The Trashmen : Surfing Bird! (Bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word)


Turn on the TV here in Britain these days and it’s non stop Election coverage.

Opinion Poll after Opinion Poll contradicting each other.

Who’s up? Who’s down?

Leaders debates (but not including all the leaders)

Interviews, Hustings. Meet The People. Manifestos.

Dreadful, heart sinking phrases :

’We have been very clear about our policy ….’

‘We inherited a terrible situation …’

’We have had to make some very hard choices …’

Every time I hear one of these phrases I take out my trusty Air Horn and give it a long, loud blast.

 

Somehow it makes me feel better!

A friend said that an Election Campaign heralds an avalanche of Nonsense sure to bury us all.

I disagree.

Election campaigns herald Evasions, Elisions, Diversions, Fantasies, Fakery and outright Lies rather than Nonsense.

I’m in favour of Nonsense :

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
 Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
*

Give me plenty of that kind of Nonsense!

I find that the best defence against the political pollution relentlessly assailing me is to combine regular blasts on the Horn with loud declamations of The Jabberwocky swiftly followed by my own take on an all time Nonsense Classic, ‘Surfing Bird’ by The Trashmen.

Turn your volume controls to Max and sing along with gusto!

 

Roll over Tristan Tzara tell Roland Barthes the news!

Notes :

Surfing Bird was released in November 1963 and surged to No 4 on Billboard.

Clearly it owes much to two tracks by The Rivingtons : Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow and The Bird’s The Word. Hence the songwriting credit to Al Frazier, Carl White, Sonny Harris and Turner Wilson.

However, i salute Trashmen drummer and vocalist Steve Wahrer for taking the raw material  of two fine songs and through an act of crazed creativity producing an immortal record.

In addition to Steve Wahrer The Trashmen comprised guitarists Tony Andreason and Dal Winslow and bassist Bob Reed.

 

A-well-a everybody’s heard about the bird!
Bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird bird bird, bird is the word
A-well-a bird bird bird, well-a bird is the word
A-well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word

72 thoughts on “The Trashmen : Surfing Bird! (Bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word)

  1. Good Lord, what inspired silliness on that second video! My husband and I had to watch it on the TV to get the full effect, which sent us to a punk version by The Cramps (verrrry strange) and another punk version by The Ramones (very Joey, oh, yeah). Now we’re on to The Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer. Hey, it’s better than watching the news . . .

    Liked by 2 people

  2. We were in London for two weeks recently and the Brexit Brouhaha and then the election endlessness. Your horn is a fabulous idea. It could certainly help to dispel those slithy toves that seem to be everywhere in political spheres today.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. What a kick! So much more melodious and tasteful and intelligent than what’s coming out of the mouths of many these days (I’m kidding, I’m kidding…wait, maybe I’m not…)
    JazzCookie is laughing…thank you…

    Liked by 2 people

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.