At some point in the comedy and music industries, the idea of fusing the two – and thus creating "comedy music" – became, sorry to say, laughable. Much too often, comedians would squirm at the very notion of one of their own bringing music into their territory, often labeling it as "hacky." And in judging from a number of the sources, it's somewhat understandable.
Having said that, today's comedy music is all too different. And anyone denying that is just, well, not listening.
For many, there was once a definite dividing line: are you in comedy, or, are you in music? Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, such as the ultimate parodist, "Weird Al" Yankovic, who has somehow managed to hold a career in the comedy music field over the years –– just having come to the end of his 30-year record contract following the July 2014 release of his album Mandatory Fun.
But as time has moved onward it appears that the audiences – and most within both industries – have become more accepting of both comedic musicians and musical comedians.
As mediums such as YouTube and Funny Or Die have surfaced, allowing the masses of parody-fans and aspiring parodists around the globe to make themselves known, Yankovic is humble in his profession, exclusively telling Music Times, "It's definitely more of a challenge. It's a very healthy thing, though, to level the playing field and let everyone have an opportunity."
Which leads to the question of why has the field suddenly become so level? Why has the Internet allowed comedy music to become "the real thing," something not only judged appropriately today but also something that has created a world of up-and-comers and a slew of endless possibilities for dreamers? Yankovic believes it's a simple answer: because of these online platforms and outlets, the idea of what's "funny" and "right" has been put back into the hands of the people, allowing us to make the decisions.
Comedian-rapper Zach Sherwin tells me, "The Internet, for better or worse, has made comedy music a huge deal. The Lonely Island's "Lazy Sunday" kicked off a seemingly infinite army of comedy rap videos, and comedy songs and non-song music stuff, like Auto-Tune the News or MysteryGuitarMan. All of which seem perfectly suited for the YouTube format. They lend themselves to being short and visually cool and catchy/memorable."
Speaking of the "visually cool" and "catchy/memorable," Sherwin has been a part of YouTube's rising Epic Rap Battles of History series, which places two historic figures (past or present) against one another via a rap battle. The series has grown to be revered all over the online world and has created a career for founders Lloyd Ahlquist and Peter Shukoff.
"It's been crazy to be on the inside of Epic Rap Battles of History and watch it grow," Sherwin says, adding, "I'm not sure exactly why its combination of rap and visuals and references has proven so perfectly popular, but creators Lloyd Ahlquist and Pete Shukoff sure seem to have a very clear idea of what they're doing."
And he isn't alone in his thoughts on the online juggernauts. Yankovic, too, has appeared in the series, something he calls a "wonderful experience."
"I met Nice Peter at a YouTube event. We expressed our mutual admiration and decided I should do one," he says. "What they do is really great. It's clever, it's witty –– I just love working with talented and funny people."
As the age of YouTube, Funny Or Die and other comedy outlets continue to allow budding comedy musicians to get their material out there, one certainty that stands is the fact that competition has grown immensely, which leaves behind the amateurs –– allowing the ones of true desire and skill to reign.
In a sense, comedy music has just gotten better.
"As a stand-up and live performer," Sherwin tells me, "I see a TON of terrible musical comedy, and I think there's a big, somewhat-justified stigma against it. Musical comedy at its worst, in my opinion, is represented by a cringe-inducing, un-self-aware song about cameltoes, relying for laughs on the contrast between the pretty music and grody subject matter, with lots of repeated choruses and middling skill in the playing, singing, and writing."
The answers to those straight up ridiculous and lazy parodies of the past are in the comedy music tunes coming out today ... the songs that are "smart and self-aware and wildly creative," as the rapper notes. A perfect example could exist in Weird Al's most recent "Word Crimes" single, which details the ridiculousness of today's LOL, LMFAO, and emoticon culture and celebrates the importance of proper grammar. And yes, it's also very catchy.
Aside from Sherwin and Yankovic, today's comedy music industry is filled with unquestionable talent, such as Flight of the Conchords, Garfunkel & Oates, Tenacious D, Bo Burnham, DJ Dougg Pound, Myq Kaplan and Micah Sherman, Hard 'n' Phirm, Howard Kremer, Henry Phillips, Jessica Delfino and Reggie Watts. These artists are valued for putting down solid comedy music that holds no comparison to the parodies of the past. They piece together meticulous rhythms, beats and words that lend themselves to well-thought-out and undeniably intelligent tunes.
"People seem to understand the whole concept of comedy music a little bit better," claims Yankovic. "It's nice because comedy music was always kind of pushed off to the side. With the advent of YouTube, people are seeing comedy music as an artform. I like to think we're enlightening as a culture. I think we're on an upward trend."
