WFMU: Merrily We Roll Along with MHLee: Playlist from December 9, 2022

Merrily We Roll Along with MHLee: Playlist from December 9, 2022

Merrily We Roll Along is a mish-mash of high energy lunacy, reverence, and irreverence for forgotten pop stars, love for Saturday morning cartoons, and exploration of the side of Bandcamp where I seem to be the only one purchasing. Bringing to you the odd and the upbeat from a growing collection of pre-rock novelties, classic and neo-Vaudeville, jug bands, polka, klezmer, and more at the convenient hour of 8-9 AM EST, Merrily We Roll Along starts the day off with a little light-hearted musical tomfoolery cut with an occasional comedy sketch. It's organic, free-range, cheese with the occasional onion thrown in.

Friday 8 - 9am (EDT) | On WFMU's Sheena's Jungle Room
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December 9, 2022: Merrily We Roll Along: Episode 28 - "Laff It Off."

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Artist	Track	Year	Comments	Approx. start time
MHLee	Merrily We Roll Along Theme			0:00:00 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Legendary Ghost			0:00:48 (Pop-up)
Karl Valentin & Liesl Karlstadt	The Okeh Laughing Record	1922	Canary Records: "The Okeh Laughing Record, as it is known in the United States since its release here, sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was kept in print for three decades, but little has been known or written about it. In Vol V, No 10 of the Antique Phonograph Monthly (1979), a researcher noted that it was recorded for for the German Beka Records company, June 8, 1920 and issued in the U.S. in between August and December of 1922. Others have published that it was recorded as late as 1923, which seems unlikely given the dates of some of the discs that follow. The cornet performance within it is a mid-19th century sentimental tune called “Aus der Jugendzeit” (“In My Younger Days”), composed by Robert Radecke (b. 1829; d. 1893). The performer has been given as both Felix Silbers and Otto Ratkhe by various sources. It was issued in the U.S. (and U.K., where it was released as the “Parlophone Laughing Record”) anonymously. The originator of the record remained obscure for decades in the U.S. until recently when the consensus was reached that it was the Bavarian comedian and actor Karl Valentin (b. June 4, 1882 in Munich; d. Feb 9, 1948). Valentin, an awkward and skeletally thin absurdist performer, performed for over 40 years in cabarets, theaters, restaurants, and circuses as wells as on dozens of sound recordings and scores of films. He founded theatrical troops, a film studio, and a museum, all of which failed financially within months of their creation. Physically chaotic and anti-authoritarian, a “defeatist” attitude in his work lead to his films having been banned by the Nazis. One short film, “Im Schallplattenladen” (“In the Record Shop”) from 1934, shows his misfortunes and the shattering consequences for many brittle discs in a shop full of recordings. Playing opposite him was his performing partner of 28 years, to whom he had given the stage name Liesl Karlstadt (b. Dec. 12, 1892; d. June 27, 1960), who is likely the other vocal performer on the 'Okeh Laughing Record'..."	0:02:30 (Pop-up)
Eddie Cantor	Laff It Off! "Laff It Off!" by "Eddie Cantor"	1925		0:05:38 (Pop-up)
Eddie Cantor	By The Light Of The Silvery Moon	195x?		0:08:43 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Tutorial "Tutorial" by "Kristofer Maddigan"			0:10:28 (Pop-up)
Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band	Narcissus "Narcissus" by "Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band"	1967		0:12:39 (Pop-up)
Mr. Show	Megaphone Crooners "Megaphone Crooners" by "Mr. Show"	1996		0:12:48 (Pop-up)
Rudy Vallee	Winchester Cathedral "Winchester Cathedral" by "Rudy Vallee"	1966		0:17:04 (Pop-up)
Evans and Rogers	On The Old Front Porch	2009		0:19:26 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Winner Take All			0:22:46 (Pop-up)
Steve Weber	Moving Day "Moving Day" by "Steve Weber"	1976		0:25:01 (Pop-up)
Murray K. Hilll	The Tale of the Cheese	1909		0:27:18 (Pop-up)
Tiny Tim	(Nobody Else Can Love Me Like) My Old Tomato Can	2019	Released on Wax Cylinder	0:31:08 (Pop-up)
Ernest Hare And Billy Jones	Pastafazoola	1927		0:33:47 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	All Bets Are Off			0:36:45 (Pop-up)
Bad Penny Pleasuremakers	Smile "Smile" by "Bad Penny Pleasuremakers"	2013		0:38:24 (Pop-up)
Bob Kerr and his Whoopee Band	The Sheik of Araby	2003?		0:44:32 (Pop-up)
Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band	Laughing Blues	1969		0:47:24 (Pop-up)
Ernest Hare And Billy Jones	I'm Gonna Bring a Watermelon to My Girl Tonight	1924		0:51:11 (Pop-up)
Spike Jones & His City Slickers	The Jones Laughing Record	1946	A nostalgic tribute recorded on September 28, 1946, more than 20 years after the U.S. release of the “Okeh Laughing Record” by the then-34-year-old comedy genius Spike Jones (b. Dec. 14, 1911; d. May 1, 1965), Jones titled this piece in direct tribute to the OLR. Unable to keep from adding precise layers of gags to his bits, Jones substituted a trombone performances of Rimsky-Korsokovʼs “Flight of the Bumble Bee” played by Tommy Pederson for the bittersweet cornet line on the “Okeh Laughing Record” and ratcheted up the laughing performance itself. Nearly a decade later, the great anarchist of animated cartoons Tex Avery produced one of his last films, the six-minute “Sh-h-h-h-h-h” (1955) using the “Okeh Laughing Record” as the soundtrack to its second half. (One can hear that the first seven seconds of the OLR were re-recorded for the cartoon, either to emphasize a cracked note before the first laugh, or because the disc used for the soundtrack was damaged.) For those of Avery and Jonesʼ generation, the “Okeh Laughing Record” had been a piece of their childhood; Okeh reissued it on the new micro-groove 45rpm format.	0:54:20 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Funfair Fever "Funfair Fever" by "Kristofer Maddigan"			0:57:03 (Pop-up)
Eddie Cantor	Merrily We Roll Along	1935		0:59:19 (Pop-up)

Listener comments!
	7:54am Jan Turkenburg: Hi MHLee. Tuned in.
	7:58am MHLee: Hi Jan, just got my songs entered
	7:59am MHLee: Been busy this week
	8:06am Jan Turkenburg: I've known this laughing recording for a long time, never knew the background. thanks!
	8:08am MHLee: The background makes me think it was intentionally some sort of surreal think
	8:12am MHLee: oops it's malfunctioning
	8:17am MHLee: Sometimes my computer arbitrarily decides to skip a track
	8:19am Jan Turkenburg: naughty computer. have a firm word with it after the show.
	8:20am MHLee: Mr. Fab made me aware of this couple. They are still active but their website feels like it's still in 2009
	8:34am Bri: Love Tiny Tim! he’s so underrated!
	8:36am MHLee: Hi Bri!
	8:36am MHLee: He gets a lot of play on this show.
	8:42am David in California: Hello, MH. I enjoyed your show with the originals of "God Bless Tiny Tim". I've been listening to "Strawberry Tea" a lot since then.
	8:44am MHLee: Hi David in Cali! Tbh I found tons of 78s over the years from Tiny Tim records.
	8:49am Bri: Hey MHLee! Awesome!
	8:59am MHLee: Thanks everyone!
	8:59am Jan Turkenburg: Thanks MHLee. I enjoyed the show again!

View MHLee's profile

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Artist	Track	Year	Comments	Approx. start time
MHLee	Merrily We Roll Along Theme			0:00:00 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Legendary Ghost			0:00:48 (Pop-up)
Karl Valentin & Liesl Karlstadt	The Okeh Laughing Record	1922	Canary Records: "The Okeh Laughing Record, as it is known in the United States since its release here, sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was kept in print for three decades, but little has been known or written about it. In Vol V, No 10 of the Antique Phonograph Monthly (1979), a researcher noted that it was recorded for for the German Beka Records company, June 8, 1920 and issued in the U.S. in between August and December of 1922. Others have published that it was recorded as late as 1923, which seems unlikely given the dates of some of the discs that follow. The cornet performance within it is a mid-19th century sentimental tune called “Aus der Jugendzeit” (“In My Younger Days”), composed by Robert Radecke (b. 1829; d. 1893). The performer has been given as both Felix Silbers and Otto Ratkhe by various sources. It was issued in the U.S. (and U.K., where it was released as the “Parlophone Laughing Record”) anonymously. The originator of the record remained obscure for decades in the U.S. until recently when the consensus was reached that it was the Bavarian comedian and actor Karl Valentin (b. June 4, 1882 in Munich; d. Feb 9, 1948). Valentin, an awkward and skeletally thin absurdist performer, performed for over 40 years in cabarets, theaters, restaurants, and circuses as wells as on dozens of sound recordings and scores of films. He founded theatrical troops, a film studio, and a museum, all of which failed financially within months of their creation. Physically chaotic and anti-authoritarian, a “defeatist” attitude in his work lead to his films having been banned by the Nazis. One short film, “Im Schallplattenladen” (“In the Record Shop”) from 1934, shows his misfortunes and the shattering consequences for many brittle discs in a shop full of recordings. Playing opposite him was his performing partner of 28 years, to whom he had given the stage name Liesl Karlstadt (b. Dec. 12, 1892; d. June 27, 1960), who is likely the other vocal performer on the 'Okeh Laughing Record'..."	0:02:30 (Pop-up)
Eddie Cantor	Laff It Off! "Laff It Off!" by "Eddie Cantor"	1925		0:05:38 (Pop-up)
Eddie Cantor	By The Light Of The Silvery Moon	195x?		0:08:43 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Tutorial "Tutorial" by "Kristofer Maddigan"			0:10:28 (Pop-up)
Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band	Narcissus "Narcissus" by "Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band"	1967		0:12:39 (Pop-up)
Mr. Show	Megaphone Crooners "Megaphone Crooners" by "Mr. Show"	1996		0:12:48 (Pop-up)
Rudy Vallee	Winchester Cathedral "Winchester Cathedral" by "Rudy Vallee"	1966		0:17:04 (Pop-up)
Evans and Rogers	On The Old Front Porch	2009		0:19:26 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Winner Take All			0:22:46 (Pop-up)
Steve Weber	Moving Day "Moving Day" by "Steve Weber"	1976		0:25:01 (Pop-up)
Murray K. Hilll	The Tale of the Cheese	1909		0:27:18 (Pop-up)
Tiny Tim	(Nobody Else Can Love Me Like) My Old Tomato Can	2019	Released on Wax Cylinder	0:31:08 (Pop-up)
Ernest Hare And Billy Jones	Pastafazoola	1927		0:33:47 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	All Bets Are Off			0:36:45 (Pop-up)
Bad Penny Pleasuremakers	Smile "Smile" by "Bad Penny Pleasuremakers"	2013		0:38:24 (Pop-up)
Bob Kerr and his Whoopee Band	The Sheik of Araby	2003?		0:44:32 (Pop-up)
Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band	Laughing Blues	1969		0:47:24 (Pop-up)
Ernest Hare And Billy Jones	I'm Gonna Bring a Watermelon to My Girl Tonight	1924		0:51:11 (Pop-up)
Spike Jones & His City Slickers	The Jones Laughing Record	1946	A nostalgic tribute recorded on September 28, 1946, more than 20 years after the U.S. release of the “Okeh Laughing Record” by the then-34-year-old comedy genius Spike Jones (b. Dec. 14, 1911; d. May 1, 1965), Jones titled this piece in direct tribute to the OLR. Unable to keep from adding precise layers of gags to his bits, Jones substituted a trombone performances of Rimsky-Korsokovʼs “Flight of the Bumble Bee” played by Tommy Pederson for the bittersweet cornet line on the “Okeh Laughing Record” and ratcheted up the laughing performance itself. Nearly a decade later, the great anarchist of animated cartoons Tex Avery produced one of his last films, the six-minute “Sh-h-h-h-h-h” (1955) using the “Okeh Laughing Record” as the soundtrack to its second half. (One can hear that the first seven seconds of the OLR were re-recorded for the cartoon, either to emphasize a cracked note before the first laugh, or because the disc used for the soundtrack was damaged.) For those of Avery and Jonesʼ generation, the “Okeh Laughing Record” had been a piece of their childhood; Okeh reissued it on the new micro-groove 45rpm format.	0:54:20 (Pop-up)
Music behind DJ: Kristofer Maddigan	Funfair Fever "Funfair Fever" by "Kristofer Maddigan"			0:57:03 (Pop-up)
Eddie Cantor	Merrily We Roll Along	1935		0:59:19 (Pop-up)

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Listener comments!
	7:54am Jan Turkenburg: Hi MHLee. Tuned in.
	7:58am MHLee: Hi Jan, just got my songs entered
	7:59am MHLee: Been busy this week
	8:06am Jan Turkenburg: I've known this laughing recording for a long time, never knew the background. thanks!
	8:08am MHLee: The background makes me think it was intentionally some sort of surreal think
	8:12am MHLee: oops it's malfunctioning
	8:17am MHLee: Sometimes my computer arbitrarily decides to skip a track
	8:19am Jan Turkenburg: naughty computer. have a firm word with it after the show.
	8:20am MHLee: Mr. Fab made me aware of this couple. They are still active but their website feels like it's still in 2009
	8:34am Bri: Love Tiny Tim! he’s so underrated!
	8:36am MHLee: Hi Bri!
	8:36am MHLee: He gets a lot of play on this show.
	8:42am David in California: Hello, MH. I enjoyed your show with the originals of "God Bless Tiny Tim". I've been listening to "Strawberry Tea" a lot since then.
	8:44am MHLee: Hi David in Cali! Tbh I found tons of 78s over the years from Tiny Tim records.
	8:49am Bri: Hey MHLee! Awesome!
	8:59am MHLee: Thanks everyone!
	8:59am Jan Turkenburg: Thanks MHLee. I enjoyed the show again!

Merrily We Roll Along with MHLee: Playlist from December 9, 2022

Listener comments!

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