Jonathan Coulton, classy.
As I’m sitting here, listening to “The Future Soon” by geek rock troubadour Jonathan Coulton, I have to remember that while it might be the future soon, it is currently the present, or it was just the present and now it’s the past. Or the present was the past and that past is now the future. Really, there is no present, not that we can perceive anyway. That is how the music and satirical lyrical styling of Jonathan Coulton makes my brain feel, and that is why I’d like to take a moment out of my day and on behalf of all us at GeekDad wish Jonathan Coulton a very happy undisclosed numbered (39th) birthday!
Unlike many comical or tongue in cheek artists, when you listen to Coulton’s music you get the feeling that he’s completely serious about his subject matter. While there are plenty of in-jokes and sideways thoughts, to me it never seems like Coulton thinks he’s making a joke. With his mix of guitar driven folk and calm lyrics, Coulton creates believable tales of strange love, robotic housekeepers, the joy of talking squirrels and their suggestions of lovemaking outdoors, what it’s like to be Tom Cruise and the rational negotiations of zombies.
Coulton hit super geek stardom with his “Thing a Week” project, where he crafted an original tune every week for a year. Out of this came four great albums and the mega hit “Code Monkey” which was used as the theme song for the show of the same name. He’s held on to his geek cred with constant touring and his website where you can listen to all of his music before purchasing, or downloading some tracks for free. Solidly cementing Coulton in geek lore however was his track “Still Alive” created for the Valve game Portal. Today doesn’t seem like the day to talk about there not being any cake though.
So happy birthday Jonathan, from all of us here at GeekDad and all the music loving geeks around the world! Including Neil Gaiman (who celebrated a birthday last week) who posted this nugget on his Twitter account this morning: “Today we recall the birth of @jonathancoulton, & sing mournful songs about women kidnapped by robotic giant squid-zombies in his memory.”
Here’s a great Anime video mash-up between Coulton’s “Code Monkey” and “Black Heaven.” Or check out this fan made video of Coulton’s “Having a Party” celebrating his birthday.
For the record, my favorite Jonathan Coulton song has to be “Kenesaw Mountain Landis” because it uses banjo and creates a great fantasy tale around a true Baseball legend. What is your favorite Coulton song? Leave it in the comments or just general birthday wishes!
