Fear No Funny

Rebate, bait your hook, hook the fish, fish the lake.
Read a map, map the trail, spare me all the details.

You get the point. Olde Foz’s old friend ϑ (Steve Revare) wrote this fascinating couplet some years ago, and included it Bobby and the Chuxx’s Ramblin Man Revisited (Lunchmeat of the Gods, 1983), the sequel to the classic Ramblin Man Song (Bobby’s Back, 1983). That Steve’s old man talking rap is not included in most accounts of the early years of the Hip Hop movement is simply an indication of the short sightedness of the drug-addled world of music journalism. Taken together, Ramblin Man Song and Ramblin Man Revisited are two of the finest works in the Chuxxian Canon.

Don’t be surprised if you see FtH take on one or the other of Steve’s great nonsense talk songs. Nonsense is one of the finest forms of comedy, and Your Pals in FtH fear no funny.

Tomorrow the band will come together again at Cole’s to begin arranging the next recording. It’s June, and as I said the other day, that means the Christmas songs need work.

In the meantime, keep buying up those songs off the Gin-Soaked Yankee page. This is the best way to enjoy Foz the Hook, and have the great pride that comes with giving us some money.

Ramblin' Man Re-revisited

I don't know this lady or this band, but I assume the best. They are called Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, and they are pictured here because when one Googles "Ramblin' Man" this image comes up on the first page, and is far superior to any photo ever made of the Allman Brothers.

Which brings us to the point of today's discussion. Repeat after me:

"Rebate, bait your hook, hook the fish, fish the lake.

Read a map, map a trail, spare me all the details.

Thumb a ride, ride a train, train the boy, convoy.

Bug spray, spray your shoe, shoe the horse, force the horse."

These are the opening lines to the magnificent Schwa rap sequel to The Ramblin Man Song, Ramblin Man Revisited (circa 1984?). If these phrases don't make sense to you, please refer to the history of Bobby and the Chuxx which can be found under the Allied Artists link to the left.

Nevertheless these Steve Revare-penned masterpieces need to be heard to be appreciated, and you can't hear them because they don't exist on any Internet platform. You'll just have to either A - take my word for it, or B - come and see Foz the Hook at Cole's last Wednesday night using your IPhone's "Go Back in Time" app.

Holy Thing! What a great set that was! Man, oh, man were your buddies rockin. We opened the show with a fine little bit where Dan and Patrick vamped Somebody Write Some Music while Foz, dressed as a stevedore, came up on stage with a whiskey bottle in a brown paper bag. He took a long pull, looked at the audience, and launched into the first stanza of Ramblin Man Revisited, which segued right into Somebody. The result was just right. Lots of laughs, and a hot room for the rest of the set.

Adam Burke hosted the show, and the comics kept it going long after your pal staggered out into the cold, pursued by Coleman Brice with the hat I left behind.

When you forget your hat, that means you had fun.

Till next time, ladies, I am your most obedient servant,

FtH

Scratch

Yesterday Foz and Dan sat down with a bunch of tracks that Foz recorded last year with Schwa from Bobby and the Chuxx (Steve Revare).

When put together in Logic the tracks added up to a scratch version of Nasty Snowman. After working on it for the afternoon Dan came up with a nasty bass part, which we got recorded. We then replaced the scratch vocal with a real vocal, and Dan added some nasty sounding overdrive. Finally, we put in the backing vocal track, and presto, we had a good portion of the first FtH recording. We will get Patrick in as soon as possible to lay down real drums to replace the scratch drums. Some time thereafter it will be presentable.

In the meantime, those who wish to hear Foz the Hook must see Foz the Hook, and that will happen next Monday night, January 4 at 9:00, at Cole's Bar in Chicago, 2338 N. Milwaukee.