I’m going to second the suggestion made by “I’m Not a Medium I’m a Petite” in today’s discussion:
“but of course it’s not just movies and TV… there is a musical canon as well.. for instance Frank Zappa and Talking Heads / David Byrne were the source of many many riffs.”
Last week we listed the movies MSTies should see if they hope to get most of the movie references, and that brought up the music MSTies should have heard, so let’s go there this week. INAMIAP took the band I was going to pick (my favorite band of all time, btw): The Talking Heads (“LOOK AT THESE HANDS!” ). So instead I will go in another direction and point out that this topic would also include music the Brains apparently hate, so I’ll name Morrissey…
What music would you add to the list?
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“Jessie Norman wants her kaftan back!”
Grr, late to the discussion. Most of them are already taken. I’ll just add:
“These guys were kicked out of Men Without Hats.”
..and my psychic lawn dart:
“This movie is an appacac.”
“Oh, the Genesis album?”
Oh, and Charlie Daniels Band
“The South’s Gonna Do It Again” from, I think, Laserblast.
And Lynyrd Skynyrd:
“We don’t need that Neil Young around anyhow” from Devilfish
I do recall a couple o’ times bashing on Paula cole…
@ 102 “This movie is an appacac.”
I’m guessing that is supposed to say, ipecac, the syrup used to induce vomiting. In other words, the joke by MST3K was that the movie was so bad it could induce vomiting.
Genesis had an album called, “Abacab”. The joke about ipecac had nothing to do with that. That was one misguided and misinterpreted “psychic lawn dart”.
There were some jazz fans on the crew, maybe fans of the more outside or avant-garde type stuff.
– the “Dr. Sax” invention exchange where Dr. F does his version of Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”
– in The Sword and the Dragon Mike mentions “it’s a poster of Sun RA” early in the film.
and in Operation Double 007 Joel riffs “Hey, it’s Sun Ra’s band” when the leather suited henchmen are onscreen. And of course the often referenced “Cambot, Give me Rocket #9” is from a Ra LP.
– “Look, it’s Charlie Parker’s shadow” in some B/W film that i don’t remember, though it DOES look like a silhouette of a famous photo of him.
Also mentioned: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, George Clinton, Yusef Lateef, Gerry Mulligan, Bud Powell.
There’s also the theme from “The Starfighters”, which shows up as a callback in later eps, I believe.
There’s also Sade’s “Smooth Operator” (“Tool Operator”, from the short Why Study Industrial Arts?)
Steppenwolf “I was born to be wild! My mom said I was!”
From Eegah:
“Jim Morrison – the Paris years!”
Rudy Vallée gets mentioned a lot, sometimes when a character looks like him, other times when one of them (usually Servo) decides to start crooning.
Notice how mainstream these refs are? Like I said before, even the Minneapolis rock underground doesn’t seem to be part of their repertoire. Nary a mention of touchstone 80s bands like Black Flag, the Minutemen, the Butthole Surfers, the Meat Puppets. Or the Ramones, for that matter. Contrast this with the breadth of their cinematic references – when I started to watch MST3K I barely knew who Fassbinder was; still don’t, actually.
Mike’s a talented musician, and was mostly a performer in the theater world, right? Then Kevin’s a Zappaphile, and maybe the prog rock fan in the bunch. Not exactly the types you’d find at a MN club like the 7th St Entry.
give it away-give it away-give it away now!!!!
One night in Bangkok makes a strong man crumble!!!
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man on the moon!!!
I’ve got a brand new pair of rollerskates…
from the end of Werewolf
I wouldn’t say King Crimson, Lou Reed and Morrissey are exactly mainstream, but they are better known than most punk/alt rock acts of the 80s and 90s. They reference a lot of seminal rock influences on punk, but not punk bands themselves. They also don’t do a lot of hip hop music jokes either. It’s just on the periphery of the writers frame of reference.
“Tusk!” (Fleetwood Mac)
“I’m listening to Shonen Knife!” – Devilfish
“Chances are, I’ll kick your scrawny ass…” Johhny Mathis reference in Horror of Party Beach
“They also don’t do a lot of hip hop music jokes either.”
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Maybe, but they do more than would be expected. Queen Latifah, “You didn’t know I could get jiggy with it”…I’m sure there are more than I can remember.
“They reference a lot of seminal rock influences on punk, but not punk bands themselves.”
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In one sequence (musical number in Teenage Strangler) they name check the Buzzcocks, Dead Kennedys, The Cramps, AND the Circle Jerks.
The Music from Some Guys in Space sketch is a great little piece of music criticism.
In response to 24hourwideawakenightmare’s comment above, I am always irked when Mike and the bots dis Motorhead (“Zombie Nightmare”) and Jack Nitzsche (“Village of the Giants”). I recognize that Nitzsche’s solo stuff is an acquired taste, but “Ace of Spades” is one of the greatest metal songs ever.
Now that you mention it, at the dance in Giant Gila Monster the DJ plays Guess-the-Artist with the crowd; J&TBs take a few stabs, including the Dead Kennedies, Dionne Warwick, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Led Zeppelin. David Soul, Terence Trent D’Arby, John Travolta…Travolta cut records? And Johnny Thunders, guitarist in seminal punkers the New York Dolls. That’s definitely obscure.
Bobby Goldsboro!
And of course whenever tow truck boy fires up his ukulele they launch into Tiny Tim’s take on Tip Toe Through the Tulips.
Don’t forget Sir Mix-a-Lot and Baby Got Back.
I wore my Gary Numan t-shirt to the Gateway Convention 2000… and then forgot to thank the cast for making fun of him so many times! In Pod People didn’t they sing “in cars” during the goofy synth music? In Terror From The year 5000 Crow commented on the fish-belly white researcher, “Gary Numan, scientist.” The best riff had to be in Girl In Lovers’ Lane when Joel said, “You know, guys, being who we are trapped in space I don’t think we’re cut out to do train songs, I think we were meant to sing about being… IN CARS!”
Speaking as a huge fan of both Numan and Morrissey, I’ve loved every joke they aimed at either of them. To me that always felt like the riffing they did on the movies: still done with some affection for the material. Heck, I can see the humor in them!
Oh yeah, forgot that Teenage Strangler sequence and the Giant Gila Monster Thunders reference (definitely bonus points in my book). The point I was making is that they’re references aren’t strictly mainstream. They actually do reference a lot of off beat musicians, especially from the 60s and 70s. Just not punk/alt acts necessarily.
The Ramones do get name-dropped, at least twice that I can think of right this moment. In Atomic Brain, when Maria is on the roof they think she looks like Joey Ramone (although I thought a bit more like Patti Smith), and in Werewolf, they refer to the heavy-set pool player as Chubby Ramone. Hey ho let’s go!!!
I can think of one other Ramones reference but it, too, is a name-drop: the girl who is murdered at the very beginning of The Beast of Yucca Flats is said to look like Joey Ramone.
#32, Matthew Redwine, beat me to it, but KISS crops up quite frequently. One day I’ll make a thread out of it (and no one will care but me), but so far I’ve found something like 32 KISS refs through both the Joel and Mike years, as well as Rifftrax, CT, and Film Crew.
That’s a lot.
In a scene from “The Crawling Hand” Crow riffs “I would now like to sing ‘Cathy’s Clown'”. This is a reference to an Everly Brothers song of the same name. Someone in the writing dpt. must have thought that the Paul character looked like one of the Everly Brothers.
Jim Stafford, although in “Riding With Death”, also is the subject of a few musical riffs, the one I remember deals with his “Spiders and Snakes” song. My parents saw him once in Branson (also the subject of a few riffs) and said he is quite the entertainer. I have never had the pleasure(?), though. #116 had the right host segment, but didn’t reference Yanni. I guess that was from not wanting to actually recommend him. Good call. And then there is Mel Torme from “Girls Town”, whom Tom parodies in a host segment with his scat “We’re tired of it now.” It was fun to see Paul Anka kick his butt.
On this topic, it would also be helpful to know some church music, i.e., hymns — One of the first sequences I remember seeing on TV of MST was Edward Platt in the priest disguise in the movie “Rebel Set.” It floored me that they sang some good hymns, as if the priest is humming them to himself as he’s trying to escape. I think they sing “It only takes a Spark” and “A Might Fortress is Our God,” among others.
On the subject of hymns and gospel, they do Wing of a Dove in Boggy Creek II (in reference to the back ground music) and poke fun of using Amazing Grace (because of it’s public domain status) in The Touch of Satan.
A couple needle gags:
Iggy Pop’s brother, Steve Pop!
It’s from the Sid Vicious signature line of needles.
If I remember correctly, Charlie Parker’s shadow is seen in Projected Man.
A couple of gags always cracks me up in Incredibly Strange Creatures during that one guys act when Crow sings “living on reds, vitamin c, and cocaine”, and “really like your peaches wanna shake your tree”. I don’t know why, but I find it hilarious every time.
@Cabbage Patch Elvis: Holy crap, I can’t believe I never got the Jessica gag in The Thing That Couldn’t/Wouldn’t Die. I always wondered what that was supposed to be, so thanks for clearing that up.
This has been a great topic, Sampo!
No problem, Dirty D. Relating to the Allman Brothers, I’m reminded that in one of my favorite SciFi host segments, when Crow has to be taken to the shop, and is replaced by the AMC Crow that Gypsy’s been tinkering with for years. Mike notices that he has a killer AM radio. When turned on, it’s playing Melissa from the Eat a Peach album. To have said goodbye to things!
@108 Hope you like The Doors! (Warrior Of The Lost World) and a mention of the Lizard King in Earth Vs. The Spider. There’s a Riders On The Storm reference in some episode, can’t remember which…
I would go with Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds. Just to determine what the heck ramsey they are.
I’ll have to second Zappa, the Bonzos, and the grunge sound from Seattle that all the kids are talking about these days. Has anyone mentioned Brad Roberts of the Crash Test Dummies, or Adam Duritz from Counting Crows?
Oh, and the Velvet Underground, who appeared in a seminal form in Horror of Party Beach.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the host segment from “Teenage Werewolf” where Mike uses the overwhelmingly repulsive force of the lead singer from Counting Crows to un-glue the alien from the side of the SOL. I laughed so hard I had to stop the DVD so I wouldn’t miss anything. Watch it whenever you get a chance– Mike’s impersonation was double-dead on.
Isaac Hayes – Theme from Shaft: “Hush yo’ mouth!” “I’m talkin’ about Mitchell!”
Paula Cole seemed to be on their minds a few times during season 8
There are too many to name them all but some I like and remember.
AC/DC in “Teenagers from Outerspace.” the Professors secretary singing “You Shook Me” as she walks down the hall.
Lynrd Skynrd-countless Free Bird references, and in “The Thing That Couldn’t Die” they hum the intro to the song Jessica everytime they mention the character’s name.
Rick Springfield-in the space one with Calgon and Biff Slabjaw etc. (the episode name is escaping me now).
The Beatles-Help references come to mind among others, Ringo this, Paul that etc.
OOps, It was the Allman brothers who sang Jessica that I referenced above, my bad.
As far as this topic is concerned, I don’t think anyone has mentioned Motown (e.g. in “Secret Agent Super Dragon” the platinum blonde lady is lying in bed, her hair tousled, and I think Servo says “She looks like a member of the white Supremes!”; or from “The Deadly Bees”, when Vicki is listening to the radio, and Servo sings “Chain, chain, chain…chain of pig farms”- although come to think of it, I don’t think Lady Soul was on Motown…anyway, same basic idea: gospel music given a (then) contemporary pop treatment.
As far as people already mentioned, two of my favorite bits are:
1. “Werewolf”: We see a head shot of Yuri with one of his many hairdos, and Servo sings “Ziggy played…guitar!”
2. “Overdrawn From The Memory Bank”: when Apollonia is floating down on her clam shell with the stone tablets, and the background music sounds a little like the choral intro to the Stones song that M&TB start singing- “You can’t always get what you want…”.
Great stuff.
Oh yeah, THE seminal heavy metal band Black Sabbath: “Hey, man, Led Zeppelin was wrong- there is no Stairway to Heaven!” “Shut up, man! Zep is never wrong!” A few minutes later: “Is Sabbath wrong, too, man?” Soultaker.
By the way, could we all observe a moment of silence for Clarence Clemons? RIP, Big Man, as you join that supergroup in the sky.
And I don’t think anyone has mentioned reggae music/Bob Marley, e.g. the “white reggae song” the young “rockers” are listening to in “Pod People” as they head into the mountains (yes, “It Stinks!”), and from “Giant Spider Invasion” (Servo again): “I shot the sheriff’s office, but I did not shoot the deputy sheriff’s office”.
During Space Mutiny when an alarm is rised and various enforcers are getting out of bed; Mike: The Oakridge Boys are woken (or something along those lines).
(Hits Frank.) “I LIKE KENNY ROGERS!” (Actually, no I don’t, but let’s move on…)
A couple of the more obscure ones… In MANOS, commenting on the song playing on the kissin’ couple’s radio. “Oh, yuck! Sounds like Jerry Reed!”
Zager and Evans’ ‘In The Year 2525’ is referred to a couple times, most notably in the episode where Professor Bobo is introduced.
Hanson’s ‘Mmmbop’ is referenced once or twice and a clown in ‘Here Comes The Circus’ is called “Liza!”
Forget the episode, but in order to get rid of an alien, Mike had to become “the most repulsive thing in the universe!”
ADAM DURITZ OF COUNTING CROWS!
But I don’t know what he was singing…
—
But my choice is the Allman Brothers’ Jessica – because she was cute. :smirk: (Tom kept breaking into it whenever Jessica’s name was mentioned in “The Thing That Couldn’t Die.” )
Not to start a flame war here but I wonder…
Given the Brains admitted love for the Replacements (or, Mike, anyway), do you suppose they’re actually thinking of the Mats’ cover of Black Diamond (from the Pleased to Meet Me album), rather than the KISS original?
princeofspace says:
I wore my Gary Numan t-shirt to the Gateway Convention 2000…
Did you happen to notice in the Sci Fi era “Making Of” special that Patrick Brantseg was wearing a Gary Numan T-shirt?
I met Gary in October on the Pleasure Principle 2010 tour. I had VIP tickets. He’s the nicest guy!
underwoc says:
Given the Brains admitted love for the Replacements (or, Mike, anyway), do you suppose they’re actually thinking of the Mats’ cover of Black Diamond (from the Pleased to Meet Me album), rather than the KISS original?
You are thinking of Let it Be.
There are tons of Prince references over the years. Both song lyric references and references to what a tyrant he supposedly is. My favorite is from Mole People. “EARTHQUAKE! Shut up, already! Damn!” referencing Housequake on the Sign O’ the Times album. Great song, great album even if he is a little jerk who used to be a chubby white kid.
Also, it helps to have heard all of the songs referenced in Tormented. There are so many!
Oh, yeah! I almost forgot that Lou Reed was in Tormented as well!
I’ve never actually listened to Kraftwerk, but I’ve figured out their sound approximately from numerous references, most tellingly in Humanoid Woman.