“So. Why should I love the Barenaked Ladies?”
My podcast partner John asked me that, few years back, after reminding me, once again, that he hated them. He had good enough reason, I suppose - a couple dudes in his freshman dorm used to sing “If I Had a Million Dollars” every night, and it soured him completely on them. I might feel the same.
I had told John and our assembled friends that the band held a special place in my heart. So, in fairness, he tried to put aside his hatred, and get an honest reason why he should give them a shot.
But fair as he was trying to be, I’ve gotten old enough, if not wise enough, to not try to force my tastes on people as readily as I did in my younger days. I laughed and shrugged, said it was personal, I couldn’t really explain it.
So. Why should you love the Barenaked Ladies?
I dunno. Cuz they’re the rare rock ‘n’ roll band that has a standup bass in its regular rotation?
Hey, I didn’t always dig ‘em either. My brother Chris was listening to their first album in heavy rotation way back when, and I don’t remember what I actually said to him, but it was likely something along the lines of what John said, “Why should I love them?”
Chris fired off reasons - fun music, witty lyrics, a band with a sense of humor.
Whatever.
I wasn’t convinced. He played me the first track of that first album, “Hello City.” I listened, if I remember, good-naturedly enough, which, given how volatile relations between my brother and I could get over music in those days,1 I should probably get a Nobel Peace Prize for.
And as I listened, I realized something.
“Hey,” sayeth I, “They’re singing ‘Happy Hour.’”
Chris didn’t know what I meant. I told him “Happy Hour” was a song by The Housemartins, a band I very much enjoyed, and they were… well, they were sorta “sampling” it, busting out a verse of the Housemartins song in the middle of their own song.
I immediately dug through the CD booklet, ready to start shit if they didn’t properly attribute the song, but of course, they had.
And so, there I stood, with my metaphorical dick in my hand, hoisted upon my metaphorical petard.
They liked the same band I liked, these Canadians.
Which, after I discovered that, I wanted to like them. But for whatever reason, even though I could see everything Chris had said was true, I hadn’t found my way in yet.
That’s okay. It was coming.
Cut forward a few years, I’m living in Burbank, and for the first time, donated money to KCRW, the local music & NPR news station in LA. They had a couple fundraisers a year, and I’d always wanted to donate, but could never justify the expense. Except, that year, I had my first out-of-grad school job, and I was raking in money, hand over fist - $550 a week, a king’s ransom to me.
Oh, for the days when my half of the rent was only $400.
For my donation, I’d received my coveted prize, a box of CDs, music recommended by the KRCW DJs. I was very excited, I had heard of none of the bands, and if memory serves, they sent the five CDs they’d promised, and a couple of extras, just cuz they were awesome.
One of the extras was a Barenaked Ladies sampler.
And for some reason, that was the one that stuck with me. I played that thing into the dirt.
That was ‘96. I don’t think I bought any of their other records right away, just kept playing that sampler. And at some point, decided to go see them live.
Might’ve even gone with my brother. Definitely went with my future wife, they were one of the bands we had in common.
And that’s really where I got hooked, because these cats are great performers. It helps to like their music, but they put on a show. Like, a show in the sense that they give you something you can’t get just by listening to the records, or watching videos on YouTube. Not only do they perform and banter, but every show, they do random stuff that’s just fun.
For example, every show, after the first couple of numbers, they bust out a freestyle rap, tailer-made for whatever city or venue they’re in. They follow a pattern, for sure, but you could say that about every rapper, and I certainly couldn’t do it without flubbing. I’ve never been at a show when they flub the freestyle.
They also are a band where everyone gets to sing lead as least once per show. The last show I was at, Tyler, their drummer, led a raucous medley of cover songs as the show closer. Again, other bands could do that, but that they do it on the regular is charming.
They also tend to do random cover songs and different versions of their own songs. Like, one year, they gathered around the standing bass, with I believe the only other instrument a ukulele, and sang the theme to the “Road Runner” cartoon. Then they busted into their big hit, “One Week,” and sang it mostly acapella, with some uke and bass.
They also, in my early days of attending shows (which, for them, was likely midpoint in their careers), used to do stuff like switching instruments. Not like a pre-decided switch - hey, Ed’s gonna play bass on this one, like we rehearsed, which would be impressive enough - they would throw the names of instruments in a hat, pluck them at random, and do the switch. I’m sure many bands could do that, but only the BNL did that, least while I was in attendance.
And, they’re fun. Back in 2013, we went to see them at the Greek with a couple of other bands. There was some band I’d never heard of, doing a little pre-show show in the front courtyard of the Greek. Just playing a couple of songs for the people who’d showed up early, like playing at somebody’s backyard BBQ. And, a few of the Barenaked Ladies came out to join them, and sing a few songs. Fer giggles.
They’re also adaptive, which I admire. They started as a five-man band, with the two founding members, Ed and Steve, sharing most of the songwriting and lead singing duties. They would switch off songs, many times both would be featured in the same song together.
Well, a few years back, Steve either left the band, or the band left him, depending on who you ask. Since then, they’ve performed as a quartet, with Ed being the mostly-lead singer. They’ve perhaps lost a little something in that - Steve’s voice, both his real one and his artistic one, was part of the magic. But, even as a four-man band, they’ve forged on, and had some of their biggest successes, creating the title song to the show “The Big Bang Theory.”
The last few years, they’ve been hitting the same venue in Los Angeles, the pre-mentioned Greek, an outdoor amphitheater in the style of the Hollywood Bowl, but a little more compact. It’s a great venue, and it’s a delight to watch music as the sun goes down around you.
But perhaps that’s where they’re starting to show their age (and mine). They play the same venue, around the same time of year. Previously I’d gone to Christmas shows in west L.A., sometimes had to drive as far as San Diego if I wanted to catch one of their gigs. Now, like clockwork, they hit the Greek every year. The predictability is lovely, but it is more a tradition now than an event. Sometimes we take our daughter to the show, because she loves dancing in the outdoor air.
And, like a true fair-weather fan, I haven’t listened to as much of their new stuff. I couldn’t tell you a track off their latest album. Boo on me. I used to hate that shit when people would talk about loving a band like, say, the Rolling Stones, but only wanted them to play “Brown Sugar” or one of their old ones. Now, I look in the mirror, and see the face of my enemy. Or something like that.
Oh, the title of this article, yes.
Well, few years back (actually… more than two decades back now. Geez.), they put out a Greatest Hits album, and as was standard practice, they added a new track, so us suckers would have to buy the CD if we wanted to hear the new song (this was back in the days, kids, when if you wanted to listen to something, you had to purchase a record or compact disc. Gasp.). They treated us to that new song in concert before the album came out, and we were there to listen, where they explained the title:
“It’s Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland).”
They launched into a story about how they wrote the song, originally just titled “It’s Only Me.” And through performing it over and over, they began throwing in a bit on the very last bar, singing “I Am the Wizard of Magicland” as they finished. Nothing to do with the song, just something to make each other laugh. Only intended to be a joke, but I guess the band was in a strained place at the time, and any spot of shared humor among them was a good thing.
So, even though the words “I Am the Wizard of Magicland” are nowhere in the song, they had those words added to the title in parenthesis.
They then performed the song, and appropriately sang at the end, “I Am the Wizard of Magicland.” I’d say I never heard them perform with those words again, but it’s the only time I’ve heard them perform the song at all. A blip in their musical journey.
And yet, the story, and the song, stick with me.
Stuff like that. That’s why I love the Barenaked Ladies.
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Incredibly unfairly on my part, in defense of my brother. He introduced me to the music of Metallica, Eazy-E, and many others. He also enjoyed Megadeth and Iron Maiden, which I didn’t get into as much, but I could’ve stood to have listened to anyway, instead of being a dick.