Blowing Goats

Artist: Piranha Man
Listenability Scale: 100%
A Review by:
The Dude on the Right

They are songs you know and love. They are songs you think you pretty much know all of the words to. They are songs that are standing up to the test of time. They are songs, sung, like you have never heard before. The CD is called “Blowing Goats,” yea, that’s right, “Blowing Goats,” and it’s from Piranha Man.

Who the hell is Piranha Man you may ask? Well, radio listeners in Chicago and some in Los Angeles may have heard him as the Pakistani on Jonathon Brandmeier’s Radio Showgram. Most others probably have never heard of him. But if you get “Blowing Goats” you will never forget him and more importantly, the classics he sings will never be the same.

On “Blowing Goats” we find that Piranha Man has a sense of rhythm yet none of it matches the songs he sings. On “Blowing Goats” we find that Piranha Man has a marvelous vocal range yet most of the notes he sings don’t match the music. And on “Blowing Goats” we find that Piranha Man knows most of the words, just sometimes he doesn’t sing them where they belong. And yet, with all of this, I can’t stop listening. Why? For me it is just that the CD is so over the top that you wonder where the next wrong note will be, you wonder if Piranha Man will be able to get at least close to that high note in “I Will Always Love You,” you wonder when the lyrics in “My Way” changed just a little, and you wonder if you sound that way when you sing. Sadly, you probably do, except without the Pakistani accent.

I won’t go much more into “Blowing Goats” except to ask some questions. Can one man give new meaning to Van Halen’s “Jump” yet still exhibit the vocal range needed for “I Will Always Love You?” Can one man have the musical rhythm to let a Tom Jones’ “Delilah” flow yet still give Rocky inspiration covering “Eye of the Tiger?” Can one man relate the touching tale of “Cat’s In The Cradle” yet still exhibit the excitement of a “Viva Las Vegas?” Is that one man Piranha Man? No. But do I highly recommend the CD “Blowing Goats? Definitely, most definitely.

Now as much as I loved “Blowing Goats” (Boy, does that sentence start out wrong!), I do have one complaint – some of the songs are just snippets. Take “What’s New, Pussycat?” which clocks in at fifteen seconds. Music aficionados may find this rendition fifteen seconds too long, but not me. I was so looking forward to Piranha Man continuing into “Pussycat, Pussycat, I love you. Yes, I do?” as only Piranha Man could sing it, but sadly the song faded quickly. Not to worry, though, an imperfect cover of “Love Will Keep Us Together” will have you quickly getting over the “Pussycat” disappointment. You will never forget the lyric “Jump,” you will sing “Viva Las Vegas” just a little bit faster than Elvis, and the next time you sing “Margaritaville” it probably won’t sound anything like Jimmy Buffett, but you know what, it probably never did anyway – it probably sounded a little bit more like Piranha Man than you’d like to admit.

I give “Blowing Goats” from Piranha Man a 100% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. It is like nothing you will probably ever hear on CD unless you try to cover the songs yourself.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

A Dude note: You might read this review and be dying to find the CD, but sadly it’s out of print. I hope you can find it somewhere because it’s nothing like you have ever heard before! DOTR

Vegas, Easter, Cubs, Movies, and Treasure Isle is Evil!

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and ListenDownload the Podcast!

After a one week hiatus, Stu Gotz and I are back for our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast. Yup, Stu needed some time away for Easter, and nothing says Easter like taking the Gotz kids to Las Vegas. Me, I just needed a break while I finished up some iPhone app stuff. So we’re back, and Stu was pleased at the version of “Viva Las Vegas” that I found, by the one and only Pirahna Man who used to be heard when Jonathan Brandmeier was on the air here in Chicago. But the podcast isn’t all fun and games. Well, actually it’s mostly fun and games, and also my quick review of “Pirate Radio” that comes out on DVD in prep for my full review later. Stu finally got to see “Up In The Air,” the George Clooney movie, and I watched golf for a change, and it wasn’t just because of Tiger Woods.

And speaking of TV, I tell Stu if “Celebrity Apprentice” is getting any good, Stu was pleased to find that he can now stream Netflix via his Wii, and Stu’s latest TV recommendation is “Supernatural.

Stu tells about a concert coming to the Chicago area, I let Stu know that the latest Zynga Facebook game, “Treasure Isle” is evil because it mixes elements of Farmville and Mafia Wars, and Stu is upset because the school his kids go to seem to be White Sox fans. All of that an more after our hiatus, and it’s good to be back!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one!  I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!