What a shame....to think Steely Dan would rip this off of Donnie and Marie and turn it into one of their signature songs. I sure hope the kids got the royalties they deserved.
Wow, America did a LOT more drugs in that era than I remembered. What kind of crack were Donnie and Marie on? And what were we on, to watch it each week?
You know, I'm sure because of my age, I probably watched this when it was actually on -- and it was likely my first exposure to a Steely Dan song. And that's why I hated them (Steely Dan) for so long without knowing why.
I got over that years later, but it all makes sense now.
That made my day. And yes, Christine, when THEY started to skate backwards while lipsyncing and grooving to the music, I too thought, "Damned if I could ever do that!" The LA Times had a dumb story about how Millenials learned to love Steely Day unironically. Well, maybe by listening to them?
The problem with the modern world is that I was half-convinced this was AI the whole time I watched it. Like some tech genius dork could revise the entire SD catalogue to be sung by Donny and Marie and it would all exist by dinner time, right? That shit is already happening. I hate to sound old and cranky but I'm older and crankier than ever and I don't care for this at all. Not one bit.
Peter, Clear something up for me, please. Is it the idea that AI could revise the entire Dan catalogue that you don't care for, or the video of Donny & Marie? I posted this because I couldn't believe how astoundingly bad it was, even on a kitsch level. Or maybe you don't care for being reminded that something this pathetic could happen more often moving forward.
No, wait, I'm not being clear! It's a groovy post.
I think the video is priceless. That kind of '70s kitsch from variety shows is jaw-dropping, and definitely worthy of being posted. My grumbling was about how all this new AI technology is being employed to create things that could/will change cultural history. For instance, someone took Glen Campbell's version of Brian Wilson's "Guess I'm Dumb," wiped Glen's vocal and then used AI to plug Brian's 1966-era voice into the song.
Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osWMnk3G5yo
This shit is spreading like kudzu. Here is an AI version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" as sung by the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKZwjD8jc0
Some of it is better than the rest, but it's all Frankensteinian and, though there's an interesting wish fulfillment aspect to it (except who in their right minds ever thought it'd be cool for the Beatles to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody?") it feels wrong and possibly dangerous to the whole real/not real truth/lies division.
That's what I think, anyway. Have you given it any thought?
Peter, I have given it thought. A long time reader posted "God Only Knows" sung by Paul. One of my best friends sent me a couple of solo Paul tracks as new Beatles tracks. I hate it. It sounds like the cast of "Beatlemania" not The Beatles, for chrissakes. It bothers me. I don't like it.
Right, yes, exactly. My poorly-stated beef in my first comment was that I wasn't certain if that was actually Donny & Marie singing Steely Dan or just a clever use of video/audio AI to put Steely Dan words into D&M's mouths. And I resented my momentary confusion, and resented even more the prospect of a future in which people will easily and probably constantly futz with other people's art in scarily realistic ways. It's bad and wrong and it will only get easier and more prevalent until we have mixes of "Bohemian Rhapsody" being sung by Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln had a reedy, high, thin voice that was apparently underwhelming, at best. I agree about the not-knowing what's real is annoying and deep fake videos are bad since people can't even tell dumb sh-t which is clearly complete nonsense is in fact, nonsense. (We did land on the moon.) But I guess it's like sampling. Someone will do something creative and interesting with these new tools, but mostly it's annoying. Maybe I should compare it to 3-D. I can't wait to see thew new Wim Wenders documentary in 3-D but almost no other movie needs to be in 3=-D ever.
25 comments:
Walter and Donald would be proud.
And hey... what a guest lineup!
Randy
Oh boy.
What a shame....to think Steely Dan would rip this off of Donnie and Marie and turn it into one of their signature songs. I sure hope the kids got the royalties they deserved.
Wow, America did a LOT more drugs in that era than I remembered. What kind of crack were Donnie and Marie on? And what were we on, to watch it each week?
I think we've seen the next song the Lemon Twigs should cover...
Two against nature.
@Stu
Hahaha!
You know, I'm sure because of my age, I probably watched this when it was actually on -- and it was likely my first exposure to a Steely Dan song. And that's why I hated them (Steely Dan) for so long without knowing why.
I got over that years later, but it all makes sense now.
Oh yeah, would have loved to hear Walter and Donald's reception of this performance.
Also, Ruth Buzzi AND Buddy Hackett on the same show? Take the phone off the hook, mother.
Bill
Yeah, but listen to their version of Ozzy's Crazy Train, while grooving on an 8 ball down a mountainside road in Durango......
I'm sorry - I made fun of these two forever, but this made me smile. I can't help it. And talk about triple threat---ice dancing, as well! Come on! ;)
That made my day. And yes, Christine, when THEY started to skate backwards while lipsyncing and grooving to the music, I too thought, "Damned if I could ever do that!" The LA Times had a dumb story about how Millenials learned to love Steely Day unironically. Well, maybe by listening to them?
My response to that one is cognitive dissonance. I really can't believe what I'm seeing and hearing. Thanks, Sal.
Who woulda thunk it- Steely Dan at the Ice Capades!
Stuff like this is why I always believed that anyone who says that "Crazy Horses" is a great album is trying to prank me into listening to it.
Gobsmacked!
Yeah, me too. I used to watch them every week too. But I couldn't get all the way thru this.
I thought Donny was at least "a little bit rock n roll".
Apparently not.
Words absolutely fail me.
The problem with the modern world is that I was half-convinced this was AI the whole time I watched it. Like some tech genius dork could revise the entire SD catalogue to be sung by Donny and Marie and it would all exist by dinner time, right? That shit is already happening. I hate to sound old and cranky but I'm older and crankier than ever and I don't care for this at all. Not one bit.
Peter,
Clear something up for me, please. Is it the idea that AI could revise the entire Dan catalogue that you don't care for, or the video of Donny & Marie? I posted this because I couldn't believe how astoundingly bad it was, even on a kitsch level. Or maybe you don't care for being reminded that something this pathetic could happen more often moving forward.
No, wait, I'm not being clear! It's a groovy post.
I think the video is priceless. That kind of '70s kitsch from variety shows is jaw-dropping, and definitely worthy of being posted. My grumbling was about how all this new AI technology is being employed to create things that could/will change cultural history. For instance, someone took Glen Campbell's version of Brian Wilson's "Guess I'm Dumb," wiped Glen's vocal and then used AI to plug Brian's 1966-era voice into the song.
Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osWMnk3G5yo
This shit is spreading like kudzu. Here is an AI version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" as sung by the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKZwjD8jc0
Some of it is better than the rest, but it's all Frankensteinian and, though there's an interesting wish fulfillment aspect to it (except who in their right minds ever thought it'd be cool for the Beatles to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody?") it feels wrong and possibly dangerous to the whole real/not real truth/lies division.
That's what I think, anyway. Have you given it any thought?
Peter,
I have given it thought. A long time reader posted "God Only Knows" sung by Paul. One of my best friends sent me a couple of solo Paul tracks as new Beatles tracks. I hate it. It sounds like the cast of "Beatlemania" not The Beatles, for chrissakes. It bothers me. I don't like it.
Right, yes, exactly. My poorly-stated beef in my first comment was that I wasn't certain if that was actually Donny & Marie singing Steely Dan or just a clever use of video/audio AI to put Steely Dan words into D&M's mouths. And I resented my momentary confusion, and resented even more the prospect of a future in which people will easily and probably constantly futz with other people's art in scarily realistic ways. It's bad and wrong and it will only get easier and more prevalent until we have mixes of "Bohemian Rhapsody" being sung by Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln had a reedy, high, thin voice that was apparently underwhelming, at best. I agree about the not-knowing what's real is annoying and deep fake videos are bad since people can't even tell dumb sh-t which is clearly complete nonsense is in fact, nonsense. (We did land on the moon.) But I guess it's like sampling. Someone will do something creative and interesting with these new tools, but mostly it's annoying. Maybe I should compare it to 3-D. I can't wait to see thew new Wim Wenders documentary in 3-D but almost no other movie needs to be in 3=-D ever.
Don't really know if I want the acknowledgment for unearthing this, lol
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