Ever do something so audacious that even you don't believe it? Well let me tell you the story of how I wound up writing a song with Bill Griffith, the creator and comic artist/genius behind the great Zippy the Pinhead.
I have been a fan of Zippy since the 1980s, when the strip ran in the UCLA student newspaper. I had read a couple of long-form works featuring him before but it was the daily strips that I fell in love with. The absurdity of the humor, the skewed social commentary, the homages to old cartoons and television. I liked that a comic strip knew all the same Marx Brothers quotes that I did.
For a very long time Bill Griffith was notoriously anti-internet technology. He had no website, didn't use e-mail, and made fun of how fast social media was climbing in his strip. The only times you would run into his work on the internet was his syndicated strip and weird sites - like the one I ran into that generated random Zippy quotes.
This site was great. I began to realize that this random Zippy quote generator was like watching David Bowie write lyrics, then jumble them up. So I picked a few at random and turned them into a song.
And that should have been the end of it.
I never considered even recording it. How would I get permission? He has had issues with people stealing his work and taking credit for things he wrote before too, so no way in hell was I going to do this without permission. The line "Are we having fun yet?" is HIS.
And then zippythepinhead.com appeared, complete with a store and contact information. So what the hell!
The following is some of the e-mail conversation we had over the course of a couple of months:
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Chris-
Thanks for asking---sounds intriguing .I have no problem in principle with you quoting lines from my strips, as long as credit is given. But before you go ahead, how about this---send me the lyrics, as text in an email. And an MP3 of the song, if you have one. Then I'll read/listen and consider permission then----
-Bill Griffith
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Mr. Griffith:
Thank you for replying so quickly. You replied so fast in fact that I wasn't ready for you. I have the lyrics assembled below, but the song is only a very rough mix. I haven't recorded the vocals because I wanted your permission first - because if you said no I would have to write something else. As a general rule I prefer to write my own lyrics, but this idea (using your words) just fit and every once and a while someone who does what I do needs to remind themselves that we got into this line of work because it was fun. You can listen to the song itself by going to:
http://www.animeraiders.com/griffy.htm - it should play automatically once the web page loads. If not please let me know. (This link no longer works, but the song is in the video above)
I have no idea if you will like the music, and I'm actually guessing it's not your taste based upon the occasional musical references in the strip. If I could sing like a member of the Manhattan Transfer I would be doing that, but I'm not quite that talented (vocally). That said, I'm not one to confuse your characters with you yourself so I'm retaining some optimism. The lyrics will be sung in complete earnest (no funny voices - although there may be some musical grimacing) over the rock chords, while the sections that sound like The Ventures having a nightmare will be left instrumental. In other words, no chorus. I am also planning an instrumental introduction that I haven't written in yet to be a prelude to the song itself.
I may cut the line referencing Phil Silvers - It's kind of forced coming from me as I was always more of a Grouch Marx fan (hail, hail Freedonia). I haven't yet decided. Anyway, the lyrics:
A shapely Catholic Schoolgirl is fidgeting inside my costume...
My pants just went to high school in the Carlsbad Caverns!!!
The Highway is made out of Lime Jello and my Honda is a barbequeued Oyster!
I always have fun because I'm out of my mind!!
They collapsed... like nuns on the street... they had no teen appeal!
Jesus is my Postmaster General...
I want another re-write on my Caesar Salad!!
I'd like my data-base Julienned and stir-fried!
A can of asparagus, 73 pigeons, some live ammo, and a frozen daiquiri!!!
Hold the Mayo & pass the cosmic awareness...
I'm going home to write the "I Hate Rubik's Cube Handbook for Dead Cat Lovers"...
I wish I was on a Cincinnati street corner holding a clean dog!
(solos)
I hope something good came in the mail today so I have a Reason to live!!
I'd love some Junk Food... and then I want to be alone...
Look into my eyes and try to forget that you have a Macy's charge card!
Uh-oh!! I'm having too much fun!!
I request a weekend in Havana with Phil Silvers!
-Lyrics by Bill Griffith and Zippy, Used with permission of Bill Griffith, © 2008
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Chris-
Lyrics look good--I have no problem with you using them, as long as you give credit to me and Zippy (and include a "Used with permission of Bill Griffith, © 2008") somewhere on anything you create (CD, DVD, case for either, etc.).
Send me a finished product!
-Bill Griffith
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Mr. Griffith:
The album will be coming out on September 23. It will be available in electronic form from a number of sources (itunes, amazon, rhapsody). I want to be sure you get a copy, so I want to send you a certificate for a free download of the entire album. How would you like to receive it?
<<here is a paragraph about royalties and how they will be accounted for. I'm not sharing that part but I assure you that Bill gets his fair share>>
Finally, to be sure that your fans have exposure to the song, is there any format for free listening/downloading that you prefer? Any restrictions? I am not going to promote the song at all without your permission, but at the same time, other persons who have written songs about Zippy or featuring your words have links from your site and I'd love to give the same exposure. So is there any way you would prefer this to happen?
Thanks!
-Chris Reed
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Chris-
I'll leave the technical stuff up to you---but if you send me an MP3 file of the song, I'll be able to listen to it and post it on the Zippy website, if you like.
-Bill G.
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The album was released, and then I sent him a download link for a free copy of the whole album. The following two e-mails came back to back:
Chris-
Thanks--can you remind me which song on the album includes the Zippy lyrics? I just downloaded it...
-Bill Griffith
Yes, I figured it out (and I read the liner notes)---thanks---great stuff. I played it so loud, the space-time continuum was temporarliy reversed. I hope that was OK.
-Zippy
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For a while the song was on his website, then the site was redesigned and it disappeared from the site. I've never received so much as a dime for the song, but there is one more part of the story...
Dr. Demento:
We released an album last year that features a song with lyrics by Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead. The song, called "Throwing Three Rocks", is actually a random series of quoted lines from the comic strip itself, which Mr. Griffith himself signed off on.
Would you be interested in hearing it?
I feel like a bit of a idiot - I've listened to your show since the early 1980s but it wasn't until my son brought it up that I even thought about submitting the song to your show. I guess I just don't consider myself all that funny.
I've always concentrated on my more serious music, but perhaps this song would make the cut on your show. The album is commercially available at all of the usual websites, but I'll send you a copy directly.
Thanks.
-Chris Reed
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Chris - I'd be very happy to check that out. You can send a CD to me at (address redacted) and/or send an mp3 of that song to this address. I'll watch for it!
Best - Dr Demento
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And that's how one of my songs wound up on the Dr. Demento show. Dr. D is my Postmaster General.
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As for the song itself, it was a lot of fun to do, with crazy sound effects, a pretty wicked guitar solo and keyboard solo, and those instrumental parts that sound like The Ventures having a nightmare.
Oh and by the way, here is Radio Free California Episode 2048. An eclectic mix this week from stalwarts like Steve Lukather and Todd Rundgren to new music from Band-Maid, Half Japanese, Greta Van Fleet, Bleachers (with Bruce Springsteen), the live album Deafhaven had planned before the Pandemic, a couple of trips into the sounds of the 80's and more! Enjoy!
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