If, as pointed out in a previous post in this series, it’s rare for a local band to have their songs covered, having them used as a showcase for animation or puppetry is even rarer. For this month’s FYI, we’re showcasing ten, including a variety of art forms, from simple line drawings to monster / puppet combos (aka The Muppets), with stops at The Simpsons and Beavis & Butthead:
Iron Butterfly — “In A Gadda Da Vida” — The Simpsons:
Probably the best known clip here, this Iron Butterfly track has had many pop culture references — TV’s Seinfeld, for example, with Elaine’s classic dance and even Slayer has rocked a version of it — but none are as cool as this opening segment from a Simpson’s episode, with what is possibly Bart’s greatest prank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwtgaQZYDI
Pinback — “Fortress”
Actually Pinback’s original video for “Fortress” is animated, but this other clip is very different in tone and execution. It’s a line drawing masterpiece, with a really nice payoff at the end. Brilliant from start to finish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUNoaeSYPYs
Jim Croce / “Time in a Bottle” — The Muppets :
A wonderful interpretation of the song from the Jim Henson Studios that touches on the sentimental nature of the lyric, while adding a slightly Twilight Zone / sci-fi angle to the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF8ZgguyQ3Y
Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper / “Elvis is Everywhere” – Beavis & Butthead :
Beavis & Butthead’s running commentary on music videos was the highlight of their program. The remarks were usually pretty cutting but Nixon and Roper come through this mid 1990’s clip relatively unscathed
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTbSa8aaB6Q&index=44&list=PLFX21QmbhBMPesouDId0QXPTF3GBNvoD
Jason Mraz / “Outdoors “ — The Muppets
He’s worked with many of music’s great’s, but nothing tops Elmo and Big Bird! Here Mraz joins the Sesame Street crew for a really charming reworked version of his hit song “I’m Yours” now recast as “Outdoors.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrqF7yD10Bo
Jim Croce — Bad Bad Leroy Brown:
Originally broadcast on The Sonny & Cher show in 1973, this full length clip by British animator John David Wilson is part of an incredible resume that includes animation for such television programs as The Hudson Brothers, Laugh-In and Carol Burnett TV shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2a5CjKOTlg
Tom Waits — Tom Waits For No One
Probably the least likely subject to have a cartoon based on his music, but this clip of “The One That Got Away” as directed on a 1978 Hollywood sound stage by John Lamb, has a very cool, distinctive look that clearly influenced many future animators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCNDZY4vXPs
Blink 182 — Adventures
A sub Scooby Doo type low budget cartoon — NSFW due to language, naturally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li1EXhXSPfg
Blink 182 — All The Small Things — The Simpsons
A brief clip of the band performing their hit song on this hit show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1MVtQmsc8
Honorable Mention:
The Shambles — Wouldn’t You Like To be A Bear? —
Made with public domain footage and a bit of editing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5K2FGJ2HZo