P.D.Q.

[primsong]

I don't know what it was that got me thinking about it again, but yesterday P.D.Q. Bach came to mind. I used to have some of his "A Little Nightmare Music" and others on a scratchy tape in college and adored it. Wandered over to Amazon to see what he was up to and stumbled into a treasure trove of PDQ-ness - I wanted them ALL... Ended up ordering the big collected set as my birthday/Christmas present to myself, and used my daughter's gift certificate for Amazon to pay for part of it as she wants to hear it too and says it can be 'from her to me' that way to help us both rationalize it. We were singing a couple of the 'ground rounds' together as we typed it all in. "Jaaaaane...my Jane....you are my queeeeen...." *snicker*

I love classical music, but not in the intense scholarly way - I can only make wild guesses at the names of composers and pieces when I hear them - but that quirk in my humor makes me gravitate to Prof. Schikele and his great parodies. Probably the same quirk that makes me love Weird Al and Dr. Demento. Can't wait for it to get here now, even though I will be *strong* (strong! strong!) and wrap it in giftwrap to save for Christmas anyway.

Comments

[the-tinidril.livejournal.com]

PDQ Bach ?? Ok, I confess my ignorance... is it anything like "Switched On Bach"? (my mom had an 8-track tape of Bach done on a Moog synthesizer)

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Nothing at all like Switched on Bach - this is the alter ego of Professor Schikele, a North Dakota music prof who is a genius at comedic parody on classical works, supposedly written by the "forgotten last son" of J.S. Bach, a black sheep of his family. He employs unusual instruments with his symphonic works, like fog horn, bicycle and balloons. If you know classical at all it is rife with musical in-jokes and humor but also excellent compositions. If you can get one, "the Wurst of PDQ Bach" might be a good introduction - I don't think you'd regret it. :-)