# Whaling songs!



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

So apparently seas-shanties are the latest thing on Tik-Tok. I know this courtesy of CBC.

But long before kids started singing sea-shanties, Christopher Guest had a fabulous sketch as a producer being interviewed by Bill Murray on a late-night radio talk show, where he declared the next big thing as whaling songs, and everything else was "down the dumper". Just a brilliant brilliant sketch and comment on the industry, dating from the early 1970s, and providing a bit of a preview of what would later show up in the film "A Mighty Wind". Enjoy.


----------



## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

I'm not on Tikkie Tokkie but they showed up in the Twitters when Alan Doyle shared one he had a hand in writing. Some of the performances are crazy good.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

We used to get the National Lampoon Radio Hour on CHOM-FM back in the early '70s. One of my CEGEP English instructors wrote for the National Lampoon and eventually became its editor, before moving on to write for _Shining Time Station_. It seems like so many that went on to SNL or Guest's various movies appeared on the Radio Hour show: Murray, Guest, Belushi, Shearer, Radner, and probably half the cast of _This is Spinal Tap_. So many great sketches. When I heard them talking about sea shanties on the radio, I immediately thought of this sketch. I had forgotten the passing mention of Gump Worsley in the sketch.

Hard to believe that it's the same guy playing Ron Fields and Nigel Tufnel.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Sea Chantes are among the worst ear worms for me.

They get lodged somewhere in the gap between my ears.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Milkman said:


> Sea Chantes are among the worst ear worms for me.
> 
> They get lodged somewhere in the gap between my ears.


To the point where you you wrote a couple yourself.
They are good, I have to say.


----------



## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Not a whaling song, but I think meets the definition of a shanty.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

So in 1976, I was living in a house on Gower St. with 7 or 8 other people. Most were CFAs like myself, but one of them was a local and reasonably well-connected. We had a house party, with music on several floors, but in the kitchen we had legendary band Figgy Duff ( Figgy Duff - Wikipedia ) holding down the kitchen. I sat in with them, playing guitar, and the evening went something like this... Accordion player Art Stoyles ( https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...s-noted-accordion-player-dead-at-72-1.3023047 ) asks "Say, bye, does ya know <insert title here>?". "Um...no". "Ah well, too bad". And the band and song starts. I listen, and in a flash I'm strumming E-E-E-E-D-D-D-D-E-E-D-D-E-E-E. "I t'ought ya says ya didn't know dat? Does ya know <insert unfamiliar title here>?". "Um, can't say that I do." "Ah well, pity." They start playing, and moments later I realize it's D-D-D-D-C-C-C-C-D-D-C-C-D-D-D. And on it went like that, one tune after another, into the wee hours.

A lot of that shanty music is not exactly "repetitive", any more than blues or hard rock is repetitive. It just has a certain approach to melody and structure that, once you click into it, is pretty easy to suss out.

Of course, if it's button accordions your heart desires, you go to O'Brien's on Water Street.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Mid 80's. 
A friend marries a newf. Her family comes to ontari-ari-o for the wedding. Cod, screech and all. They booked 7 rooms at the local motel.
After the reception, I go with the bride and groom to her family's motel and sit in with the strummers as they continue celebrating throughout the night in one room. it's exactly as you say Mark. 'D'ya know?'. Nope. Easy to pick up and follow along.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

mhammer said:


> We used to get the National Lampoon Radio Hour on CHOM-FM back in the early '70s. One of my CEGEP English instructors wrote for the National Lampoon and eventually became its editor, before moving on to write for _Shining Time Station_. It seems like so many that went on to SNL or Guest's various movies appeared on the Radio Hour show: Murray, Guest, Belushi, Shearer, Radner, and probably half the cast of _This is Spinal Tap_. So many great sketches. When I heard them talking about sea shanties on the radio, I immediately thought of this sketch. I had forgotten the passing mention of Gump Worsley in the sketch.
> 
> Hard to believe that it's the same guy playing Ron Fields and Nigel Tufnel.


Not a whaling song but up with the best none the less




And right in there with the Radio Hr on college FM in Van. was




Used to listen to both Natn'l Lampoon and Firesign when working graveyard in the early '70s.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

laristotle said:


> To the point where you you wrote a couple yourself.
> They are good, I have to say.


Sorry to correct you, but I can't take credit for that. I did get a severe earworm (it was a Stan Rogers thing) and ultimately decided to record a few, but they were written by the late great Stan Rogers and one by Great Big Sea.

They _were _very good, at least in terms of composition.

My friend and forum-mate here engineered the tracks for me. As I recall, the mic we were privileged to use was the star of that exercize.


----------



## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Well, it's not quite "Rock the Nation" but the title does have "Whaler" in it!

[h://video]


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




----------



## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

laristotle said:


>


I was just about to post that one. Funny as hell.


----------

