Season 118 Puppets and Parodies

So after initial thoughts of 'oh god how am I going to manage to do this' I've given this theme some proper thought today and I've come up with something!

I now have the agonising wait for the rest of the afternoon before I can get home and actually record the thing. A reoccuring feeling for me since I started doing the Seasons. Anyone else suffer from this affliction? Is there an anagram for it?

Janet your a hard taskmaster. Wendy (Ukecan1) has challenged me to write a parody so I've accepted. People really should be careful what they wish for. So here is a tongue in cheek parody effort set to the La Vie En Rose tune. I've tried to portray an emotional singing tone as my acting skills far outweigh my puppeteering skills as you will undoubtably observe. If only we could produce videos now and again that spontaneously combusted after one viewing. I would truly love this to be one such video. ;-)

I wish I could find my low budget chickenman outfit... I might give this puppet thing a go
regardless I would like to introduce you to a new DIY instrument.

UkeyDave said:

... challenged me to write a parody ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El7o_ea9lKE

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Greatgreatgreat - nearly ROTF, but still LMAO!!!

lelouden said:

Janet, Be patient with us. I will be doing an entry this week but at the moment my puppet is traveling to my house. Not sure how he is traveling but he is due to arrive on wed. I have written my parody. That was the easy part after reading how to go about it easily. Truly I thought it was going to be the hard part. When I work or shower I get light bulb moments. I had the dishwasher half full and had to stop to get my song down on paper. Everybody go scrub your kitchens, scrub your toilets, scrub the tub...maybe something will come to you. Get and old tube sock, give it two eyes, glue on a tongue, give it a yarn hairdo and your done.

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I'm with you, Linda ... for me the puppet is definitely the hard part. But fun once I surrendered to it ... it's getting more puppet-like and closer to the rules the more I ... yeah ... scrub stuff and let it percolate. Marinate. Stew.

Parodies are easy. They are easier than writing originals ... the tune is already done for you, the structure is done, and you can riff off the words and ideas and phrases that are already there to come up with fun alternatives and sound-alikes that fit your chosen theme. Super fun. Mine is written (finished this morning) and I can hardly contain myself until evening to record it, it is so much fun!

Linda, where did you read how to go about it easily? From Janet, or some other source? Do share with the rest of the class! It will help all of us.

Lynda, Uke Monkey! I think I love you!! This is outstanding, what do you mean your lame video! That monkey can upstum like the best of us and even finished things off with a tremolo strum. What a chimp! Singing is wonderful, playing is wonderful. Pat you monkey on the back. I might even learn this song to play at open mic sometime if you don't mind

Charlotte, Kookaburra's Back. What can I say but what a great way to start the day! Your such a beautiful talented young lady! You sing beautifully too. I actually enjoyed the playing being a bit rough. It kind of went along with the theme cuz that's a rough Kookaburra you've got there! Hope your fingers are okay! Thanks for your entry!

Cua94, On Top of Spaghetti. Bless you! That lion cub sings beautifully in that key. Way to go. Two puppets have now actually "played" the uke for this season. Thanks for your entry!

UkeyDave, Puppet Parody. You looked so sad at the end! It wasn't that bad was it?? I think the parody is pure genius! Everything rhymed so wonderfully to the original version and your playing and singing are as great as ever. Thank you Dave!

wee_ginga_yin aka Mr. Chicken Man, I'll dance with you anytime. Don't hurt yourself playing your new instrument. That actually works nicely doesn't it Who was the kid?

RAB11 said:

So after initial thoughts of 'oh god how am I going to manage to do this' I've given this theme some proper thought today and I've come up with something!

I now have the agonising wait for the rest of the afternoon before I can get home and actually record the thing. A reoccuring feeling for me since I started doing the Seasons. Anyone else suffer from this affliction? Is there an anagram for it?

Click to expand...

Agonising Wait For Ukulele Loveliness

AWFUL

oh hold on let me go back to the drawing board, rub out all the chalk, and try again

although let's face it, if you wanna play uke, and something is stopping you playing uke, it is awful

bonesigh said:

I might even learn this song to play at open mic sometime if you don't mind

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lol yes feel free! it has all the super sound of summer, but with added uke. and added monkey

I'm probably one of the most patient people you could know. So, I'm good. Just kind of worried that not many people have even said anything. I want everyone to get silly and have fun. Just like any other Season if one does not like the theme they do not have to participate. I got a nice email this morning from Ukuloonie and I'm going to post it. It's an older video but really fits the theme. We'll call it a bonus. If anyone else has anything they've done in the past you can post those too. Even if it's just a parody.

UkeCan1 said:

I'm with you, Linda ... for me the puppet is definitely the hard part. But fun once I surrendered to it ... it's getting more puppet-like and closer to the rules the more I ... yeah ... scrub stuff and let it percolate. Marinate. Stew.

Parodies are easy. They are easier than writing originals ... the tune is already done for you, the structure is done, and you can riff off the words and ideas and phrases that are already there to come up with fun alternatives and sound-alikes that fit your chosen theme. Super fun. Mine is written (finished this morning) and I can hardly contain myself until evening to record it, it is so much fun!

Linda, where did you read how to go about it easily? From Janet, or some other source? Do share with the rest of the class! It will help all of us.

Click to expand...

bird's eye view of my ukelele said:

Agonising Wait For Ukulele Loveliness

AWFUL

oh hold on let me go back to the drawing board, rub out all the chalk, and try again

although let's face it, if you wanna play uke, and something is stopping you playing uke, it is awful

Click to expand...

You may just be onto something there Lynda!

Looking forward to giving this a good go anyway.

bonesigh said:

wee_ginga_yin aka Mr. Chicken Man, I'll dance with you anytime. Don't hurt yourself playing your new instrument. That actually works nicely doesn't it Who was the kid?

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It was way back in the day when Kenny and the Captains
ruled Youtube with Ukulele and Melodica... ahh those
halcyon days of insanity... when playing badly was taken
to new heights.

UkeyDave said:

<snip>
This is the ONE AND ONLY time I will sing this song on Ukulele..

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How many times will you sing it without the uke :^)

I was planning on doing this song, but as it has been 'voted off' I shan't bother :^(

Lumpy, you could do a cover of Dave's parody or do a parody of that parody or any others that have been done so far.

It seems this theme is more inspiring then I thought, here is my number two, musically this is based on Running to stand still by U2, I tried to come up with some lyrics that would sort of fit this dog of a video ;-):

If anyone wonders why we have three of these dogs, they are actually really cute doorstoppers .

Lumpy Wafflesquirt said:

How many times will you sing it without the uke :^)

I was planning on doing this song, but as it has been 'voted off' I shan't bother :^(

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Hahaha Robin. I will NEVER sing it without the Uke either.

RAB11 said:

So after initial thoughts of 'oh god how am I going to manage to do this' I've given this theme some proper thought today and I've come up with something!
I now have the agonising wait for the rest of the afternoon before I can get home and actually record the thing. A reoccuring feeling for me since I started doing the Seasons. Anyone else suffer from this affliction? Is there an anagram for it?

Click to expand...

bird's eye view of my ukelele said:

Agonising Wait For Ukulele Loveliness
AWFUL

Click to expand...

That's brilliant. I think AWFUL syndrome needs its own thread. Ryan, I think the antidote is bring a uke to work, so you don't have to wait so long!

UkeyDave said:

Janet your a hard taskmaster. Wendy (Ukecan1) has challenged me to write a parody so I've accepted. People really should be careful what they wish for. So here is a tongue in cheek parody effort set to the La Vie En Rose tune. I've tried to portray an emotional singing tone as my acting skills far outweigh my puppeteering skills as you will undoubtably observe. If only we could produce videos now and again that spontaneously combusted after one viewing. I would truly love this to be one such video. ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El7o_ea9lKE

Click to expand...

Aw, that was great, Dave! Janet issued the challenge - I just goaded you into stepping up. Thanks for doing it. Great parody.

Now I want to see Lumpy do a parody of "Puppet on a String". The song wasn't "voted off", Robin - you just have to write some new words and add a puppet.

I love how everyone's finding a way to make this challenge work for them. It's a tough one, but hopefully the videos we've seen so far are giving the rest of us ideas and inspiration to rise to it too. (My parody is ready ... have to make my puppets and get my webcam software working again ... I sure hope it's just a reboot it's needing....)

bonesigh said:

If anyone else has anything they've done in the past you can post those too. Even if it's just a parody.

Click to expand...

Oh, I have plenty of parodies without puppets:

Parodies written by me:
"Let's Call the Uke Thing Off" ("Let's Call the Whole Thing Off")
"Money Money" ("Sugar Sugar" by the Archies)
(and "New Jersey Love Song", parody of Slaid Cleaves' "Texas Love Song" - not yet recorded)

Parodies written by others:
"The Saga Begins" ("American Pie") - Weird Al Yankovic, featuring friend Cecilia
"Mexican Hat Dance" - Allan Sherman
"Range Rover" ("The Wild Rover") - Stuart Markus
"The Elements" ("Modern Major General") - Tom Lehrer
"Me" ("Come Back to Sorrento") - Allan Sherman again
"Ham, Eggs, and Everywhere" ("Here There and Everywhere") - Beatles, non-uke, with friend Kathy and "Mr. Strumstick" Bob McNally on guitar, lyrics by Dr. Seuss via Kathy

I think that's all of them. So far. Until tonight.

If anyone wants help writing parodies, I am happy to help! They are fun and easy. Ask someone else about puppets.

tiswas

kids' telly from the seventies

yeah baby

spit the dog



my bezzie mate actually HAS a spit the dog puppet

and told me tonight that he's available for uke vid appearances............

now i just have to write a song about spitting...............................