Shawn Michaels
Before I start the introductory selection of this challenge, I would like you to read this.
Now that you’re back, and see who I selected on top, let me tell you that this decision was actually kind of easy.
My wrestling fandom started pretty late compared to some of you. While I’ve seen random clips of Monday Night Nitro, or SMACKDOWN in the past in passing, I was never truly allowed to watch RAW until 2002.
That being said, I was allowed to watch RAW from bell to bell on July 22nd, 2002. This event happened the night after the Vengeance PPV where The Rock won the Undisputed WWE Championship in a Triple Threat encounter.
The opening segment of the show revolved around “evil” Eric Bischoff, then-General Manager of the RAW brand, proclaiming to the world how newly-drafted Triple H will make his show the premier brand in all of WWE. Keep in mind, Triple H is a face (or to some of you new readers, a good guy) at this point in the show.
After some blabbering, Triple H introduces a man named Shawn Michaels. Shawn, the prior night at Vengeance, persuaded Hunter that RAW would be more fun than SMACKDOWN, and therefore that’s why Hunter signed. Bischoff then made the command for Shawn to be Hunter’s manager, something both men didn’t need/want.
Later in the show, Hunter went into Shawn’s dressing room, and gave him a bag of gear.
Turns out that gear was D-Generation X gear. Out to pyro and ballyhoo, it seems like we had a reunion on our hands…
…until Triple H turned heel on Shawn, Pedigree’d his ass down into the canvas, and the build-up for that year’s Summerslam was only beginning.
My first memories of RAW: July 22nd, 2002, when HBK more or less officially returned.With that introduction in mind, those two men combined were among the primary reasons why I became a WWE fan on this particular night.
It also happened that Shawn would soon make his return to the ring after a four-plus year absence due to injuries. That return to the ring would be probably the most inspirational circumstance to hit the WWE in the last decade.
Just a little reminder, think of this as a part one. Day 3, which is favorite male wrestler, will continue my reasoning for Shawn’s placement, and why he is as epic as anyone who has ever stepped into the squared circle.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011
30 Days of WWE Challenge, Day 01 - Favorite Wrestler While Growing Up
Just a Little Announcement…
So far in my blog, I’ve covered auto racing, Billy Joel, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Sega Genesis, and the first PlayStation. Quite the list to be sure.
While I’m going to keep on at those topics, there is one more thing you readers must know about me, and that is I am a wrestling fan.
In a unprecedented approach, I’m not going to do a big ol’ introductory piece of how I became a fan and such and such.
As a matter of fact, I’m going to take on a little ditty that’s been spreading through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, amongst others.
I’m doing a 30 Day WWE Challenge, where each blog plot will cover a different list category. Here is the list:
Day 01 - Favorite Wrestler While Growing Up
Day 02 - Favorite Female Wrestler
Day 03 - Favorite Male Wrestler
Day 04 - Favorite Theme Music
Day 05 - Favorite Promotion
Day 06 - Favorite Tag Team
Day 07 - Favorite Stable
Day 08 - Favorite Angle
Day 09 - Least Favorite Female Wrestler
Day 10 - Least Favorite Male Wrestler
Day 11 - Favorite Manager
Day 12 - Funniest Moment
Day 13 - Favorite Gimmick
Day 14 - Favorite Memory
Day 15 - Favorite PPV
Day 16 - Favorite Promo
Day 17 - First Wrestling Memory
Day 18 - Most Overrated Wrestler
Day 19 - Most Underrated Wrestler
Day 20 - Favorite Wrestling Move
Day 21 - Favorite Gimmick Match
Day 22 - Favorite Era in Wrestling
Day 23 - Most Improved Wrestler
Day 24 - Most Shocking Moment
Day 25 - Favorite Commentator or Announcer
Day 26 - Dream Match
Day 27 - A Wrestler You Want to See More Of
Day 28 - Favorite Rivalry
Day 29 - Favorite Wrestling Related Image
Day 30 - Why You Like Wrestling
Now as you can see, it’s going to go day by day, so I’m going to sneak them in between other subjects/topics of the day.
Also, these wrestling list pages will be posted not only in the main part of the site, but also in the side page off to the right listed under the entry “The 30 Days of WWE Challenge Page”.
Thanks for reading this, and hopefully you get to see another piece of me in the nearest of futures.
Monday, June 13, 2011
The Video Game Entry: Playstation (One)
Boring Intro: Sometimes in this crazy world, there is nothing more relaxing, more social, or more entertaining than playing a good video game, whether it’s by yourself or with friends.
My current gaming credentials are as follows: I own a Xbox 360, slim, connected to a 37” Vizio with HDMI. I’m a Gold subscriber (pretty much have to be), with a controller, a headset, and about 10-12 games. Also where I live, there’s a Sega Genesis in the living room, and a Playstation 2 plus original Xbox downstairs.
Today, we’re focusing on the original Playstation, the evolutionary leap in the next generation up from the last review .
In was mid-1998, and Blockbuster was slowly starting to faze out Sega Genesis games. It got to the point where when they fully stopped, my Mom wrote a nasty letter about the issue.
How was she rewarded you ask?
Got a whole bunch of free rentals, but for the games that were in stock.
Back in the summer of that year, she did one thing you can’t do at Blockbuster anymore: she rented a system. The system, was indeed Playstation.
As you can see, the picture of the system came with a controller that was made before the invention of Dualshock. The system was pretty simple in design, where the button on the left would turn on the system/turn off the system, while the button on the right would open the disc hatch. You could also play music CD’s in there, so if you needed to do work of any sort, now you have background noise coming from the gaming system!
If anyone was wondering what games were first sampled, my Mom rented Gran Turismo and the Bubsy game that was in 3-D.
Gran Turismo was an experience. For you younger gamers, you have to understand: by that 98 summer, the best game we might have had for racing was the Super Monaco games. Sure Mario Kart might have been born, but that was for the Nintendo 64, and my family was NEVER a Nintendo one.
License tests? Cars you can buy, modify, and race at the same time? How an adjustment can radically change the characteristics of a car? Once upon a time on Sega, choosing between transmissions were the only thing you can do!
Some things were apparent: the Subaru rally car is the best handling race car in the Simulation mode, the Dodge Viper GTS should be run in the “stock” race, and the Honda del Sol was surprisingly one of the best handling cars in the Arcade mode!
Bubsy on the other hand was a game that should have never been released. After two stellar games on the Genesis, #3(d) was released to horrid reviews, mainly about the unplayable controls. Sure enough, not even ten minutes were used up and they game was CHUCKED!
After some deliberation, the Playstation was a keeper. In early August, mom loaded us all up in the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis and went to K-Mart in the center of town. Playstation, Gran Turismo, and FROGGER were purchased, and thus the next chapter in my gaming heritage is born.
While all the males (which included me, my bro, and my dad even) were hog wild into GT, my sister went another route. My sis and I were brought to Toys R Us to spend our birthday money. I got NASCAR 98 (which I still have to this day), and my sis got Parappa the Rapper (which I believe is still lying around as well).
Parappa was one of those games that, while I hating playing it, I loved WATCHING it. You know what’s up when Master Onion teaches you karate and rapping in the same session!
Throughout the game you deal with frogs, chickens, and other assorted animals “rapping”, and then you face off against them in the final level of the game. This is one of those games that definitely gave a unique voice to the PS family, that is for sure!
As for my NASCAR ‘98, well, its an ODD game. For starters, it was meant to be an arcade game and not a simulation game, so there are some weird physics.
For example, when did you ever get to cut a 12 second lap at Bristol?
Or when could you cut a 52 second lap at Talladega when running 213 MPH the whole time?
Anywhos, my favorite thing about the whole game is a cheat code. You start a race, pause the screen, and go down to the lineup line (or something similar). Press “x” to enter that screen, and hold down all four buttons on the top of the controller (the L1,L2,R1,R2 buttons) at the same time. An engine noise will be activated, and thus the paintballs will too. Press Triangle to execute those bad boys.
Over time, the library expanded to include the likes of not only the four games mentioned, but also GT2, NASCAR 99-2001 (though 2001 truly sucked), NASCAR Heat, Final Fantasy Tactics, Reboot, Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit, Test Drives 5 and 6, the list goes on.
However, there is one game I didn’t mention in that list that I’m going to talk about somewhat in-depth here.
That game would be SKULL MONKEYS!
(And yes, the cover of that game is exactly how I have it too!)
During the free rental bonanza of 1998-1999, this was a game that was debated about amongst the family in the stores. After some discussion, the game was picked up, and we had no idea how awesome this game was.
After the opening screens, which was highlighted by a video prefaced with ‘a bad man falling out of the sky’, we’d be treated to a side-scroller that had hamster nun-chucks and UNIVERSE, ENEMA!!!!
This game had a password system, which was odd because most PS1 games at that point allowed you to save stuff on memory cards.
For me, the game draws a lot of comparison to Kid Chameleon. It is a unique game beset of traditional conventions. It is also a very long game (some 200+ levels), and the controls are VERY slippery at times. Jumps that look like they can land could sometimes be well off the mark, just like Kid!
Also like Kid, the “teleports” aren’t exactly normal either. At the end of the level, you’re mostly given one of two choices, a white ball that transfers to the next level that isn’t too hard and another colored ball (ranging from purple to red) that gives you a hard time of a level.
One area where the game shines big time is the soundtrack. Because the PS1 took advantage of the CD’s they were written on, there was a TON of music written and used for the game. Music varieties ranged from moderately-tempo’ed traditional game music, to jive, to folk, and even some “soft rock” of the bonus levels.
I’d also be remiss if I forgot to mention about the “musical fruit”.
After renting the game, it made such a lasting impression that I asked for it for my 10th birthday in 1999. And I got it! And it received TONS of play time not only in the PSOne (which was the renamed/redesigned version), but also in the PS2, whose entry will be very soon in the offing.
Unfortunately, the system was struck by a common ailment in Sony gaming products: DISC READ ERROR! Since this was later 2001, and Playstation 2 was just released, it seems like we got ourselves a setup for the next chapter!
In conclusion, I miss the PS1. It was a simple system, had good games, and it served as a evolution from 16-bit to 32-bit gaming. However, it will quickly become ancient history as the PS2 will take over and pretty much become the biggest video game system in history.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
BBB Reviews: Dare to be Stupid
Yesterday I went to my brother’s graduation party from college… well his second one. He received his Master’s degree, and in addition to that, he earned tenure from the school from where he teaches.
So you’re thinking: why the heck does this have to do with an album review?
Well, it’s quite simple. ‘Dare to be Stupid’ is my brother’s favorite album of Al’s, and I definitely can’t see the problem with it. This is considered to be Al’s ultimate album of the 80’s, and why not? His most famous original song is here, some of his most talked-about parodies are here, and well, it’s just all-around a solid piece of vinyl. So what about I review this one, shall I? Here we go!
1. “Like a Surgeon”: BEEP BOOP BEEP BOOP. You know exactly what you’re getting into. Not only is the song a parody of “Like a Virgin” by Madonna, but the music video is too. More on that in a minute.
The basic plot of the song revolves around “barely passed” med grad Al, whom all we wants in the world is to not have a malpractice suit. Through the song lyrics, you know he’s a quack, and by the end, he knows it. “It’s a fact, I’m a quack, a disgrace to the AMA, ‘cause my patient’s died… before he can pay…”
Sickly enough, he can hear the patient’s heartbeat for the last time, and the song ends on a flatline, a more than appropriate undertone for the hilarity of medical hijinks that only The Three Stooges could pull off. Yet, it also sounds like a ‘Scrubs’ plot episode, imagine John Dorian going before the board for pulling someone’s insides out?
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Like A Surgeon lyrics
2. “Dare to be Stupid”: This song’s purpose is kind of a parallel to the famous sitcom ‘Seinfeld’. While it's original in lyrics yet a style parody to Devo*, the song is essentially about "nothing".
The lyrics, as you’ll see in the widget (and music video), is full of nonsensical, irrelevant, and goofy imagery. Yet it WORKS!
Beginning of the song features a synthesizer riff going into, “Put down your chainsaw and listen to me, it’s time to join in the fight!” This is your cue to know this is NOT going to be your normal rhythm and verse!
The moral of the story: “Mashed potatoes can be your friends!”
For such a legendary song, there’s little to write because it is a song that can only be interpreted by the eye of the beholder. While the song has some nostalgic overtones of perhaps Al’s past, there is nothing that can coherently link itself together.
“The future’s up to you, so whatcha gonna do? DARE TO BE STUPID!”
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Dare To Be Stupid lyrics
3. “I Want a New Duck”: As referenced to in an earlier blog about underrated songs, here is my take on the track:
“Once again, another parody. This time its from a very popular band in the 80s’ called Huey Lewis and the News, who had a single called, “I Want a New Drug”. In typical Al looney-ness, it describes how Al desperately wants a new duck with the characteristics of a human, “not a swan or a goose… I’ll name him Bruce!” Look out for segments in the song where the “backup” immediately turns into ducks quacking! As a eight-year old that cracked me up, and as an older person it still does. And you thought I was going for the pun? Nah!”
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - I Want A New Duck lyrics
4. “One More Minute”: A classical Al breakup/gore song. An original, though its beat has the spirit of doo-wop from the 50’s, revolves around a breakup that’s a hardship in a big way to Al.
Apparently, this relationship made Al so “bitter”, he burned down the malt shop where they used to go because it reminded him of her.
While that imagery is disturbing, the more psychologically damaging thoughts come through the form of multiple metaphors.
“I’d rather clean all the bathrooms in Grand Central Station, with my tongue, then spend one more minute with you.”
“I’d rather dive into a swimming pool full of double-edged razor blades, then spend one more minute with you.”
Harsh ain’t it? It’s nothing like the finale!
“I’d rather take my heart out of the ribcage with my bare hands and throw it on the floor and stomp on it till I die! Then spend one more minute….with you…..”
The music video is one of relative mundane imagery, as it’s Al and backup singers and pretty much nothing more, which is why I’m not posting the video. I’ll post lyrics though.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - One More Minute lyrics
5. “Yoda”: Al’s first (and not last) song of the Star Wars vein. A parody of “Lola” by The Kinks, this song talks about Al via the eyes of Luke Skywalker and his experiences growing up to be a Jedi master under the guiding hand of Yoda.
Not much here to write about, as the lyrics can explain it better than I can. It’s a neat little ditty tying together the first three movies (I mean IV-VI), and nothing more.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Yoda lyrics
6. “George of the Jungle”: Wow, really? I have to summarize a COVER of the famous theme to the Jay Ward cartoon? Well guess what, I’m not! Read the lyrics, and then watch some episodes on DVD.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - George Of The Jungle lyrics
7. “Slime Creatures from Outer Space”: Just like ‘Duck’, I’m taking the lazy route and cut and pasting my analysis of the song from a prior blog entry:
“One of the very first songs to be recorded for the album, this song in a way feels like it should have been recorded for “In 3-D”. The song revolves around, well, the slime creatures coming in from outer space and completely destroying Earth as we know it. “They’re not very nice to the human race,” Al says, as he hopes none of them come in because he just washed the rug. That’s lyrics you just don’t hear from anyone else, and again, eclectic Al does the impossible!”
For further clarification on the “In 3-D” comment, I still feel this way. In 3-D had a whole bunch of songs that could qualify as Grindhouse-quality features. This song would EASILY qualify on that basis, with perhaps “Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters From a Planet Near Mars” from UHF.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Slime Creatures From Outer Space lyrics
8. “Girls Just Want to Have Lunch”: This song is a parody of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, and primarily serves as a “vent” of how since Al has a diner’s card, he has always had to pay for lunch with the ladies.
Nothing really about the lyrics grabs my eye as much as the tone of voice Al uses getting his message across. It actually sounds “bitchy”, and as you’ll see from the words, it makes sense in a way.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch lyrics
9. “This is the Life”: An original song, but the initial outing for this song did not come on this album.
As a matter of fact, it was featured in the credits of "Johnny Dangerously", a film that is HIGHLY underrated and a glorious romp of 90 minutes.
The song’s story/characterization is quite simple. Al is “living the life”, one of rich and pompous bravado. He hires people to chew his food, he’s upwardly mobile, eats filet mignon seven times a day, etc.
Music video is pretty good too, and has some sample clips of the film:
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - This Is The Life lyrics
10. “Cable TV”: An original song, about something that was BRAND NEW and CUTTING EDGE (no, not WWE Edge).
After his girl died, Al filled the void in his life by getting cable, as opposed to the 2-3-4-7-11 (or reasonable facsimile) lineup most Americans have viewed at that time. Even my mother says, “It’s the greatest thing since TV!”
So look at the possibilities. Midget wrestling on channel 3, Bugs Bunny in Atlanta, Mr. Wizard is on at five, and heck, Al even has a dish on the back of his car so he can watch MTV when he drives. I wonder if the ‘Al TV’ special from back then had that as a segment?
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Cable Tv lyrics
11. “Hooked on Polkas”: Here’s the lineup of songs used to make this frankenstein concoction (courtesy of Wikipedia and the automatic hyperlinks on the cut and paste:
- "12th Street Rag" by Euday L. Bowman
- "State of Shock" by Mick Jagger and Tina Turner (originally by The Jacksons)
- "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
- "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner
- "Method of Modern Love" by Hall & Oates
- "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes
- "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister
- "99 Luftballons" by Nena
- "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
- "The Reflex" by Duran Duran
- "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" by Quiet Riot
- "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- "Ear Booker Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Hooked On Polkas lyrics
In conclusion, what a trip down memory lane. One of the first Al albums I ever had, and yet it has held up. There’s an inspired lunacy that runs rampant, and it never distracts from the mission of the album to ENTERTAIN THE MASSES!
Click here to buy the album, and become ‘Weird’ in the process!
*: Denotes the fact it slipped my mind to include this in, so credit to rageguy from Freaking Awesome Network forums to cluing me in. Check the forum out today: http://realwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi
Friday, June 10, 2011
BBB Reviews: In 3-D
Continuing on from my last blog, it is only elementary to review Al’s sophomore album.
Released in 1984, essentially it could really only go up from here. The first album had flashes of brilliance but didn’t have the whole package, which for a freshman album is more than promising.
On my Listmania at Amazon.com, this album came in fifth amongst in my opinion the best Al albums noting, “Al's sophomore album is probably his most underrated album.”
Today, I’m going to re-listen to the album and see if my assumptions are corrections. Let’s waste no more time, put on those gimmicked glasses, AND GO IN 3-D!!!!
1. “Eat It”: A big parody to kick off this album, as it is the parody of the Michael Jackson song “Beat It”, straight down to the music video! This song is, well, about eating and not wasting any food, although you’d hardly SEE food in the music video. “Eat it, eat it, get yourself an egg and beat it!”
The biggest difference between this album and the debut in the aural presentation is immediately clear. It SOUNDS like an album that was given a more fleshed-out budget, and therefore while some things remain intentionally cheesy, it’s sound feels a lot more professional. Strong opener track!
2. “Midnight Star”: This song is the one I kicked off my underrated Al list, and I still stand by my findings.
An original song, the main thing being poked fun at is the often unbelievable tabloids found in the grocery store. As the main character gets a paper cut in his eye, he gets to learn things he never knew before, like how your pet maybe an extraterrestrial, while the ghost of Elvis in living in your den.
The unfortunate thing about this tune is a lack of a music video in the animated variety. I say that because most of the lyrics are in exaggeration, and some of the best animation is in that frame of mind. Like a tabloid story, dig up Tex Avery from the grave and animate it, please?
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Midnight Star lyrics
3. “The Brady Bunch”: Another parody. This time making fun of “Safety Dance” from Men without Hats, the song is about a family struggling on what to watch, but then they all agree on, well, The Brady Bunch.
Like “Ricky” from the last album, this song definitely does a variation of that famous theme near the end of the song. It is probably one of the best examples of song-twisting I have ever seen, as it seems like sixteenth notes had to hit in 6/8, which is never an easy task. A quick track, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - The Brady Bunch lyrics
4. “Buy Me a Condo”: Original song this time around, mostly a style parody of what sounds like Bob Marley.
The whole song revolves around a man of Jamaican descent moving to the US and needing things to adapt to the culture.
“I’m gonna buy me a condo, I’m gonna buy me a Cuisinart, Get a wall-to-wall carpeting, Get a wallet full-o credit cards!”
He also wants to become a Amway distributor, as he proclaims to not work on the field ever again.
For the most part, it is goofy and out-of-whack to hear Al doing that accent the whole way, but it was a chance that nearly paid off.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Buy Me A Condo lyrics
5. “I Lost on Jeopardy”: A parody, this time of “Jeopardy” by The Greg Kihn Band.
The story of the song revolves around Al going up against a plumber and a architect, both with PHd’s on the Jeopardy game show (as in the original where it’s ‘our love’s in jeopardy’).
I’m not going to describe much about this song other than the music video makes perfect sense about things. Just watch, as also this was my first exposure to Al in the mid-90’s by my aunt who brought over an Al tape of music videos:
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - I Lost On Jeopardy lyrics
6. “Polkas on 45”: If this is the first time you read a review, and wondered what the hell a polka is, well here is your ‘Al’ definition:
A polka is a mish-mash of songs of theme or relevancy, set to sound-effects and accordion!
With that out of the way, here is the song list of the initial outing of Polka:
"Jocko Homo" by Devo
"Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple
"Sex (I'm A...)" by Berlin
"Hey Jude" by The Beatles
"L.A. Woman" by The Doors
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly
"Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix
"Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads
"Hot Blooded" by Foreigner
"Bubbles In The Wine" by Lawrence Welk
"Every Breath You Take" by The Police
"Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" by The Clash
"Jumping Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones
"My Generation" by The Who
Weird, wasn’t it? That was my main impression of this polka, and it is definitely not the best one Al would do. Since it’s a first one though, I’ll give this one a free pass like a car a lap down in a NASCAR race.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Polkas On 45 lyrics
7. “Mr. Popeil”: An original in spirit, but a style parody of the B-52’s. Remember all those infomericials in the ‘80s with this guy trying to cut a can with a knife, or any other stupid gadget rolling across your way?
That man my readers is Ron Popeil, a man who made quite the living off these products and infomericials that made him (in)famous.
“How much would you pay? Don’t answer yet, just look what else you get!”
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Mr. Popeil lyrics
8. “King of Suede”: Another parody, this time of “King of Pain” by The Police. In typical Al fashion, this track revolves around a suede businessman who really, uh, tries to undersell everything and eventually goes out of business.
This song sounds like a track that should be a commercial for Men’s Warehouse, “I guarantee it!”
Unfortunately, “Don’t miss out on our giant liquidation sale,” lets you know that Al’s tactics as salesman don’t pay off as while the coupons arrive in next week’s mail, it’s the same old sale as yesterday!
The song, as told from Al’s point of view, makes Al sound like a bully while the kid is just one of those Machiavellian little twerps just struggling to get by. “Picking teams he would always be last, he couldn’t run very far, he couldn’t think really fast.”
This sounds like a movie that should have been made already, just with the imagery of the kid’s bad luck, bad glasses, and just being downright humiliated.
While the kid’s beginning was less than promising, “When he was much older, he had a dance studio. He had a tiny-bopper fan club, he had his own TV show.” Plus he owns half of Montana! Damn, and you can see the unaccomplishment in the face of Al.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - That Boy Could Dance lyrics
10. “Theme from Rocky XIII”: Pardon my laziness, but here is a cut and paste from a prior blog entry:
While the song may not sound familiar, the tune it parodies is celebrated the world over. A parody of “Eye of the Tiger” from Survivor, this ditty revolves around a hypothetical THIRTEENTH Rocky movie whose plot sets around the main character owning a deli. Yes, I am serious. In the song, it talks about Rocky in his older (and apparently fatter) days, “sold his gloves, threw his eggs down the drain!” Follow the non-existent plot and then just bask in the glory of Al in his youth making up something goofy.
I don’t think 10 minutes of thinking could have made anything better. It does truly represent youth and imagination, as it was present on the whole album. Now kids, get your glasses ready, because for the last track, you will NEED them!
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Theme From Rocky Xiii lyrics
11. “Nature Trail to Hell”: The finale, and one hell of a gory original track to boot.
It’s a parody of a reboot of 3-D, full of “in-your-face” imagery and “Satan eating cheese whiz” (the backwards message 3/4 of the way in).
“See severed heads fall right in your lap, see that bloody hatchet, coming right at you! You’ll never see hideous effects like these again, ‘til we bring you Nature Trail to Hell part 2!”
At this point, it’s also Al’s longest track at just under six minutes in length. While it drags a little in the middle, it is actually fast–paced despite the brooding tempo of trying to promote a 3-D horror movie. It also starts a tradition of putting the longest song on LAST in an album, but this song feels like another grindhouse feature tacked onto an album full of light, cheery ambivalence.
Lyrics | Weird Al Yankovic lyrics - Nature Trail To Hell lyrics
In conclusion, this album is still Al’s most underrated. He tackled a lot of new genres, with mostly success to boot, and he even debuted a polka, something that no other artist has tried to duplicate. The next album Al will have is what I think is his zenith in the 80s’, and my theory will be put to the test, NEXT!