|
: : home : : reviews : : days gone by : : litmag : : who? : : neighbors : : contact |
|
21 may 2001 |
def shrimp records presents... A few years ago, walked into one of Winston-Salem's performance venues for a most unexpected treat. Before you get the poop on him, however, you must first know a bit of history. That is, I would be an Weird Al Yankovic fan. Yeah, yeah, geekwad extraordinaire. Be quiet. I like parody, if it's clever. Whenever I can catch the Dr. Demento show on my travels, I'm about the happiest girl on the road. Pop music is at its best when it's in the hands of Weird Al. Or, in North Carolina, Larry Weaver. Larry is an unassuming Carolinian who began his comedy career with UNC's Selected Hilarity. Now, with little more than an acoustic guitar and a suitcase filled with assorted wigs and cover-ups, he loosely assumes the characters of his most unusual songs. That, and a strange affinity for Coolio. Larry raps...sort of. He also has a song entitled Little Debbie . As in snack cakes. What's not to like? So what makes Larry's work the good kind of funny? Well, for one he's smart. He cleverly walks the line of political incorrectness, but not to the point where you're wincing for the guy. He's not angry, not a drunken idiot, and you don't get the impression that he's trying too hard in his performances. His laid-back deameanor and confidence in what he does is evident. Not only that, Larry is obviously one of the hardest-working performance artists I've ever witnessed. Check out his schedule at the Larry Weaver website . He sends out demos to DJs who support musical comedy. He keeps his fans up to date, and encourages them to write to stations that may play his songs. Larry has even opened for Weird Al during his 2000 tour. Having spent my share of time around one too many whiny artists who think they're owed "hitting it big", Larry serves as a good example to any working artist. The operative word? Work . If you visit his site (or see him live), you really ought to pick up the new CD, Everybody's Crazy but Me . There are some snippets on the site for you to check out. My personal favorites are Grandpa's Gone Gangsta (by Lay Z), and Am I Rebel (by the Lymph Nodes, UK). If you happen to live in a mobile home, you'll appreciate Trailer Ghost Exterminators After all, living in a trailer does "attract hurricanes, tornados, and the cast of the TV show Cops ". And thus, it would inspire a Weaver tune. Too much imaginative spare time on his hands? Probably, but it's all for good. If you're just not in the mood for another pop warble, crank up some Larry. It will make you giggle. It will also make you check your grandparents' bed for hydraulic hoopdee tricks. Word.
Larry Weaver |