EconomyBeat.org » music

Video: “I Pay My Taxes”

Jon Brooks — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:25:21 +0000

“April 15, baby.”

Probably not the favorite video the tea party set…

Sub-prime the Musical

Jon Brooks — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:32:14 +0000

Tip o’ the hat to Laura at EconomyStory for sending us Sub-prime the Musical. The site consists of a series of podcasts by a college student named Madison Koshy, who created them from research she did on the causes of the credit crisis. Naturally, she then wrote song parodies to illustrate the concepts she had learned. From the About page:

I was extremely upset about the state of the economy, but I found it very difficult to understand what was happening. So this summer, I pursued an independent project where I read and researched about what was going on, and then I attempted to re-explain it through podcasts as a means of better understanding the information. Wanting to make my blog a little more interesting, I incorporated song parodies that tied into the material.

Here is Act I, Scene I, called “How it All Began.”

And here is a song parody, based on “The Brady Bunch” theme, called accompanying song, called “The Credit Crunch.”

You can also follow “Sub-prime the Musical” on Twitter.

Musical kvetching

Jon Brooks — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:11:39 +0000

Hear about this one? Complaint choirs.

Apparently, they’ve been around a few years, but if you ask me, the concept is the ultimate Internet meme for our current plight: Groups of people getting together to sing (quite well, actually) a litany of things that irritate them.

Naturally, economic issues figure in. In Juneau, they grouse that “Blue Cross is stealing my life — I’m a wage slave for health care,” and also mention high rents, rich people, and cronyism in state hiring. In Chicago, they sing: “My damn boss outsourced my job but he gets to keep his” and “I am drowning in student loans.”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. In Philadelphia, the lamentations include parking signs, customer call menu options, infrequent sex, umbrellas, and — most notably — New Jersey drivers. In Chicago, they kvetch:

Busses bunch up worse than granny panties
Nobody ever throws the ball to me
Airport security took my mouthwash
Everybody thinks they are a good kisser
The amateur Jethro Tull cover band
Only tourists like deep dish pizza
Everybody is a moron

It’s a sort of more sophisticated version of “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”

For those who believe in the power of positive thinking, well, your day may yet come. It’s just that nobody knows when…

Laid Off – The Music Video

Jon Brooks — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:19:49 +0000

“Laid Off” by C.H.A.Z.Z.

Recession Blues

Jon Brooks — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:15:56 +0000

Got ‘em? You’re not alone. Culled from YouTube: A bunch o’ people all singin’ their own version of songs titled “Recession Blues.”

Best of set (if you’re David Lynch)