Happyjoel's Super Fun Time Weblog

Robert Rodriguez Is Gonna Put Some Schmuck in his Movie. I Hope To Be That Schmuck.

happyjoel — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 06:17:31 +0000

Robert Rodriguez, kickass director and guy who apparently is into Blackberry, is hosting a ridiculously cool contest where you can film a few lines and he’ll be taking a winner and putting them into AN ACTUAL MOVIE. IMDB Credits are hard to come by and this is looking like it might be my best shot to get on there. So I put together a little video. I noticed a lot of people trying to be very serious and sexy. I went another route.

William Wants a Doll But Wally Wants a Real Doll

happyjoel — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:30:37 +0000

When Free To Be You And Me was released 40 years ago, one of the most ground-breaking songs on it was William Wants a Doll about a sweet boy who wishes for a doll for his birthday and must put up with the gender pressures of his family and peers making fun of him. It was important, it was earnest, and Alan Alda’s dulcet tones are the perfect complement to it. So when it came time to update it for our parody album “It’s OK To Do Stuff: Songs Left Off Free To Be You And Me,” it was important to find a mellifluous voice that would do the same for our song, Wally Wants a Real Doll. We got Eddie Pepitone. That dudes voice is the best.

First, watch 30 seconds of the original to refresh your memory.

Now enjoy our version.

What I like about it is that it makes an important point about letting two (or one?) consenting adults do what they want in their own bedroom, but it also makes the point that making love to a real doll is kinda gross. That’s the kind of healthy balance intellectual achieved in the brains of those of us raised on “Free To Be You And Me.”

Album available now on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Google Play.

It’s OK To Do Stuff (feat. Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s)

happyjoel — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:19:43 +0000

For the first single and title track from “It’s OK To Do Stuff: Songs that weren’t on Free To Be You And Me” we went with this classy little number featuring the vocal stylings of Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s.

Buy the album now on iTunes for only $4, proceeds to St. Jude’s Hospital.

Number 31 on the iTunes Comedy Charts With a Slow-Moving Bullet!

happyjoel — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:45:06 +0000

Last night the album finally came out!

You: Which album, Joel?

Me: You remember that Free To Be You And Me Parody album I was telling you about? Andy Richter! Fred Willard! Lizzy Caplan! Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos! (and, just as awesomely, Joan of Arc from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures!) The album is out, and for the measly, piddly price of $3.99 you can own it AND proceeds go to St. Jude’s Hospital (in honor of Marlo Thomas, creator of the original Free To Be album which changed all of our childhoods.)

LOOK! THERE IT IS! IT’S THE PINK ALBUM!

It’s the pink album. That’s ours!

So now’s the time when you head over and buy that sh*t! And if you have a blog, WRITE ABOUT THAT SH*T! Just like they did on Slate, Nerdist, Hollywood Reporter and RIGHT HERE ON THIS SITE.

It’s OK To Do Stuff On Sale NOW!!!

Jacuzzi Toilet Contest: Who Gives a Crap

happyjoel — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:39:35 +0000

Alas, the good people at Jacuzzi who also make toilets did not chose this toilet-on-the-head rap from my wife and I, but two good things did come out of it.

1) We have a record of this for our next child, so that he can see what his mother was doing while he was busy growing inside her.

2) We got the money for the toilet seats back from Target.

Enjoy!

It’s OK To Do Stuff… Songs Left Off Free To Be You And Me

happyjoel — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:42:25 +0000

40 years ago this month, Marlo Thomas broke ground in the war for understanding and peace among the sexes and all people’s of the Earth with “Free To Be You And Me.” Now, 40 years later, collaborator buddy Rob Kutner, my brother Stephen and I decided it was the perfect time for a parody. We actually decided this three weeks ago when Rob wrote to me and said “We should do a parody album of this, right?” So we undertook it and decided that since we were doing something to sully the name of one of the kindest and awesomest albums of all time, we’d better give our proceeds to St. Jude’s to keep our karma clear.

In the past three weeks, we have written lyrics and music, recorded and finished producing an entire (not at all full length) album with some of the biggest and awesomest names I’ve ever worked with. Songs that are supposed to feel like they were left on the cutting room floor of the original, with titles like “Divorce Makes a Family Twice As Big,” “Swallow Your Dreams,” and “Be Yourself… Unless (You’re an Asshole.)” The album drops tomorrow. It also comes out tomorrow.

For me the most exciting part was writing music that I sent off to the two actual musicians on the album, Steven Page (former Barenaked Ladies frontman) and Jane Wiedlin (of Go-Go’s fame.) Never has it struck home so powerfully that I do not have the voice to be on the Billboard charts as when people who actually DO have that kind of awesome sounding voice sing a tune I wrote. They’re so much better that these songs, that even though I spent hours and days writing and playing and hearing over and over again in my voice – the moment they came back in the real voices, their voices, that became the only way I could hear them in my head. Does that make sense? Well, it does in my head, so that’s two points for my head in one paragraph.

Anyway, it’s $5, it features an amazing cast of comedy and music stars, and the proceeds go to St. Jude’s, so when I tweet about that shit tomorrow, head on over and buy it maybe? Yeah.

Crash the Superbowl Contest Entry for Doritos Low Brow

happyjoel — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:56:51 +0000

Last year my brother and I produced a very slick looking fake PSA that featured people from different races and religions and then a talking Dorito. It was all very high brow and intelligent. It didn’t get me any further than any of my other entries.

This year I had access to a slow-motion camera for about twenty minutes, so I put together something a little less sophisticated. Please watch it by clicking the image below, and if you’re willing, give it five stars. Thank you.

Click the image and rate it five stars please.

Henry Weinhard’s Foul-Mouthed Poetry

happyjoel — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:51:44 +0000

The rock steady lyrics and gentle piano backing were apparently just want the Henry Weinhard folks were looking for, super pumped that this won! Check it out below:

Shorty’s Tacos from the Culver City Fire Department

happyjoel — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:55:28 +0000

Allrecipes.com is running a really cool contest, ends in a few hours. The idea is to go to your local firehouse and film someone there making a meal, something the guys enjoy. It’s a big departure for me from what I regularly do, but I thought it would be fun and I could take a lighthearted approach to it. I called the local Fire Department, in this case Culver City, and they instantly directed me to Shorty (real name Mike) maker of the greatest tacos in the department. I went, I filmed, I ate. They were delicious. Here’s the entry I ended up with.

(can’t embed the video, just click on the picture to be taken to it.)

Click for link to video.

Telemedicine: It’s a No Brainer wins First Prize!

happyjoel — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:10:56 +0000

Not only does Telemedicine seem like a pretty great idea, but they also like seeing animated people having their brain yoinked out by yours truly, what’s not to like?!

Here’s the winning video, another collaboration with Hank Hanky/Pencilmation genius Ross Bollinger

See the other winning videos on the Telemedicine Contest Site.