mash-up
09/26/2007
Britney Spears vs. Chris Crocker
What happens when you mash-up the biggest train wreck of a performance in MTV history with the bizarre viral-video rant that resulted from it? Believe it or not, something pretty f'in' fresh.
For those of you who have been off the grid for the past few weeks, on Sept. 9, Britney Spears put the final nail in the coffin that is her career when she appeared doped-up, out-of-shape, and in dire need of a lip-sync tune-up during a pathetic rendition of her new single, "Gimme More," at the MTV Video Music Awards. The very next day, Chris Crocker, a sexually ambiguous, hysterical young lad from Tennessee posted an impassioned defense of the troubled pop-tart on his YouTube page. The clip went viral -- in a very big way -- and before Crocker could say "drama queen," he had himself a reality series.
It's safe to say that neither clip is an example of bonafide artistic talent. The same cannot be said, however, for this remix of the two vids by AV maestro DJ Cobra. A well-known turntablist from Los Angeles, Cobra also boasts some nifty video-editing chops. And, as the old saying goes, he's got a knack for making chicken salad out of chicken shit.
07/10/2007
Unk vs. Fosse
During last May's broadcast of the middleweight boxing match betwen Edison Miranda and Kelly Pavlik, HBO's Larry Merchant -- who is 76-years-old -- dropped a reference to crunk music. (I love Larry Merchant.) And just as the old can embrace the new, so can the new can also embrace the old. Case in point, this mash-up of Unk's "Walk it Out" with a '60s TV clip of some Bob Fosse dancers doing their version of the Crip Dance in day-glo pantsuits. (If anyone has Merchant's email (if he even uses email), we kindly request that you forward this on to him.
11/23/2006
Alice’s Restaurant Massacre
Sung by Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant is possibly the only 20-minute song that I've ever heard on the radio. Growing up in Massachusetts, this little Mass-a-cre would play on the classic rock station every year; listening to the painfully long broadcast became a family tradition. It's been several years since I left good old Mass, yet I can’t help but scavenge for the song every Turkey Day.
The song, which is more of a ballad, was written by Alro, son of folk legend Woody Guthrie, and released as the entire A-side of his first record in 1967. Based on a true story of warrants and trash-heap hauling, Guthrie’s song was made into a movie in 69.
Since many radio stations have stopped playing the song, this Thanksgiving tradition is honored on the web where the original recording of “Alice's Restaurant Massacre” is streamed on Turkey Day each year. Unable to find the song without buying the entire album, I opted for this festive little mash-up.
And if this cutesy collage is too much, there is also a live recording of Guthrie singing Alice.
