Webber Schmebber
Rant by Matthew Webber
I never thought I'd grow to tolerate, much less appreciate, the singer and songwriter of the "you put de lime in de coconut" song, which annoyed me to my nerve endings the few times I chanced to hear it. (What is this? A fruit industry public service announcement?)
So, my latest musical discovery, and my latest musical truth, came as a surprise: Basically, Harry Nilsson was a genius. Despite or because of "Coconut," which sounds more like a Jimmy Buffett song or something by, shudder, Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas than any of Nilsson's other songs, I've bypassed tolerance and shot past acceptance, and I'm well on my way to pure, unabashed fandom. Again, the guy was a musical genius.
Once again, my excellent local library (the same library that recently allowed me to check out indie-rock masterpieces by Arcade Fire and the Ditty Bops) rescued me from my own ignorance with its killer collection of free CDs. When I saw two studio albums and a greatest-hits compilation by Harry Nilsson on the shelves, I remembered how little I knew of the guy and his music and how much I felt I needed to fill these gaps. So I checked them out immediately.
So, three burned CDs and multiple listens later, I'm a convert. I'm a fan. I see why the Beatles loved this guy so much: Beautiful voice (to rival Jeff Buckley's, not that the Beatles would've made that reference), uncorruptable songwriting talent (to rival Lennon/McCartney's), and a truly unique and idiosyncratic artistic vision (to rival his own, I guess). Although his songs sound similar, and similarly great, no two songs sound the same.
The biography on his Wikipedia page, too, is fascinating, from his battles over creative control with his record label to his carousing in Hollywood with a drunken John Lennon.
If you don't know him at all, or if you only know "Coconut," I heartily recommend him, especially if you're a fan of Beatles-esque pop music.
My only complaint is that he includes the word "Schmilsson" in too many of his album titles.
