Bobby Lightfoot's Covers 1 of 1: "Monday Wedding" by Ben Sadock

Unless you're Th' Beatles in 1965, attacked on all sides by Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra (and that fucking awful The Silkie who th' lads actually produced as they utterly ruined "Hide Your Love Away"), there is no form of flattery more direct and pure than having your material covered by other artists. Here we have the cool and sincere Pianet stylings of Ben Sadock as he takes a run at my not-unformidable "Monday Wedding".

Th' masterful Mr. Sadock takes a reductive approach to my original throw-a-bunch-of- crap-on-top-of-a-drum-loop production. He also wisely sidesteps my original intro which is pretty much identical to the R&B buddy classic "Lean On Me". Me, I couldn't be bothered. I knew it was identical but simply didn't give a toss. It's not my fault my brilliant idea had been purloined thirty years before the fact through some anamoly in th' time-space continuum and I proceeded anon.

I like Ben's shit a lot because he's unabashedly innocent and Cole Porter-y in his approach to writing. He reminds me of my bud Ken Maiuri from King Radio (now drumming for Pedro Th' Lion- actually never mind- looks like they broke up, of course)- one of those guys who likes things from the sixties like The Free Design and could have been a top Sesame Street songwriter if he'd been born thirty years earlier. Ben, if you haven't heard The Free Design you have hours and hours of pleasure in store.

You just don't hear this approach that much anymore and more's th' shame. Me, I hear one more band that sounds like Th' Yeah Yeah Yeahs or fucking Jack whatsisname White I'm gonna be responsible for a Rash Of Stabbings. It's braver to throw off the mantle of irony and rawkism and goddamn say something about real goddamn life. I don't know about you but my life scarcely resembles a Creed video atall.

Listen to Ben's unaffected, unhistrionic vocal. It's fuckin' hip. You know who he sounds like? He sounds like Kermit, man. And yes, I do mean that in a good way. I've been trained by the road and by experience to sing with a big agenda. Like any given note is the difference between glory and ignominy. Ben's just putting the god damn song out there. And it works great for "Monday Wedding" because the song is so cynical it's innocent again. It's basically about makin' a booty call to an ex, you know? And it's saying if you're not comfortable with fucking me without a commitment then I'll make a commitment. For 24 hours. I mean, that's how far around the god damn block I am with th' whole relationship thing. I've been Played by th' Fairer Sex so many times, fucked with, tied in knots, guilted out, attached to obligation with shitty arguments and The Promise Of Better that it's nice to write an honest song once in a blue moon.

"Monday Wedding" also contains this very humble passage in the hook: "But if you ever need somebody sweet/And easy on the eyes/For whatever you've in mind, my friend..." and I like the way that passage comes out when Ben does it. It just sounds more wide-eyed and hopeful. When I sing it it sounds like I'm tryin' to bag a fourteen year old chick on MySpace.

The other thing that's cool about Ben's "Monday Wedding" is how he's solved some of the harmonic loose ends in the song that I just sort of produced my way out of. I reckon he's trimmed a solid minute of fat off th' thing. And he has a nice way of summing up little harmonic hooks with his right hand. If I was going to recut the song I'd probably base it on his take because he's sort of house-cleaned the thing. He's got a very sharp ear for what counts in a song and what's harmonic sleight-of-hand.

Ben's on th' cusp of a studio project with a full complement of musicians and I for one look forward to hearing what transpires. It'll be the anti-Three Doors Down and that can't be bad. Three cheers for Ben Sadock.

Wow, that's two threes. It's like th' Trinity- th' father, th' son, and Exxon.