Couldn't have been much worse than some I've heard.
Ohhhh really???
Posted on 05/31/2004 9:22:59 AM PDT by Kaslin
TORONTO - William Hung butchered "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch of Sunday's matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers, much to the delight of 22,225 at SkyDome.
The American Idol reject best known for his hyperactive, tone-deaf rendition of Ricky Martin (news)'s "She Bangs," shrugged off a brief smattering of boos and belted out the baseball classic off-key while fans egged him on. Some even joined in.
Hung's presence brought a gaggle of media usually indifferent to baseball to the game, including staff from Rolling Stone magazine. A team official said more media credentials were issued Sunday than on opening day.
The Blue Jays initially tried to bring Hung in opening day, but that conflicted with the release of his debut album, "Inspiration," which is nearing 100,000 copies sold.
"I still am surprised," Hung said before the game. "I can't believe it."
The record deal is certainly testing the limits on the Hong Kong native's 15 minutes of fame. A civil engineering student at the University of California, he's spending most of his time these days touring to promote the album.
'Take Me Out to Ball Game' is butchered daily here at Wrigley Field. I think Ernie Banks is the all-time worst with Walter Payton and Mike Ditka close behind. The best was Bill Murray singing the lyric, "buy me some peanuts and crackerjack ... and a beer."
Yep. That's what I was thinking.
The whole point of his 'career' is to butcher music. Sounds like they were smart enough not to let him do it to the National Anthem.
Ya gotta love Bill Murray's sleazy 70's lounge singer.
Couldn't have been much worse than some I've heard.
ohniegrad wrote:
Whew. I thought the title was referring to the jumbo kilbasas of meat cutters.
Them's fightin' words.
That's on Lorena Bobbitt's business card.
Three words: David Lee Roth.
He does seem to be the only person that isn't in on the joke. The interviews I've seen with him indicate that he really doesn't get it and he does believe that people actually want to see/hear him for reasons other than to laugh at him. Part of me feels sorry for him, part of me doesn't.
Couldn't have been much worse than some I've heard.
Ohhhh really???
I disagree. I think Hung knows the deal. Unlike many of the untold thousands who didn't make the cut auditioning for Idol, he didn't whine and cry about Simon ripping him to shreds. He said he gave his best, and had no regrets. I think it is that humility blended with his determination that make him appealing.
Hung knows that his fame is a perfect storm of circumstances, and he is riding it out to its lucrative finish whenever that may be. Then he can return to a relatively normal life and a lifetime as an instant quasi-celebrity, which gets you some bones thrown to you as the years go by (see Hahn, Jessica; Ruttiger, Rudy; Buttafuoco, Joey; Kaelin, Brian "Kato"). To that end, when he was reportedly recently offered free dental work to repair the buck teeth that make him look like no-longer PC "oriental" cartoon characters of the past, he turned it down, reiterating an earlier statement that "No matter what, I will always be me."
Hung is not like the musically brutal Wiggin sisters of The Shaggs of the 1960's, Larry "Wild Man" Fischer of the 1970's, or the late Wesley Willis of the 1990's, who all had various psychological problems and garned cult audiences for their spirited, sincere, and inept singing. He is more like the goofy Brit named Tiny Tim, who parlayed a horrendous yodel single ("Tiptoe Through The Tulips") to temporary superstardom (his wedding to a stripper on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show was one of the highest rated episodes ever). Hung is obviously smart enough to get into Cal-Berkeley, which is hard for any high school grad and even harder for a Chinese guy, since the diversity brigade doesn't like the growing percentage of Asian students paralleling whites to the exclusion of other minorities.
I am a veteran of maybe a hundred nights of karaoke, and can most of the time those gathered really don't care if you can't sing as long as you give a good effort; trying to hit the notes, singing the lyrics accurately, and putting on a show. Here in Northern California, there is a legendary karaoke performer known as "Stan The Man" who is also Asian. He can't sing a lick, knows it, and so does everybody else. So why do people cheer him so loudly? Because he gets on stage and kicks butt, as if he really was Elvis, or Wayne Newton, or Jimi Hendrix, or whoever. He has even been known to hop atop tables while singing. So what if he would be physically removed by Simon Cowell? He's fun to watch. And so is Hung.
If Hung was advertised as a servicable performer, we would all feel ripped off. But he's not, so we don't. You can take him or leave him, and those who take him pay their money and have the good laugh they were seeking. And Hung laughs his way to the bank. Everybody wins.
I have a feeling Justin Guarini grinds his teeth in his sleep thinking about how Hung will probably sell more CDs than he ever will.
Hung entertains, just like Mrs. Miller, Tiny Tim and Wildman Fisher. Unlike with Yoko Ono, the "music" of these people is not meant to be taken seriously and is to be enjoyed for what it is and the interest the "artist" brings to the experience. I haven't been able to find my Wildman LP in decades, yet still smile when I think of Merry Go Round. Tiny Tim is dead, but I still remember many of his appearances sitting next to Carson.
My advice to people, relax and enjoy it for what it is. If you don't like it, feel free to change the channel.
Shameful.
It is not everyday that you see an article about Hung Butchers...
...what a great name for a band....
Whew...When I first saw that title, I thought this was an article about gay meat cutters in San Francisco...
It ain't bad! I'd buy it!
LOL! I had NO IDEA what it was you were pinging me to.
Yeah, that would be an excellent band name.
Or a homosexual porn movie title.
I think I'll go with "band name".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.