September 19, 1973
Mount Clemens, Michigan.
Man drunkenly stumbles through the front door of his double wide trailer after a long night at The Pussy Pit, a strip club near the regional airport.
Man: Woman! Getcher ass outta the sack,(nearly vomits), and suck on my weiner.
Woman: We need to talk.
Man: How you gonna be talkin with my weiner in yer chops? On the knees bitch!
Woman:.......I'm pregnant.
Man: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
As the woman removed the boots from her husband and threw an old afghan over him, she looked in the mirror at her own reflection. It was as if God, Himself, was staring right back at her.....assuring her that the gift she was now carrying was responsible for the advancement of an entire civilization.
She couldn't have been more right.
Matthew Shafer, A.K.A Uncle Kracker, was given to the world on June 6, 1974.
They say the gifted tend to associate with others blessed as they are, for the sole fact that we, the meek, could not possibly fathom the trials and tribulations they must go through, just to tolerate us without wanting to stab us in the throat with an icepick.
This was clearly the case when Shafer crossed paths with Bob Ritchie. You groundlings may refer to him as Kid Rock.
For years, the duo made symphonies that would make Mozart's work on the same level as a macaroni picture made by your sister's down syndrome stricken 6 year old at YMCA day camp, you know, the day camp that doubles as a babysitter so she and Steve can attend their marriage counseling.
But I digress....
Happy Hour. The newest addition to an impressive catalog authored by Uncle Kracker. While I haven't heard this album yet, I'm sure it's just as awesome as his other work. It's not like I have to SEE or HEAR God to believe in Him, right???? Some things just ARE.
Walk with me, as I preview each track on the new album. Not by listening, oh no. The song titles alone will be riveting and tell a story far beyond any decibal of sound.
Track 1 : SmileKracker starts off the album with a simple, yet complex, message.......smile. He wants to create a mood of easiness, as if to say,
"Hey man, smile, grab a beer, i'm about to take you on a journey."
Track 2 : Another Love SongWhile you're smiling, Kracker reminds you of his endless ability to write THE love song. Whether you are in a comitted relationship or trying to bang the blonde chick(who may or may not be 18) working at the S'Barros in the mall food court, love is a universial theme we all share as a human race.
Kracker is saying.....
"Hey, i'm not gonna bullshit you here, this is about as deep as i'm getting."
Track 3 : My GirlfriendSo far we are smiling, holding the ones we love, now Kracker's gonna tell us about HIS boo. And trust me, his chick is hotter than yours. He'll probably make a few tongue-in-cheek puns throughout the song about how hot she is. This may stem from guilt over the incident at her office Christmas party last year when Uncle Kracker got real drunk and stuck his dick in the office fishbowl and tried to swordfight with Tito, the office pet goldfish. He has had to do a lot of groundwork to repair the relationship, writing a song strictly for her might just be the first step in forgiveness.
In this song Kracker is saying....
"Sorry I violated your office goldfish."
Track 4 : Livin' The DreamIn this song, Uncle Kracker is going to remind us how sweet his life is. And what a sweet life it is...every few years he tells Randy, the assistant manager of "The Greasy Wheel", a car repair shop in Mount Clemens, Michigan, that he needs about 2 weeks vacation to go record an album and try to remind people that he used to hang out with Kid Rock.
In this song, Kracker is saying....
"Fuck you, Randy I still have sick days and I'm gonna use them."
Track 5 : Corner BarAlright! Time to drink! The obligatory drinking song probably highlights the dangers of sticking your penis in fish tank at your wife's office party without first checking for piranhas that office manager, Earl Watkins, picked up in one of his hunting trips along the Amazon Basin.
Uncle Kracker says....
"Them fish bit my dick!"
Track 6 : Me AgainAhh, we are halfway through the album and just in case you forgot that he used to hang out with Kid Rock, this little chestnut should remind you. A good majority of listeners have probably bailed on him by now to watch the WWE or make a beer run. Perfect place on the album for a reminder of all of the awesome shit on the way.
Uncle Kracker says...
"Hey, don't leave yet! I'm just gettin goin! No....fuck you Steve! I still have 2 hours of studio time, they are gonna have to wait!"
Track 7 : Good To Be MeDavid Hayes, VP of Atlantic Records, actually had to fly in to the studio and question Uncle Kracker's decision to have a second self congratulatory song, not only on the same album, but just a mere 3 tracks after the other one. The encounter was recorded.
Uncle Kracker: "Ooooooh yeah, It's gooooood to be meeeee! I know Kid Rooooooock! Cup the balls! Cup the balls! Yeaaaaah!.....
David Hayes: "Cut this shit! Stop! Fucking stop!
UK: Holy shit! David Hayes, Vice President of Atlantic Records! It's a pleasure!
DH: You. You son of a bitch. Really?
UK: I... I don't underst....
DH: We dug you up from that piss stain of a town and gave you money. We GAVE YOU money to come in here and write your bullshit, hacky, crossover country songs so that all these fucking soccer moms in this fading republic have something to hum along to when they aren't blowing their husbands. And you.....hahaha.....YOU! You come waltzing in here with your little song about how fucking awesome you are and how great your life is. You did this twice........
UK: I thought it would be a good dynamic for the album, show all my sides.....
DH: YOU'RE A FUCKING MECHANIC MATT! THE ONLY REASON YOU ARE HERE IS BECAUSE WE OWED A FAVOR WHEN THAT OTHER TALENTLESS FUCK, KID ROCK, TOOK 2 SHITTY SONGS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT AND MASHED THEM TOGETHER TO FORM AN EVEN SHITTIER SONG!!! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?!? AMERICA IS FUCKING RETARDED!! THEY ATE IT UP!! BUT BEFORE I LOST FAITH IN HUMANITY, THE PAYCHECKS STARTED ROLLING IN!! SEE THESE??? THESE ARE THE KEYS TO MY JET!!! A FUCKING JET MATT!! AT LEAST HE MAKES ME MONEY!!! YOU TALENTLESS FUCK!! I HATE YOU!
That was the last Uncle Kracker ever saw of David Hayes.
In this song Uncle Kracker says.....
(Excessive weeping)
Track 8 : I Hate CaliforniaThis was more or less a pity party Uncle Kracker was having for himself after the encounter with David Hayes, who resides from the state of California, it's considered to be one Uncle Kracker's darker songs.
Uncle Kracker says....
"David Hayes is a stupid head....(sob)....i have talent....(sob)..."
Track 9 : Hot MessUncle Kracker once entered a hot dog eating contest at the Michigan State Fair. The next day he allegedly took a shit weighing in at 6 lbs 4 oz......this is his recollection.
Uncle Kracker says....
"State fairs are sweet!"
Track 10 : Hey Hey HeyUnbeknownst to the majority of the population Uncle Kracker is a huge Fat Albert fan. He wrote countless emails to Bill Cosby, in hopes he would collaborate on the song. The emails were never returned, so the song is basically 3 minutes of Uncle Kracker trying his best to imitate Fat Albert.
Uncle Cracker says...
"Rudy, you like school in summatime....no class!"
Track 11 : I'm Not LeavingThis isn't so much a song. It's basically a recording of the 10 minute standoff that ensued at "The Chunky Style Music Studios" in Athens, Georgia during the recording of the album. Originally, Uncle Kracker had purchased 8 hours of studio time to make the album. The Jonas Brothers were in town that day and one of them had a really awesome idea for a song, so naturally they needed studio time to create their next opus.....problem was.....it was occupied by Uncle Kracker. Steve Sykes got the call from the Jonas Brothers, made an executive decison to end Uncle Kracker's session early. The engineer was told to keep the tape going.
Uncle Kracker says...
"Fuck you Steve! I know Kid Rock!"
Track 12 : MainstreetOnce again, not so much a song. Uncle Kracker lost the arguement and was forced to leave the studio when the police were called to physically remove him. The last track on the album is mostly 1 minute of Uncle Cracker squeezing out farts into the microphone because he wanted the Jonas Brothers to smell it while they recorded. The album ends with the police finally tackling him to the ground.
I'm calling it now.....Album of 09.