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"Butler has a magnificent voice and knows his way around a guitar. His humor is choice and his original compositions far too good to miss.
The man is a musician's muisican and the music he creates shows a technical excellence combined with creative genius hard to resist. His first CD was Creme de la Phlegm, a composite of political and social comedy set to music to die for. This new offering Idiot Light focuses on the political upheaval today. However, the songs are far more than light political commentary.
They are strong, truly beautiful compositions that have an original melody line that is unforgettable. These songs stand alone as autonomous musical accomplishments enhanced by the clever words that make us see our world too clearly for comfort." ...Lynn Ruth Miller, Pacifica Tribune, August 4th, 2004
"In remoter regions of North Carolina, people who listened to Mr. Butler's album would probably shake their heads and say 'That Boy Ain't Right'. Here in Durham we of course are far more civilized. We say, 'That Boy Ain't Right, but he's sure damn funny.'" ...Martin Smith, Laugh Tracks
"Nice!" ...Dr. Demento
"Superior music matched by an uncompromising psychotic sensibility" ...Somerset Mau Mau, mp3wacky.com
"Funny shit" ...Uncle Sherman, KPIG radio
"Some good rockin' comedy songs" ...Michael Davidson, Comedy 101 Radio
“with his album ‘Crème de la Phlegm’, Mr. Butler raises the bar on twisted comedy music another notch or three” ...Mike Madonna, The Brain Sandwich Show
“Features some pretty savvy songwriting to back up the witticisms…when Butler’s songs are good, they’re excellent” ...Luke Martin, Splendid E-zine
“Ian Butler’s Music is highly recommended” …Tony Goldmark, The Looney Bin
“Lipstick on my Dipstick came in #2 in (requests) last week…a hit north of Seattle” ...Madman Moskowitz, KSER Radio
“’The Red Zone’ is the funniest song I’ve heard since Tom Lehrer’s ‘Vatican Rag’” …Donna, S.F. Meter Maid #226
"Adult rock radio and country should be playing this album regularly on their stations. Several cuts are worth a spin." …David Tanny, DFSX
"It's a great album!" …Luke Ski, The Dementia Revolution
"inimitable Ace Ventura meets Wayne's World style" ...Anil Prasad, Dirty Linen Magazine
"In a world where comedy songwriters can count their fans on their hands with fingers to spare, the artist formerly known as Ian Butler, now The Award Winning Comedy Songwriter Ian Butler, needs hands to count the number of hands it would take to count all his fans." ...the Ian Butler marketing department
"Don't you have any songs that aren't dirty?" ...my mom
"I'm no prude, but I've never been a fan of the dominating humor of today: body humor. So I'll pass over the title song here, and will briefly mention the cover of Creme - a small girl/boy sticking his/her finger down her/his throat. But I love comedy rock, aka novelty songs. And Ian's current 52 minute disc is teeming with adulterated ideas and funny songs, with a happy stash of smiles and hot guitar licks and cha cha numbers and more.
Everything under the evil sun, in fact. A cd worthy of a track list here:
1. Creme De La Phlegm
2. Gonna Eat Your Dog
3. The Red Zone
4.
Tone Deaf
5. Karen (Inspector of My Underwear)
6. Colorblind Todd
7.
Addiction-Go-Round
8. Stinky Dancers
9. Rush Limbaugh At My Dad
10.
The Repetitive Blues Blues
11. Lipstick on My Dipstick
12. Thirty Days
on the Road
13. Dead Atheist Friend
14. I've Fallen in Love (and I Can't
Get Up)
15. Half a Song
16. Big Red Heart
17. The Shrieking Sphinx's
Shrinking Sphincter Stinks
Of course the cleverest title is 'I've Fallen in Love (and I Can't Get Up)' which crashes to opening like an 80s rock song (think Spinal Tab's Break Like the Wind album), and humorously spiels words of 'I'm on a date with Dominique yeah / she tied my hands and she tied my feet yeah / my tongue is tied I can't speak yeah / she blindfolded my eyes for some hide and seek yeah / I've fallen in love, I've fallen in love / and I can't get up, and I cant get up.' Beautiful, fading harmonies at the end come together to make this my favorite track.
The dream of every novelty song artist is to get a song on Dr. Demento's show. Well, Ian's already been down that road. 'Karen' was picked instantly. It's about the woman who inspects New undies for a living. Sure, the sexual theme of lots of these cuts borders somewhere between Frank Zappa and Prince (think Chaos & Disorder), but Ian's good at rock guitar (the squealing 60s kind or the long-haired power chords of the 80s), or the country themes of 'Big Red Heart' or whatever he decides to turn his middle-class satire upon.
Usually the star of a novelty album is the lyrics, with the music coming a long 2nd. Not so with Ian. But let's quote from '30 Days on the Road' anyway: 'I could use a shower, I could use a sink / I could do some laundry, I don't want to stink / I just want to shoot my load, but I got a dirty gun / thirty days on the road, and I'm going on thirty one.' Perhaps not the best words to quote, but there are many fun and laugh-inspiring songs in this bunch. It really deserves to sell, and to get more specialized airplay. Thanks, Ian, for being a lovable idiot." ...Ben Ohmart (MusicDish)