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.

I just sent a bunch of stuff to buffistarawk.

Just a variety of songs I've ganked recently that I think are particularly cool.

"Is That All There Is?" - Cristina. This is the famous Peggy Lee song, but this is a manic, loopy late 70s/early 80s NYC version. Siouxsie used to play this before her concerts. It's funny and cool.

"Biting My Nails" - Geneviève Waïte. This song was covered in the 80s by Renegade Soundwave, but was written by John Phillips' second wife (after Michelle). She's the mother of Bijou Phillips. She has a curious girlish voice and a South African accent and this is fascinating, slightly decadent early 70s pop. She also covered "Femme Fatale" and has an excellent song about Pink Gin.

"Black Betty" by Ram Jam. Just one of the great early 70s riffs. The song was made famous by Leadbelly. The lyrics caused a fuss at the time (degrading to black women, it was said), though a "Black Betty" may not actually refer to a woman. (It's meaning is unclear, though, as it's both the name for a gun (that preceded the Brown Bess), hence the "bam balam" part. But it's also old slang for a bottle of whiskey. Hence the "get's me high" part.)

"Psyche Rock" by Pierre Henry. Early 70s funky Moog workout. Most famously the inspiration for the Futurama theme. Super groovy and danceable!

"La Femme Faux Cils" by Annie Girardot. "The Woman With False Eyelashes" - from the 70s French movie Erotissimo. So cool.

A couple Power Pop tracks, "Super Tuesday" by The Shazam and "I Feel Like a Dictionary" by Trend. (And yes, I already sent that song to erinaceous).

"River Song" by Dennis Wilson. From his solo album, recently reissued last year. Gorgeous, gorgeous tune and classic Beach Boy Harmonies.

"Harlequin" by Genesis. I'm not really up on my prog rock, but decided to look into early 70s Genesis, particularly Foxtrot and Nursery Crymes. This song isn't proggy though - pretty little folk melody with lovely harmonies.

Finally two tracks from the Motown Around the World compilation which features classic Motown songs sung in other languages. Diana Ross and the Supremes singing "Come See About Me" in German and "You Can't Hurry Love" in Italian.