Wyatting

Posted over 2 years ago

Artist:
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Robert Wyatt

While reading a Uncut (Oct. 1006) tonight, I ran across a new term, "wyatting". Wyatting is the act of purposely playing an annoying song on a jukebox as a prank. The term is credited as being coined by London blogger Carl Neville and is a reference to Robert Wyatt's 1991 jazz LP, Dondestan. Evidently not a very audibly pleasing album (at least to Carl). I didn't realize there was a word for this but am guilty of the act. Once involving me playing 4 Neil Diamond songs in a row at a place I was only briefly at to pick up a pizza. It was only after I had picked my songs that I realized there were a couple versoins of Happy Birthday on the jukebox. I left disappointed in the knowledge that hearing Happy Birthday 4 times would have been more annoying/funny. Given the proliferation of the mp3 jukebox, this should only become easier in the future. Suggestions given by the article: "You Made Me Realise" by My Bloody Valentine, "Frankie Teardrop" by Suicide, "Chant" by PiL, "Voices" by Siouxsie and the Banshees, and "A Treatise On Cosmic Fire" by Todd Rundgren (evidently an epic 36 minutes).

Comments (8)

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Dale says Ouch! I would choose to listen to the first four songs!

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
Anonymous says Robert Wyatt is marvelous. He's just not very "pop". The pimply teen at the malt shop is gonna _hate_ you if you cue up _that_ on the box while he's concentrating on the logistics a' gettin' Monica Montella, who's wearin' somethin' _extra_ low cut tonight, to bend over for somethin' (dropped three forks and a napkin so far. Girl just _leaves_ 'em there!!) I like how in "Frankie Teardrop" when Alan Vega screams, it sounds just like a *Mel Blanc* voice. I think my memory's ear is referencing the cartoon where an airplane plummets earthward while its occupants (Bugs? Daffy? Elmer?) scream their heads off (The gag's pay-off is that the plane runs out of gas, and stops _dead_, 2 feet from the ground). Some will tell you "Frankie Teardrop" is an ice-cold waking nightmare. Don't believe it. It's hilarious. Completely hilarious. "bugs bunny: 50 year in 3 1/2 minutes" FRANKIE TEARDROP Frankie teardrop Twenty year old Frankie He's married he's got a kid And he's working in a factory He's working from seven to five He's just trying to survive well lets hear it for Frankie Frankie Frankie Well Frankie cant make it Coz things are just too hard Frankie cant make neough money Frankie cant buy enough food And Frankie's getting evicted Oh let's hear it for Frankie Oh Frankie Frankie Oh Frankie Frankie Frankie is so desperate He's gonna kill his wife and kids Frankie's gonna kill his kid Frankie picked up a gun Pointed at the six month old in the crib Oh Frankie (scream) Frankie looked at his wife Shot her (screams) "Oh what have I done?" Let's hear it for Frankie Frankie teardrop Frankie put the gun to his head (screams) Frankie's dead (screams) Frankie's lying in hell (screams) We're all Frankies We're all lying in hell (screams)

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
Anonymous says A WARNING (belated): IF YOU WATCH THE BUGS BUNNY VIDEO (above), YOU WILL CATCH A BRIEF GLIMPSE OF THE *BRUTALLY UNFUNNY* WHOOPI GOLDBERG. I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR ANY MENTAL ANGUISH THIS MIGHT CAUSE.

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
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Anna says Oh, nice post, Mike. Dale, har har har We don't have jukeboxes in stores & bars here. However, me & my party came up with a similar game, the purpose of which is to annoy the heck out of each other. When we are riding in a car, we switch the radio station channels. Once a terrible song comes up, one of us says "stop" & we have to listen to it till the end. Each person gets to say "stop" once in each round & there is also a veto thing, on which everyone has to agree in order for it to count. And we play till our ears bleed :) And I have no idea how to prounounce "Wyatting".

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
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Zeroskilz says Oh Fedge, WG?! Luckily the whole Bugs Bunny thing was a big enough trip down memory lane to make me forget it. I am tempted to delete the big obnoxious pic of her though. :) Monica Montella, the assistant account from X2? I love her work. And, of course, you know who Frankie Teardrop is. I'm playing it now and it is annoying me. Nice game Anna. This might be why I always choose to drive though. It's my music and my veto vote is the only one that counts. Although I did swich off Sigur Ros once to end the harassing calls of "elevator music." And, I'm guessing it is pronounced like this: WHY-et-ting.

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
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Rawkkiddoh says Zero, we used to do this at a jukebox at my favorite bar back in college. Some one had put Golden Smog into the mix becuase of their alt-country hit Red Headed Step Child. There is a song on that cd which was one of my favorites at the time called He's A Dick. No one in the bar felt the same way about it, mostly because no one really knew who Golden Smog was. Right when everyone was in their full party mood, I would put it on. The bartended would usually unplug the jukebox because of it, and it just made our night that much better.

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
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Zeroskilz says That's great Rawk. It cracks me up that the bartender would actually unplug the jukebox.

Permalink posted 01/14/2007
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chucky says I haven't been in a place with a jukebox in way too long. But, I am definitely doing this next time I see one. heh.

Permalink posted 01/14/2007