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1. WHAT guys?!?
2. Why
is there no track 80 on my copy of "That Album!"?
3. Devin - "doesn't
that hurt?"
4. Vocal
percussionists - how do you do that stuff?
5. What
happened to the mythic second album you guys were supposed to release?
6. How long
have you guys been in existence?
7. What
is a cappella music?
8. Do
you guys have any merchandise?
9. What's
the best way to contact the group? UPDATED
JANUARY 24, 2006!!!
10. Is the group
alive? UPDATED
JANUARY 24, 2006!!!
11. Who
arranges all your music?
12. *What* for
teens?
13. Why
did a robotic voice spell out "Hell" from backstage at the '80s Medley
concert?
14. What
is the "cat solo" in "Wonder Woman"?
15. What
is the infamous "urinal shot"?
16. Why did
Steve Rodriguez always do an ape walk in the middle of "Hungry Like The
Wolf" in the "'80s Medley"?
Christopher Thaxter says:
Those masterful artistes distingués that ooze forth luscious sunbeams of wacky musical delight into the unwitting or otherwise entirely incognizant milieus, those dilettantish hooligans of song that rip the seams of innocent-but-not-poor musical entities of yesteryear for the specific amusement of random Fairmontians and such, those freaky undercover normal guys who extricate the living humor from the sap of the treble maple and the bass oak to allow roaring guffaws and giggles to enfold during otherwise prim and peaceful chamber concerts, those tremendously unimportant but nevertheless powerful creatures of organized a cappella pandemonium that encourage and actively promote the highest notes of the tenor gamut to the dismay of the physical voice boxes themselves, those fashionably lazy although tenderly efficacious record producers who tantalize deliciously their Grossmontian groupies and the like with obviously solid promises of Colton Avenues to come, those profoundly influential shakers and bakers of emotional consequence that fry instruments and soothe hearing aids for the sole purpose of oddly non-financial gain; not these guys, not you guys, not us guys, not them guys, not the guys, not who guys, not which guys, not what guys, but rather the ones whose quintessence has been terrifically attempted to be disclosed to you thus far; in truth, those altogether fomenting, impresario-aspiring, unaccompanied, whimsical, ditty-snatching, phonologically and musicologically perspicacious guys! Indeed, "What guys?," you ask? Why, Those Guys!, of course!!!
2. Why is there no track 80 on my copy of "That Album!"?
Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy.
This may very well be the most oft-asked question in Those Guys! history. The original plan was to indeed have the "Eighties Medley" be track 80 on the disc. The idea was to have a number of one-second tracks of nothing but silence until the disc reached track 80, and then the medley would begin. This became too unwieldy an idea during the mastering process, and it was decided to place the medley 8 minutes after the last track instead. The "track 80" gag was left on the back of the jacket as a joke. Unfortunately, it ended up confusing and frustrating a great many people.
3. Devin - "doesn't that hurt?"
In the early days, this question must have been asked more frequently than "what is the meaning of life?" It refers to Devin's own unique brand of what could be deemed "chestral percussion" - beating his chest with two fists while making cymbal and hi-hat noises with his mouth. This can be heard in several places throughout the "Eighties Medley" on "That Album!", as well as in the live version of "Everything Gonna Be Alright In Christ" on the "Feast Of Lights 1996" CD. We refer to Mr. Lawrence for the definitive answer to this question:
No.
4. Vocal percussionists - how do you do that stuff?
Christopher Chardi says:
My brand of vocal percussion was more of an emulation of synth drums and electronic percussion of the '80s - which I am a big fan of - rather than the beat box/old school rap sound exemplified by the majority of vocal percussionists. It employed mainly my tongue, teeth and glottis rather than my lips, the latter of which I think is more standard. Mine was more of a "dvvv" than a "pbbb," if that makes sense. I tried not to think about it too much, but rather just have at it.
Ryan Duckworth says:
Every choir teacher alive has at one point said something to the effect of "sing on the vowels," which is good advice, but vocal percussionists ignore it. Vocal drumming is almost like singing just consonants, just really loudly. For example, making the sound of the letter "t" sounds like a closed hi-hat, saying "ts" sounds like an open hi-hat, "b" sounds like a bass drum and "pf" like a snare drum. Put them together in a string - bttkttt - and you have a riff like the one I used in "Bitter Single Guy." From there it's mostly a matter of practice and learning how to modify those sounds enough to make them sound like musical instruments.
5. What happened to the mythic second album you guys were supposed to release?
For an in-depth answer to that, please take a look at our feature "The Making of Colton Avenue." We apologize whole-heartedly to all those who waited for the album so patiently. "Colton Avenue" was finally released in January of 2001. A track listing, cover shot, lyrics and sound clips appear on our discography page.
6. How long have you guys been in existence?
Peruse our history page for an in depth answer to that one.
It is actually pronounced "MEE-LEE-WAH-KAY," and was originally an Algonquin term meaning "the good land."
Okay, seriously...
The literal meaning of "a cappella" is "as in a church," referring to sacred choral music performed by human voices alone. Ergo, a cappella music is music performed only by human voices (and an occasional snap or handclap) without the augmentation of instruments. It enjoyed a rennaissance in the 1950s in suburbs and on street corners and came to be known as "doo wop," and modern a cappella music is pretty much a direct descendant of that (in theory if not in practice).
8. Do you guys have any merchandise?
Other than "That Album!" and the forthcoming "Colton Avenue" CDs, not really. A limited number of "That Album!" and "Colton Avenue" t-shirts were made and distributed to members of the group. Some extras were sold at a concert or two and thrown out to fans at various performances on and off campus. Damon Tribble once joked around about the prospect of creating Those Guys! action figures. Perhaps if you pester us long enough we may be persuaded to create some.
9. What's
the best way to contact the group?
UPDATED JANUARY 24, 2006!!!
At this point in time, the best way to get in touch with various members of the group would be through me, the webmaster, at webmaster@crapple.iwarp.com.
10. Is the
group alive?
UPDATED JANUARY 24, 2006!!!
Sadly, we heard Those Guys!, as an entity, threw in the towel sometime in 2003. As of March of 2002, the members were Craig Colclought, John David-Wiese, Chris Gravis, James Post (Business Manager), Rob Robinson, Vincent Robles (Music Director), Elliot Smith and Alan Underwood.
11. Who arranges all your music?
Traditionally, the group has tended to have an even mix between pre-arranged material and material arranged by members of the group. For a complete listing of who arranged what, check out our repertoire page.
This question refers to the new wave song "Tips For Teens" by Sparks that the group once performed. There were often a few eyebrows raised when the chorus was, *ahem*, misheard.
Christopher Chardi says:
I probably never should have arranged that one. It was a really obscure song and no one could really grasp the humor in it, let alone make out the words.
13.
Why did a robotic voice spell out "Hell" from backstage at the '80s Medley
concert (Spring 1996)?
UPDATED JANUARY 24, 2006!!!
Christopher Chardi says:
This is one of my personal favorite memories of the group. Co-founder and business manager Damon Tribble was playing with my Speak & Spell after we went backstage after the "'80s Medley." He decided to spell out "hello" to the audience over the microphone. Unfortunately, anyone who owned a Speak & Spell in the 1980s knows that they can be fickle little critters. After Damon spelled out "H-E-L-L..." the Speak & Spell malfunctioned, resulting in that quintessential "blipblopbleepblipblopbleep..." noise that signals your Speak & Spell has just lost it.
14. What is the "cat solo" in "Wonder Woman"?
It is merely Larry Klimek starting to sing the line "get us out from under" when he should be singing "you're a wonder." The word "get" just barely sticks out in one channel of the stereo recording, and sounds more like "cat." We found it funny so we decided to give him credit in the liners.
15. What is the infamous "urinal shot"?
This refers to a hilarious "That Album!" promo shot taken by Autumn Earle of the 1996 lineup - all wearing "That Album!" t-shirts - standing at urinals in a Disneyland bathroom. It nearly made it onto the artwork for "That Album!" but good sense and taste prevailed. We lobbied hard for it to be in the University of Redlands yearbook that year, but it didn't show up until the 1997 edition.
To see the picture of which we speak, click here.
16. Why did Steve Rodriguez always do an ape walk in the middle of "Hungry Like The Wolf" in the "'80s Medley"?
Talk about your obscure inside jokes. Ross' arrangement of the Duran Duran song "Hungry Like The Wolf" had the lyrical lines broken up in the background parts. For example, the lines the backups sang at the beginning were "darken the city, night...wire...steam in the subway, earth...fire..." The second backup line went "woman you want me, give...sign." Steve found this amusing in a neanderthal sort of way and randomly started doing a sort of ape walk during rehearsals for the medley whenever he got to that line. The schtick stuck (oooh, terrible alliteration) and so he continued to do it in the two or three performances we did of the "'80s Medley." This also explains the quote attributed to Steve in the liner notes to "That Album!": "woman you want me...give sign!"
This FAQ was compiled and is maintained
by Christopher Chardi.
All information © 2000, 2001, 2002
Those Guys!
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