A friend brought to my attention the band TV on the Radio. Apparently they did a doo-wop version of the Pixies' "Mr. Grieves." This is an overt use of doo-wop for sure, and I'll tell you why: If they had done a doo-wop version of a song no one has heard of, that would be advanced. As it is, they are just trying to get people who like the Pixies to listen to them. And it's not that far from saying, "Let's do a punk version of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.'" This calls for the traditional advanced dismissal, "Real weird." (Whenever someone does something really overt, you just say, "real weird" to show that is it not actually weird. Birtt invented it.) Bring back doo-wop by all means, but leave the Pixies out of it.
Here's something amusing from one of the members of TV on the Radio (from billboard.com):
The members have been moving targets as their fame has evolved. "We've been on tour for like a year-and-a-half," Adebimpe says. "My mom called and said, 'I saw you in Spin magazine,' and I thought 'Why is my mom reading Spin?' -- so maybe that's a sign that we've reached a larger audience.
Yes, when you mother starts reading about your band, you know you've hit the big time!
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