Whoa. Whoa. Well, I just found out where the title of Peter Hughes’ Livejournal came from. Amazing!
“Rock ‘n Roll Dreams’ll Come Through” – Ted Leo (Live on The Best Show on WFMU)
As previously mentioned, Ted Leo and WFMU’s The Best Show on WFMU have a shared history. During the WFMU fundraising marathon in 2007, Ted learned a song from one of The Best Show’s most famous bits. In the bit (found on the New Hope for the Ape-Eared collection), Jon Wurster calls in as Barry Dworkin, an aged “rock star” with very specific requirements for his bandmates and a “complete” song (without any of the music). Scharpling becomes increasingly bewildered by Dworkin’s call, especially when he sings his future hit song for his band (Barry Dworkin and the Gas Station Dogs), a “true story” about his rise to fame with countless continuity errors.
Leo went a step further after this performance, recording a full band version of the song for a limited released 7” single for Chunklet magazine (the flip side of the single is “Up in Them Guts,” Zach Galifinakis and Fiona Apple). The full band version is cool, but I’ll always love this solo performance and its lovingly animated video (which I will credit to Youtube user kidcolin unless someone corrects me). It’s especially great for the joy in Scharpling’s voice as one of his bits becomes something a little bigger.
