Saturday, September 11, 2010

MC Skat Kat

Perhaps you remember MC Skat Kat, the animated rapping feline. He appeared in Paula Abdul's song/video for "Opposites Attract" in 1989 and released his own album a couple of years later before fading into obscurity. The single from that album was called "Skat Strut" and Virgin Records issued some promo cds of it. 

Here's where it gets weirdly relevant. On some of these discs were pressed not the 1991 MC Skat Kat single, but the 1986 debut album from They Might Be Giants, in its entirety. What The Flans?? I'm imagining early nineties radio DJs popping in this CD, expecting to hear some hip new rap music but instead "Everything Right Is Wrong Again" comes blasting out. To this day I cannot conceive of a scenario that would lead to this pressing error. TMBG weren't even on the same label!
I brought this disc to a bookstore signing, and both Johns were mystified and amused, having never seen it before. After explaining the deal to Linnell, he decided to sign "Paula Abdul". Priceless.

Have an MP3:
"Hair Dresser Show"
John Flansburgh spaces out during a performance of "Maybe I Know" on 10/21/99 at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, and after the song is completed he provides an explanation. A story is told of a trip to Norfolk, VA in the Earlier Years, during which a toll booth operator asks the Johns if They're "going to a hair dresser show?". Unfortunately, the story about the Pencil Rain guy is too embarrassing to relate.

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