Band cameos on The Simpsons are usually lighthearted, but this one was quite mean-spirited. Poor Otto (the one metalhead on the show).
Some interesting visual choices – Dave Mustaine is practically a Maidenform ad, and the guitars have the widest fretboards ever made. Yet they kept the distinctive ESP headstock (back when Mustaine was playing ESP’s) and even included a rudimentary ESP logo. I bet some licensing/lawyer action went on there.
Red Dwarf was a staple of my college years. Its low-budget sci-fi British comedy was perfect for late nights procrastinating from homework. (Those unfamiliar with it should track down the DVD’s posthaste.) One episode featured Carcass’ Bill Steer as drummer and Jeff Walker as bassist of a band called Smeg & The Heads, playing a song called “Om.” It’s even worse than Swansong.
Everyone’s favorite metal airline pilot takes on Tom Jones’ “Delilah” – and kills it. (Thanks to onerodetoasabay for the tip.)
This may be the best five minutes of TV ever made. Anthrax, playing one of the best songs from their best record – in Al Bundy’s living room. Pure genius. I knew there was a reason why I named my car after Kelly Bundy. She can abuse my whammy bar any day.
Red Dwarf ftw, absolutely classic episode. Interesting that his band om play downtempo meditative rock with just drums and bass, sound familliar!
How very dare you leave out Nicko McBrain on The Sooty Show. Pfffft!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtd2rGbCEdk
that anthrax appearance is AWESOME!!! i somehow had never seen it. so great… i especially love when they go nuts and start smashing lamps with their guitars. and the best part is that belladonna never sings!
cw – perhaps you’re right, Om formed actually because of Red Dwarf, not Sleep…
worried – great clip, thanks for sharing.
lou – and he gets to break a bottle over his head. they must have had fun with the insta-break props.
I guess the Sleep connection may have had SOME influence, but i will always hope they just got ripped to red dwarf one night and the rest shall we say is history!
I knew all my shady tastes in music would come to some sort of coherent online fruition! Well played, especially for those of us who are too lame to watch tv! The Simpsons one didn’t surprise me in the least–Metallica are assholes? Rly?
Also noticed a pretty embarrassing typo–’It’s even worse than Swansong.’ I think you meant ‘It’s better than the rest of Carcass’ musical output, including other projects all of their past and present members have ever been involved in.’ Suck it, Arch Enemy, a guy in a collar-cum-hang-glider is better than you!!
onerode – you mean, too *cool* to watch TV.
Also, I'm not sure that Smeg & The Heads are better than Napalm Death.
So you named your car Pumpkin?
Haha, no. Just straight-up Kelly, crassly. Too bad my car horn wasn’t menacing like those of her boyfriends.
i’ve seen this episode of married…with anthrax (haha) and this has got to be my most favored clip of ANY musician/band on tv!!!
As soon as I saw the title of this post, I immediately thought of that Anthrax episode on Married with Children. I was 12 years old, and thought Anthrax were the craziest band evarrr!
Too bad bad music is better than good music.
“Bud….Bear.”
“Dan….Bite me.”
I remember watching that episode and asking my sister what “bite me” meant. Ahh, memories.
Adult Swim is probably tops for metal cameos–of course there’s Metalocalypse, which has had great turns from James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Devon Townsend, Ihsahn, Angela Gossow and Mike Patton off the top of my head. Also, Aqua Teen Hunger Force has had Zakk Wylde and Andrew W.K.
http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=dbcc302d30f0f12420eb011500159fa3
The Megadeth and Anthrax videos are gold–I’m a John Bush fan, but “Persistence of Time” is Anthrax’s best Joey-era album.
ben, thanks for the link, that clip was hilarious. Always good to encounter another Persistence of Time fan.
The Andrew WK cameo on ATHF was great.
Also, not as funny but decent nonetheless, Anthrax was on an episode of News Radio.
Danzig and josh homme have also been on ATHF