Smells Like Meme Spirit

Okay, so this entry has at least one foot in the "cheap and easy entry" category, but seeing as my more legitimate posting seems to have fallen behind somewhat over recent weeks this seems like a good entry to put together to get myself back into a blog writing mindset.

With two of my more eclectic musical interests being mash ups and cover versions, it's hard not to notice which musicians and songs occur again and again in both of these fields. For example, in the world of mash ups, the acapella version of Eminem's Without Me has been used so much that it's now become almost unusable (the fact that it seems to fit over almost any other song has also put off those who wish to produce something that will be seen as skilled and credible). Without Me is an extreme example; there are other songs and artists that crop up again and again in both cover versions and mash ups that always sound fresh and original, or at least demonstrate the craft that went into the original version. And the song that comes to my mind as a prime example of this before any other is Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Smells Like Teen Spirit is a song that is ingrained into the zeitgeist of the mid-1990s. Whether you love the song, loathe it, or couldn't be more indifferent, it's hard not to see it as part of the soundtrack of (at the very least Western) culture and society of the time when it was released. And it endures, and has endured, through its Louie Louie inspired guitar riff, Kurt Cobain's indecipherable lyrics and the general aura that it seems to ignite around it. Even the music video has become a cultural reference point. Smells Like Teen Spirit has become a musical meme.

So, here's some of my favourite versions of the song, both mash ups and covers. Neither definitive nor exhaustive, and almost certainly incomplete, as I doubt very much that SLTS is likely to go away any time soon.

1. Dsico That No-Talent Hack's cover version

2. DJ Lobsterdust - NirGaga (mashed with Pokerface by Lady Gaga)

3. 2 Many DJ's - Smells Like Booty (mashed with Bootylicious by Destiny's Child)

Click, hear

4. The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain's cover version

5. The Moog Cookbook's cover version

6. Paul Anka's cover version

7. Weird Al Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana

see el eye see kay

8. Patti Smith's cover version

9. The Flying Pickets' cover version

10. And finally, more for comedy value than musical excellence, this is teh fuhnehz

So yeah, enjoy. And if anyone knows any other decent versions/mashes of SLTS, let me know.

They did the mash

This blog post comes in two parts. Firstly, my reflections on Telf's state of the blogathon address. Essentially, I pretty much feel the same as him. At times I have something that I've decided upon to write about here, but that generally takes me a couple of evenings to properly put together. At other times, I've found myself racking my brains for a topic both interesting enough and that will provide enough material for me to write about. Like Telf, I've used news stories as starting points on several occasions, but usually dismiss them after realising my entry will simply be a rehash of what is already there and add nothing worthwhile or original. My personal goal for the blogathon was to pass one month's worth of daily blogging, and as I'm close to achieving that I hope that I will succeed in that goal. Past that I will just see where things take me. The purpose of this blogathon was to regenerate interest and inspiration in those who read and contribute, and surveying what's been achieved since the start of October so far, I would say that that's been done. When daily blogging becomes a chore rather than a challenge, that is when I'll throw in the towel. But I'll stop knowing that my efforts have been worthwhile and with a fresh view to blogging a lot more regularly, even if not every single day.

Part 2 of this blog is slightly more of a cop out, but does relate to something that I've been interested in for a while. I've mentioned here my passion for the mash-up quasi-genre of music, and have demonstrated some of my favourites in the past. There are those DJs who take the idea of mash-ups one further, and mash not just music but people. Cassetteboy is probably the most prolific and proficient in this field. He has released several albums of material that bastardises everything from Jeremy Clarkson to the Harry Potter audiobooks. Most of it is hilarious, but also demonstrates a keen ability to manipulate sound, particularly speech.

Recently, Cassetteboy's efforts have moved into the realms of visual mash-up as well as audio. Here's two of the best, firstly one with a contemporary political flavour:



And secondly, some focusing on middle class reality TV:



I think the second one is a particular comic joy, and very well put together. Enjoy.