Large & In Charge

There’s something nicely democratizing about heavy-set musicians — sure, some of them play it for laughs (j’accuse Fat Boys!), but if a dude who looks and sweats like Meat Loaf can get famous, then heck, maybe I can, too! Also, if people can get behind a performer with girth like that, maybe things aren’t going to hell in an image-conscious/obsessed handbasket as quickly as I imagined. (Or not — I found it much easier to think of famous fat male musicians than famous fat female musicians. Oh well…)

Anyway, Linda’s challenge was loads of fun, and I found some great songs from my favorite big and beautiful bands and performers. Hope you dig:

1. Biz Markie, “One Two”
   ‘Tis true, nobody beats the Biz (see photo — middle right), but ‘cmon — the guy was on VH1’s “celebrity” weight loss reality show Celebrity Fit Club. He lost 40lbs. on the show, 11.6% of his body weight, and still sat around the house, if you know what I mean. Anyway, for those as Rolling-Stones-obsessed as me, you’ll note that this completely acapella number includes the sample that was famously used by producers the Dust Brothers on “Anybody Seen My Baby” from their 1998 Bridges to Babylon album.
2. Black Grape, “Reverend Black Grape”
   Shaun Ryder (top left) rose to fame (and infamy) thanks to his time in the Happy Mondays, but because I lived a musically sheltered life during the height of the Madchester scene, I didn’t discover him until he’d begun working in Black Grape, which, I now realize, is an even more party-ready outfit than the Mondays. This tune is a perfect example of their formula: lay down a funky, danceable, techno-infused groove, drop in a super-hooky chorus, and let Ryder shout/slur his way through it. It’s awesome, big, dumb fun.
3. Los Lobos, “Good Morning Aztlán”
   I was initially attracted to Los Lobos because of really quirky and exploratory numbers like “Kiko and the Lavender Moon,” but in recent years they’ve settled into a solid blues-rock groove, and this track is one of their best — a rough and tumble bluesy shuffle. Oh, and guitarist/singer César Rosas (top right) es un pequeño en el lado pesado.
4. Junior Senior, “Chicks and Dicks”
   In the opening line of this song, Senior (Jeppe Laursen) announces “Boy b-boy boys, I’m handsome and tall.” Judging by his picture (middle left), he may be a little delusional, but that doesn’t stop this song, a collision of garage rock and lo-fi dance music, from kicking ass.
5. Screaming Trees, “Sworn and Broken”
   I saw these guys open for Oasis back in 1996, and I had absolutely no idea who they were at the time, but the show stayed with me for one reason: rotund brothers Van Conner and Gary Lee Conner (in the far left & right of the band photo), who played guitar and bass in the band, bounced around the stage, running from one end to the other, the entire time and really rocked the house. They broke up shortly after I saw them, but the show lead me to their album Dust and this fantastic ballad.
6. Popa Chubby, “Like The Buddha Do”
   Is there something about the blues that makes musicians overweight? Seems like you’ve got to be a little heavy-set to properly play blues guitar well, and if so, Popa Chubby’s (top middle) got to be the best there is. Actually, his playing is really quite good, and he churns out an album of crackin’ blues-rock every year or so. This song comes from 2004’s Peace, Love & Respect, a heavily antiwar album, and I thought that this song about peace and a tubby deity was a perfect fit for the theme.
7. Chef & Meat Loaf, “Tonight Is Right For Love”
   This was the first song I thought of when Linda sent me her theme idea: it pairs two of the most talented, recognizable heavy-set singers of all time — Isaac Hayes and Meat Loaf; I think of it as the perfect chubby storm. It’s from the Chef Aid album and episode of “South Park,” and manages to combine both Hayes’ smooth-as-silk babymakin’ style and Meat’s over-the-top rock-opera drama into a single, goofy, Meredith Baxter Birney-worshipping ode. Awesome.

Time to give the big guys a spin — enjoy!

Download: Biz Markie, “One Two” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Black Grape, “Reverend Black Grape” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Los Lobos, “Good Morning Aztlán” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Junior Senior, “Chicks and Dicks” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Screaming Trees, “Sworn and Broken” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Popa Chubby, “Like The Buddha Do” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Chef & Meatloaf, “Tonight Is Right For Love” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Large & In Charge” (XML playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

You can get it all at once, too:

Download: “Large & In Charge” (ZIP — SaveFile)
(Click here for download instructions)