Frontal Lobotomy
David Jones
Does anybody remember a song that began:
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
Than a pre-frontal lobotomy
I may be drunk but at least I'm not insane
...
It is said that the first lines are a Charles Bukowski quote and that
they reappeared on the Fernwood Tonight show when they had Tom Waits on.
But the song it seems to me was from earlier in the sixties, and
includes verses about the singer's brother in a looney bin, etc. Has Dr.
Demento played it? Who did it, and where can I get a copy (or at least
the lyrics/music).
Jeff Morris
David Jones <71224...@compuserve.com> wrote:
>Does anybody remember a song that began:
>
> I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
> Than a pre-frontal lobotomy
> I may be drunk but at least I'm not insane
> ...
>
>It is said that the first lines are a Charles Bukowski quote and that
>they reappeared on the Fernwood Tonight show when they had Tom Waits on.
I don't know where the quote originated. I have a neat little paperback from
1982 called _The 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said_ by Robert Byrne which has
that quote (#257), but lists the author as unknown. In the sources at the
back it says "Can anyone identify the creator of this, the greatest
spoonerism of all time?"
Actually, this book lists a slightly different version: "I'd rather have a
free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy".
>But the song it seems to me was from earlier in the sixties, and
>includes verses about the singer's brother in a looney bin, etc. Has Dr.
>Demento played it? Who did it, and where can I get a copy (or at least
>the lyrics/music).
Yes, he has played it many times. The version he plays is from 1980 and is
by Randy Hanzlick, M.D., a/k/a Dr. Rock. This is the only version I have
heard, and I presume he wrote the song. It's on the Basement Tapes No. 4 CD
you get if you join the Demento Society (details at the FAQ site).
And actually, his version of the song uses a slightly abbreviated version of
the quote: "I'd Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me (Than A Frontal
Lobotomy)". The line was certainly not originated by Randy, though. It
appears also in "Existential Blues" by Tom "T-Bone" Stankus, recorded the
previous year.
Mike Rivers
David Jones wrote:
>
> Does anybody remember a song that began:
>
> I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
> Than a pre-frontal lobotomy
> I may be drunk but at least I'm not insane
> ...
>
> It is said that the first lines are a Charles Bukowski quote and that
> they reappeared on the Fernwood Tonight show when they had Tom Waits
> on.
The song you're thinking of is one that Dr. D has played several times
before. It's by Randy Haslick (sounds like that, anyway, I've never
seen it written), aka "Dr. Rock". And it's just "frontal lobotomy" in
the song, not "pre-frontal lobotomy".
I believe what Tom Waits said in one of his monologues was:
I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a pre frontal lobotomy.
This one might qualify as a corny country song title that needed to
have a song written around it, only it's too sophisticated. <g>
--
I'm not really representing the Department of Transportation today,
I'm just wasting their time. - Still really Mike Rivers
(mri...@d-and-d.com)
Lex Friedman
*David Jones wrote:
*>
*> Does anybody remember a song that began:
*>
*> I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
*> Than a pre-frontal lobotomy
*> I may be drunk but at least I'm not insane
*> ...
The song's on the latest Basement Tapes.
It's also, in the song I know of, I "might" be drunk...
Billy and I were brothers
We went down different paths
Billy always listened to my mother
And me, I never liked to take a bath...
are the opening lyrics.
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Patrick Mattauch
In a previous article, 71224...@compuserve.com (David Jones) says:
>Does anybody remember a song that began:
>
> I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
> Than a pre-frontal lobotomy
> I may be drunk but at least I'm not insane
> ...
>
>It is said that the first lines are a Charles Bukowski quote and that
>they reappeared on the Fernwood Tonight show when they had Tom Waits on.
>But the song it seems to me was from earlier in the sixties, and
>includes verses about the singer's brother in a looney bin, etc. Has Dr.
>Demento played it? Who did it, and where can I get a copy (or at least
>the lyrics/music).
>
>
"I'd Rather Have A Bottle In Front of Me" by Dr. Rock
Intro (spoken)
"Daddy, what's a frontal lobotomy?"
"Well son, you know how the pressure of life can cause people to do CRAZY
things? And if a person does too many crazy things, than that person is
crazy.
Sometimes you can keep yourself from going crazy by doing things to
relieve tension, like drinking or having sex.
But if craziness goes too far, sometimes the only thing left to do is to
cut out that part of the brain that makes you crazy.
That kind of brain surgery is called a frontal lobotomy. Maybe this
song will help you understand what I mean . . ."
Jimmy and I are brothers
We went down different paths.
Jimmy always listened to my mother
And me, I never liked to take a bath.
As we grew and tumbled through adulthood,
the pressure caused emotional drain.
And now I'm slowly dying in the bottle,
and Jimmy has to live with half a brain.
CHORUS:
Yes, me I got a bottle in front of me
And Jimmy has a frontal lobotomy.
Just different ways to kill the pain the same.
But I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
than have to have a frontal lobotomy.
I might be drunk but at least I'm not insane.
Jimmy let his troubles drive him crazy.
He never tried to drown it in a drink.
I know that drinkin' makes my thinkin' hazy.
But at least I still have brains enough to think.
Jimmy's got a brain that isn't stable
He doesn't have the sense to say his name.
I'm sorry that the doctor was unable
to remove the proper portion of his brain.
Chorus
Funny how the world works.
People can be real jerks.
Some prefer the tension over booze.
Either way it ends the same.
It's hard to beat the living game.
Might as well enjoy it while you lose.
When I need a drink I start to shiver.
And Jimmy alway viewed it with concern.
But I'd rather have scrosis (sp?) of the liver
than an inelected second to affirm (sp?)
I wonder if ol' Jimmy's gonna hear it
when I tell him that his logic wasn't sound.
They'll doze him up on lots of evil spirits
when they take him to the psychiatric grounds.
Chorus
I might be drunk but at least I'm not insane.