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It’s [adjective + male name] versus [adjective + male name] on this episode of MinnTrax! Mike Drucker (Nintendo, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Saturday Night Live, Bill Nye Saves the World) brings the first cassette he ever bought, Weird Al Yankovic’s “Bad Hair Day,” to Matt’s door. Matt returns the favor with Steely Dan’s “The Royal Scam,” which Matt calls “the most ‘Steely Dan’ Steely Dan record.” Both artists are hugely influential in their fields, and their skills go far beyond schtick – but what do our host and guest think of their assignments? Then we address some great questions from our community on songs that used to annoy us that we now love, if “Amish Paradise” is inappropriate, and whether or not Weird Al should be in the hall of fame. Stick around for our community song pick, which turned Mike into an instant fan!

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below…

2:40 - Weird Al’s “Bad Hair Day”

4:00 - Why Mike connected with Weird Al as a kid

9:15 - How Weird Al’s parodies have aged

14:15 - How Weird Al’s understanding of music affects his songwriting

19:40 - Discussing Weird Al’s original music

25:10 - Weird Al and polka

28:30 - Discovering mainstream music through Weird Al parodies

31:30 - Looking for the “funny” in non-comedy music

35:25 - Steely Dan’s “The Royal Scam”

37:45 - What doesn’t work for Mike about Steely Dan

38:30 - What’s the funniest song on “The Royal Scam”?

46:40 - Weird Al and Steely Dan’s shared musicianship

55:45 - Community questions

1:09:55 - Community song (“Back Pocket” by Vulfpeck, suggested by Joe Robert)

Links

Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDrucker

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

MinnTrax Episode Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2vgqfvK

MinnTrax Community Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox (edited)