There was another post which asked about an old Tumblr post listing Todd's opinions on various artists. This isn't it, but it reminded me of this old post from the now-defunct Channel Awesome forums, and I decided to dig it up for all to see.
Around 2010, Todd used to run an active Q&A on the forums. Unfortunately, that thread is no longer accessible through the Wayback Machine (It seems a lot of threads from Todd's forum aren't as well-preserved as other parts of the CA forums), but there was this post from 2011 which compiled a lot of his responses, including his thoughts on various artists. I thought this would be of interest, especially for Todd's newer fans.
The link:
The text within (Posting in multiple parts because of character limits:
FAQ's:
What's Your Favourite Song?
I decided at age 15 that "Everlong" by Foo Fighters was gonna be my favorite song ever. I've stuck to that.
What are your top 5 albums?
I've never thought about my favorite five albums, but if I were to put it together in five seconds:
- Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five
- David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
- Prince - Purple Rain
- Electric Six - Fire
- Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Do you have an absolute favorite artist?
No.
What are some of your favorite directors and/or movies?
Final Destination 3, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Spider-Man 3, Casablanca, Rocky Horror, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Sin City, Sunset Boulevard, On the Waterfront, The Departed, Goodfellas, Almost Famous and so on.
How did you get onto TGWTG.com?
I have no fucking idea.
At the end of a lousy day in early March, I checked my email and found a message from Rob Walker asking me if I'd like to join the site. I said yes. And that was it. I'd been posting my stuff on this site for a while, so I guess that's how they heard of me. Really, that's pretty much all I know.
How long have you been playing the piano?
I honestly don't remember. My parents made me start lessons in grade school, but I don't remember at what age. I hated every second of it at the time.
How old are you?
What nationality/ ethnicity are you?
Oh, I can't give that away, it's part of the mystery. This is all I'll say: My grandmother was Dutch.
What type of music do you not like?
I try not to box myself in, but I really hate that old-time pre-rock and roll crooner stuff -- Tony Bennett and Perry Como and them. Not a huge fan of Sinatra's croony stuff either, although his brassier swing songs I enjoy.
Do you play any other instruments?
I play a very, very little guitar, I played the baritone in the middle school band, and I'm actually really good on Rock Band drums.
Do you feel that with your video reviews, you might at least change people's perspective on music?
I have no intention to. If I do, that's fine. I'm just here to document my opinions and make silly jokes.
Are you planning to branch out of your videos and make your own music in the near future?
You know, my dad keeps telling me that I need to write music. He paid for all those piano lessons, he might as well see some end product, right? My only response is basically that I have no desire whatsoever to write music. None. These videos, they just flow right out of me, and I could do them all day. Sit down and compose something? Probably not gonna happen. I started making these videos because I was struck by the idea and then I suddenly couldn't stop myself from making the videos. Doing this is easy. Making my own music? Just never felt like it.
Who are your comedic influences?
I guess a large part of it is the Nostalgia Critic, of course, but also a large part of it comes from MST3k (shadows and all) and from VH1's resident army of snarkers on their "I Love The..." series and their "Awesomely Bad" countdowns. That VH1 stuff is pure junk food; not good for you, but feels great while you're watching. Also, I don't think I respect any comedian more than Jon Stewart -- I like that his comedy comes from a real place and he won't blast something unless he genuinely believes it deserves it.
Auto-tune, what is your opinion on it?
It's a tool. An instrument. Like drums or the sitar or the xylophone. The ones railing against auto-tune probably railed against the synthesizer in the '80s. It's just a technique to be used, misused, overused, and what have you -- I honestly don't have a problem with it, although I can think of several songs I hate that use it.
Whats your opinion on christmas, (insert other decembers holiday) festive songs?
I don't ever choose to listen to that genre of music; it's the same people making the same over-covered songs over and over again. That said, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is, I think, one of the greatest compositions of the 20th century -- my favorite version is the Pretenders, followed by the original Judy Garland version. I also like Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and pretty much every song on the Home Alone soundtrack.
Are you a fan of Hip-Hop, and if so what are some of your favorite rappers and songs?
Way too broad a question. Yes, I like hip-hop. I don't really rank things in favorites, but here's some songs I'm listening to right now: T.I.'s "Big Shit Poppin'", Eminem's "Beautiful," Lupe Fiasco's "Hiphop Saved My Life," B.o.B.'s "Airplanes," OutKast's "Gasoline Dreams."
What would you say your least favorite song from each decade you've been alive during is?
Again, that's a pretty big question. I'm not sure I can give you any definitive answers, but I can tell you that '80s-wise, I've always despised Billy Joel's "It's Only Rock and Roll to Me" for reasons I'm not sure of. "We Built This City" is also a good answer, if too obvious. More recently, I just encountered Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky" (a UK #1 single in 1988!) and it is just fucking abysmal.
'90s: My answer is almost certainly "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes. An inexcusable record on every level.
'00s: Let's see. "Crank Dat Soulja Boy" is a good, though again too obvious, answer. "Break Up" by Mario still stuns me with how bad it is. "Welcome to My Life" by Simple Plan is deeply offensive to me, as is "The Wait" by 30 Seconds to Mars. If I want to get controversial, I'll go ahead and say it: "New Slang" by The Shins. I really, really just despise The Shins, they are the sum total of everything I hate about indie rock.
What about other genres of metal, especially genres where screaming is employed, like Lamb of God and All That Remains?
Not into the hardcore stuff, sorry. Past a certain point of heaviness, metal music just sounds silly to me.
What are you're least favourite songs of all time?
Off the top of my head:
"Break Up" by Mario
"Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
"Welcome to My Life" by Simple Plan
"A Milli" by Lil Wayne
"Lips of an Angel" by Hinder
"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
"If Everyone Cared" by Nickelback
"How Do You Like Me Now?!" by Toby Keith
Which nostalgic shows hold up the best for you?
Well, Animaniacs remains pretty solid. Also, of course, Freakazoid! and a lot of others from the WB stable. I'm still impressed with what I remember of DuckTales. And going way, way, way back, The Flintstones was an excellent program (much better than the sour unpleasantness of The Jetsons, and much MUCH better than the mindless turd that was Scooby-Doo). Rocky and Bullwinkle is still great as well.
What TV shows/genres do you like?
I really don't watch a lot of television. Right now, I'm following Lost, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, House, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock -- some of them just out of obligation. I should probably not be watching House anymore, but if I start watching a series I generally keep watching until it gets canceled. (One exception: I stopped watching Heroes when I realized that I hated the critically reviled second season EXACTLY AS MUCH as I hated the beloved first season.)
When did you decide that pop music was your "genre" (to put it loosely) of sorts to follow? You said it yourself, for a guy your age it's certainly an odd choice to follow the likes of some of music's most loved and hated artists. I can respect it of course; I've got some strange interests myself But anyway, what got you into it?
For the longest time, I didn't listen to pop music. Then some time in 2007 my antenna came off my car and I only got the pop station and the classic rock station. Since I didn't have any money to fix it, and since I didn't want to hear "More Than a Feeling" five times every day before lunch, I gravitated to the pop station. And it stuck. It's not that I actually like all or even the majority of music I hear there; it's just that -- and I realize how this sounds -- I got bored hearing music I like. (I used to spend a lot more money on CDs; now I don't have the money or the time.) Meanwhile, the pop music station is always changing. And I guess it's still a novelty for me to be plugged into the Top 40. For the vast majority of my life, I was nearly completely ignorant about what was popular. My parents actually BANNED me from listening to anything but country music for most of my life, and when I did start developing my own tastes I mostly paid attention to alternative and classic rock. Now I'm fascinated with the pop world. It's so colorful and weird -- much weirder, I'd argue, than much of the independent, non-mainstream music that I hear. And I'm also fascinated by how of-the-moment it is; the fact that much of this stuff is ridiculously huge but is going to disappear from the cultural memory banks just a few months later is extremely compelling to me. It's like being there for an orchid that only blooms once a year. I read down the list of big hits from 2004 and I don't know any of them, and that bothers me. I feel like I missed out on something.
Also, who would you say your current least/most favorite artists (respectively) on Top 40 radio are?
I can't stand Beyonce. Every time I hear her voice I feel like I'm being sprayed with spit. She's got this critical inability to project any warmth or human emotion; it doesn't help that many of her songs are terrible. Oddly enough, I'm actually a pretty big fan of Rihanna as a personality, even though I dislike a good number of her songs ("Unfaithful".... ugh). Honestly, she doesn't have much of a singing voice, but she has charisma and she has emotional range that Beyonce does not.
Which nostalgic shows don't hold up the best for you?
Close to all of them, which is why I often choose not to revisit them unless I have a particularly strong memory of them. Let's face it, everyone: you were an idiot when you were a kid, and you watched TV solely because you had nothing else to do. Am I gonna revisit Full House anytime soon? Likely not.
Any Horror movies you actually like and why?
I like plenty of horror movies. One of my favorite movies of all time is Final Destination 3, and the first thing I did on these forums was to bitch at Film Brain for blasting it. Also way up there is Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Night of the Living Dead, The Omen, Dead Alive, and too many others to name right now.
Any favorite Anime shows/movies you actually like and why?
I'm pretty close to anime-illiterate, and I have real difficulty with the sensibility that even goofy-ass shit like Naruto or Pokemon: The Movie has to have its moments of crushingly gravid seriousness. That's my main problem with anime, Final Fantasy, and pseudo-anime like Casshern, just how boring and weighty everything has to be. I have watched a few anime movies -- Akira was good enough that I could overlook my problems with anime, but Ghost in the Shell I thought was pretty overrated. I'm also fairly familiar with the Studio Ghibli canon, and I like that stuff a lot.
What about Science Fiction films? What are your personal favorites and why?
Let's see. 2001, of course, is brilliant, and I'm a huge fan of both the first Terminator and the first Alien, although those are arguably both horror movies. Others: Gattaca, A Boy and His Dog, the original Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green.
Any favorite villains you like and why?
Favorite will always be Hans Gruber -- always the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of villainy. Heath Ledger's Joker is up there too. Other villains of note are Hans Landa and the Scorpio Killer from Dirty Harry -- every story has to have a villain, but Landa and the Scorpio Killer are bad guys who are legitimately, you know, bad, baaaaaaad guys.
Also, for a stupid kid's movie, I've always had a real soft spot for Kindergarten Cop, and I always thought that the bad guy from that, Cullen Crisp, was surprisingly slimy and awful for that kind of movie.
Any Fantasy films you like and why?
Original Never-Ending Story ranks high. Like Lord of the Rings. I like Guillermo Del Toro's stuff, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy 2. For the most part, though, this is not my genre, and I think most of the '80s fantasy classics -- Krull, Legend, Willow, Labyrinth, and yes, Conan the Barbarian -- are close to unwatchable.
Would you ever be interested in teaming up with any TGWTG personal like Doug?
Hell yeah I would. But I'm still a junior member. I don't even have access to the running gags yet.
Who/what would you say your favorite one-hit-wonder is?
It is, unquestionably, "Jump Around" by House of Pain. I know that song by heart, and, on command, I can recite the entirety of the thing in less than thirty seconds.
What's your favorite cover song (or songs)?
One of my favoriter bands is the Afghan Whigs, and I find their takes on both "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" and "Come See About Me" extremely compelling. Look them up, seriously. Their major problem has always been that Greg Dulli has never been close to the velvety-voiced soul singer he's wanted to be, but I still find those minor key takes on accepted r&b classics are just wonderful.
How tall are you?
5'11 and a half. Almost 6 feet, not quite.
Will there ever be a time in either one of your own videos or even a TGWTG special where we will get to see your most likely Beautiful and Glorious face?
Not in my videos, no. We'll see about crossover videos if I get invited to any (and assuming all the Douchey McNitpicks of the forum haven't inadvertently canceled the three-year anniversary).
What is your name?
My name is Todd Nathanson.
What do you think of the TV show Glee and its current effect on the music industry?
I've never watched it, because it looks terrible. Terrible. I'm not sure what effect it's having on the music industry that you're talking about -- all I know is that I see one of their stupid sub-American Idol mashups appear on the Billboard charts every now and again.
What are your favorite video games (if you have any)?
Monkey Island series, Marvel Super Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3.
Where did the "In the Shadows" persona come from? Are you camera shy?
I am a little camera shy, but it's more for professional reasons. I just really wanted to do this, but I'm a little wary of my employers and people who actually know me in real life seeing me talk shit about pop songs. In all likelihood, no one I actually know will ever find these videos, and if they do, there probably will be no repercussions whatsoever, but there's a chance that it could cause me problems, so just in case I'd like to make it a little harder for people to identify me.
Then again, I've already made public my name, my voice and at least an idea of my facial structure, so I don't know who I think I'm fooling here.
What is your opinion on the original Star Wars trilogy?
That's like asking my opinion on eating and breathing: I enjoy them. I can't imagine life without them.
Do you like Classical music? And if you do, do you have any favorite composers or pieces?
Not really. Just not my thing, doesn't speak to me.
I'm guessing you like 60s British Invasion bands. Who else besides The Zombies?
Oh, let's see, The Kinks, the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Cream, the Hollies, some Animals, the Searchers' "Needles and Pins," the Yardbirds.
Do you believe that American Idol has any kind of relevance in the music industry anymore?
Did it ever? American Idol has only ever produced five people with sustained careers: Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson. Two of those didn't even win. (Jury's still out on Kris Allen and Adam Lambert.) With Simon gone I really highly doubt you're going to see it produce any more major artists.
What is your opinion on Tim Burton?
Genius. Inconsistent. Latest film was possibly the most boring possible take on "Alice in Wonderland." Large chunks of my childhood defined by Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas. Ed Wood and Big Fish are his best. I've seen every single film he's ever directed.
Do you only review more current pop songs, or would you be willing to review older songs from, like, the 90's?
For the time being, I only review current songs, and that's because they're the easiest to write about. I hear these songs over and over again every day without me looking for them, saving me the trouble of having to seek them out and inflect them on myself in my off time. However, I do have a look at older music planned, if I can ever get around to making it.
Do you learn the music for the songs when you play them at the beginning of each video, or is it improvised?
If I've already written the review, chances are that I've lived and breathed that song for a week, meaning that some time beforehand I've probably sat down on my piano and figured out how to play it, simply because it's the first song on my mind when I wanted to play piano.
Who are your celebrity crushes?
Tina Fey, and the new girl on The Office.
Which Star Trek shows do you prefer and why?
Never watched any Star Trek episode, except I think one in school. The Deep Space 9 episode where the Ferengi woman disguises herself as a male. But no, I haven't watched any Star Trek shows. I have however watched the first six movies, which I rank thusly from best to worst:
Star Trek II
Star Trek III
Star Trek VI
Star Trek I
Star Trek V
Star Trek IV
What is your opinion on Paw?
He knows his music way better than I do, and he's an outstanding video editor. In a lot of ways, I feel like a poser next to him.
How do you feel about Judd Apatow's films?
If we're only counting the films he's directed, I've thought they've all been very funny, they've all reached into some very very dark places (the marriage of Debbie and Pete in Knocked Up is as depressingly soul-scarring as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf), they're all very well acted (Sandler has certainly never been better), they're all very poorly directed, and they're all unfocused and go on way, way too long.
Do you have a day job?
I have an internship that ends this summer while I finish up my studies. And then... we'll see.
Did you go to a music school at some point?
I minored in performance as an undergrad, but didn't really have any interest in pursuing it as a career. Before that I just took some piano lessons from a nice old lady.
What's your opinion on pixar movies?
Cars was godawful. Everything else they've done has been sublime.
Blur or Oasis ? (and why)
Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory are two of my all-time favorite albums, but being honest, I've never heard any Oasis song post-Morning Glory that wasn't complete shit. Blur have been more consistent and produced more good music and far more versatile -- I have to give it to them.
Whats your favorite drink and or beer and what is the drink that you will stay the hell away from?
I am actually not very picky about what I drink. Mostly I drink vodka (the good stuff and the cheap stuff too) and I like Riesling and White Zinfandel. Don't generally drink Jack Daniels but I finished that bottle after I filmed that episode and it was good stuff. Hate beer, hate red wine.
What's your opinion on The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night? (film or music)?
Fantastic.
What is your opinion of the concept of Indie music as a genre?
Indie music isn't really a genre. Supposedly it's the most cutting edge stuff, but if you can find someone who can make it all the way through a Fiery Furnaces CD, congratulate him for me. There's a lot of stuff on pop radio that's considerably weirder than a lot of indie rock.
Are there any Beyonce songs you like?
I liked "Crazy in Love". She has several other songs which aren't bad (I didn't mind "Halo," "Sweet Dreams" or "Irreplaceable"), but she just doesn't have any depth of emotion. All her man-bashing songs would be fine with me if she could find a way to sound hurt rather than just constantly pissed.
What is your greatest musical guilty pleasure
I'm pretty embarrassed that I don't like the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" as much as I like Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations."
Do you think calling girls "Shorty" (or Shawty) is incredibly stupid? Or is it no stupider than "baby?"
No, it's much stupider than "baby." Much, much stupider. And one thing that worries me is that "shawty" might stick around and just be one of those things like "baby" or "cool" that everyone says. Guh.
Do you like musicals, if so, which ones?
Fiddler on the Roof, Rocky Horror, Hedwig, and Sweeney Todd, I love completely.
Do you like operas, if so, which ones?
Don't really listen to operas. When I was younger, I remember liking the operas I did see that my parents took me to, including "The Magic Flute" and "I Pagliacci."
Is there a genre you've never listened to?
Oh, undoubtedly. Never listened to much jazz, for instance, especially Latin Jazz, which I am excessively ignorant about.
Are there any "white boy with acoustic guitar" songs that you actually like?
Despite my better judgment, I actually quite liked Jack Johnson's "Upside Down," written for the Curious George soundtrack of all things. Off the top of my head, there's also Donovan's "Catch the Wind" and Uncle Tupelo's "Still Be Around," although most people don't associate those with fratboy DMB fans, which is the genre I'm thinking of when I think of "white dude with acoustic guitar."
Can you sing?
Not really.
Who's your favorite composer?
Prokofiev.
What TV shows do you watch?
Close to none. The Daily Show and that's about it.
Aside from "Shorty/Shawty," are there any other modern slang terms that piss you off?
Beast. I hate it when people describe things as "beast."
Has Mario ever written a song you like?
Nope!
Best sketch comedy show ever?
Gonna go the unhip route and say that SNL has had more effect on my consciousness and style of humor than more obvious choices like Monty Python or Mr. Show.
What do you think of Blender's 'Worst of' lists?
Blender's lists are written for trendiness. I prefer personal lists. Their worst songs list is good but their worst artists list is horrible.
You've mentioned that there are some musicals you really like. Any you really dislike?
Plenty. I hate: Rent, Mamma Mia!, High School Musical, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, My Fair Lady, and probably lots of others.
Who do you think is worse Chicago or Nickelback?
The early days of Chicago are worthwhile. Nickelback, easily.
Is there any discrepancy between your character and your real life persona?
...Not really, quite honestly. I may exaggerate my anger a little, but I'm not a good enough actor to adopt a different persona.
Who in your opinion was the best band out of the grunge era?
Ooh, tough call. I... I guess I would say Nirvana? Actually, I'm having a really tough time deciding that one.
Will there be an April Fool's Joke episode in the near future?
Probably not. Even if I did, it would be crowded out by everyone else's April Fool joke.
Will you review songs from past years outside of 'worst of' lists? Will you review songs that are popular on other charts but not the pop charts? Will you review songs that are popular in other countries but not the USA? A combination of the above?
In all likelihood, probably not. The reason I'm able to write a full twelve-minute review of a three-minute song is because I'm hearing these songs over and over again anyway. It's actually fairly difficult to get enough material for these songs, so the fact that I hear these songs so often already is how I'm able to generate enough ideas to make a worthwhile video.
What do think was the worst year for pop music?
There's a popular observation that anything twenty years old is charmingly retro but anything ten years old is unbearably dated. That may be a factor in why I can barely find a single hit song from the year 2000 that's worth listening to, but to be fair to myself, I also hated most of those songs when they were popular. I vastly prefer a pop world driven by Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Taylor Swift than one driven by Jennifer Lopez, 'N Sync and Destiny's Child.
What's your favorite color?
You know, gray's my favorite color.
Who is the worst rapper ever, in your opinion?
Soulja Boy. Too obvious? It's still the correct answer.
Are there any other artists you have an attitude towards like that towards Katy Perry? (ie, hating them as a person but liking a lot of their songs.)
I hate Katy Perry as a performer and as a persona, not as a person, which is not the same thing. I wouldn't say I dislike Kanye West but I have several issues with his artistic output, but the fact is that I still enjoy most of it.
Have you seen This Is Spinal Tap? And thoughts if you have?
One of the greatest things about Spinal Tap is that it actually looks and feels like a real documentary. Even compared to the Christopher Guest mockumentaries the comedy is very underplayed and it feels very real.
You menchioned you watch a lot of movies, you ever watch any Godzilla films?
I've seen Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, and the Godzilla remake. I'm not really a fan. King Kong's more my thing.
Is there such thing as "so bad it's good" music to you, and if so, what falls into that category in your opinion?
Another word for "so bad it's good" is "good." I divide music into music I think is good and music I think it's bad, so if I happen to love, say, Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations" (which I do), I simply think of it as a "good" song.
Other than '87, what are your favorite and least favorite years for the pop charts?
1965 and 1976 strike me as pretty damn good years. I said earlier that 2000 is probably the worst, 2001 also.
Ignoring Justin Bieber, Nickelback and other craptastic artists/bands, how knowledgeable are you of the Canadian music scene and what are your favourite musicians from it?
I dunno, moderately? I've at least heard of Rush, The Tragically Hip, Alanis, the Matthew Good Band, Our Lady Peace, Loverboy, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Triumph, etc.
Which Michael Jackson videos do you like/dislike?
Outside of the awesome dance sceens, I never liked "Thriller," as a song or a video. Too damn cheesy. I'm much more of a fan of Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, Beat It and Black or White.
What's your opinion on parody musicians (Weird Al, Rucka Rucka Ali, etc?)
I enjoy a good parody as much as anyone, and I will eternally be a Weird Al fan.
Aside from the "White Boy With Acoustic Guitar" genre, what are your least favorite genres of music ever?
For some reason I just do not get Latin Jazz. Old-school croony vocal pop does nothing for me either. Contemporary Christian music can just get right the fuck out.
Also, do you hate acoustic guitars, period, or just the way they're used?
No, I don't hate acoustic guitars, but it's the most basic of arrangements, which means the music had really better be good.
Who do you think is the best guitarist of all time?
Slash. All-time favorite.
What is your opinion of American Idol?
Long story short: Entertaining as television, terrible for music.
Also, outside of Michael Jackson, what is your favourite/greatest music video you've seen?
Same as my favorite song: "Everlong."
Why do you hate the musical "My Fair Lady"?
I've only seen the film version, but those stiff-as-hell '60s West End musicals are really not my thing, and "My Fair Lady" is the worst of them. It's ungodly boring, too damn long, notably unromantic, and the music is just bad. Who the hell makes a song out of "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain"? Also Hepburn is just awful in it.
(Would you review) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, featuring the Bee Gees?
Probably not -- I watched it and wasn't able to riff it because it was operating either beneath or below my operating level. It's got no grounding in anything and is almost entirely incomprehensible. It doesn't really have a plot, characters, or in a certain sense even any musical numbers.
What's your opinion on Eminem's comeback.
He's at half-strength and he'll probably never be as good as he was ten years ago, but I'm still more than happy to hear him on the radio again.
What are a few of your favorite/least favorite cover songs?
Favorites: White Zombie's "I'm Your Boogie Man," Afghan Whigs' "Come See About Me"
Least favorite: Iron and Wine "Such Great Heights," Tori Amos's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
If you could pick songs to have played at your funeral, what songs would they be?
"Keep Me in Your Heart," Warren Zevon.
Do you have a favorite Weird Al song?
Dare to Be Stupid. But I love all his stuff, really.
Favorite/least favorite Christmas song?
Favorite: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, ideally by The Pretenders, but really most versions are fine
Least Favorite: The Twelve Days of Christmas.
What do you think of Rick Astley? Is "Never Gonna give You Up" as meme-worthy as the internet seems to think?
It's an okay song. Not my favorite Stock/Aitken/Waterman song (that would be Kylie Minogue's "Hand on Your Heart"). It's memeworthy though -- not because it's bad, but just because the opening video is so goofy and so sudden and in-your-face.
Do you have a favorite pianist?
Me, of course! No, seriously, though, Ben Folds.
What are your favorite sitcoms?
The Office and 30 Rock.
Who's your favorite female performer of all time?
Not sure. Possibly Chrissie Hynde.
Besides Everlong, What are your Top 10 Favorite Foo Fighters songs?
DOA.
Next Year.
New Way Home.
Times Like These.
Wheels.
My Hero.
Monkey Wrench.
I'll Stick Around.
Generator.
Aurora.
What's your favorite season?
Autumn. Right temperature, no pollen.
Why do you hate Grease; is it for the music or for some other reason?
The music is sterile in a lot of the same ways as the High School Musical series is. But on a plot level, it's truly awful. And just gross -- lots of references to rape, abortion, masturbation, other things like that, but it's pitched to kiddies. It's just a dumb, dumb movie.
Do you have trouble seeing with that mask on?
Somewhat. I can't really read small print through it but I can walk through a crowded room without difficulty.
What's your favourite Weird Al polka medley?
Either Hooked on Polkas or Polka Power.
What's your favorite Nostalgia Critic episode?
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, The Room
Since you already covered at least one year of the 70's ('76), 80's ('87) and 2010, can we expect a List of the worst songs of one year of the 90's and 2000's?
The 2000s, probably. The '90s are problematic because my lists are dependent on the Billboard charts, and the method that Billboard was using to calculate the popularity of a song was horribly inaccurate in the '90s, from '95 to '98 especially.