Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs

"Blurred Lines," the sound of the summer of 2013, is compared (unfavorably) with a cold sore in today's episode, which pits Robin Thicke, TI, and Pharrell against Weird Al's screed against bad grammar and usage errors. Despairing of Shazam, continuing to die on the hill of "irregardless," and the tyranny of younger siblings over the #oldladywalk playlist...we're working through all of it, AND figuring out who's going to "win" the season. It would be a Class-Y felony to miss it, so listen now. Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by Aimee Mann. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!ThickeCorp's "Blurred Lines" videoWeird Al's "Word Crimes" videoMore on the copyright/royalties battleWhose side are you on, NPR??Slate breaks down all the aforementioned crimes

Thirty years after the death of frontman Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and their music still feel very close. Does that have anything to do with Weird Al's equally "defining" parody, a track that let Al "sell out" again after the disastrous UHF experience...with a band at the bleeding edge of the sell-out conversation? The shroud of tragedy, the performance of self, rebellious chaos, and ballerina tutus: better get to the gym, y'all! It's an all-new MASTAS. Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by Hole. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" videoWeird Al's "Smells Like Nirvana," which...will probably look familiarWAvE Episode 20: "The Saga Begins"

It's an all-time training-montage banger vs. Weird Al's vision for Rocky XIII in today's episode, as we drop Wiki factoids, contemplate an all-depressing-follow-up-hits season, digress at length on Live's legal battles, and wonder when in Reagan's presidency the Me Decade became sentient. Greetings from the Sly Stallone industrial complex; get that sammich to go and listen to an all-new episode! Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by the Waitresses. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The "Eye Of The Tiger" videoThe secret history of "Eye Of The Tiger""Rye Or The Kaiser" on Weird Al's YT channelCollector's CallLive's unseemly deathWeird Al vs. Everybody, Episode 14: "King Of Suede"

You can't always control what people do with your art once it's out in the world -- something Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits may have learned the hard way with both the original "Money For Nothing" AND Weird Al's re-imagining of the song via a dream sequence in UHF. Essential references versus essential songs, 20th-century TV's preoccupation with yokels, and resting Don Henley face...they're all in this episode, so finish up that microwave-oven install and listen. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by the Allman Brothers Band. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The "Money For Nothing" videoWeird Al vs. Everybody Episode 9: "I Lost On Jeopardy"George's Beverly Hillbillies dreamKnopfler and Harris in concert

It's that Airbnb pasta-taxonomy poster in pop-song form: "Lasagna," Weird Al's take on Los Lobos's take on Ritchie Valens's take on the Mexican folk song Sarah and her classmates dutifully droned during first-period Spanish. Before we cast our votes (and yours!), we talk about the restaurant from Big, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Dr. Melfi's ex-husband, Sophia Petrillo, forgetting the word "benefit," and Polish jokes. Are we putting the "no" back in "buongiorno"? Listen and see! Our intro is by Laura Barger and Giacomo Baldelli, and our outro is by Claudio Villa for the Big Night soundtrack. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The "La Bamba" videoThe "Lasagna" "video"One somewhat prosaic but accurate translation of the lyricsAngelique Kidjo's websiteThe Asti restaurant (RIP)Episode 150: 10,000 Maniacs' "In My Tribe," RankedPop Chart's "Permutations of Pasta" posterSophia Sicily-stories supercutSDB's Quiet on Set review"Fact Check: Did Rudy Giuliani Marry His Cousin?"

Late-sixties melodrama meets early-nineties blockbuster in today's episode, as we contemplate who left the Barney cake out in the rain while comparing Richard Harris's "MacArthur Park" and Weird Al's "Jurassic Park." Claymation, foiled cantatae, The Odyssey, Godspell, and songs for when the coffee's kickin' in, plus the YouTube-comments bingo card and an "un-preciation" of a popular novel, all factor into our discussion. Listen and enjoy unironically! Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by the Association. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!Please to enjoy Richard Harris's ridic sideburns while listening to "MacArthur Park"The "Jurassic Park" videoBless your heart, Delia Owens

The unique legacy of Tommy James and the Shondells adds another chapter today, as Weird Al contends with Tiffany's smash cover of "I Think We're Alone Now." We're discussing Jersey-girl aspirational fashion, budge sound that's a feature and not a bug, and that person you could know becoming that person everyone does know. Take a break from sewing patches on your jean jacket and have a listen! Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by the Ramones. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The "I Think We're Alone Now" video"I Think I'm A Clone Now" fan vid with lyricsEpisode 100: Surprise PartyMarch MASTAS's Teen Idol Bracket"'A very sinister and dark story': How the mob helped Tommy James become a hit machine"

Can Weird Al inch ahead in the season standings with "I Lost On Jeopardy," his parody of the Greg Kihn Band's "Jeopardy"? We're talking early adopters, terrible album-title puns we admire, second careers, cheap-but-creepy videos, and how MB's personal Jeopardy! journey deepens his appreciation of this Yankovic joint. Tell 'em what they've won, Don Pardo! (It's either an all-new WAvE episode or some Rice-a-Roni.) Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by the Waitresses. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The Greg Kihn Band's "Jeopardy" videoWeird Al's "I Lost On Jeopardy" videoHorror Show on GoodreadsWAvE Episode 04: "Eat It"

This week's match-up pits The Presidents of the United States of America's "Lump" against Weird Al's "Gump"...but is it really a face-off if the original is two thirds of the way towards being the parody? What is the age of Al-wakening? What's the difference between "unserious" and "unpretentious"? Are butt-adjacent references the Yankovic equivalent of a Hitchcock cameo? And did Al have any choice when it came to his subject matter back then? Watch out for those shifting matrices; it's an all-new ep of MASTAS. Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by the Offspring. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The official video for PUSA's "Lump"And the video for "Gump"Chris Ballew on his lyrical inspirationsEpisode 70: REM's "Out Of Time," RankedDo Call It A Comeback, Episode 7: Footnotes and Odd Lots

"What if we just........didn't." That's one of the questions confronting us as WE confront an out-of-character entry in the Weird Al songbook: "Fat." The problems don't start there; there's the cheap-sounding and turgidly self-serious original, "Bad"; by problematic artist Michael Jackson; the risible video by MJ, and the shortcutsy cruelty from WA...there's even an ill-advised decision in a high-school talent show. Bass requests, Staying Alive references, and conscientious objections: it's an all-new MASTAS! Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by the Stone Roses. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!Michael Jackson's "Bad" videoWe'll skip the link to the "Fat" video but here's some history on itThe only three pop-culture minutes with more "hoooo!"s in it than "Bad"

Grab a tube sock for your privates: it's time to pit the Red Hot Chili Peppers against Weird Al! Before Mark makes the pun that drives our listenership numbers off a cliff, we're discussing the omnipresent Chilis hits "Under The Bridge" and "Give It Away"; how many songs Weird Al might have tried to fit his Flintstones joke set into before settling on these; the five items '90s dorm rooms had to contain lest their occupants risk expulsion; and the difference between "sexy" and "just always naked all the time." Hashtag justice for the Bee Girl: it's an all-new episode of MASTAS! Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by Queens of the Stone Age. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes of this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES "What...is this thing?" Start at the beginning!The "Under The Bridge" videoThe "Give It Away" videoThe "Bedrock Anthem" video...and of course Blind Melon's "No Rain"That Rolling StoneFlea's podcast, This Little Light

Welcome to the Weird Al vs. Everybody season of MASTAS! We're looking at a couple dozen Weird Al Yankovic songs and the originals that inspired him, and choosing a winner in each match-up -- starting with Coolio homage "Amish Paradise"! Before we get into self-serious videos for movies we think might be fake, cultural appropriation of pre-tech societies, and how Stevie Wonder feels about our swearing, we've got an important announcement about voting and future in-person events...but then we're back to discussing whether Weird Al-chemy turns "Gangsta's" into gold. Listen now, English! Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne; the WAvE theme-let is a mash-up of Oingo Boingo, Elvis Costello, Black Box, and Michael Buffer; and our outro is by The Primitives. For more information/to become a patron of the show and hear all episodes this season, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES The "Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.)" videoThe "Amish Paradise" videoPeople recaps the Coolio/Al "feud"Vision Quest: it exists, people"Pastime Paradise" at WhoSampled.com

The competition is over, but the discussion of comeback songs isn't -- and today's is about comebacks in the answer/clapback sense. Seven "answer" songs come under the MASTAScope, as well as the frequency with which Neil Young is told to shut it, Bavaria's unexpected move to Ireland, the Judy Cycle opera we need to see, and pop songs that have become microplastics in their ubiquity. Vaseline those teeth and have a listen. Our outro for today's episode is by Neil Young. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!Answer songs on WikipediaThe Lost Songs Project on "Judy's Turn To Cry""No one knows why Ambrose Bierce disappeared, but here are some theories"Episode 79: TLC, "No Scrubs"Episode 195: Dolly Parton's Underrated Hits

It's time to declare a winner -- the definitive pop-music comeback song -- but the road to the final result is a twisty one. "Believe" and "Walk This Way" each crystallize the concept of the comeback, but in different ways, so to help us choose, we're watching videos, discussing the synecdoche of Cher, rummaging through a bin of PhD-thesis topics, and resisting arithmetic. Is the outcome predictable, or precedent-setting? AutoTune a drum roll and listen! Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up, and our outro is by the Strokes. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!"Walk This Way"'s official video

The semifinal round is, while somewhat predictable, still full of ups and downs, including Spelling Bee's interest in our works and days, the way Adam Lambert takes and gives meaning, how far is far enough for a song we actively dislike, Latin-phrase drag names, scary puppets, and reader comments! Sorry about the sweaty-Reagan reference; distract yourself with our penultimate DCIAC episode. Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up, and our outro is by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!JASTAS: Til Tuesday, "Voices Carry"It's not John's and SDB's first meatloaf rodeoMore on portmanteauxDo Call It A Comeback, Episode 7: Footnotes and Odd LotsSpitting Image

We're down to eight great comeback songs; which ones will join the Do Call It A Comeback season's Final Four? We're quoting Wayne's World, we're putting things in plaid place out of eight, we're remembering upsetting Beatles gifts, we're adding salt to temp tracks, and we're wondering why it so often seemed like nobody cared about Laura Branigan's reputation. Transmitting live-to-tape from the floor of the Utah legislature while on a date with Bonnie Raitt, it's Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs! Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up, and our outro is by Squeeze. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!Laura Branigan's insupportable "Hold Me" cover artToothy D's Vegas residencyDo Call It A Comeback, Episode 7: Footnotes and Odd LotsEpisode 125: ABBA-sode with Adam Grosswirth

The Sweet 16 is here, along with the return to numbered rankings...and the unkindest cuts of all, plus another Auto-Tune justice conversation, myriad matrices, Tracy Chapman's post-nineties Flintstones car, 92.5% of Cher's butt, unpleasant flashbacks to the sophomore dance, and the long wait for a muffin basket from Nick Rhodes. Quick, before another UHF quote-fight breaks out -- walk THIS way to hear our latest episode! Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up; our interstitial music is by Beck, and our outro is by Joni Mitchell. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!Do Call It A Comeback, Episode 7: Footnotes and Odd LotsMASTAS Presents: Money Can't Buy You Podcast 01, "Money Can't Buy You Class"The Beatles, "Now and Then"Episode 107: Bond-Movie Songs, RankedWalk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, And The Song That Changed American Music ForeverSongs That Saved Your Life on "Pesty Shopfield"

We're taking a quick break before the emotional press of the Sweet 16 to talk about a handful of "off-label" comebacks: award-winners, kids' songs, comebacks only we noticed, and more. We wonder whether it's possible to have been too big to truly come all the way back; we contemplate a truly catastrophic remix of self-loathing; and we bemoan sad computers, unfortunate spiritual-title phrasing, and Jackwagon Wenner. Got some snitty advice for dead people? Us too! Get on board! Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up, and our outro is the Stone Roses. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!SDB mentions the Backstreet comeback on PCHHDo Call It A Comeback, Episode 3: The NEXT Next 15Behind the Music on David Cassidy (sort of)SDB's capsule review of C'mon, Get HappyMB talks "Hey Deanie" on The Lost Songs ProjectThe Lilith Fair 40, Episode 06: The Hurty 30

Mark's spreadsheet of history has spoken: we're choosing the rest of the Do Call It A Comeback season's Sweet 16 this week! From the top of the pallet of improbable late-'80s comeback songs, we're surveying the joyful geeky dance of Robin Gibb, the 20 percent of our income we owe to Duran Duran, the most tiresomely groovy Ben & Jerry's flavors, Canadian spellings, and what's playing when we're drinking a Crystal Light at the hotel spa. What would The $1.98 Video Show have looked like? Find out in our latest episode! Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up, and our outro is The Connells. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!Do Call It A Comeback, Episode 3: The NEXT Next 15Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980sDinner For Five

The Round Of 32 is underway! After a brief chat about our head-vs.-heart processes in this round, we descend into the valley of the shadow of twos: struggling to come up with the word "metamorphosis," confronting the history of Auto-Tune, measuring levels of exposure to Britpop, and planning a community-college class on interpretive dance. Everybody's got their Limburger, we also learn -- what's yours? Grab a thesaurus and your most exhausting album title and have a listen. Our intro is an LL Byrne J mash-up, and our outro is Everything But The Girl. For more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Not sure what's going on here? Start at the beginning!The Sonny-and-Cher scene from The Simpsons's "The Springfield Files"The LA Times's LZ Granderson on Jann Wenner needing to eat a beeLast week's episode sends a love note to "Tragedy"Episode 131: The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," RankedGet it, Miz Sarkisian"The tri-state area's most distinctive vehicle of non-stop music for your special event"