Artist: Liz Phair and Material Issue
Original Artist: the Banana Splits
Favourite Lyrics:
Making up a mess of fun
Making up a mess of fun
Lots of fun for everyone!
Tra la la la la la la
Why?: I'm old. I love that I still get carded when trying to buy alcohol which means to some people I still appear to be under 25. I assure you, despite the fact I may act like a petulant teenager at times, I'm no millennial. I am a little bit older than most people assume. Someone was once surprised that I knew who Johnny Carson was when I made a Carnac the Magnificent reference. If you've been following along, remember those late nights when I would stay up late to try and catch some decent music videos? Carson would have been on just prior... or if it was the weekend and my dad was up (and he would let me stay up late) we (dad, older brother and I) would watch Dave Allen together (don't ask me about Dave... I was really too young to get his jokes). But, as usual, I digress.
The Banana Splits, for those not in the know, was an hour long kids variety show, hosted by these costumed creatures. I was very young when this show came on. The only thing I really remember from it was the song. It was the best kind of catchy ear-worm that would get stuck in your head for hours... days... years.
Costumed mascot type creatures would play a bigger role in my life than I would have thought. As luck would have it, my work placement for college led me to meet a really, really awesome guy. A fine gentleman by the name of Mark Scott who designed and built these kinds of characters. So here's where I name drop because I just have to. While I was working with Mark, I was also working with one of the biggest stars in children's television in Ontario. The big star of Polka Dot Door, Polkaroo, was my boss! Just don't ask me for a reference from him. He was already gone before I could get one. ;)
He had managed (with a little help from me) to co-ordinate a live magic show that made a couple of appearance that summer. His Mascotts show would have been like seeing the Banana Splits live. I have so many fond memories working with Mark, dressing up as a bear, a purple people eater and I think I may have also been a pink elephant. It was a lot of fun. He had been such a positive influence on my life and I'm happy to count him as one of my friends still.
Back to the song... Imagine my surprise after many years that a compilation CD of Saturday morning cartoon theme songs would get released in the mid-nineties of cover versions. Imagine my further surprise to hear my beloved Banana Splits song being belted out by Liz Phair. I promptly bought this CD and ended up purchasing it twice because my first copy went missing. It featured Matthew Sweet singing the Scooby Dooby Doo, Where are You?, Face to Face singing I'm Popeye the Sailor and the Ramones covering Spider-Man.
So despite having heard the original version first, Liz Phair and Material Issue is my go to for the song. I love her version. It reminds me of that summer I worked with Mark, and it makes regular appearances on my motorcycle riding playlist.
Bonus! For some, clearly unknown to me, reason, someone decided my beloved kids show should be remade into a horror movie. I'm conflicted. The trailer is linked below the original opening and closing themes for the show.
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