Gunther's mission: pleasure
Bill Rodgers
Issue date: 11/9/04 Section: ae
With all of the past week's election news focusing everyone's eyes on our own country, maybe it's time to see what's going down with our brothers and sisters across the oceans.
Oh sweet God.
Gunther and the Sunshine Girls, a technocheese pop group from Sweden, made their mark on Europe with their summer smash hit, "The Ding Dong Song (You Touched My Tra-la-la)." The song is from Gunther's CD, "Pleasureman." The group is hugely popular in Europe - even Franz Ferdinand paid the group some recognition by recording an acoustic version of "The Ding Dong Song" for Dutch radio.
The pop group has been unheard of here in the states, though the band has received some attention through the Internet. People pass around Gunther's mp3s and video to their friends. Much of Gunther's recognition in the United States begins with the phrase: "Dude, you have to see this."
Gunther, a self-proclaimed "pleasureman" has a mullet, big pink lips and a thin black moustache. He's a man with a mission: his Web site says he's striving to make the world a more sexual place.
That seems to be clear listening to the 11 tracks on his CD. Gunther sings in the same deep and breathy tone for each of his songs. It's almost as if he's in a constant state of arousal. It's slightly disturbing after a while.
The same goes with the Sunshine Girls, Gunther's backup singers. The girls' singing isn't any surprise to the listener. It's the traditional female singing that one would associate with club techno, but with moans interspersed into the mix. If it's possible to hear someone gyrating, the girls have pulled it off.
The music on the CD is difficult to describe in terms of whether it's good or not. On one hand, it sounds like the only musical input to the CD was someone hitting the "demo" button on an old Casio keyboard. On the other, it's really catchy.
The CD functions on two levels: dance music and unbridled hilarity. The lyrics are a riot and were either written in one night or by someone who learned the English language two weeks before their composition.
Oh sweet God.
Gunther and the Sunshine Girls, a technocheese pop group from Sweden, made their mark on Europe with their summer smash hit, "The Ding Dong Song (You Touched My Tra-la-la)." The song is from Gunther's CD, "Pleasureman." The group is hugely popular in Europe - even Franz Ferdinand paid the group some recognition by recording an acoustic version of "The Ding Dong Song" for Dutch radio.
The pop group has been unheard of here in the states, though the band has received some attention through the Internet. People pass around Gunther's mp3s and video to their friends. Much of Gunther's recognition in the United States begins with the phrase: "Dude, you have to see this."
Gunther, a self-proclaimed "pleasureman" has a mullet, big pink lips and a thin black moustache. He's a man with a mission: his Web site says he's striving to make the world a more sexual place.
That seems to be clear listening to the 11 tracks on his CD. Gunther sings in the same deep and breathy tone for each of his songs. It's almost as if he's in a constant state of arousal. It's slightly disturbing after a while.
The same goes with the Sunshine Girls, Gunther's backup singers. The girls' singing isn't any surprise to the listener. It's the traditional female singing that one would associate with club techno, but with moans interspersed into the mix. If it's possible to hear someone gyrating, the girls have pulled it off.
The music on the CD is difficult to describe in terms of whether it's good or not. On one hand, it sounds like the only musical input to the CD was someone hitting the "demo" button on an old Casio keyboard. On the other, it's really catchy.
The CD functions on two levels: dance music and unbridled hilarity. The lyrics are a riot and were either written in one night or by someone who learned the English language two weeks before their composition.