Richard Cheese - Aperitif For Destruction

There are, as Weird Al Yankovic might tell you, two ways to parody a song. You can rewrite the words and keep the melody the same, or you can keep the words and change the melody. So it’s with a tip of the hat to Mr. Yankovic’s once-popular “polka” remixes that Richard Cheese, a swanky, yet at the same time abrasive lounge singer, puts an eclectic variety of tunes through his Vegas grinder and comes up with Aperitif for Destruction. The result: melodies short-lived (each under two minutes, so as to be tolerable, rather than painful) yet sweet... but only if you’ve heard the originals. If not, all you get are (quite appropriately) cheesy ditties. However, if you’re familiar with the subject material, there’s something inherently amusing about hearing Cheese’s cloying voice sing words that were meant to be rapped (“Put your lips on my dick and suck my asshole too,” from 2 Live Crew’s “Me So Horny”). For the majority of the hardcore songs, it’s enough for Cheese to just focus his attention on lyrics that were inane to begin with (Slipknot’s “People Equals Shit” comes to mind), but his true talent comes when he orchestrates on two levels. “Enter Sandman” is the breakout hit of Aperitif, paralleling the menacing nature of Metallica with the light pop hit of 1954, “Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream.” The result: two worlds, irrevocably (and vocally) colliding. It’s nothing new, just more of the amusing same. In the duet “This Girl is Mine,” Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney are replaced by Cheese and a faux-Stephen Hawkins - a “classic” lounge duo. As for the rest, you’ll either love the way Cheese randomly references other familiar tunes in his parodies (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in “Welcome to the Jungle,” for example) or hate it. Just remember: an “Appertif” (by definition) is light and superficial. If you’re looking to be deeply moved, look to the originals. Otherwise, welcome to the manically posh world of Richard Cheese: A world unafraid to proudly belt the stupid repetitions of Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s Get It Started.” [www.iloverichardcheese.com]