Whether we care to admit it or not, we all have bands that we like even though we don't consider them to be very "good."  Maybe they aren't very adept musicians or particularly great songwriters.  Perhaps their lyrics, and the subject matter contained within, are sophomoric and juvenile, or at the very least, lack any real poignance or insight.  But we love them anyway.  Bands like that are often passionate and energetic, and play with a genuine power and conviction that many find appealing.  And sometimes, they are just hysterically funny.

For me, the Dead Milkmen fitted that mold.  As musicians, Juilliard graduates they were not.  As songwriters, hardly Dylanesque.  Hell, I don't think lead "singer" Rodney Anonymous ever actually sang a note in his whole career, and if he did, he wasn't exactly drenched in pitch accuracy.

But I still love them.  What Anonymous lacked in singing ability he more than made up for in attitude and real comedic timing.  Hell, he was funnier than most stand-up comics working today (seriously, you could get him out of bed at 3 am tomorrow, put him on a stage and he'd be infinitely more amusing than Dane Cook).  And it wasn't just that he was funny, the band itself sounded funny.  Dean Clean's bouncy, understated drums, the late Dave Blood's trebley, noodling bass and Joe Jack Talcum's spastic, chirpy guitar served as the perfect backdrop for Rodney's wild fulminations.

One of my top-tier DM faves is "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies", from the 1986 album Eat Your Paisley.  It's one of those prototypical Milkmen tunes that encapsulates everything I mentioned above.  And I'll admit, I'd like the song just for that title alone, no matter what it sounded like.

Click here to watch the video for "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies" on YouTube.