from Downsizing to Dr. Worm

Day 211, Session 74:
When/Where: Friday January 19th - Coming home from work.
First song: Downsizing by Moxy Fruvous
Last full song: Dr. Worm by They Might Be Giants
Progress: 1017-1022 of 4808
Total Songs Heard: 869 (1 skipped podcast)

Only 5 songs today:
Downsizing - Moxy Früvous
Downtown Train - Tom Waits
Dr. Jerome (Love Tub, Doctor) - The Bogmen
Dr. Stephen - Stephen Lynch
Dr. Worm - They Might Be Giants

3 songs about doctors? There's only one thing to do.

Dr. Jerome vs. Dr. Stephen vs. Dr. Worm

What type of doctor?
Dr. Jerome is a love tub doctor. I don't know exactly what that is, but it sounds kind of slimy.
Dr. Stephen is a gynecologist. The song is performed by a stand up comedian singing as a gynecologist, that's even slimier.
Dr. Worm is not a real doctor, but he is a real worm. Oscar the Grouch's pet worm was named Slimy.

Representative Lyric:
Dr. Jerome - "When I snap my fingers you'll remove your clothes and climb into the tub with me..."
Dr. Stephen - "There's not a lip that I can't read. A pap that I can't smear..."
Dr. Worm - "Good morning. How are you? I'm Dr. Worm. I'm interested in things. I'm not a real doctor, But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm."

Who would I want as my doctor?
Dr. Jerome seems to have something on his mind other than traditional doctoring. Being a guy, I have very little use for Dr. Stephen. Plus, the idea of a gynecologist who loves the job so much he sings about it seems kind of creepy. Dr. Worm may not be a real doctor, but at least he's up front about it. Anyway, I haven't actually been to the doctor's office in 5 years so I probably don't even need a real doctor. The fact that he's a drummer (and a real worm) is a bonus as I don't currently have any friends who are practicing drummers (or worms.)

Verdict:
Dr. Worm in a landslide. It doesn't hurt at all that I love the song. Back when I used to have to wake up for work at 4:45 in the morning I would use my stereo as a back up alarm. I found that no song was better at waking me up on a positive note than the opening horn section of Dr. Worm.

Wednesday December 6th - Afternoon

Day 167, Session 60:
Location: On the way home, only 19 shopping days 'til Christmas (I hadn't started shopping yet)
First song: D and D by Stephen Lynch
Last full song: Dancing Days by Stone Temple Pilots
Progress: 807-819 of 4630
Total Songs Heard: 713

Dungeons and Dragons first came into my life on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. The D&D cartoon series was incredibly frustrating. Those kids had so many damn chances to get home!

When I was 6 I played Advanced Dungeons and Dragons on my Intellivsion, I was terrified of the Winged Dragon (it took 3 shots to kill) and the blob (couldn't be killed at all.)

In sixth grade I actually played D&D for the first time. Yes, I own a set of dice and little lead figure. I didn't stick with it for very long because none of my friends played and I didn't understand all the in-jokes that all the other nerds were sharing.

Soon there after though I discovered The Bards Tale II. My friend Mike and I spent hours and hours playing that game on his Apple II GS. To the best of my knowledge we never really got anywhere in the game. I do remember being terrified of groups of 8 werewolves. After Bards Tale kicked me off, I've almost always been playing one RPG or another.

Here is an extremely nerdy (and I'm sure partial) list of RPG-type games I've played over the years (* indicates I finished the game, as you can see, I'm a bit ADD with the D&D):
Bards Tale 1 & 2
Might & Magic 3*, 4*, 5, 6 & 7
Diablo 2
Kingdom Hearts*
Champions of Norrath*
Neverwinter Nights
Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (Game of the Year Edition)

and, here's the big one:
World of Warcraft plus Burning Crusade Expansion (here's my main character's page)

The stand-up/song D and D by Stephen Lynch pokes a lot of fun at that "nerd from high school." I just wanted to make it known that I am still that nerd.

So nerd am I in fact, that I'd like to share with you this awesome song about a public radio personality. (That's right, not only do I listen to public radio, but I enjoy songs about public radio personalities.) I give you Jonathan Coulton performing Dance, Soterious Johnson, Dance. Listen to it. I dare you not to enjoy (ha ha, you're a nerd.)

Friday October 20th - During the workday one track special

Day 120, Session 44:
Location: Sitting at my desk in the loop in Chicago
First song: Capitol City Comedy, Austin TX 2001-11-25 by Mitch Hedberg
Last full song: Same thing
Progress: 579 of 4500
Total Songs Heard: 497

An unreleased comedy show from Mitch Hedberg. It was unreleased for a good reason. It sounds a lot like the guy recording the show was holding his equipment in his lap (heh.) Every time the guy holding the recorder finds something particularly funny, you can only hear him laughing.

I met Mitch Hedberg during my radio days. A lot of the comedians who came into the studio would not be "in character" until we went on the air. Mitch, it seemed, was in character all the time. Unfortunately his character was a drug using slacker type. He was very nice and extremely funny (I laughed so hard I actually teared up,) but definitely a little strange. He wore his oversized tinted sunglasses the entire time he was in studio. The following week we had another comedian in studio and talked to him about how hilarious Mitch was. The comedian agreed but said it was a shame about Mitch's drug issues. At the time I remember being a little surprised cause I figured it was just an act. It was a little eye opening for me to find out that some folks in the entertainment industry actually lived up to the hard partying image that is often portrayed. I was unfortunately not surprised a few years later when it turned out Mitch died of a drug overdose. His unnecessary death doesn't change the fact that he was one funny motherfucker.

"I was at a restaurant and I ordered a chicken sandwich, but I don't think the waitress understood me because she said 'How would you like your eggs?' So I tried to answer her anyhow. I said, 'Incubated and then raised and then beheaded and then plucked and then cut up and then put onto a grill and then put onto a bun. Shit. It's gonna take a while. I don't have time... scrambled.'"