Taking Funny Music Seriously

Lily E. Hirsch is a musicologist and author most recently of Can't Stop the Grrrls: Confronting Sexist Labels in Music from Ariana Grande to Yoko Ono; Weird Al: Seriously; and Insulting Music: A Lexicon of Insult in Music.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: The Set-Up1. Live from Largo2. Staying Demented3. Bad SingingPart II: Jesting by Genre4. Tapping into Movie Music5. Classical Music is Comedic (Again)6. Hip-Hop Meow7. Banter, Banjo, and Bumpkins8. Heavy and Hilarious (Metal)9. Funny GirlsPart III: Humorous Music by Topic10. Humor about Humor11. Silly Love Songs12. Poisoning PigeonsConclusion: Comedic Music in CrisisSelected BibliographyIndex

"Kudos to Lily Hirsch for writing this glorious book celebrating my friends, my heroes, and a subject matter which (for fairly obvious reasons) is near and dear to my heart. Meticulously researched and crafted with love, Taking Funny Music Seriously finds meaning, purpose, and joy in an art form which many of the world's "serious" critics are all too eager to dismiss."—"Weird Al" Yankovic"A really interesting deep dive into an aspect of comedy history I knew very little about. A must for any comedic geek!"—Mike Sacks, author of And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers"Lily Hirsch, an actual musicologist, has written a new book that wonderfully illuminates the nexus of humor and music. Garfunkel and Oates, Lonely Island, Randy Newman, Frank Zappa, Sylvia Fine, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Tom Lehrer, Monty Python, and "Darlene Edwards" are just some of the many music/comedy artists celebrated. It's fascinating, fun, and deeply researched. I sure learned a lot. Read it and then listen to some comedy songs."—Wayne Federman, Comedian and author of The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle"For too long, any remotely humorous or comic music has been cast out or ignored by historians and scholars as not worthy of—yes—serious attention. Lily Hirsch has deftly woven together a broad and fascinating overview of the countless ways humor enters into the music we listen to, showing that it can take the gaze of critics and stand the test of time."—Daniel Goldmark, author of Funny Pictures: Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollywood