# The funniest acts in music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2011, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270 "2011-06-21T07:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/21 "2011-06-21T14:17:14Z")
The Fugs. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/22 "2011-06-21T14:19:43Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] The champion funny musical act (in the rock eva) is and ever will be the Bonzo Dog Band [/QUOTE] . Darn, beaten to it. Must see [The Canyons of Your Mind](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hcZ4s9cvpw&feature=related), especially Neil Innes’ awsome guitar solo about one minute in. And for the instrumentals **Reality Chuck** mentioned try [Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABcNAwytrOY&feature=related), try keeping a straight face though that. Running off to find something by Mitch Benn… ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/23 "2011-06-21T14:22:49Z")
Christine Lavin I once went to a bill of several 1960s oldies acts and Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) does quite a bit of stage patter…imitations of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. I am sure that he does these at all his shows but he does have more than just singing “Mrs Brown, you’ve got a lovely daughter” and “I’m Henry VIII, I am”. Those of you who aren’t familiar with these songs haven’t missed much. Perhaps Turtles/Flo and Eddie. Frank Zappa could too ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/24 "2011-06-21T15:04:55Z")
In the southeast Michigan area there’s the[Champions of Breakfast](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryLzv1tWJH4). They’re kind of an electropop cross between the geeky humor of Weird Al and the deadpan deliberate mediocrity of Spinal Tap. And also, lots of D&D references. I saw them on an outdoor stage at Belle Isle last year and could not stop giggling the entire time. Imagine the song I just linked with more props and more room to strut around the stage. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/25 "2011-06-21T15:12:05Z")
Since most of my favorites have already been covered (unless we go deep into the Dr. Demento catalog), I’ll just mention one who hasn’t been cited: **Blotto**. [I Wanna Be A Lifeguard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBRJ6jQfap0) [Metal Head](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyJSetm6U0k) [My Baby’s The Star Of A Driver’s Ed Movie](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T-vLob6AYk) (sorry, couldn’t find an album version) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/26 "2011-06-21T15:12:38Z")
Tom Paxton has some of the funniest songs going. Also some of the most romantic, most political, and saddest. The guy do not get enough credit. Look up Forbidden Broadway on youtube, and be prepared to fall off your chair laughing. [Bernadette Peters anyone?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CugVdbyX2A) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/27 "2011-06-21T15:19:32Z")
One you guys will NEVER believe but you should trust me on: Rush. They take the music they play very seriously when they write or play it, God knows. But during the shows they can be hilarious. The current tour has an introductory video where a deli features a klezmer band playing their songs (it’s the band in disguise). ‘The Spirit of Radio’ where the lead is an accordion is something to hear that loud. At the end there was a video of Jason Segal and Paul Rudd supposedly backstage where they eat Neil Pearts special sandwich. Bad things occur. And this isn’t unique. The one thing they don’t take seriously is themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/28 "2011-06-21T15:26:43Z")
Nobody had mentioned The Rutles yet? Sort of a blend of Monty Python and Bonzo Dog Band, and by “blend” I mean they include personnel from both. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4bbf92/32.png) [@Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Hamsandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/29 "2011-06-21T15:41:01Z")
John Valby (aka Doctor Dirty)? Some of his material makes me chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/30 "2011-06-21T15:45:06Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Look up Forbidden Broadway on youtube, and be prepared to fall off your chair laughing. [Bernadette Peters anyone?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CugVdbyX2A) Heh…when I first heard “Patti Lupone”, I was kind of mad at them…Lupone was La Diva! You can’t make fun of her! I was such a Broadway baby then… Reading her memoir (“A Memoir”…honey, you’re STEEPED in creativity almost constantly and you couldn’t come up with something better?), I realized the song is pretty much spot-on. Given that, yes, she was seriously done dirty by Lloyd-Webber, the woman DOES have quite the ego. A commensurate helping of talent, yes, but man, the ego… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/31 "2011-06-21T15:46:26Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Since most of my favorites have already been covered (unless we go deep into the Dr. Demento catalog), I’ll just mention one who hasn’t been cited: **Blotto**. > > [I Wanna Be A Lifeguard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBRJ6jQfap0) > > [Metal Head](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyJSetm6U0k) > > [My Baby’s The Star Of A Driver’s Ed Movie](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T-vLob6AYk) (sorry, couldn’t find an album version) Love Blotto (they’re local and I went to college with Blanche). There’s also [We Are the Nowtones](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnwZGGV0rX8&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/32 "2011-06-21T15:51:19Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Heh…when I first heard “Patti Lupone”, I was kind of mad at them…Lupone was La Diva! You can’t make fun of her! I was such a Broadway baby then… > > Reading her memoir (“A Memoir”…honey, you’re STEEPED in creativity almost constantly and you couldn’t come up with something better?), I realized the song is pretty much spot-on. Given that, yes, she was seriously done dirty by Lloyd-Webber, the woman DOES have quite the ego. A commensurate helping of talent, yes, but man, the ego… All of FB is spot-on. The Chita-Rita duet is enough to make you wet your pants. ETA: And nobody has mentioned Kinky Friedman? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/33 "2011-06-21T16:07:10Z")
_Paradise by the Dashboard Light_ remains the funniest rock song I’ve ever heard. I saw Todd Rundgren in concert and he was quite funny, although it was all between songs. Ditto for, if you can believe it, Peter Paul & Mary. Paul Stookey does a 12-minute monologue on the group’s 1964 \*In Concert \*album that’s as good as a standup comedian. ---
**Author:** ![rikc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c57346/32.png) [@rikc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rikc)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/34 "2011-06-21T16:35:21Z")
Sparks ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/35 "2011-06-21T16:41:49Z")
I’d throw in Ludo and agree with several of the above mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/36 "2011-06-21T16:56:04Z")
**The Sex Pistols** ’ rendition of “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roadrunner”, which can be heard on _The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle_, is unintentionally hilarious. Dave Wyndorf’s lyrics to a lot of **Monster Magnet** songs are so raunchy that you have to wonder if it’s not all some huge tongue-in-cheek joke. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/37 "2011-06-21T16:58:15Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > One you guys will NEVER believe but you should trust me on: > > Rush. [This should prove](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BFPt001PYU) that Geddy Lee has a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/38 "2011-06-21T17:32:03Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I saw Todd Rundgren in concert and he was quite funny, although it was all between songs. Yeah, the urge to play the clown is definitely part of Todd’s makeup. Songs like [_Emperor of the Highway_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shPb7uIf3Tg), [_Onomatopoeia_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSPQfz_Tyd8) and the stupidest (and therefore most popular) song he’s ever written _[Bang The Drum All Day](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ShXzB15us&feature=related)_. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/39 "2011-06-21T18:07:14Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Ditto for, if you can believe it, Peter Paul & Mary. Paul Stookey does a 12-minute monologue on the group’s 1964 \*In Concert \*album that’s as good as a standup comedian. I can believe it. Humorous between-song patter is a hallmark of good folk acts; it makes them stand out from the sweet-voiced crowd. One of the best was Theo Bikel; he was (I should say “is”) both an actor and a musician, and he used both talents equally in his concerts. A lot of the musicians I like have at least a humorous side to them, even if that might not be the first thing you think of in connection with them. Certain genres seem to have their own characteristic blends of humor: - Country and alt-country. They may not be laugh-out-loud funny, but songs like “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Joe Ely) or “God Will” (Lyle Lovett) wouldn’t be so memorable without the clever turns of phrase. Not to mention other pseudo-retro acts like Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks (“How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away”) or the Jim Kweskin Jug Band (“Borneo”). - Punk/new wave. Often black humor, such as “Marie Provost” (Nick Lowe) or “They Saved Hitler’s Cock” (Angry Samoans). - Progressive music/art rock. Really. Start with Brian Eno’s early stuff (“The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch”, “Some of Them Are Old”, “Dead Finks Don’t Talk”). King Crimson’s “Indoor Games” has perhaps the funniest guitar solo, second for second, I’ve ever heard. Gong’s Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy is full of silliness. A lot of Peter Gabriel’s stuff with Genesis was also humorous (“Harold the Barrel”, “The Return of the Giant Hogweed”). - In categories of their own: I find the Residents’ best material to be a unique combination of scariness and goofy humor (“The Laughing Song”, “Blue Rosebuds”). Laurie Anderson had some funny stuff too (“Walk the Dog”). I feel like I could go on all day… ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270/40 "2011-06-21T18:09:57Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Steve Goodman was always a lot of fun live, back when he was live. > > [World’s Shortest Blues Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dTOVOPcsRs) I love his “Don’t Do Me Any Favors Any More”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-funniest-acts-in-music/586270.md?page=3)