The Song in a DJ's Heart

I don't lay claim to much, and I'm not one of those guys who brags about doing, seeing, hearing, or smoking something way before it got trendy and all the kids in Brooklyn started doing it, but I'm also a big enough guy to stand up and take the blame for something bad that I've done. Like the time I accidentally burned down that puppy sanctuary. I'm still losing sleep over that one.

A more recent case in point: You know how Kenny G has been starting his Wednesday show by singing a few songs karaoke style? Ummm.... that's kinda my fault. He started doing that after I organized a WFMU night out at a Chinatown karaoke bar last year. If memory serves, this particular evening was a going-back-to-England party for Vicki Bennett, and featured brilliant performances from Monica ("Never Been to Me"), Pseu Braun (some Queen song with a lot of "la la la"'s in it) and Ken ("We Are the World"). Actually, Ken was up on the stage 3 or 4 times that night. Total karaoke whore, that guy is. Those flaming shots obviously go right to his head. Anyhow, everybody's performance was out-of-the-ballpark stellar and earned the appreciation of the other patrons as well as a drunk dwarf sitting on the side of the stage, who pumped his fist with approval after each DJ's performance.

Except when Kenny G sang.

Kenny had never sung karaoke before that evening and I'm sure he wouldn't mind me telling you that he rather plainly sucked at it. (Certainly not the fault of the song he picked, which was "Hava Nagilah" -- a cornerstone of the entire karaoke phenom.) However, I think that evening is what planted the seed in his head that lead to catastrophic on-air events such as this: (Right click to download AVI file of Kenny and Irwin singing karaoke on the air last Wednesday.)

It is for this and at least 51 other Wednesday afternoons that I offer my most sincere and humble apologies for.

This all got me thinking about other instances of DJs singing on the airwaves of WFMU. (You know, lest you think Kenny and Irwin have the market entirely cornered...) Now for the purpose of this blog post, I am purposefully excluding the extravagant cavalcade of singing DJs that's facilitated by the Hoof n' Mouth Sinfonia at the conclusion of our annual fundraising marathon each year, and scheduled to occur once again on March 20th at 7 PM. That's a whole 'nother blog post for a different day.

What follows here are just a few shining examples of WFMU DJs spontaneously bursting into song while behind the mic, in the midst of their shows. It is by no means a complete list, and if you know of other instances and can supply me with specific archives and approximate start times, feel free to send 'em along and I'll add them to the permanent record.

Tom Scharpling sings Elton John

Ken Freedman sings "Begin the Beguine"

Pseu Braun, Scott Williams, Mike Lupica, Megan Murphy, Vicki Bennett, Maria, and Marty the Dog sing "Annie's Song"

Charlie Lewis sings "Goin Out of my Head"

Nachum Segal wraps up the 2003 JM in the AM Marathon

All sound clips will open with Real Player.

And as stated, since we are currently in the midst of the WFMU Fundraising Marathon, which is traditionally the time of year when the most DJ-soul-baring takes place, I would expect a lot more spontaneous croonings, incantations, and tuneful squakings in the coming days. And make sure you tune back in on the 20th to hear how alcohol coupled with extreme fundraising exhaustion affects our collective perception of good taste. With a live karaoke band taking center stage.

Comments

[jeff]

peak genre moment - ken freedman sings 'echo chamber'

[Listener James from Westwood]

I seem to recall Ken and Kenny singing the in-house DJ guidelines for how to do Marathon shows one year, but it must have been before archiving. I believe Tom S. has also sung along to an Aimee Mann tune, possibly from the Magnolia soundtrack, when his will to live has diminished due to successive crappy phonecalls ... possibly not as spontaneous as the other listed examples.

Last, during a decade-ago Stupid Bowl, all participants in the studio, including Mister Chin on the phone, joined in an improptu Queen-inspired chorus of "We Are the Tampons."

All of which is to say that either I am stuffed to the gunwales with FMU ephemera, or I have listened for way too long and my mind now has enough raw material to craft plausible DJ interactions on its own.

[Lipwak]

I have 3 recordings of Gaylord and Dave the Spazz singing during the 1997 marathon up on my Yahoo briefcase (http://f1.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/lipwak) as mp3s.

The first (GandDTS#1 1) is Don't You Just Know It.
The second (GandDTS#1 2) is Shortnin' Bread sung over the record.
The third (GandDTS#2) is Shortnin' Bread sung a cappella.

Fine stuff.

Cheers,

Lipwak

[Doris in Rego Park]

yes, i loved the aimee mann sing along.

and thanks for the nachum, mike!

[Little Danny]

Oh whoa that is an intense version of "Goin' Out of My Head".

[Bill Mac]

Excellent! I'm finally getting it now. The moral of the story is that we're not supposed to be afraid! to not be afraid of sucking sometimes! to be bad at something and to be proud of it! I useta be that way, now I'm more careful, and I shouldn't be. I'm gonna suck too!!! Badly!!!! Bless you!

[sighmoan]

Surely you can find something featuring Tod-O-Phonic Todd -- that boy is a singin', screechin' maniac.

[Henry Lowengard]

Ken sang Baby Elephant Walk on Incorrect Music on Jan 19, 2000...
that recording is kicking around somewhere.

[kennygLover]

damn that KennyG is hot stuff....i'd pay to liplock that one....