“A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn’t”.
Poor accordion- it’s the brunt of so many jokes. Here’s a classic by Gary Larson:
Does it deserve it? I actually like a number of groups that use accordion. They Might Be Giants, especially in their early years, used plenty of it. Not long ago I had the unique opportunity to help interview the squeezebox virtuoso himself, John Linnell. I regret not even bringing up the accordion. What was I thinking?
John Linnell, Accordion Maestro
The Decemberists are a more recent discovery. “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”, among others, is built around an accordion part.
So why would I join in the bashing? Well, it’s fun, and it’s an excuse to do a music related shirt! A few years ago I had grand ideas of giving accordions and other instrumental outcasts to the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but I toned down the idea due to limited time and created the “Instruments of War” shirt in one night. (In hindsight, “Instruments of Torture” would have fit the “joke” better.)
Fast forward a few years, and I finally got around to creating the “Atonal Apocalypse” shirt, a parody of Albrecht Dürer’s “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, complete with accordion, banjo, cowbell and bagpipes.
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer and Michael Phipps, collaboration
Here the “Atonal Apocalypse” T-shirt
I debuted the shirt mid-2011, not knowing that Weird Al was following my moves. Almost simultaneously, he released his new album The Alpocalypse. They made a mistake not having Al wielding his accordion on the cover. Maybe Al will realize this and wear the “Atonal Apocalypse” shirt on an upcoming tour.
Weird Al Alpocalypse
