Song
Has Been by William Shatner (arranged by Ben Folds)

Back story
William Shatner can out-camp just about anyone.  Recently, he has put Sarah Palin’s prose (Going Rogue) to music on the Jay Leno Show.  He is simultaneously charming, ridiculous, theatrical, vulnerable, cocky, and sincere.  He doesn’t sing per se, but he narrates songs in a unique and compelling way.

Why this song
This is the title song from his 2004 release, Has Been.  It’s hard to tell if it’s a serious effort or a joke.  Either way, it’s effective.  Ben Folds produced the record, and folks like Ben, Aimee Mann, Henry Rollins, and Joe Jackson join in on the fun.  Has Been is a very cheesy cowboy song where William pokes fun at himself while also wryly making fun of those who mock him.  Funny indeed.

Check it out

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010

What is ‘laughing matters’ all about?
For this series of posts, I am going to feature something lighthearted and possibly ridiculous, related to music, of course.

Song
Cheap Reward by Elvis Costello (featuring guest vocalist Stephen Colbert). Start watching at the 4:18 mark to see the performance.

Back story
Stephen Colbert occasionally has musical guests on his show, even joining in once in a while, but rarely takes the lead vocal. Elvis is on the talk show circuit these days plugging the 1st season DVD of his own show, Spectacle. His voice was too thrashed to sing, so Stephen giddily volunteered if Elvis played guitar. Surely it was rehearsed, but entertaining nonetheless.

Why this song
This song is an outtake from Elvis’ debut, My Aim is True. It is hard to find these days, but is worthwhile if you can find it. Elvis is more relaxed these days, and Stephen shows he can carry a tune, as well as being heartfelt. All in all, it is a funny and good performance.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010