How about novelty songs, along the lines of Existential Blues? Just silly songs like what Dr. Demento used to feature, occosionally parodies or filk but mostly original works of whimsy. Here are ten of mine:
1. Shaving Cream – Benny Bell
2. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants
3. Mah Na Mah Na – CAKE
4. I Am My Own Grandpa – Asylum Street Spankers
5. Purple People Eater – Austin Lounge Lizards
6. The Scotsman – Ceili’s Muse
7. Twelve Days of Christmas – Bob and Doug McKenzie
8. Everything You Know Is Wrong – Weird Al Yankovic
9. All Things Dull and Ugly – Lager Rhythms
10. Star Wars – Moosebutter
Some of these songs were Dr. Demento favorites. Those that weren’t would have fit in if the good Doctor had featured them. What are your favorite novelties?
I like the classics:
Der Fuehrer’s Face
Away With Rum & The John Birch Society
The Streak
As it happens, I play such songs and other comedy and geekiness from 9 to 11 PM on a certain Internet streaming radio station.
For pure strangeness, I commend to your attention “Haba Haba Zot Zot” by Caramba and “The Chainsaw Juggler” by the Four Postmen.
er, 9-11 PM Wednesday nights, I should have said.
dementiaradio.org
I miss KTRU; I’m still not equipped to stream it wherever I go. That’s where I heard the classics “Jesus Was Way Cool” by King Missile, “The Day Ted Nugent Killed All the Animals” from Wally Pleasant and Killer Pussy’s “Teenage Enema Nurse” (and countless others.)
The Earworm to Beat All Earworms: Fish Heads. The first time me and my squeeze of the time heard it, there was nearly injury.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTpUVAcvWfU (actual song doesn’t start until about 2:10 if you are the impatient sort)
only slightly less strange: Fred Lane’s French Toast Man.