Category Archives: Jonathan Coulton

I just got an e-mail asking the now-familiar question: “What am I supposed to do while I’m waiting for your second book to come out?!?”

So let me throw out a new answer: Check out Jonathan Coulton.

I’m guessing many of you already know about Coulton. He strides the world like a colossus. He mocks. He’s funny. He has a pretty good beard….

Mostly though, Coulton does music. Smart, funny, wonderful music.

It’s possible that you might know Coulton’s work even if you don’t know his name. If you’ve finished Portal, for example, you’ve heard his stuff. “Still Alive” the song that plays during the end credits is his.

And if you went to PAX this year, you got to see him onstage. Not that I’m bitter that I missed it because I was at Dragoncon that weekend. Not that I’m bitter that I missed the chance to hang out with Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible fame at PAX too. Not that I’m bitter that apparently Felicia got up and sang on stage with Coulton at the concert….

Yeah. Okay. I’m a little bitter.

For those of you out of the loop, a couple years back Jonathan Coulton started something he called thing a week. As the name suggests, he wrote a new song each week and released it for free on the internet.

As you might guess, some of the songs were a little forced. But what’s far more important is how often he struck gold. A lot of his songs are pure, distilled brilliance.

How good are they? Well…. imagine if someone unspeakably hot person came to your house. Imagine whoever you like: Brad Pitt. Alyson Hannigan, Bea Arthur. Whatever turns your crank.

So. This person shows up at your house and gives you a really good backrub. Then they make you an ice cream sundae. Your favorite kind. Then, and this is the key part, they sex you up while you’re eating the sundae….

Okay. Honestly, his songs aren’t quite as awesome as that. But they’re maybe…. seventy percent that awesome. Which you have to admit, is pretty amazing.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s a few Youtube samples from an acoustic show he did in LA a couple years back.

Here’s one of his more popular ones called Code Monkey:

And another called: I Feel Fantastic.

One more, possibly my favorite song of his: I Crush Everything.

Enjoy,

pat