# Indie Musician Find 01: Jonathan Coulton **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2007, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416 "2007-03-03T10:43:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2007, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/1 "2007-03-03T10:43:53Z")
I’m always running across really good indie musicians offering their music on-line (some for free, some for pay, some offer both). I decided I’d see about sharing these musicians one a week with the Dopers of the Straight. My first offer is [Jonathan Coulton](http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songs). He does jangle guitar rock/pop music - like a mix between Jonathan Richman and Bare Naked Ladies. The lyrics however are the selling point. From “That Spells DNA” > [@](#): > > DNA, you’re in my heart > DNA, in fact you’re in every part of my body > Each cell has a nucleus, each nucleus has chromosomes > And DNA, baby, that spells DNA From “Ikea” > [@](#): > > Long ago in days of yore > It all began with a god named Thor > There were Vikings and boats > And some plans for a furniture store > It’s not a bodega, it’s not a mall > And they sell things for apartments smaller than mine > As if there were apartments smaller than mine > > Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen > Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men > Everyone has a home > But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there And my personal favourite “Skullcrusher Mountian” > [@](#): > > Welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain > I hope that you’ve enjoyed your stay so far > I see you’ve met my assistant Scarface > His appearance is quite disturbing > But I assure you he’s harmless enough > He’s a sweetheart, calls me master > And he has a way of finding pretty things and bringing them to me > > I’m so into you > But I’m way too smart for you > Even my henchmen think I’m crazy > I’m not surprised that you agree > If you could find some way to be > A little bit less afraid of me > You’d see the voices that control me from inside my head > Say I shouldn’t kill you yet He also did a genius cover of Sir Mix-a-lot’s Baby’s got back (which you can find with a google search) ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2007, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/2 "2007-03-03T11:12:04Z")
WoW players will know him as “the guy who sang the _all we wanna do is eat your brains_ song that someone synched with game video.” [The song is called “Re: Your Brains.”](http://youtube.com/watch?v=BjMiDZIY1bM) I first heard his cover of “Baby Got Back” before watching the WoW video and was pleased to find they were the same guy. I downloaded “Millionaire Girlfriend” and “You Could Be Her” too. He’s pretty entertaining, even when he’s not really trying to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2007, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/3 "2007-03-03T12:13:44Z")
I loves me some [Code Monkey](http://www.jonathancoulton.com/lyrics/code-monkey). > [@](#): > > Code Monkey think maybe manager want to write god damned login page himself > Code Monkey not say it out loud > Code Monkey not crazy, just proud. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/4 "2007-03-03T17:53:48Z")
If you like Jonathan Coulton, and you know who John Hodgeman is (even if you only know him as a PC in the Apple commercials), get the audiobook of “The Areas of My Expertise”. Instead of just reading the book, he keeps Coulton along, engaging him in conversation at times, and having him sing a few improvised songs now and then. The best part is the facts about the 51 states, for which he sings all the state songs. A few samples of the songs: “Georgia, can we forget it? Can we forget about Georgia, now?” “Did you ever have the feeling you were being sucked out into outer space? That’s Montana.” “Pennsylvania - it’s not the place that’s overrun with vampires - come visit a brand new 'vania.” “I hate California … there’s something out there I just don’t get.” ---
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/5 "2007-03-03T20:17:40Z")
I had his “Tom Cruise Crazy” song stuck in my head last night. Just be glad it’s him not you. You’d be the only man on earth who couldn’t enjoy Tom Cruise. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/6 "2007-03-04T05:33:28Z")
[QUOTE=panamajack] The best part is the facts about the 51 states, for which he sings all the state songs. A few samples of the songs: “Georgia, can we forget it? Can we forget about Georgia, now?” “Did you ever have the feeling you were being sucked out into outer space? That’s Montana.” “Pennsylvania - it’s not the place that’s overrun with vampires - come visit a brand new 'vania.” “I hate California … there’s something out there I just don’t get.” [/QUOTE] Is that the song “I hate california”? I saw that listed on the site but didn’t listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-musician-find-01-jonathan-coulton/394416/7 "2007-03-04T07:45:48Z")
[QUOTE=Seven] Is that the song “I hate california”? I saw that listed on the site but didn’t listen to it. [/QUOTE] I didn’t know it, but yes, though that song on its own is a pretty ‘normal’ song. The state song version is just what I posted; just the first few lines. (The same with the other state songs - I’ve posted the entire lyrics.)