So, The Blues Brother - novelty act or vanity project?

Or are the two not mutually exclusive? In any case, I'm tempted to say novelty act, but apart from "Rubber Biscuit" the songs themselves were done pretty straight.

Also, where does Buster Pointdexter fit in?

Or Spinal Tap?

Blues Brothers - Vanity project, though "Rubber Biscuits" is totally a novelty song.

Spinal Tap - awesome novelty.

Buster Poindester - novelty. NSM the songs as the character.

The New York Dolls (my favorite band ever!) were unfairly dismissed as a novelty band by many critics and hippies. The twat on the Old Grey Whistle Test (UK music show) introduced them as "Mock Rock."

Gerard Way's video interview with Spin after his magazine interview with Spin.

Favorite quote so far: "I didn't shower a lot back then. I used to drink a lot back then."

So what does a band have to do to be pegged with the "Novelty band" label? Just one novelty song? One popular novelty song?

I'd vote for a number of novelty songs, certainly for acts in the pre-rock era. A lot of the big bands -- dare I say most of them -- recorded at least some novelty songs. But, for example, I wouldn't call Tommy Dorsey's band a novelty band because of "The Music Goes Round and Round."

I think Moxy Frouvous, the Roches and Barenaked Ladies all straddle the novelty band thing, but I think it's mainly because they don't cover the usual suspects in their music, i.e., love and heartache. I mean, one can argue that the Barenaked Ladies' best love song is about alcohol.

but it does parody the immediate pre-grunge era top 40 music video style effectively.

Really effectively.

Favorite quote so far: "I didn't shower a lot back then. I used to drink a lot back then."

I don't think he showers a lot NOW. Well, certainly no water touches that hair.

Well, as he tells us, he doesn't like people putting water on him. That must include himself.

itunes says that Joan Baez is country.

Huh.

Well, Bob Dylan is a little bit Rock and Roll.

Hee.