June 11, 2014

"Vampire Weekend, whose band members met at Columbia University, sings a song about the Oxford comma."

"Leonard Cohen weaves references to the Old Testament into his work. Bob Dylan may be the Baby Boomers’ Walt Whitman. But could the argument be made that Dan Wilson is our brainiest rocker?"
In the course of a single show at Joe’s Pub in New York this week, Mr. Wilson, a graduate of Harvard University, invoked, not in this exact order, Benedictine monks, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman and the Pyramid of Cheops....
So references in the lyrics are the test of braininess?

I'm sure you could think of some better tests!

And, by the way, what did Feynman do with that Pyramid?, I ask, making an Oxford comma joke, brainily. 

16 comments:

Shanna said...

I was introduced to Vampire Weekend on one of my Pandora stations and I really enjoy their stuff. I don't remember any of it being particularly brainy, though.

Heartless Aztec said...

Way to harsh in tone if not in substance Professor. The given mention of references is to be encouraged as well read if nothing else. I'm not suggesting gushiness but you're not grading anybody's paper here. Just give the young man a gold star and let's all sit back for a listen.

bleh said...

Sounds to me like they're trying very hard to be perceived as brainy. Kinda insecure.

Shawn Levasseur said...

The video is pretty impressive. All a single take.

Shawn Levasseur said...

But how brainy can you be if your opinion of the Oxford Comma, is "Who gives a fuck?"

RazorSharpSundries said...

I like Vampire Weekend and Dan Wilson's alright but no Bob Dylan are they. Ann's derision for superficial writing is well served.

Chance said...

I'm not seeing the Oxford comma joke...

In English punctuation, an Oxford is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction in a series of three or more terms.

But then again, I did have the misfortune to only attend Cambridge.

carrie said...

Odd as it may sound, the Oxford comma is a popular subject among high school and college kids--it's a hipster thing.

tim maguire said...

That excerpt could have used an Oxford comma.

sykes.1 said...

I think an American should call it the Harvard comma.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Uh, Steely Dan? Dire Straits? If you're going by number and depth of allusions Vampire Weekend has a ways to go.

Mary Beth said...

Chance said...

I'm not seeing the Oxford comma joke...


It's their song.

Known Unknown said...

They also name-check Lil' John, so they're not really that intellectual.

What they are is provincial Ivy Leaguers who recognize how crappy life can be even trapped in the bubble of elite university life.

Mrs Whatsit said...

I don't see the Oxford comma joke, either. But here's one:

Why I Still Use the Oxford Comma

Drew W said...

Whatever you may think of the Oxford comma, it does give one pause.

Mary Beth said...

I had a bad link in my post. This is what it should be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g&feature=kp