(If you want to go directly to the MP3 files, jump, you sucker.)
Every year scores of people are severely injured or even killed in household accidents, making an eventual all-out war on architects, household appliance manufacturers, and interior designers virtually unavoidable. However, until then we have to stay vigilant, so the Office for Domestic Preparedness has urged WFMU to post some educational audio to increase the domestic preparedness level of the American public. Domestic Preparedness has always been one of the prime objectives of WFMU, so we are more than happy to comply with this request.
In 1999, the now defunct Superpickle Music Arts label released a compilation called 'Til Someone Loses An Eye, featuring 24 songs and 28 safety tips by 29 different bands and individuals. The safety tips are 30 second long Public Service Announcements, and running this CD in shuffle mode beats most college radio stations by a long shot, both musically and in terms of useful content.
Unfortunately, this magnificent compilation is out of print, and it is hard to find information or more music of most of the bands featured on it, but here is the whole album in MP3 format. As a bonus, you get a cover version of a song by Queen and a crash course in elementary logic.
Mailbox - My Uncle And The Goons | GST Mugwump - The Rubber Policeman | Wendy - No Swimming | Jay's Booming Hat - The Job Song | Them Ickies - I Used To Have Fun But Now I Have You | Archbishop Jason Polland - Pumpernickel Pie | Joe And The Chicken Heads - Poopsickle | Mailbox - Bugs | Mailbox - What Is Lissa Walking? | Jay's Booming Hat - Big Ass Truck | Jay's Booming Hat - Driving Man | Mailbox - The San Antonio - West Virginia Energy Malaprop Incident | Hot Cinnamon Roll - Next Stop...My Dick | Wendy - Where We Were Going | The Von Steins - Girls Get Crazy | Joe And The Chicken Heads - Sheez Bawl | Archbishop Jason Polland - Cud | GST Mugwump - I Wanna Be A Plastic Lawn Flamingo | Duncan Disorderly - Another One Bites The Dust | Gazillion - Logic Song | Mailbox - The Piano That Jack Filled (Part 1) | Mailbox - Idle Hands (He Was Bored) | Hence The Name - Fez Dispenser | NSPS - The Last Cookie
Public Service Announcements (Tracks 25-52)
Joe And The Chicken Heads - Look Both Ways Before Crossing The Street | Slurp Deluxe - Stop, Drop, & Roll | GST Mugwump - Don't Stop On The Railroad Tracks | Mailbox - Keep Sharp Objects Away From Children | Duncan Disorderly - Don't Play With Matches | Them Ickies - Don't Sit So Close To The Television | Archbishop Jason Polland - Don't Drink And Drive | Frozen Inertia - When Using A Chainsaw | Hence The Name - The Stuff In The Medicine Cabinet Is Not Candy | Wendy - Don't Do Swimming For At Least An Hour After Eating | Mental Conspiracy - Wear Your Bike Helmet | Field Trip - Don't Run On The Side Of The Pool | The Banters - Learn The Heimlich Maneuver | Chris Combs - Smoke Detector | Jay's Booming Hat - Don't Walk Alone Late At Night Without A Pal | Ersatz Glow - Don't Pet Wild Animals | High Fructose Corn Syrup - Running With Scissors (The Sharp Part) | Bereft - Don't Put Metal In The Microwave | Gazillion - Never Play Baseball With A Hornet's Nest | Jason Irvin's Vehicle - Lift With Your Knees (Not Your Back) | Raymond & Scum - Don't Talk To Strangers | The Fisticuffs - Don't Play In Old Refrigerators | NSPS - Always Wear Bright Clothing When Walking At Night | Brad Anders - Don't Paint Your Bike In The Garage | The Von Steins - Get A Rabies Shot | Hot Waffles - Buckle Your Seatbelt | Poingly - Don't Play With Guns | Johnny Romania - Don't Inhale Noxious Fumes
Now stop procrastinating, get domestically prepared, and learn the Heimlich Maneuver, otherwise it could be too late.
More info on bands:
Mailbox / Groundhog Day / Hot Cinnamon Roll:
http://www.imadeitup.com/
Them Ickies (Mickey's Ickies / Mickey Zetts):
http://www.mickeyzetts.com/
Joe & The Chicken Heads:
http://www.radioactivechickenheads.com/
And of course I am at:
http://www.planga-la.com/
I should be able to link to others, but I can't think of the URLs off the top of my head.
Thank you WMFU, for teaching us how to love. Again. Oh, and for recalling this long-lost gem.
Posted by: Chris Combs | July 19, 2006 at 01:59 PM
How odd it is to be mentioned in a post on WFMU. Perhaps even odder to be cited as hard to find more music for...well, maybe they are talking about the other bands (many of whom I miss dearly). Hmm...seriously, I am in NYC, playing a show on Thursday; heck, I've even contacted FMU on occasion.
Love,
Poingly
www.poingly.com
Posted by: Poingly | July 19, 2006 at 03:10 PM
Hey, I remember this. I'm "High Fructose Corn Syrup" and I made my college radio staion play the disk to death. I now record under the name Father Bingo if anyone's looking.
Posted by: Mike Lebovitz | July 20, 2006 at 03:23 PM
Wow, it's really cool to see all the ol' Superpickle folks resurfacing, and even cooler to be mentioned on 'FMU. Woohoooo!
Andrew Durkin is now the leader/tunesmith for the unbearably kick-ass Industrial Jazz Group based in L.A., and I sing with them when the stars align. To find them and their Zappa-esque magic: http://www.uglyrug.com and
http://www.myspace.com/industrialjazzgroup
(Long live WFMU. Radioactive Theater circa 1994, we haven't forgotten thee.)
Posted by: Jill Knapp (from Jay's Booming Hat) | July 21, 2006 at 05:07 PM
Whoa! Hence the Name on WFMU! That's awesome. This PSA collection was lots of fun to do, and even if we only saved one life, it was still completely worth it.
We're still technically around, though our second album's been more than 6 years in the making. Our music's not hard to find: www.hencethename.com always cheap as free.
Posted by: Ken | July 31, 2006 at 11:33 PM
I am glad folks are still talking about this CD. I just found out that our safety tip 'stop drop and roll' has been added to the playlist at KPFT in Houston. Maybe this is a chance to get our music out to more people...we are still going strong at www.slurpdeluxe.com
Snide
Posted by: Snide | October 05, 2006 at 08:17 PM
Archbishop Jason Polland and GST Mugwump can be found at:
http://www.TheNourishment.com/
The Nourishment also featured Andrew Durkin of Jay's Booming Hat in the Year 2000.
Posted by: Phil Lawrence | January 21, 2007 at 11:26 PM
And also, B.C. Sterrett of Field Trip is a Nourishment member. And Aaron Cohen (roadie for the Chickenheads) played drums for the Nourishment from 2000-2002. And during the summer of 2006, Jeremy Matthews of NSPS toured with The Nourishment.
This CD has Nourishment all over it!
Posted by: Phil Lawrence | January 21, 2007 at 11:28 PM