11 Songs: The Dead Milkmen

So I brought up The Dead Milkmen on Friday. Here are 11 songs by them. It's not necessary a "11 best songs" list or even "Peter's 11 favorite songs" but it's certainly 11 songs you shouldn't miss. Why 11?

Seriously?



10 11 Songs By The Dead Milkmen, in no particular order.

1) Punk Rock Girl.

"Someone played a Beach Boys song [. . .] It was California Dreamin' and so we started screaming, on a winter's day."

Best part of the video? Rodney walks around reading a newspaper just like he would when they'd do this song live.

This video actually makes me kind of sad, since it features so much of Dave "Dave Blood" Schulthise, who took his own life back in 2004.

Thanks to this song, I made sure to take a walk to Zipperhead one Saturday back in '99. I bought a studded bracelet I still have around here today.

2) Bitchin' Camaro.

The best intro is still the album intro. "My parents drove it up for me from the Bahamas" is a recurring line in my life.

3) I Know Where The Tarantula Lives.

I love how this feels like a Carl Spackler line. "I know where the tarantula lives, so I've got that going for me."

4) Methodist Coloring Book.

I don't even know what to say about this one. Just watch it.

5) Nutrition.

At least I give a shit about the stuff I eat. I might be that guy, sometimes.

6) If You Love Someone, Set Them On Fire.

A sentiment not to live by.

7) Big Lizard In My Backyard.

This might be the first song I ever heard from this band, thanks to my friend Tom. He had Big Lizard on cassette tape.

8) I Dream of Jesus.

Nothing beats a story song by The Dead Milkmen. "He was shorter than I'd imagined." Like Tom Cruise!

9) Stuart.

Ah, Pueblo CO, home of all sorts of mailed pamphlets. The whole "he was a daredevil!" bit and "what the queers are doing to our soil" have legs. That makes me think I need to post about The Queers, too. Good band, shame about the soil.

10) Tiny Town.

We live in a tiny town, and we don't want you coming round. I think of this as a touring song.

11) The Thing That Only Eats Hippies.

Just a great baseline on this.

This list could easily go to 11+. But you won't go far wrong with those songs. There are a lot of newer songs which are great, too. But since I got into this band so long ago, the early stuff is really what's stuck into my soul as defining music for the band.