Anyway AAA BAAY-BAAYY, here's FRANKFRANKFRAAANK Wonderwall PHWEEEE-phooo

May 4, 2022 3:09 PM

Tico is a double yellow-headed Amazon parrot vocalist who performs with his guitarist, Frank Maglio, on YouTube as the duo Tico & the Man. They began performing together when Frank started working from home because of COVID, and he discovered Tico's response to strumming his guitars. They have amassed a huge collection of videos (and followers) and covered all the big hits. And yes, of course he's done Freebird.

Their first video, filmed by Frank's wife, Gina, was Stairway to Heaven, and they've since performed everything from The Rolling Stones to Tracy Chapman to, naturally, Wonderwall, as well as Christmas classics. Frank has a variety of acoustic and electric axes and has invited other guitarists to play with him and Tico, and some keyboardists (Frank's dad), too. Videos usually follow a familiar format, but occasionally get beautifully (and purpley) creative.

Their cover of U2's I'm Wide Awake is truly lovely and one of Tico's most inspired performances, and definitely my favorite.

posted by kitten kaboodle (17 comments total)

The U2 song is "Bad" (regardless of what Tico and the Man are trying to tell us it is called)
posted by stevil at 3:20 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I love how its pupils change sizes when it really goes for a note. It gives off a slightly Simpsons wall-eyed-ed-ness.

What a great addition to my afternoon and my thoughts.
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 3:21 PM on May 4, 2022

This is the only performance of Freebird worth listening to more than once. Very fun!

(I say this as someone who was handcuffed while the song was being performed on stage by the original artists. Not because of the song, but because of the trade conference that hired them. But, also, the lyrics are needlessly mean and stupid. I don't blame the parrot for liking the tune.) Thanks.
posted by eotvos at 3:27 PM on May 4, 2022

(I realize I just celebrated both "I Will Break Free" and "Brighton Rock" 24 hours ago which are arguably very similar. . . but, I think there is a very real and important difference. Also, everything is nice if it comes from a parrot. Except actually living with a parrot as a human.)
posted by eotvos at 3:32 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Delightful: somewhere between drunk Glasgow pub singing and Shooby Taylor.
posted by scruss at 3:37 PM on May 4, 2022

Except actually living with a parrot as a human.

Amen. Mrs Abehammerb has a parrot. I don't have a parrot. I have a rival who longs to poop on my cold dead body.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:55 PM on May 4, 2022 [11 favorites]

So I've been singing--er, vocalizing, as a parrot all this time? And I'm really good at, er, being a parrot?! Well.

This was delightful, thanks for posting. EEEEEEEEEEerrrrrrrrrrrr EEEEE
posted by winesong at 3:57 PM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

That bird can scat like Ella.
posted by mightshould at 4:20 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Lovely vibrato. I'm jealous.
posted by humbug at 7:57 PM on May 4, 2022

That's beautiful! The other "bird rocks out to music" videos I've seen, the bits seem to be responding mostly to the rhythm, but this one he looks like he's listening intently to the harmonies.
posted by Zumbador at 9:24 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Tico's version of Sultans of Swing is one of the better ones.
posted by straight at 11:47 PM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

I used to own a double yellow Panamanian myself. I was his second caretaker. The lady I got him from was very old and had dementia. Her Granddaughter was her caretaker, and the bird hated her, so she rehomed him, with me. I had him for almost 20 years. He sang like a dream. He liked Opera, and down and dirty blues. He was also meaner than a damn snake with feathers, when I first got him. He'd been neglected for years, because the old ladies mind had vanished into the mists of time, and she would just put food in his cage, and neglected the rest of his care, and kept him in a cage than was barely bigger than a parakeet cage. It took me roughly five years to get him handleable. Cut to 15 years later... I had a large flight cage on my front porch, and I'd put him outside to enjoy the weather when it was good enough. We kept the cage locked with a padlock, and the key snapped to the cage with a carabiner. I also had a large outside ferret cage, for the ferrets to enjoy the weather, when they were awake. I also kept this cage padlocked. Someone came through my Yard (we lived in a area that had a passthrough train tracks, that Town Folks used as a walking path) and opened both cages, and turned my animals loose, or stole them. i'll never know, since they are all gone.
posted by CygnusXII at 1:22 AM on May 5, 2022 [5 favorites]

The "Bad" confusion is U2's fault, not Tico's, because they sold the ur-version of that song as "BAD (Wide Awake in America)"
posted by chavenet at 5:10 AM on May 5, 2022

Pure wonderfulness. Thanks for posting it!
posted by Splunge at 5:57 AM on May 5, 2022

I was very, very disappointed to find out that the parrot did not, in fact, have two heads.
posted by oddman at 8:40 AM on May 5, 2022

This is great. Tico's vocals have some Axl Rose vibes to them! Knockin on Heaven's Door
posted by Sparky Buttons at 11:24 AM on May 5, 2022

I can tell you. Wild birds can grasp point and counterpoint. I got a catbird to duet with me one day, and we riffed off each other. It was seriously mind-blowing.
posted by Goofyy at 4:45 PM on May 5, 2022 [3 favorites]