does humor belong to music

General discussion about Pink Floyd.
michael christensen
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does humor belong to music

Post by michael christensen »

It is a note from a frank Zappa album and i was wondering if pink floyd had any humor in their music? i have been thinking a lot and so far i have not found any songs which i could laugh at but maybe someone who remember better than me can fi´nd some songs?

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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by drafsack »

some of the songs on momentary and the division bell are laughable
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by Damn!t »

:lol: classic.

Well, during one and only live performance of Alans psychodelic breakfast folks in the crowd larf.

:?
Thats it.
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by David Smith »

Roger Waters has always been a fan of injecting a little humour. One thing he felt the movie of The Wall lacked was his sense of humour

Humour can be found in a few of their tracks i reckon. Songs like Money and Have A Cigar are based on parody (the name of the game being riding the gravy train etc) and i guess the narrative voice of Not Now John adds a bit of jest to proceedings on anotherwise bleak album. But i guess that's not to say these songs are actually funny. Same with The Happiest Days of Our Lives and large parts of TPACOHH (e.g the hotdog section and Yoko etc) actually. Lighthearted, but not really explicitly funny. Oh, and ATD and RK both toyed with humout throughout too.

But the thing is the humour was never central to the work so the songs were never laugh out loud funny. Rather the message was central while the humour was peripheral to it, unlike Zappa who would often be laugh out loud funny just for the sake of being funny (horney little jewish princess etc). Seasmus was a good laugh too. I think what Live In Pompeii and their interviews in general show is that the band have never taken themselves overly seriously

As for a pisstaking comedy answer... You ever heard A Pocketful of Stones? :lol:
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by snifferdog »

Well, I have heard a couple of Pink Floyd boots where David has started laughing during a song

Obligatory comical answer:How about Seamus or Mademoiselle Nobs?
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by The Gunner's Dream »

Pink Floyd, generally, take themselves much too seriously. This is the main reason why I don't really listen to them anymore. Life is depressing enough without something like The Wall or The Final Cut to remind us of the fact.

I'm not saying dark subjects shouldn't be covered, but it can be done in a humorous way (Frank Zappa for example) which leads me to my conclusion: humor does belong in music, but it is not evident in Pink Floyd's music.
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by Yucateco »

It´s a miracle is very funny stuff i guess :lol: although some very dark humour from Rog as always:

"They had sex in Pennsylvania
A Brazilian grew a tree
A doctor in Manhattan
Saved a dying man for free
It's a miracle"

"Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff
Runs for years and years and years
An earthquake hits the theatre
But the operetta lingers
Then the piano lid comes down
And breaks his fucking fingers
It's a miracle "
:lol:
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by J Ed »

Syds stuff is funny, genuine happyface haha funny
Rogers stuff is satire, grim gallows humour

Zappas stuff appears to be stupid grade 2 jokes on the surface, yet theres an ongoing philosophy about consumerism underlying the grossout gags, eg his poodle obsession - the poor shaved housepet represents everything he sees wrong with Western society
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by davidjay »

roger's got a keen sense of humor, but it shows up more in his solo work than in the music of the floyd. "it's a miracle" has alread been sighted as an example.

another bit that i find amusing is from "pros & cons":

"so she picked up the doggy in the window,
the one with the waggly tail,
and she put him to bed,
between two bits of bread.

i just cowered in the corner,
my pajama coat over my head
and she smiled as she finished her sandwich
(sound of a dog howling)"

the joke is so subtle that some people miss the inference to a "dog sandwich" when they listen to the album. i think it's pretty funny.
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by bpmolder »

I remember hearing Rick tell about how the lyric "desperation is the English way" was intended as somewhat of a musing.
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by mosespa »

davidjay wrote: the joke is so subtle that some people miss the inference to a "dog sandwich" when they listen to the album. i think it's pretty funny.
I've told this story before, but it seems to bear repeating, here :D

I bought PACOHH while in high school. One evening, a friend of mine who was a bass player came over to jam with me (I was a drummer at the time.) A miniature doberman (or something like that) that belonged to one of the neighbors was following us everywhere we went. It was a very friendly dog, it seemed to like us, so we let it hang with us while we sat in the shed smoking a joint, drinking some beers (if I didn't shave for a week, I didn't get carded for beer at a nearby supermarket,) and listening to PACOHH.

My friend was very much into Prog and didn't consider PF as such. He was one of those guys who considered PF "simple." I was trying to convince him otherwise and he gamely agreed to listen to the album since PF were supposed to be good for that.

It was during Sexual Revolution that I decided to step outside and relieve myself. The dog followed me. Not to be overly graphic, but it was a beer piss and it was going on for some time. The dog got interested in something else and took off across the yard.

Thinking nothing of it (I was quite high,) I returned to the shed on the line "between two bits of...bread," looked at my friend, smile and said "yeah...dog sandwich, man," and sat down. My friend gazed at me in bewilderment for a few seconds then broke out in laughter as the dog came back to the shed.

I asked him what was so funny...he hadn't been paying attention to the lyrics; all he knew was that I left, the dog followed me and when I returned, the dog wasn't there and I said "dog sandwich."

"I thought you ate the dog, dude," he said with as much sincerity as someone in the throes of relieved laughter can muster.

One of my favorite moments ever. :lol: :lol:
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by Duckboy »

J Ed wrote:Syds stuff is funny, genuine happyface haha funny
Rogers stuff is satire, grim gallows humour
like free four, In The Flesh, It's a Miracle (i think someone already said that 1) even money. His humour is the kind that makes little children cry
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by David Smith »

Ah Roger's hotdog pun :)

Mossy, that was a classic post there :lol:
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by davidjay »

great story mossy. very funny.

another amusing bit from pros & cons is from "sexual revolution:

"hey girl,
take out the dagger
and let's have a stab at the sexual revolution."
(great sexual inuendo there!)

and

"as i've always said
i prefer your lips red.
not what the good lord made,
but what he intended"
(a joke and a slam at religion at the same time. brilliant!)
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Re: does humor belong to music

Post by PublicImage »

I hope that Several Species' of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict is humourous.