Mar 27, 2023
What happens when a traditional Irish song is rewritten about zombies? And I have CDs!!!! If you didn’t say, “You have Cds…”, you’ll find out why it’s important. It’s kind of funny.
This is Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories #268.
0:16 - “Isn’t It Grand Boys” from Happy Songs of Death
4:09 - WELCOME TO SCI FI PUB SONGS & STORIES
This is the audio edition of my newsletter. I am Marc Gunn. I’m a rhythm and folk Celtic musician living in Atlanta, Georgia. I play traditional Irish and Scottish drinking songs. I’m also a songwriter. I write songs inspired by Celtic culture as well as pop culture, things like Lord of the Rings, Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who and more.
If you’re new to the show, please subscribe. You can do that PubSong.com/free or even better or you can subscribe and download all of my songs in this show. Just send me an email. pubsong@ celtfather
You will get an auto responder with a link to download this month’s songs. You will also get that subscribe link. It’s quick and easy.
While you’re emailing me to get your free EP, let me know what you’re doing while listening to this episode.
We kicked off the show…
5:04 - WHAT’S NEW STORY
I really should talk more about the stuff I sell in my store. But it feels uncomfortable to do so. That’s one of the reasons if you go to any of my live shows, and I say, “I have Cds”. Audience members will shout “you have Cdddsss?!”
It’s a little gimmick I use to draw attention to my merch. And it’s really catchy.
I was listening to the last episode of the podcast about writing drinking songs. While I talked about my song “The Cat Came Back… the Cat’s Perspective,”. It’s from my C-D… And then I paused, just like I do at live shows.
When I listened to the episode, I responded, “You have CDs…”
It got me thinking. Could we do that same thing through a podcast?
I don’t know. But we’re gonna try. We’re gonna make this podcast into a sort of an interactive drinking game.
Each time I mention CDs, your job is to audibly respond, “you have CDs…”
6:25 - UPCOMING SHOWS
- APR 1-9: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX
- APR 6: Dragon Con Filk Music Concert with Brobdingnagian Bards @ 7 PM CST
- APR 20: Cat Drinking Songs on Bandcamp @ 7 PM EAST
- APR 21-23: Jordan Con, Atlanta, GA
- APR 29. The Lost Druid Earth Day Biking Concert, Avondale Estates, Ga @ 6:30-9:30 PM
- JUN 3-10: Celtic Invasion Vacations, County Mayo, Ireland
9:24 - The Celtic Kitchen Party “Covid-19 Shanty” from Last Call
11:11 - COMMENTS
I don’t get a ton of feedback for this show. But if you send an email to pubsong@celtfather with a short comment about the show… or just mentioning CDs that you love, that’s a great way for us to interact and have more of a conversation.
In fact, if you need a starter, I’d love it if you would grab your phone. Go to your voice recorder app. Say, “You have Cds”. Then email it to me.
Marisa Halvorson emailed: "Hello Marc! I have been listening to your songs practically nonstop this St. Paddy's season (I'm in NOLA and work on Magazine street so season it is) I had to work on the day the Irish Channel parade rolled and definitely enjoyed it more with your songs keeping me company while locked in my building by parade goers. Thank you for always keeping me company and my spirits up with your music."
Kennedy Johnson emailed: "Happy St Patricks Day to you Marc. I hope you and your family are well on this day of Green & Orange 🇮🇪 I love your podcasts!! I have today’s show cued up and ready to play. Always a tradition foe me to list to your music podcast on this day!!"
13:50 - JOIN THE CLUB
As always, this show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on
Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast or my music, please join the Club. You get something new
every week. It might be a podcast, a song, sheet music, a blog, or
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Coffee with The Celtfather video concert series. Sign up for as
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Thanks to my newest Gunn Runners on Patreon: Alice M, Karla A,
Triskele, Ayden B
14:34 - Marc Gunn “The Maid Went to the Mill” from Kilted For Her Pleasure
16:49 - THE STORY ISN’T IT GRAND, BOYS, TO BE WALKING UNDEAD
What happens when a traditional Irish song is rewritten about zombies?
One of the cool things about drinking songs is when the audience gets involved to make the song their own. I don’t know if that is the origins of the “dead, dead, dead” line in “Isn’t It Grand, Boys”. But it seems likely.
It also seems like a great inspiration for a geek to turn it into a song about zombies. My friend Cathy Dailey did that and wrote “Isn’t It Grand, Boys, to Be Walking Undead.” It features all sorts of undead tropes like BRAINS, crushed flowers, and hunting undead, which totally takes my brain to Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.
The “Brains” line is my favorite because it replaces the “dead, dead, dead” with “brains, brains, brains” in the most-zombie-like style.
The chorus is also fun because it includes the “Wilhelm Scream”. That’s the term used for that death yell I make at the end of “Just time for one bloody last cry”.
Oh! Check this out from Wikipedia:
“The sound is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 Western in which the character gets shot in the thigh with an arrow. This was its first use following its inclusion in the Warner Bros. stock sound library, although The Charge at Feather River is the third film to use the effect. The scream is believed to be voiced by actor Sheb Wooley.”
Sheb Wooley is best known for his song “Purple People Eater”.
But the trope of all tropes that makes the song for me is “Up come the hands of another undead”. It’s creepy, very visual, and just perfect.
The song features Nathan Deese on guitar, whistle, bass and “Brains” comments.
20:34 - Marc Gunn “Isn’t It Grand, Boys, To Be Walking Undead” from Sci Fi Drinking Songs
23:47 - CREDITS
Thanks for listening to Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories. The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. Every week, you’ll get a new podcast or song or video or video concert. You’ll also save 25% off all the merch in my store. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs.
You can subscribe and listen to the show wherever you find podcasts. Sign up to my mailing list to read the show notes for this episode and find out where I’m performing.
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Have fun and sing along at www.pubsong.com!
#pubstories #theceltickitchenparty #walkingundead