Westerberg High




With Lost, 24 and The Office all on summer hiatus, my current favorite show is VH1's World Series of Pop Culture. I've spent the last couple of nights screaming at the television at moments like tonight, when not one, but two morons didn't recognize the lyrics to "Billie Jean." It's simply the best game show since Rock and Roll Jeopardy.

When they showed previews for tomorrow night's episode, I had to do a double-take, because I recognized one of the contestants; Eric Melin, who used to be the drummer for one of the best bands you've probably never heard of, Ultimate Fakebook. I saw them play at a record store called Balcony Lights when I lived in Las Vegas, and it was one of my top 20 best concerts ever. That may not seem that impressive, but I've seen a LOT of shows.

If I were a gambling man, I'd bet the house on Melin's team, Westerburg High, to win it all. Their cool quotient is off the charts, having named themselves after a pop culture reference of a pop culture reference (Westerburg High was the school in Heathers, and a homage to The Replacements frontman). They also patterned their t-shirts on the Cheap Trick logo. But while all that is cool on the surface, what really makes me believe in these guys is that they know their shit. Eric used to write movie reviews on the UFB website while the band was on tour, and the guy knows his pop culture. If his compadres are even half as well versed in worthless trivia as he is, they should be unstoppable.

Given the subject of this post, this is definitely the most appropriate UFB song for me to share with you. It's easily the greatest pop/punk song ever written about a blockbuster sci-fi prequel.

Ultimate Fakebook - "Far, Far Away" (mp3) from This Will Be Laughing Week

Comments:
Don't think I've ever posted on a blog before, but I about fell off my chair when I saw Ultimate fareeking Fakebook on hypem before I went to bed.

I used to host a local music show in Springfield, Mo. and if I'm correct those guys are from KC or StL? Used to LLLLLOOOVE them. AND I didn't even know that my favorite gameshow was back on VH1.

Double, triple, quadruple props. G'night.
Vydra
 
I've never been to your blog, either, but saw your post through hypem. UFB is from the KC area - saw them in Lawrence more times than I can count. Great live shows.

The guy on the left in the photo (with glasses) is Andy. He was in another great KC area band called Danger Bob - who I also saw more times than I can count. Andy hosts local trivia nights and knows his stuff. They should be a dominating team on the show.
 
Ultimate Fakebook is/was from Manhattan, Kansas, originally--gotta make sure that KSU gets represented, even if the band did relocate to Lawrence.

And what was with the host saying that Lawrence wasn't the first place he thought of when he thought of pop culture? That sort of coastal regionalism ticks me off.

Thanks, Jayhawk, for writing that Andy was in Danger Bob. I knew he looked familiar.
 
My memory of J.D. is of his work with a mid-'90s Lawrence band called "Means to an End." Knew him also as a music store clerk who let me take home unsold magazines. Delightful guy.

Eric and J.D. have a movie review site which includes some info about their World Series competition:

http://www.scene-stealers.com
 
You should form a team and be on that show....I'd root for you because I think you're special, suave, sophisticated and debonair....
 
Thanks for the props, man! Not sure what hypem is, but I oughta check it out, I guess. Glad you liked the Ultimate fakebook rock and thanks for the pop culture confidence.

Anonymous was right, JD and I are doing Scene-Stealers.com full time, and I'm in a band with UFB's bassist Nick called Dead Girls Ruin Everything:
www.myspace.com/deadgirlsruineverything

The blog rules, keep up the good work!

Eric
 
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