‘I Got Yule Babe’
December 8, 2005 CD Review by Patrick Fineran
Joel Kopischke has come out with the “must-have” holiday CD
of the year, “I Got Yule Babe.” If you’ve ever heard of the Cudahy Carolers
and their unique spin on the season, you’ll know where this disc is
going. Slapping original parody lyrics on traditional and original songs
is Kopischke’s specialty and he’s flying higher than Rudolph on triple
eggnogs here. Polka (“Criminy Cripes, It’s Christmas”), pop (“If I Had
A Secret Santa”), traditional (“A Merry Tourette’s Christmas”) and even
rock (“Shopping Mall Of Broken Dreams”) arrangements are all included
on the 16-song collection.
For a quick sip of holiday cheer, here are some sample lyrics courtesy
of Joel Kopischke (Joelkster Music ASCAP). On the parody of Barenaked
Ladies’ hit “If I Had A Million Dollars,” Kopischke sings “If I had
a secret Santa, I would buy him some elves, a Keebler or a Presley.”
With a spoof of “That’s Amore,” Kopischke reaches out good-naturedly
to those of the Hebrew faith: “When you’ve lit holiday lights, but you
don’t believe in Christ, that’s a Menorah. When your religion is older
than Moses’ candleholder, that’s a Menorah.” Other artists who don’t
escape Kopischke’s wit include the Violent Femmes, Sonny & Cher and
Bobby Darin. My favorite might be the hilariously bleeped out “A Merry
Tourette’s Christmas.”
Local guitarists Ralph Bruner of Feet of Clay and Mike DeRose of pretty
much everyone else play on the CD. The CD was engineered by Caledonia
native Steve Comeau of Feet of Clay and Pipitone along with Bruner on
two tracks. As a nice touch Chris Kringel and Noel Crowder play on the
CD as well. You can get all the information you need at http://www.igotyulebabe.com.
Copyright 2005 Racine Journal Times
Noteworthy in music
Dec. 9, 2005 Gemma Tarlach
Milwaukee theater mainstay Joel Kopischke, whose resume includes
the Skylight Opera Theatre, First Stage Milwaukee and In Tandem Theatre,
takes aim at holiday music "Weird" Al Yankovic-style with hilarious
results on his new CD, "I Got Yule Babe." Spoofing the styles of Frank
Sinatra, the Violent Femmes, Green Day, Sonny and Cher and the Barenaked
Ladies, among others, Kopischke and a cast of helpers created 16 original
songs and parodies such as "Bowling Wonderland" and the slightly racy
"I'm Your Snowman, Baby." Kopischke, who played "Pee Wee Kaputish" in
"The Cudahy Caroler Christmas" for three years, even includes an ode
to Festivus. To sample tunes or purchase the CD, visit cdbaby.com/cd/kopischke.
Copyright 2005 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Kopischke brings goofiness to Christmas
Dec. 12, 2005 Tom Strini
Warmth, reverence, joy and good cheer are part of the Christmas
music we hear on our radios every day at this time of year. What's missing?
Goofiness, and Joel Kopischke, singer and entertainer-about-town, is
here to fill the gap. On his timely CD, "I Got Yule Babe,"
Kopischke sends up the songs we all know, love and tire of all on an
annual basis. He also attaches holiday lyrics to tunes we might not
associate with Yuletide - the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun,"
for example.
On that tune, the Kopischke nails the patented Gordon Gano nasal whine.
There and throughout the album, Kopischke is a dead-on mimic. His imitations
of a morose Jewish cantor in "That's a Menorah" (to the tune
of "That's Amore," of all things), Bobby Darin, lounge-lizard
jazz stylists, classic Cudahy dialect in a couple of polka numbers,
and both Sonny and Cher on the title track are a lot of fun. [note:
Kelli Cramer sings Cher – JK]
The lyrics Kopischke devised are irreverent and funny without being
nasty. Arranger Larry Moore and producer John Tanner nail the varied
target styles on the 16 tracks, from the heavy metal of "A Harry
Potter Christmas" to "Shopping Mall of Broken Dreams,"
after the Green Day song.
You can buy the disc for $14.99 at cdbaby.com; get there via www.igotyulebabe.com.
ChristmasReviews.com
OK, I am generally not a big fan of comedic holiday albums. Novelty
CDs tend to have extremely limited utility, amusing perhaps one time
through, but without lasting value. In addition, a great CD should reflect
solid musicianship, as well as creative writing, and the funniest artists
are often weak performers.
That being said, Joel Kopischke pulls off I Got Yule Babe with brilliant
aplomb. If you are a fan of "Weird Al" Yankovic, you will
adore this album. Kopischke is a consummate professional. A Milwaukee
native, this well-known cabaret performer is an exceptional singer and
a very smart writer. His many talents gel perfectly on this hilarious
holiday album.
I Got Yule Babe opens with the title track; Kopischke manages remarkable
impressions of both Sonny Bono AND Cher singing their classic I Got
You Babe duet. The parody lyrics are spot on, and I love the backing
vocal (ho-hoing, listing the reindeer et al.). The execution is flawless.
From that notable opening, Kopischke moves through polka, klezmer, big
band, pop, just about everything imaginable. It's a wild ride, and always
fun. I especially enjoyed Kopischke's parodies of Bobby Darin (Mack
the Knife/Santa's Back in Town, Beyond the Sea/Beneath the Tree), the
Violent Femmes (Blister in the Sun/Christmas in the Sun), and the Barenaked
Ladies (If I Had a $1,000,000/If I Had a Secret Santa). Kopischke nails
them all (figuratively speaking), using instrumentation and vocal intonations
that are perfection. And his Stupid Christmas Song (parody of the traditional
German folk song Schnitzelbank) had me laughing out loud, which almost
NEVER happens when I'm playing a comedy album.
Want to entertain your friends and family this holiday season with a
CD that's funny, well-crafted, and perversely demented in the most positive
way? Try Joel Kopischke's I Got Yule Babe and prepare to laugh.
--Carol Swanson, ChristmasReviews.com
and in other ventures...
Listen To My Heart - The Songs of David Friedman
Performer
"Joel Kopischke performs a broad range of songs. He proves to be quite
versatile, playing a perfectly modulated comic piece (If You Love Me,
Please Don't Feed Me), proceeding through heartfelt love (Trick of Fate)
into existential longing (Catch Me)."
- Russ Bickerstaff, OnMilwaukee.com
A Cudahy Caroler Christmas - In Tandem Theatre Performer
"When Kopischke's character dons a bowling glove and belts out 'O Bowling
Night,' he brings down the house."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Hooray For Hollywood - Broadway Baby Dinner Theatre
Writer, director and performer
"Kopischke has added material and reworked the show since it was first
staged at Broadway Baby, making it tighter and giving it more personality.
As the director, he has continued the improvement, transforming what
had been a rather bland series of songs, chatter and comic material
into a sharply focused and crisply entertaining two hours of fun. ...
Kopischke and Miller are terrific as Groucho and Chico Marx..."
- Damien Jacques, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chess - Stepping Out Productions
Performer
"Joel Kopischke (Freddy Trumper) effusively portrays the aggressive
petulance of the American player... Kopischke's finesse in evolving
his character's turbulence and self- awareness is superb and essential
to the unfolding of this intricate story."
- Dianna DeMond, OnMilwaukee.com
Early Songs and Sketches by Noel Coward - In Tandem Theatre
Performer
"Every word of Coward's witty lyrics is clearly heard, even in Kopischke's
rendition of 'I've Been to a Marvelous Party,' throughout which he becomes
more and more hilariously inebriated."
- Elaine Schmidt, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Spitfire Grill - American Folklore Theatre
Performer
"The folky sound of Sheriff Joe Sutter (Joel Kopischke) provided a perfect
AFT familiarity."
- Keith Nordahl, Door County Advocate
Le bourgeois gentilhomme - Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Writer
"...a cleverly distilled script conjured a rich picture of the Moliere
comedy..."
- Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Mozart Finale - Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Writer, performer
"With narrator Joel Kopischke portraying the composer's friend Franz
Sussmayr, and music director Andreas Delfs leading the MSO in appropriate
underscoring, the dramatic elements of the evening were largely successful."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
