FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
Bloodhound Gang with 22 Jacks
Sunday, July 27
at the Republik"Nobody likes a smart ass," my loving mother would often say to me.
"It's better than being a dumb ass," I would invariably reply. And then we'd laugh and laugh until she realized that I was being a smart ass again by saying such a cheeky thing and then she'd lock me in the cellar where I would have to sit in my own filth until the neighbors, sick of the odor and the inhuman shrieking coming from our house, would call the authorities. Oh, the memories.
Now years have passed, the scars have healed and mom has been institutionalized and, even better, proven wrong. Turns out everybody loves a smart ass.
Just ask Jimmy Pop Ali, the man behind hip hop wiseacres Bloodhound Gang. The band's sophomor(ic) album One Fierce Beer Coaster and its massive single "Fire Water Burn" have earned them a huge audience and the reputation as frat rap's next messiahs - smarmy, beer-swilling, TV-worshipping goofballs out for a good time.
"I don't think we'll ever be serious," admits Jimmy Pop. "I don't think any of us have an interest in that. That could be fatal, but still, we're not out to change the world."
No, just to piss it off. Or as their leader says in the song "Shut Up": "*********/ I get under your skin and I sebaceously form." Bloodhound Gang seem to relish antagonizing everyone including feminists, amputees, Mr. Rogers and Bill Cosby. From song titles such as "Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny" and "I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks," to Jimmy Pop's penchant for mimicking Down Syndrome sufferers, it's obvious there are no sacred cows in the the Bloodhound Gang songbook.
Admittedly, and not surprisingly, Jimmy gives a lot of the credit for his sense of humor to American disc jockey Howard Stern. (The songwriter even applied unsuccessfully three times to be an intern on Stern's radio show. On the fourth attempt he was accepted but on that very day Bloodhound Gang were offered their major-label record contract.) And depending on your tastes, like Stern, Jimmy Pop is either evil incarnate (Ryckman doesn't own the Republik, does he?) or one refreshing and funny bastard with his finger on the US pop culture pulse.
"I'm not out just to get everyone's goat," he explains, "but it can be a lot of fun doing it. It makes life a little bit more interesting for me. The reason we record the kind of lyrics we do is because that's our sense of humor. It has nothing to do with trying to offend people, I just love those kind of jokes - tasteless."
But if Jimmy Pop's current girlfriend is indicative of the rest of his detractors, maybe there's hope for everyone. She originally attended one of Bloodhound Gang's concerts to protest the band's lyrical insensitivity and, instead, found herself falling head-over-heels for the man who would be king (of the dicks).
"She came out with 'No means no' pins and 'NOW' stickers and all this other crap. I was like, 'What's your problem, you lesbian?' She was like, 'Blah, blah, blah. I'm not a lesbian. You're a chauvinist pig. Blah, blah, blah....'
"So after the show I just started talking to her and she realized I wasn't a rapist or anything like that. So we just started writing letters to each other and hanging out and stuff whenever I was in the area," he says.
"And then we started screwing."
A heartwarming story, to be sure, but those who still aren't swayed and think that Bloodhound Gang are a one-trick, pull-my-finger band with as much staying power as a priest at a peep show and as much world-wide appeal as Sha Na Na should take note: Even with the obscure American pop culture references that litter One Fierce Beer Coaster, Bloodhound Gang have found an international audience that is always ready for their next Big Mac.
"I always see (pop culture references) as 'love.' People use that word in lyrics all the time and it translates pretty well. The same with American pop culture because we are such cultural imperialists. TV shows like Saved by the Bell and Gimme A Break, shows that shouldn't be seen by anybody are seen by everybody.
"There are some (references) that Americans don't even get, but then again America is a nation of idiots. A large percentage of the population is really dumb here in America.
"The Pixies made a career out of making absolutely no sense so I figure I can fare better than them."
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