Simply Reprehensible

Amazon.com
You don't often hear a comedy disc with a strict political agenda, but Simply Reprehensible is just that. Not only does Shanklin go after Clinton and his cronies, he attacks any sign of liberalism, seems to love the National Rifle Association, and on "Great Moments in Moderate History," even cuts down moderates. Rush Limbaugh would probably love this nasty CD's routines and parodies. "Rev. Jackson's Jailhouse Vote" is racist dross. Set to the tune of "Jailhouse Rock," the track features someone imitating Jesse Jackson on vocals. The lyrics reduce Jackson's voter registration campaign to a plea for the voting rights of crack dealers, rapists, and murderers. A sample of the sarcastic lyrics: "That man's not in jail for sellin' tons of crack / I think we all know it's because he's black," intones the Jackson mimic. Right-wing ideology pops up all over this disc. Do even true believers actually think this CD is funny? Sounds more like a stale collection of propaganda skits than a comedy album. --Ian Conde

Simply Reprehensible,Paul Shanklin,Narodniki,Country,Pop,Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows,Spoken Word Comedy

Average customer rating:

Very funny... and never mind your own political views.

Another fine collection of parodies

Shanklin's fifth hilarious political parody album

What was that reviewer thinking?

At Least the Title's Correct

Simply Reprehensible
Paul Shanklin
Manufacturer: Narodniki
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000034CZF
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Tracks:

That's Disgusting
Ballad Of The Black Beret
C-Spam Bookquotes
Subpeonaville
Los Alamos
Self-Esteem
Rev. Jackson's Jailhouse Vote
Carville Shakespeare
Return With Censure
Great Moments In Moderate History
A Free Society
Rose Garden
E.D.
Viagra
The Second Amendment
Starr's War
Simply Reprehensible
Simpletons (I'm A Winner)
Nightmare
Unconvictable
War Protest
Where Have Flower Children Gone?
A Poetic Moment
Sergeant Screwball
Take A Number, Juanita
Flowers Back In Arkansas
Montana (Y2K)
I Won't Dance
You'll Be Lonesome Tonight
Remember The Children
All My Shady Friends
It's OK To Spank

Amazon.com

You don't often hear a comedy disc with a strict political agenda, but Simply Reprehensible is just that. Not only does Shanklin go after Clinton and his cronies, he attacks any sign of liberalism, seems to love the National Rifle Association, and on "Great Moments in Moderate History," even cuts down moderates. Rush Limbaugh would probably love this nasty CD's routines and parodies. "Rev. Jackson's Jailhouse Vote" is racist dross. Set to the tune of "Jailhouse Rock," the track features someone imitating Jesse Jackson on vocals. The lyrics reduce Jackson's voter registration campaign to a plea for the voting rights of crack dealers, rapists, and murderers. A sample of the sarcastic lyrics: "That man's not in jail for sellin' tons of crack / I think we all know it's because he's black," intones the Jackson mimic. Right-wing ideology pops up all over this disc. Do even true believers actually think this CD is funny? Sounds more like a stale collection of propaganda skits than a comedy album. --Ian Conde

Customer Reviews:

Very funny... and never mind your own political views........2006-09-30

The Amazon revewer, Ian Conde, is full of beans. Shanklin's stuff is funny even if you love Clinton. Why can't people on the left develop a sense on humor? More importantly, what is Amazon doing with a reviewer whose polital agenda clouds his ability to critique?

In any event, the CD is funny end to end, but probably more so if you are not a fan in President Willie. Repeated playings bring out the subtleties that are not obvious on the first audition.

Another fine collection of parodies.......2005-10-31

The one star reviews by 'a music fan' are illustrative of the big difference between Leftists and Conservatives in America. Conservatives simply don't get all pissy and whiney over the Left's 'parodies' of Conservative politicians, their families and friends, etc., whereas when one of the Left's icon's is made sport of, its racist bigoted mean-spiritedness, ad infinitum.

Shanklin's fifth hilarious political parody album.......2003-09-01

Paul Shanklin is the king of political parody, as many a Dittohead will attest, and political humor at Bill Clinton's expense never gets old to these ears. 1999's Simply Reprehensible is Shanklin's fifth album, and it finds him at the height of his voice impersonating power. He has never sounded more like Bill Clinton and James Carville, and he draws in a vast circle of Clinton's Democratic cronies for this very special album awash in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He also expands his repertoire to add a few skits and songs having to do with other matters in the political eye, including such subjects as the militaristic militants in Montana, Viagra, spanking, and the fate of 60s protestors.

These 32 tracks, running just under an hour, can be broken down into 14 songs and 18 skits. As always, the musical parodies are what really matter the most, but the skits themselves can also be quite funny. Several are devoted to James Carville: in C-Spam Bookquotes, Carville waxes not so eloquent on his new book, quickly sinking into a castigation of Ken Starr; in Carville Shakespeare, Carville quickly discards the Bard's words for his own condemnation of Ken Starr; in A Free Society, he teams up with Larry Flynt to further bash Ken Starr; then, in Remember the Children, Carville goes door to door collecting guns, fatty foods, and subversive literature such as Bibles from the homes of soccer moms. Less personalized skits include E.D. featuring Bob and Elizabeth Dole, The Second Amendment (look it up in the Constitution - it's there), That's Disgusting featuring Gore's distaste for Clinton's unique means of encouraging the use of cigars, and A Poetic Moment with Reverend Jesse Jackson. The best skit by far, though, is Starr's War, a hilarious Star Wars parody. Starr's War Episode 1: The Female Menace stars Bill Clinton as Loose Skirtchaser, Ted Kennedy as Loose's mentor Obe-Drunk Kennedy. Janet Reno as the large, hairy Sue-tobacco; Barney Frank as RU-Me2, James Carville as James So-Loud, and Albert Gore Jr., in a very special cameo appearance, as the void of space.

The songs are not as impressive on the whole as what you will find on earlier Shanklin albums, but the title song and hilarious All My Shady Friends track stand among the best parodies Shanklin has ever done. Bill Clinton is featured prominently on most but not all of these. A dead Elvis Presley sings You'll Be Lonesome Tonight to all of his groupies, Walter Brennan or someone who sounds just like him sings Viagra, and an anonymous group musically asks Where Have Flower Children Gone? (they are "still in D.C., every one"). The remaining songs are all political, leading off with the Monica-inspired Ballad of the Black Beret. Jesse Jackson sings Rev. Jackson's Jailhouse Vote to the tune of Elvis' Jailhouse Rock, and Ross Perot rocks the house with I Won't Dance (Genesis' I Can't Dance). The remaining songs all feature Bill Clinton. Elvis' Return to Sender becomes Bill's plea to the Senate to Return With Censure. Bill begs for pardon, having said he was sorry in the Rose Garden (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden). He is accompanied by his own Statler Brothers-sounding group on the moving Flowers Back in Arkansas, tells Ms. Broadrick to Take a Number, Juanita ("I think you're number 5"), and laments Jimmy Buffet-like about being waist-deep again here in Subpoenaville (of course, there is a woman to blame). Hillary joins him on the Natalie and Nat King Cole-inspired classic Unconvictable.

The two best songs by far involve Clinton and all of his cronies. Simply Reprehensible, to the tune of Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistible, is a rocking Shanklin masterpiece featuring the voices of Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, James Carville, and Larry Flynt on the verses and Barney Frank and Bill Clinton on the choruses. Then, toward the end of the album, Hank Williams, Jr.'s All My Rowdy Friends becomes Bill Clinton's victorious All My Shady Friends, in which he thanks everyone who helped him get off completely for all the high crimes and misdemeanors he was guilty of. These two songs represent Shanklin at his most hilarious yet insightful and they alone, ignoring all the other entertaining tracks, make this album a welcome addition to the musical library of anyone who saw the Clinton Administration as a joke in and of itself.

What was that reviewer thinking?.......2002-11-24

I don't know what the official reviewer uses for brains, but I would suggest he look into a replacement set. What is an attempt to get out the jailhouse vote, after all, if not an attempt to get murderers, rapists, and other thugs to vote? The song isn't racist dross at all; it simply mentions exactly what Jesse Jackson has both done and said as regards the subject. If that's ridiculous, well, then it is so because what Jesse Jackson has done and said is ridiculous.

As regards the other songs more generally, they're wonderfully clever parodies. Musically, Shanklin has a pretty good ear for matching the style of the performer whose work he's copying, and lyrically the man writes some very pointed and amusing stuff. If you're one of those folk who unthinkingly apply labels like 'extreme right wing', 'homophobic', 'racist', 'sexist', and so forth to anyone with whom you disagree, then this disc isn't for you. If you're one of the many thinking persons who thought Clinton and his cronies were jokes, then you'll have a good time laughing at them as parodied by Shanklin.

At Least the Title's Correct.......2002-01-23

More sophomoric drivel from a guy from Tennessee whose main claim to fame is that he can sound (sorta) like a guy from Arkansas. Quite a feat, huh? There's clever political commentary for thinking adults out there, but this one's strictly for the kiddies.

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