by Georgiya. No, I didn't get into that, but no, that's no. But look it's performed well. I mean there's a place for that, and the place was packed. People want to go and they want to hear what In some cases, I think they just want to hear what they know and not be challenged as an audience.

And someone like Yachtlee Crew or a band like Yachtlee Crew or yacht Rock Review or any of these. That's perfect, just a night out were you don't have to think too much. I suppose so. In Los Angeles when I was living there, there was an artist named Elvez. I love Elven I've familiar with Elvis.

Yes, you ain't nothing but a chi baba yapping all the dome. You yapping all the dove saying now that that's is that a tribute band or cover band? It blurs the line. Yes, well dread Zeppelin, like you mentioned, Oh my god, I've seen them too. They're fantastic.

That's awesome. That is awesome. So I do like it when people kind of do that kind of smearing of the edges. Yeah, Alvez is great. He also has done some work with Alice Bag from the Bags.

Absolutely, Yeah, it's cool. Todd HBO I would like to propose a third category between covers and tribute bands for professional artists who've made their careers effectively being cover artists. I mentioned her before, Miss Linda Ronstadt. Very few original songs, Miss Linda Ronstad. Nevertheless, every single one of those songs that she's covered belongs to her.

I'll also say now they have many, many more original songs. But the Cramps, you know, they had me bamboozled at their length and their very choices of rockabilly relics to cover, you know, and they've got a lot of originals. That rank is my favorites garbage man like a Bad Girl Should and Bend Overall Drive, but just as man Hero's covers like Green Fuzz googu Muck just got really popular because of that Wednesday show. That's a cover song that they did Rock and Bones. It goes no and that's and I'll go a step further and say, I think if that in the categorization, I think Elvis Presley is exactly that.

He maybe like the he's the king anyway, but he might be the king of that because his strength was he knew good material when he heard it, so he was very good at picking things that well for the most part. I think Colonel Tom maybe got in the way a little bit of some of it. But yeah, I mean it's hard to think of an artist whose interpretations are considered like the definitive version. When you think of blue Suade shoes, I'm sure some people will think of Carl Perkins, but I wager that most people when they hear blue Swade Shoes are thinking of Elvis swiveling on stage. That's my opinion, Heather, I see you want I want to jump in here.

You know who if you think of Carl Perkins, that was Joe Strummer for anybody who's seen Darmers's Mystery Train, Oh yeah, yeah, sorry, Yeah. The Cramps I think are a perfect example of that. I was thinking about that earlier today because it's like there's some there are some artists that are so transformative where it's that's that's that. I mean, it's yeah, I mean, yes, that they didn't write they might as well have they interpreted them in such their own way. Oh my god.

I mean when a band can cover Hazel Atkins, who is a singular an amazing artists in and of his own category, and still you're like, that's a Cramp song. Now, that's the power of that band. They can cover Ricky Nelson and make what is a terrible song a good song. Oh my god. Agreed.

Right. Also, the Cramps have my favorite album name of all time, Rocking and Reeling in Auckland, New Zealand. Oh my god. I quote that album title all the time. People ask me, how are you doing, and I say I'm rocking and Reeling in Auckland, New Zealand, and nobody fucking gets it.

Well, they're fools, so exactly. It's my it's my little snobby litmus test. Them. Are you cool? You all got one?

Indeed excellent. So let's let's move into kind of the meat of where we're going with this, to talk about gristle, the grit, and the sinews of where we are from the bone. There you go, We're gonna get into our favorite cover song. I want to start off with I know you're excited. I know you're both excited, but I can see Fallow Alone's excited.

Fallow Alone, why don't you talk about your favorite cover song? And why? My answer to this is easy because it's like when people say to me, what's your favorite movie? The answer is DAWNA of the Dead George Morris, DNA. That just spills out.

So if you would asked me what my favorite cover song was, I fall to pieces by Michael Nesmith's covering Patsy Klein Each time Be Just a Friend. It was the first time that my young brain fully grasped the idea of recontextualization of a song, specifically along gender lines. Klein's version is stripped down. It's just bass and a piano and a guitar, but of course she has that voice, right? What else can you say?

You do? Likely? Never you want me to again, retendly never. It's a fragile and tender notion of a song. It's a song from the jilted lover's point of view, where not only is it I don't want to see you again, it's you're going to have to see me again and you're going to have to deal with it and pretend like it never happened.

And what better voice than hers, so deliver that because she makes it very feminine and very tragical, or at least what is traditionally thought of, but the actual best female version of the song. By the way, it goes to Linda Ron's dead. If you haven't heard version of her version of it, it is superior. I'm sorry, Patsy, but crazy is still great you anyway. So so Michael Nesmuth where should I say?

Michael Nesmuth in the First National Band. This is their version of the song the Loose Salute album right or the Tax Dodge album. Mike Nesmuth had a million dollars he was going to have to give to the federal government or unless he used it for a artistic endeavor, So he hired every session musician he knew and paid them over time for a week and made this album, and now most versions of the or most cover versions of the song, they had not the same sort of stripped down version to support the lyrics the way the client did. But here with Nesmith, it's the opposite. It's still country, it's got a cascading pedal steel riff running through it, and it's pretty bouncy.

But Nesmith is a kind of a counterpoint because he's singing in his high, lonesome style, the almost yodel version of Mike Nesmith's voice. Hearing that made me think, and this is true now. It's a perfect exemplar of why people need to shut the fuck up when it comes to popular culture mixing up things on racial or gender or sexual lines, because someone will be struck by a piece's intended emotion in a way they wouldn't have for Hearing Michael Nesmith singing with such a desperation and longing, booie but carefree rhythm, it taught me things about heartache and the fact that it won't heal sometimes. And there's a dumb nobility that comes with maturity that I'm sure most female listeners were already acquainted with.

But Nesmith and his version of it made me see it in that way. Okay, now here's the thing. I started looking at other gender swamp songs. Gender swamp cover songs. You've got Jolene by the White Stripes covering Dolly Parton, Joan Jent doing I Love rock and Roll.

That's right, that's a cover. Me and Bobby McGee is a cover. Janis Joplin covering Roger Miller because he was the first more person to record that. Nothing Compares to You, the late Great Sinet O'Connor covering The Family. They were the actual first band to record that one.

I also go to I Drove All Night, which is Roy Orbison covering Cindy Lauper, and Cindy Lauper is where I'm ending here because her second album has a couple of covers on it. But when you were mind Cindy Lapper covering Prince, turns out that's my favorite cover song of all time. It accomplishes everything I just said about the Nismuth tune and a lot more when you re mind Prince's versions from his nineteen eighty album Dirty Mind, it was a B side. On controversy, it never made much of a splash. Prince said, it's his take on a John Lennon tune.

It's an open chord, strumming, banging. I think there's a drum machine on there. Prince is doing his own backups. You will mind how used to like you? Well, you was so fine, so fine baby, that's the reason why heart be so fine to going with another don't care.

Viewing it through the lens of what I just said about, I fall to pieces. Prince's version sounds like someone who has reconciled dermo about the situation they're in. It's another breakup song, even if he's still feeling pangs of lunging. It's like he's fine and he's gonna be fine. Lapper's version, on the other hand, is completely the opposite.

It's glossy and it's got a big drum machine, but her vocals are low and emotional, completely the opposite of what Prince does. It's someone still in the throes of a breakup. The melody isn't any less buoyant, but it's darker and she does something by the way that makes me love her. She doesn't change the pronouns. Most people, when it's a gender swamp song, will change the pronouns right Joan Jet did it?

Bow? Wow? Wow? Did it? Linda Ronstadt?

Is it? Frequently not? Lopper? It connects directly with what the whole gender swamp, the appealing facet of cover songs is, And now it gives an even further perspective to that song because now there might not be a male gaze in it at all. I'm I'm gonna jump in a little bit here talk about my favorite cover song.

My favorite cover song is walk On by by Isaac Hayes, which is off of Hot Buttered Soul nineteen sixty nine. But I to be honest, I was first introduced to it because it was on the soundtrack to a movie called Dead Presidents, which I think was late nineties. I don't have the number here, but I believe it was late nineties. It was used in the trailer and it was so dramatic that it kind of captured my attention almost immediately. So the song itself, the original was a course written by Hal David and Burt Backrack in nineteen sixty four, and it was performed by again another Warwick appears on the show here.

It's Dion Warwork in this case whocomeco and you don't see the King's just let greeve and by that cost each time, I'll see you. To be honest, it's flawless. It's a tight three minute pop song, fairly breezy. There's a lightness to it, but there's this darkness that's nibbling at the edges. Warwick always seemed to me to be tougher than the lyric indicated that she's ready to move on despite the words of the song about just if you see me being sad, just walk on by, just make believe everything.

But what Isaac Hayes does is nothing short of magic. He goes full dramatic. Isaac Hayes's delivery leaves no doubt that the narrator is crushed by this break up. Love it, Oh Baby. It's slowed down.

It doesn't move as briskly or as with the lightness of the original. It is dark from the get go. There's this wonderful solo guitar running through the whole thing with this tremolo. It's performed by a guy named Harold Bean who is later to work with The Funkadelic and he contributes this incredible, searing solo that just kind of brings the thing to a crescendo at the end. Of course, the rest of the band, it's the legendary Barque's backing him, so you know it's going to be heavy piece of music anyway.

And the length of the track, it really takes the listener on a journey because it starts out in the depths of despair that Isaac Hayes summons up with the power of his voice and rejection, and it takes all the way through this amazing It kind of builds up and kind of comes down again, and at the end there's this amazing build up and release through this mind blowing funk rave up that the song just kind of ends with. I think the vocals of the song I think are probably over within about five or six minutes, and the second half of the song is just the band going to town on this amazing song. The Burt backrack and how David wrote in short, what I love about it is that Hayes honors the sentiment of the lyric, but as we've been talking about through the whole episode, he really makes it his own.

It's hard for me to conceive of a song that is so radically different in form and function but still honors the sentiment of the song itself and what the song is all about, and even now it blows my mind to listen to it. It's just such an emotional experience to listen to it in the spirit of it takes all to make a world. Let's go to your part of the world, Heather. Let's educate us on your favorite cover song. What is it?

Some of my favorite covers. It was so hard to pick just one because there's so many good ones. For me, A lot of my favorites tend to have an almost like alchemical reaction. When roland Us Howard covers the old Sanders She Cried, which is a song I normally can't stand and find very just kind of obnoxiously sappy. He makes it moving and just gives it such a such soil and earth and heaviness like scar tissue.

As a song, it's beautiful. There's lie Bok, the great Slovenian industrial band who have done a number of great covers, including Sympathy for the Devil and Queen's One Vision. They make it, they're completely their own. They took Opus's song Life Is Life, which is a very like ra ra ra very kind of chinsey aour song and completely transform it. It's fucking brilliant.

Shoot his priest doing Diamonds and rest the Joan Bias song. I'm not a Joan Bias fan. I respect her. It's not my flavor. But Rob Halford's vocals on that, it's a gift.

It's a gift. The Circle Jerks doing Golden Shower of Hits where it's a medley fucking awesome. Come on, Keith Boris singing having My Baby so good. But yeah, of course I could go on and on. Bajas doing Telegram Sam or Ziki Stardust or Third Uncle Cherry Chef's Kiss like Perfection, all wonderful, all yes, but what is your all time favorite?

Though? Wait, hey, I'm getting there. I'm getting there. But Malone got to give us this amazing monologue. Hey, I wasn't pressuring you, I'm encouraging you.

Yes, there's one song that instantly comes to the front of my brain, and it's got to be The Dictator's cover of The Stooges Surgeons Destroy. I love like any punk rock person worth their salt. Come on, it's the Stooges. Respect your elders. I'm fucking loving his ses and the original Surgeon story is great steep walk and chet, I'm over away son, I am a world but we're iggy singing.

That to me sounds and it's part of the brilliance of that song. To me, when he sings I'm a street walking cheetah with a heartful and apomp, there's something to almost sound he sounds. It's like a jicheetah, like, well, that's been through some shit, Like he's like walking wounded. But it's part of the beauty. But when the Dictators do it, it's got such a ferocity, got such an attack to it's such a power.

A handsome dick Manitoba is not a walking man wounded. He has ad man army of rock and roll, fist, punch, gut kick, bar fight, bravadoo love it. I think that as a whole or a tremendously iterated band. I think everybody that bands a fucking player that ross the boss really shredding it on the guitar, like his approach guitar is great. Richie Teeter is one of my favorite drummers and singers and bands.

He doesn't get of love, but any who, Yeah, the dictators make search and destroy, which is an iconic punk song and truly make it their own. And when you can do that, we can get the iconic song, get iconic on your level and your rooms. All right, So let's sell, let's shift gears. And I think this is the part that we always I think we all secretly enjoy more than the most favorite. We're talking about the least favorite song father them alone.

Why don't you kick this one off as well. It's very difficult to choose. There are just so many bad ones, like ninety nine percent of them are just god awful. Yeah, I was leaning in the direction of a cover song that was foisted upon us, the listeners of the world, Like we heard it a lot, right, Like you could not get away from it. So it isn't necessarily some niche cover song that some idiot garage band did of some great song that they had no right to cover.

Initially, my choice was that Lady Marmalize make with Kastrina Aguilera and Maya and Pink and Little Kim Oh. That's oh okay. It was really oppressive when that song was popular, and it is a terrible cover of the song. I don't need extra notes in the tune, and I don't need I love Little Kim, but actually Little Kim's part was pretty good. The rest of them, though, were suspect.

But I can't say that song is as disappointing as Rob zombies cover of Blitzkrieg Bob. Now that actually is kind of a niche album. He released it on what like Past Present in Future when it came out, but it was initially for a Ramon's tribute album. It seemed like a natural song for him to cover. Let's go out going through the Ramones weren't filled with melody, let's say, but he did have it.

It was there. Joey could carry a tune. And what Rob Zombie has done is so it's all rhythm. The entire song becomes a chant, and the chant just says to me, turn off this radio. All the fun of the Ramones is gone, all the What's weird is Rob Zombie is has a sense of humor, like his music has always struck me as kind of funny underneath, and this is a humorless, bloodless, awful rendition.

It sounds like warm up music for Robots. I agree. My Las Extra Sisto, the White Zombie album came out when I was in college, and I thought that was a really funny album. I mean the way that he used the samples. There was a lot of tongue in cheek stuff.

But I can't say I followed his career like very closely, but what I have heard, it feels like as time has worn on, I think he's become a little more humorless. At least that's my impression. Oh you know what, because he's got a song called Mars Needs Women, which was great, or Everybody's Fucking In a UFO is a recent song. Like he's still very, very funny, but this interm just this somehow like it was oil and water or something, because, like I said, sometimes what seems like an obvious thing is not a fit at all. Was that album called We're a Happy Family?

I'm trying to remember. You're right, that Remotes tribute album is called We're a Happy Family, and the whole thing is Garbage. The first track is by Garbage, but the entire album is Garbage. Heather, help me out here. Let's go into your least favorite cover song.

I can't wait to hear what you got. Originally I was gonna go with Limp Biscuits cover Behind Blue Eyes which is a complete utter atrocity, and I believe it was on the sad track for the Hollyberry Rivy Gothica and Limp. It almost felt like low hanging fruit. So that's my runner up pick because there was something far more offensive to me that absolutely just anytime I hear it it makes me want to suit and that is no doubt covering. It's my life.

The original by Talk Talk is a beautiful fucking song. Mark Hollis was brilliant that voice, those lyrics, that song, the original version. Actually, honestly, it makes me emotional. Here we go. There's something just so I don't know, like pure plaintive about it, and you know, I'm not even gonna pretend to know exactly what the original intent behind the songwriting was.

But like every time I've hear it, even when I was a little kid, I just felt like something like the feeling of being trapped in a world where you're just fight for any kind of autonomy, any kind of visible something so incredibly beautiful and sincere about it and raw and no doubts cover it's it's like having kids bop do like the Velvet Underground. It's it's so fucking wrong. It's awful. It is it's like a step for wife cover. It's hollow, it's soulless, it's fangless, it's bloodless, it's gutless.

I fucking hate it. I have more respects for a brat's doll that has been shipped upon in a fucking cattle field than I do for this bullshit. I think No Doubt should be ashamed of themselves for this. It's a cash grab. I mean, it's horrorshness at.

It's the only kind of worst horroring than this is what we see from politicians and CEOs. So yeah, I don't like it. I don't fucking like it. The video is equally plastic and bullshit the original video for Talk Talks original version is heavy. I don't know.

It makes me think what have we done to this planet? It's sad for me, but it's beautiful because it makes me feel like great art makes you fucking feel. And yeah, I feel when I hear No Doubts Cover, I feel like taking a complete shit out of hate because it's awful. It's a fucking awful cover. I hate it.

I hate it. I hate it, and I'm someone that tries to getting things, because to be honest, I couldn't even think many I can think of way were covers I love because I'd rather gear my brain towards what I love than what I hate. But you know what, I got a duck Quin Stefani No this band, no I say, no, no, no doubt? Is that your opinion of them across the board? Do you like?

Not like no doubt? In general? To be honest, like when I first I was thinking about this one, I first heard I'm Just a Girl when I was a teenager. I was like I thought, I was like, oh, that's kind of cool. This is like nice to hear some righteous like anger.

And it was poppy and it was cute, and it was just kind of downhill from there. But I don't. The only song of the catalog that I hate almost as much as this one is Speak That drives me fucking crazy, and I can't with that. But I don't hate them as much as I hate their cover of Like I'm okay with them fouling up the landscape on their own terms. But covering Talk Talk, I mean, Roland has Howard cover Talk Talk and that was beautiful because Roland has Howard's a real artist, and he's rip, like fucking just beautiful.

I'm not a big fan of of Doubt. I don't hate their other stuff, but I don't really listen to their other stuff. I don't really listen to this, but this one was forced out our throats and even occasionally I'll hear it like Walgreens or somewhere like it was a big hit for them. It might have been the last big hit. I don't know for sure, but it was om the present, And I think the real shame of it is it strikes me that a lot of people probably don't even know that it's a cover.

They probably just assume that this is just another No Doubt song because it sounds like every other No Doubt song from that period. But it was huge. I mean, I guess the difference here with a lot of our picks, I think is that that was a real big hit for them. It was everywhere. I think it's funny that No Doubt put out an arm called rock Steady without any rock Steady songs on it.

Yeah, and it didn't rock, nor was it steady correct. Yeah? Now, I fucking oh, I just and no, you're right, HP, I know that, but it makes me sad, and I really I cannot stress enough to people intellectual curiosity. I know people are like, oh, generational things, but to some degree, I mean, shit, come on, don't settle for less than this life. Is what I want to tell anybody listening to this.

You're a beautiful person, not just because you're listening to us, but just you're you. Obviously love art if you're listening to three people talk about it, don't settle for bullshit. And it's interesting because just a quick little side trip here what you're saying about you kind of got into a thing here both of us did about knowing understanding what's a cover and kind of taking the time to maybe search back a little bit. I didn't make this my favorite cover, but it was kind of an honorable mention. And I have to mention on that note, the song Police on My Back by The Clash, The Clash or No Strangers Too good covers.

They covered a lot of reggae artists and that was kind of yeah. It was one of the great things about the band is that they gave they shone a light on all these artists that maybe the average Clash listener wouldn't have any wareness of I like, I love that song Police on My Back, but I had no understanding until I looked into it a little bit. That song was written by Eddie Grant. Mister Electric Avenue wrote Police on My Back, which is an incredible song. It's cinematic, it's righteous, it's rocking, it's great.

But I've been hiding and the big Time won't. I've been running Monday again. I'm maybe I'm the I'm in the minority. But I knowing that the Clash had this reputation for covering amazing reggae songs, I took the time to research that and kind of try to understand a little bit where these songs come from. It doesn't mean I like the originals any more than the cover.

In fact, this case, I prefer the cover. I think that's a danger with some of these cover songs, especially like It's My Life, which is a huge hit, is are people taking the time and the diligence to try and chase up the original Maybe they learned something. Actually, I think there are probably more people than we realize that do that. It's always kind of one of those things where you could be in a field of beautiful flowers, but you know, if there's like a piece of one piece of trash, your eyes are going to focus on the trash, so not them seeing people don't know like sometimes. I mean, there's obviously things we're all learning that I'm not trying to I'm not judging anybody who might not know that, but I am judging no doubt for raping this perfectly beautiful song.

And I hope that Mark Hollis's ghost how it's everybody involved. Oh, I love you. You've left no doubt about your true and actual feelings on this, and I love that. It's fantastic. It's science.

That's so it's gonna be hard to follow that. That was awesome. Minds maybe my least favorite cover song, I'll go into mine here and now. The difference is this is the original. I'm not a huge fan of the original.

I'm just gonna say that right off the top of the bat top of breadth at the top, I'm not a huge fan of the original. It's a fine song, it's not my favorite what have you? But when I think of my least favorite song, and I actually searched back and thought about it, it's almost it's a little bit of a two fur now my least favorite cover song, and you guys want to even remember? This is baby I Love Your Way by a band called Big Mountain. Now.

The original was, of course, written by Peter Frampton. It was released in nineteen seventy five, and the most popular version was off of Frampton Comes Alive, which is omnipresent every now, the Big Mountain version, and I see Father Malone nodding there. It was probably most notably it appeared on the Reality Bites soundtrack in nineteen ninety four. Was that what it was from? Yes?

Well I know it from because is that? What is that the track I was skipping all those years? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Now the production, let's just start here. The production is just text My god, I'm now having flashbacks.

HP god, damn, I love every d I want to tell you I love every day. This this was answer. The production is just textbook nineties. It's everything is so shiny and polished to a two fine sheen. There's zero soul in this version.

There's zero Now, just being a reggae version is zero authenticity in terms of the reggae. If you told me this song was programmed with no actual human intervention, I would believe you. This song just sounds like someone punched a bunch of data into a computer and hit a button. And this is what it spit out the video which the members of the band all looked like they went to the party store and they found like generic rosta man costumes like these, sort of like calf tens and what have you to wear for Halloween. It's just a riot of bad decisions all around.

And now, look, say what you want about the original Peter Frampton version, but it moves with ease. It's a nice mellow slice of seventies mellow rock. It's fine, it's inoffensive to me. But this was just an affront on so many levels. And it was again, this was a big hit on MTV, the for them, for the Reality Bites movie and for the soundtrack extension.

Right, I'm sure father alone, I can see him still shaking his head. Yeah, you're right about this. I hate this song. I hate It's like whatever slight charm there is to the original Peter Frampton thing. What you mentioned HP, the overall seventies nish of it.

These the freewheeling sitting in the back of your pickup truck drinking Jack Daniels at sunset nature of that tune becomes this faux reggae version. You know what it reminded me. I'm for friends of the movie ghost World Blues Hammer. Oh my god it is so I'll rock people. Are you ready, boy, way down in the delth of blues, ready to rock your words?

You know what it actually? This is? By the way, h this is a superb pick is Yeah, this is awful. I'm and I'm like you, I'm not even that big of a fan of the Frampton. It's fine.

It is what it is. It's fine, No, nothing against it, but oh my god, but it actually makes me think. Do you guys remember this Unholy Medley cover song from the late eighties where somebody took yes fact and they merged it with yeah yeah, yeah. That was the two fer. I said it was going to be a twofer.

That was the second part of my least favorite cover. But yes, we'll piggyback on what you're saying. It's by a band from nineteen eighty five called Will to Power, and they, in fact they did It's baby I Love Your Way with interpolation of Freebird by Leonard skinnerd and the sound of it. I mean, we've talked about like lack of human intervention. This this sound reminds me of if you go to the Blues Brothers Yarmata room at the Holiday Inn and there's like a duo performing with nothing but a drum machine and a keyboard and they're just kind of doing medley's of bad songs or whatever while you're drinking.

You're sipping your water down whiskey, Hey funny. Oh yeah, I know it's bad. It was tough for me to choose between the two because they're both equally awful and like rech inducing. But yes, I'm glad. I'm so glad you remember that, Heather kudos.

How could I forget? It's such a horrible thing. I mean, to the point where this is a bad joke. Alert ahead at three two one. When you're thinking that the plane crash was the second we're saying to happen to Leonard Skinner boy.

I kid, I kid, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's a good thing. I don't believe in hell yeah, but it's a joke. Come on, I have done nothing. The only the true enemy to the legsy of Leonard skinnerd was done by whatever Iteration has been touring for the last twenty to thirty years.

So oh, Glenard Skinnerd's good for the record, but it's certainly better than will to power that production. It's just awful. It's chilling how bad it is talking about the good the bad. Now we're going to talk about the inessential. What's the most Now?

This is a song just to differentiate between the least favor This is a song that is not offensive necessarily, It's just it's a cover that leaves you scratching your head saying why did they do that? I'm not I'm not offended by it, and I'm not I don't think this is an affront to my tip to all that is good, but it's like, why did they do it? Heather, what's your pick for the most inessential cover song? Well? I was my pick and this was partially I'd write conversation I recently had with our beloved father Malone, and it's got to be when Motley Crew covered White Punk Sun Dope, which I, as you guys know, is aybody that knows me knows I'm a massive Tubes fan, so White was a member of the fan club.

I own everything on Vinyl as well as CD. I am massive, massive, massive fan Molly Care, especially after relistening to No Doubts cover of Talk Talk, which that may have colored my perception because I even re listened to the White Punks on Dope cover after hearing No Doubt That shit sounded like a banger to be honest, but it's fine. It's actually a straight, pretty faithful cover. If I was there alive, I would be like happy to hear it just because it's so cool. It's a Tubes well dope Hollywood To be honest, is it essential?

No? Does Motley Crue really have company? The Tubes are so great at having that kind of subversive humor and satire all throughout their discography. White Punk Sun Dope is definitely part of that. The only time Motley Cruez ever actually funny is when it's unintentional.

I mean, this is a band that gave us such song titles as first Band on the Moon, Treat Me like the Dog I am, and and of course I mean, if you guys want to hear some real comedy gold, I believe it's offt Generation Swine where Tommy Lee does a song called Brandon. Yes, it's Tommy Lee singing playing the piano, singing about his then newborn son Brandon, And it's literally a line going, Brandon, she is your mom like that. It's fucking awful, But I laugh. I laugh every time. It's awful.

So Molly Herr funny when they're not trying to be funny. Well, they have a history. They have a history, you. I mean they did smoke it in the boys room, of course. And they also did Anarchy in the UK.

I believe, which that I don't. That was not a good one, that they're Anarchy in the UK. Cover honestly could effects the potential to be on my worst but spoke of the boys, that song actually was almost my worst. Yeah, an Narchy in the UK. I think the musically that song sounds okay as a cover is a heavy hard rock version of that tune.

But Vince Neil singing about anarchy, what are you kidding me? You guys are everything anarchy isn't. All you want to do is sit around and get drunk and bang chicks. But you need structure for that. Boys, you don't want the governmental fall.

You're lying. I would actually love it if they did a song about causing a Riot at Cheetah's or Space Ziss. Oh my god, Noden o o oh, oh my god. Oh I love that movie. But no, no, I will say.

This is the thing we talked about too, the cover of Helter Skelter Off Shot at the Devil. I think it's actually really good cover spoke in the boys Room. I'm not even the biggest fan of the Brownsville Station original. I do like Brownsville Station and mad for Cup Coda Rip. But but yeah, the cover point Punk's on Dope.

It's fine. There's a live version on YouTube that's pretty decent, as the Samantha Maloney era, who I think was a really underrated drummer. Tommy Lee is great as a drummer, though, God don't date him or let him sing about children follow alone. Let's move on to you. What's your most innocential cover song?

What's funny is? I don't know why this is. I have a list that was difficult to choose from them, but for some reason, the majority of which were heavy metal covers of non heavy metal tunes. Just oddly, it all seemed that way, like for some reason, most heavy metal covers of regular songs just don't work for whatever reason. Motley Crue is on my list three times for their three covers, but also on the list is Land of Confusion, Disturbed covering gen and not Oh Yeah, yeah yeah.

I thought they were making it hard by making it all choppy and chunky with guitar bursts and shit. Genesis is already hard. Son. No, there there are lots and lots of inessential heavy metal covers, but I hope this qualify as HB. I ended in a very, very weird place.

The most inessential cover song for me of all time is Bobcat gold Twight covering You two with or without You at the end of his comedy sets. I remember that they had the strobe light and he like slicked back his hair and putting he would go at near the end. He would go during the d mental party to go off stage and get the flag and come out and wave it around. Well, it was his bid to do like when Andy Kaufman would do Elvis, but the difference was Andy Kaufman's Elvis. Everybody who saw it agrees that was the best Elvis impersonation they'd ever seen.

So I think that was his kind of bid to be a little edgy and be like Andy Kaufman to blow people's minds that he's so good. I think he sounded he did sound a lot like Bono, though I thought it was a kind of fascination. But it's self indulgent. I think that's my point. Who was asking him to do that?

And what was the purpose? And how did it end his comedy set. That's what was confusing to me. It just felt self indulgence. Don't get me wrong.

I love Bob Goldthwaight. I adore Bob Goldthwaite. Yeah, absolutely, I've loved his comedy, his weird o routine that he used to do. I love that too, But this thing felt odd and to your point, Heather, he actually did a pretty okay job as Bono. But at the end of the day, we're left with the question of why, which I think is central to all of these in essential cover songs.

Along with that, I'll give you my another great segue. Here's my pick for inessential cover song. My pick is and this comes off of an album of cover tunes, so almost anything off of this album could have made this list. The song in question is White Lines Don't Do It by Duran Duran off of There nineteen ninety five album of covers called thank You, which is maybe ironic it was originally obviously it was originally released. It was Mellie Mel Did It Right, written by Mellie Mel and Sylvie Robinson, released in eighty three, and the Duran Duran album Thank You includes other such in essential covers as nine one one as a joke and Watching the Detectives.

Of course, Elvis Costello's incredible Watching the Detectives maybe my favorite Elvis Costello song. The original White Lines is chilling, and it's propulsive and it's edgy. It's ride White Line High. We tell all your friends think you do, ma, We paid your toe, sell your soul pound for pound costs more than dope. The longer you stay, the more you paid.

My white don do a long way either up the nose or your fame wore nothing the game. It's upt chilling your friends, and it just you get. I still get chill. Was listening to it because it's so of the moment and so raw. The cover is way too slick, it's way too glammed up to ever read as cautionary in any way, shape or form.

And oddly that the presence of Mellie mell on. The track just underscores the fact that this version is not even close to the standards of the original, almost night stivating nobody else. It's competently performed and produced. It doesn't offend my sensibilities. Again, I greet it with the shrug saying, why bother?

The original was just so incredible and if you're gonna do it, I don't know it Just it raised too many questions in my mind. And if I'm gonna listen to it, I'm gonna listen to the original. There's no reason for me to go back and listen to this. Duran, Duran, have you heard the bonus track off of that album? At least the one I heard, which is a cover of Diamond Dogs.

I did see in my research that it was like, I think there was a Japanese edition of the album and I saw that, and I said to myself, well, I can't listen to this. I love Bowie and I love Diamond Dogs, and I don't want to jeopardize my pick for the least favorite cover song. So I just left it be. I'll see it someday. Maybe I'll listen to it someday.

But I don't think I said, I don't think it would have knocked your your least favorite out of contention, but it very well would have been high on your list of innocential. I mean, I mean to be again, to be fair, I like Duran Duran. I don't hate the band does. I think they're fantastic. I'm not coming down on the band it.

I even like later period Duran Duran. I think it is fantastic. I think the fact that they still continue to tour and sound as good as they do is a credit to what a great band they are. But they this album they missed the mark. I think it's perhaps noble that they wanted to make an album of cover of bands that they have influenced them in some way, but it was a head scratcher for me.

It was an easy pick for the most innessential cover song. I think I want to do a cover album called You're Welcome. I do think it interesting, like a counter album to that, even though I mean it's all cover songs for different reasons. But Tory Amos is strange. Little Girls album I think is a really interesting cover album.

I don't think every song lands quite as hard as you want it, but the ones that do hit Hard are really really good, and it's an interesting album because she's basically almost like approaching it like pros and it's bands everything from Slayer and eminem to like Patti Smith. It's a cool album. Were essential album than this album, sorry, I would agree. Yeah, And even if I think of other albums that are just straight cover albums, I my mind again because of how much of a Bowie fan I am. Of course, Pinups is all covers, and if I'm being honest, they don't all hit the mark, but some of them are great.

That's I love his cover of Sorrow God. At least it's interesting to me because he's still kind of had the fragments of the Spiders from Mars. I think mcronson was still performing with him, so it was kind of the last gasp of that period of his career. But he kind of went out with an interesting curio. Like I said, it's not there's it's not essential necessarily, but his heart was in the right place and some of them are really good.

So you can do a tribute album or an album of covers. It doesn't have to be like didn't Scarlett Johansson do one of Tom Waits didn't she I'd like to say one more thing about Durandran if I may, of course, Warren Kouvarulo, any chance to see his name order quote or how dal Bosio says it in Catholic Girls Warm a Cuckaroulo. That will do it for this episode of Noise Junkies. And now let's go around, Heather. When people aren't enjoying your musical picks, where can they find you on this worldwide internet web thing?

Well, I actually recently was on an episode of the Culture Cast with our wonderful friend Chris Stashew and our brother in arms here, Fatherlom, where we talked about Alan Parker's Angel Heart. So check that out. That's on weird and remadiate weird ing Way Media. Even you can find me via my link tree, which is a slash motto, Heather. You'll find my website, my Patreon and all other related sunderies.

Fantastic and how about yourself follow Malone. Go to father Malone dot com to get all of my visual nonsense, and if you want to my audio nonsense, go to Weirdingwaymedia dot com. You can hear some of the shows I do whever they're like Midnight Viewing, the Night Gallery podcast or Dark Destinations. It's a half hour radio drama I write and produce fantastic and as for myself, I'm also proud to be on the Weird and Way Media Network. Primarily you can hear me on the Night Mister Walters Taxi podcast that I do with yours here truly, Father Malone.

I have also been on the Wolf and Raisin Banicheck podcast. If you want something a little different, a lot different, you check that out. Appearing occasionally on the Culture Cast and also things here and there, a little bit of music, a little bit of so called acting on Dark Destinations, which is my favorite of the Father Malone podcasts, so please check that out as well. So for myself, for Heather, and for Father Malone. Thank you very much for listening and we'll see you next time