About twenty years ago, HBO aired The Mondo Beyondo Show, a sort-of send-up of avant-garde performance shows like Alive From Off Center and Night Flight. Hosted by Bette Midler (as the character Mondo Beyondo), it showcased artists that covered the broad spectrum between performance art, dance, and absurdist comedy. Strap on your Eighties Goggles; here's the meat of the show: Bill Irwin | La La La Human Steps | The Kipper Kids | Yes/No People | Paul Zaloom | David Cale | and the Divine Miss M as Eudora P. Quickly
posted on May 29, 2008 - View this thread

The opening shots of 1920s New York City are wonderful, then you get a zany high-speed Harold Lloyd blazing down the avenues, and that's fun to watch, but the real killer is the horse-drawn trolley absolutely tearing-ass through lower Manhattan, full gallop. Ends badly. Then it's over to San Francisco for one last bit of homicidal vehicular activity with a bus. Well, they sure don't drive like they used to!
posted on May 25, 2008 - View this thread

Introducing Project Pop (Formerly Indonesia's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-suling metal-dangdut-comedy folk sextet). Their hit "Dangdut is the music of my country" [youtube link--music starts at 0:58] code-switches between pop metal and dangdut, affectionately mocking the cheesy pop of their parents' generation. Here is a great play-by-play translation of the details of the video.
posted on May 9, 2008 - View this thread

Leroy Shield was a composer from the Hal Roach era of comedies who composed soundtracks for Laurel and Hardy and the Little Rascals, he has one cover, er, orchestra, the Beau Hunks and no less of a fan than Robert Crumb. Check the main website for more sounds and movies.
via WFMU, bonus YouTubery inside
posted on Mar 20, 2008 - View this thread

God's Pottery is described on their website as "a Christian acoustic duo formed to spread the Word while addressing the issues facing today's Youth and the Spiritual Community at large." But actually, they're one of the funniest new up and coming musical comedy acts, already nominated for an ECNY award in Best Musical Comedy Act. They workshop with the audience to get to know them better and sing songs about Pre-Marital Sex (The Pants Come Off, When The Ring Goes On), Alcoholism (Jesus I Need a Drink!), and they're always playing for Team Jesus. They went to the "Eden-berg" Fringe Festival and even stayed in character when interviewed by ITV2, because they are that good.
posted on Mar 6, 2008 - View this thread

Have these fellows whetted your appetite for Southern Hemispherical comic singer-songwriters who care about The Issues? Barefoot Australian Tim Minchin ought to satisfy that hunger with an environmental anthem and a peace anthem. But aside from his social activism, he's also vulgar, poignant, dark, and of course, rock.
posted on Nov 14, 2007 - View this thread

More Cowbell
posted on Nov 10, 2007 - View this thread

For lovers of old-time, mountain banjo styles and songs, Roscoe Holcomb and Dock Boggs are revered figures. To many, however, plucker and singer David Akeman remains uncelebrated or unknown, even by his stage name of Stringbean. Is it because he was for a time actually famous as a country music showbiz staple, and therefore lacks folk cred? Or maybe the purists just can't get with those low-hanging pants the man was known for, his original hillbilly homeboy styling? Or was it cause on any given tune his left hand would likely be off the neck of the banjo more than on it? Whatever the reason, it's time folks took a new look at Stringbean. After all, the lines between folk and commercial styles have always been blurry in American music. Let's hear it for Stringbeeeeeeeaaan!
posted on Oct 17, 2007 - View this thread

Rachmaninoff had big hands. (More from Igudesman and Joo (flash), former students of Yehudi Menuhin).
posted on Oct 9, 2007 - View this thread

Ronnie Hazlehurst RIP. Who? Well if you've seen any of the BBC's sitcoms and light entertainment programmes from the 70s onwards, you would have probably heard his work...
posted on Oct 3, 2007 - View this thread

The Smothers Brothers are a folk-singing comedy duo whose television show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour featured music, comedy, and political satire. CBS abruptly canceled the show in 1969 due to continued arguments about censorship.
posted on Sep 14, 2007 - View this thread

Stuff [more]
posted on Aug 11, 2007 - View this thread

Harlem Variety Revue. Pre-rock & roll TV show featuring swing from Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, and Sarah Vaughan. Rhythm & blues from Amos Milburn, Ruth Brown, Joe Turner, Martha Davis and Larry Darnell. Jazz & calypso from Nat Cole. Ballad by Dinah Washington. Doo wop from The Clovers. Harmony from the Larks and the Delta Rhythm Boys (complete with exciting choreography). Comedy provided by Nipsey Russell & Mantan Moreland, tapdancing by Coles & Atkins and Bill Bailey (check out that 1955 Moonwalk at the end!) Hosted by Willie Bryant.
posted on Jun 16, 2007 - View this thread

Pachelbel Rant (YouTube) by Rob Paravonian (official site). A few more of his videos, including a comedy bit on the Friends theme and Sugar Ray lyrics. (previous reference on MeFi here)
posted on May 9, 2007 - View this thread

Metal by Numbers by Brian Posehn
posted on Apr 19, 2007 - View this thread

What's funny about war, poverty, ignorance, bigotry, neo-conservatism, homophobia, greed, lust and fear? Ask Roy Zimmerman. He's been writing satirical songs for twenty years. Don't miss his Love Song to Dick Cheney.
posted on Apr 2, 2007 - View this thread

Here are some antique jazz novelties, obscurities and outliers:

Mae West with Duke Ellington - My Old Flame
The Hoosier Hotshots - She Broke My Heart In Three Places
Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson - Handsome Harry The Hipster
Spike Jones & His City Slickers - I Like To Sock Myself In The Face
Ina Ray Hutton and Her Melodears - Truckin'
Cliff Edwards - I Feel Pestamistic
Red Ingle - Nowhere
The King Cole Trio - I'm An Errand Boy for Rhythm
Jack Teagarden - The Sliphorn King of Polaroo
Reg Kehoe & His Marimba Queens - A Study In Brown
The Slim Gaillard Trio - Laguna Melody
posted on Dec 21, 2006 - View this thread

Stephen Colbert has a “Green Screen Challenge”. The Decemberists have their own green screen challenge. Colbert calls them idea stealing jerks and issues a "Second Green Screen Challenge": "to edit me into the Decemberists' green screen challenge... Let's see how well they perform their trademark brand of hyper-literate prog rock when I'm slicing off their legs at the knee." Now the Decemberists are saying that awesomely wielding lightsabers was their idea, and that Colbert must have copied them, and they have the "Decemberists vs Stephen Colbert Guitar Solo Challenge".
posted on Dec 1, 2006 - View this thread

The world of folk music is often a rather dour place, as folkies try hard to fully express the miseries of a life pre-myspace. In the 1980s, however, the Kipper Family, of St-Just-near-Trunch, Norfolk, bucked this trend. With such classics as "Arrest These Merry Gentlemen", "Wild Mounting Time" and "We're Norfolk and Good", Sid and Henry Kipper managed to cheer up many a maudlin English folk club. Although Henry was retired, Sid Kipper still performs solo and has recently started doing podcasts for Channel4 (reg req to download).
posted on Sep 27, 2006 - View this thread

Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru (YouTube)
posted on Aug 13, 2006 - View this thread

Molvania banned from Eurovision contest...again. After failing in 2004 with his Elektronik – Supersonik (prev.) ZLAD! tried again with his darker I am the Anti-pope (video) which was rejected because "Satanism has no place at Eurovision." Zlad! responded, speaking backwards through a hooded translator, "In Molvania, this is one of our most loved children’s stories." You may also want to check out Hospital of the Hearts (video), the number one soap in Phaic Tan.
posted on Apr 5, 2006 - View this thread

Shatner [QuickTime]
posted on May 13, 2005 - View this thread

horns a plenty Haven't seen this here recently, so here's a link to a guy who performs some classics with nothing but horns strapped to his jumpsuit.
posted on Feb 14, 2005 - View this thread

The Evolution Control Committee [Motion Picture Experts Group Standard 1 Audio Layer III]
posted on Oct 18, 2004 - View this thread

Strangers on my Flight [Flash, blort]
posted on Sep 29, 2004 - View this thread

Crispy New Freestyle : Featuring such lyrical gems as 'I like to suck mouse dick' (wmv link)
posted on Sep 16, 2004 - View this thread