Liam Lynch (musician)

Last updated

Liam Lynch
Birth nameWilliam Patrick Niederst
Born (1970-09-05) September 5, 1970 (age 54)
Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
  • puppeteer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1993–present
Labels
  • 111 Productions Inc
  • Global Warming
  • S-Curve
Website liamlynch.net

William Patrick Niederst (born September 5, 1970), better known as Liam Lynch, is an American filmmaker, singer, musician, songwriter, and puppeteer.

Contents

While studying at LIPA in Liverpool, United Kingdom, Lynch co-created, co-wrote, directed, scored, and produced the 1998 MTV comedy puppet series The Sifl and Olly Show . His 2003 album Fake Songs featured the song "United States of Whatever", which peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia and the United Kingdom. He has since become more known for directing music videos for acts such as Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Royal Blood, Tenacious D, Spinnerette, No Doubt, Eagles of Death Metal, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and They Might Be Giants.

Lynch directed the 2006 film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny after working with Tenacious D in 2002, having directed the music video for their song "Tribute". He also directed several short films that played as part of their live show, as well as the documentary On The Road with Tenacious D. He also wrote the original music used in the 2002 MTV animated series Clone High and co-wrote a song in the 2003 film School of Rock, as well as directing Sarah Silverman's 2005 stand-up comedy film Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic .

Early life

Lynch was born William Patrick Niederst in Petersburg, Virginia, on September 5, 1970. [1] Before pursuing a career in the arts, he worked various jobs such as a restaurant dishwasher, a Blockbuster employee, a car washer, a box factory worker, a telemarketer, and a wax museum tour guide. [2] He also tested artificial intelligence for Sony when they introduced their now-defunct AIBO robot dogs, and still owns the early prototype of the robot. [2]

Career

When Lynch was 23, his friend read a story in Rolling Stone that Paul McCartney was going to open a unique performing arts school in Liverpool called the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) and gave Lynch information on how to apply. He was one of 40 musicians chosen to join LIPA from around the world. During his time in the United Kingdom, Lynch created the concept of what was to become The Sifl and Olly Show . He wanted to make something using the recordings he and Matt Crocco made a few years prior as a Christmas present for Crocco. He originally wanted to do stop motion photography, but didn't have the money or the equipment for it. When he made the first episode, it was 3 a.m. and he grabbed the only materials he had nearby, which were socks; he later said that "it could have easily been buckets". Making puppets out of his socks and borrowing a video camera from a friend, he created Sifl and Olly. He sent a few tapes to MTV Europe in 1996, leading them to become idents played in between music videos. A year later, the idents would become half-hour shows. In 1997, to work on The Sifl and Olly Show pilot, Lynch relocated back to the U.S. from Liverpool and settled in Nashville, Tennessee, though he briefly returned to Liverpool to finish his studies.

MTV began airing Sifl and Olly in the U.S. in July 1998, but the show only lasted two seasons. A third season was released as a DVD available through the Sifl and Olly website.[ citation needed ] Lynch's song "United States of Whatever" was featured during the first season of Sifl and Olly. When the show was canceled, he put the song on a sampler CD. It was used in a commercial for the 2003 video game Tony Hawk's Underground , with Tony Hawk having made a guest appearance on the third season of Sifl and Olly. [3] The song was later featured on Lynch's 2003 album Fake Songs , produced by his own company 111 Productions, which led to the song peaking within the top ten of the charts in Australia and the United Kingdom. [4] The song later gained a Guinness World Record for being the shortest song to peak within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, clocking in at just 1 minute and 25 seconds. [2] When he was asked to perform the song on Top of the Pops , Lynch was on tour with No Doubt to film them for a live DVD. Since he could not make the show, he promised to send a performance video in his place; the video, hastily shot and edited in one day, become the song's official music video. [2]

While working on Fake Songs, Lynch directed a UK-only music video for the Foo Fighters song "Times Like These"; worked on DVDs for No Doubt, Tenacious D, and Eagles of Death Metal, Sarah Silverman, and Queens of the Stone Age; and finished composing music for the MTV animated series Clone High . He also co-wrote music for the Jack Black film School of Rock . He released several of his albums, including We're All-Nighters and How to Be a Satellite, in 2006. He released his album Get Up on the Raft in 2008. He also released two volumes of songs from his podcast Lynchland.[ citation needed ] He collaborated on and directed Sarah Silverman's film Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic , [1] also co-writing and producing the soundtrack. He then directed Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny , released in late 2006, and helped to write and played guitar for the album of the same name.[ citation needed ] In 2007, he animated and voiced the character of Bulby, a wise-cracking light bulb created to promote the Queens of the Stone Age album Era Vulgaris . [2]

In 2009, Lynch directed the music video for the song "Craigslist" by "Weird Al" Yankovic from his album Alpocalypse .[ citation needed ] Later that year, he was credited for the graphics and artwork on Them Crooked Vultures' debut self-titled album. In 2012, he directed several music videos for songs from Tenacious D's Rize of the Fenix album. He also made the artwork for the band's 2012 Jazz EP. In 2013, he directed the music video for They Might Be Giants' title track from the album Nanobots . In 2014, he directed the music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "First World Problems" from his album Mandatory Fun . In 2018, he directed the music video for Queens of the Stone Age's song "Head Like a Haunted House" from their album Villains . In 2021, he directed and starred in the music videos for Royal Blood's songs "Boilermaker" and "Oblivion" from their album Typhoons . In 2024, Lynch animated a section of the music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's single, Polkamania.

Pictures of Lynch were used as inspiration in designing one of the aliens in J. J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek film. [2] Lynch has a podcast, LynchLand, which features video animations, songs from his albums, and guests. He also features his cats and other animals around his home. His video podcast has over 90,000 viewers.[ citation needed ] He sells merchandise on his website to offset the costs of making the podcast. The podcast has featured appearances by Ringo Starr, Josh Homme, Sarah Silverman, Jack Black, Tony Hawk, Tim Robbins, Shirley Manson, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Dhani Harrison, and Alex Albrecht.

Personal life

Lynch married his wife, artist Robin McCauley, [5] on an unknown date in the wheel house of the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. [2] He claims to have lived in a haunted building during his time in the United Kingdom, which gave him an interest in the paranormal. [2] He and his wife have collected many audio recordings and videos of their paranormal experiences, some of which they have uploaded onto a YouTube channel called The Spark Club. [6] In 2006, he had his pet cat cloned, making it the sixth cat ever to be cloned; the company who performed the cloning was later absorbed into ViaGen Pets. [2]

Lynch has dyslexia, two types of color blindness, and insomnia. [2] He is unable to burp. [2] He does not drink alcohol or use recreational drugs of any kind. [2] He is an avid gamer and can be seen in a bonus video on the original disc of the video game Guitar Hero , in which he explains the equipment he uses by Line 6, the company who developed the guitar tones for the game to match the various musicians they needed to mimic. [2] He is a lifelong Doctor Who fan, and continues to watch the series and collect memorabilia. [2]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleNotes
2003 School of Rock Music consultant, songwriter ("Step Off")
2006 Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny Director, co-writer, songwriter ("Kickapoo", "Break-In City (Storm the Gate!)", and "Beezleboss (The Final Showdown)")
2022Futra DaysSpecial photographic effects supervisor

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1998–1999 The Sifl and Olly Show Olly, variousCo-creator, director, writer, producer, composer
2002–2003 Clone High Composer, songwriter
2003DiaryDirector (1 episode)
Dave Matthews Band: The Central Park ConcertProducer
2005 Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic Director, composer
2013Sarah Silverman: We Are MiraclesDirector, consulting producer
2017Sarah Silverman: A Speck of DustDirector
2018Tig Notaro: Happy To Be HereEditor

Music videos

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002"Tribute" – Tenacious D Himself (cameo)Director, editor
2006"POD" – Tenacious D
2008"Wannabe in L.A." – Eagles of Death Metal Director
2008"Ghetto Love" - Spinnerette
2009"Craigslist" – 'Weird Al' Yankovic
2012"Low Hanging Fruit" – Tenacious D
"Rock is Dead" – Tenacious D
2013"First World Problems" – 'Weird Al' Yankovic
"Where Have We Been" – Tenacious D
2017"Head Like a Haunted House" – Queens of the Stone Age
2021"Boilermaker" – Royal Blood Also starred in
2021"Oblivion" – Royal BloodAlso starred in
2021"End of Me" – Billy Talent
2023"Emotion Sickness" – Queens of the Stone Age
2024"Polkamania!" - "Weird Al" Yankovic ("Old Town Road" segment)

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012–2013Sifl and Olly Video Game ReviewsOlly, variousCo-creator, director, writer, composer

Discography

Solo albums
Albums with Matt Crocco
Other appearances

Related Research Articles

<i>Fake Songs</i> 2003 studio album by Liam Lynch

Fake Songs is the third studio album by American musician Liam Lynch, released on April 1, 2003 through S-Curve Records and distributed worldwide by Capitol Records. The album is known for featuring his best-known song "United States of Whatever", which was released as a single in 2002. The album features a bonus DVD that compiles two-hours of various shorts and skits created by Lynch in his home studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenacious D</span> American comedy rock duo

Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles in 1994 by the actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Their music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass' acoustic guitar playing. Critics have described their fusion of vulgar absurdist comedy with rock music as "mock rock". Their songs discuss the duo's purported musical and sexual prowess, their friendship and cannabis usage, in a style critics have compared with the storyteller-style lyrics of rock opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Black</span> American actor, comedian, and musician (born 1969)

Thomas Jacob Black is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and nominations for three Golden Globe Awards.

<i>The Sifl and Olly Show</i> US television program

The Sifl and Olly Show is a comedy TV series that incorporates sock puppets, animation, and musical performances. Musicians Liam Lynch and Matt Crocco created and performed the series. The first episode aired on MTV in 1998. The show was cancelled in 1999. The characters, along with new material, currently appear on Liam Lynch's podcast entitled Lynchland.

<i>Even Worse</i> 1988 album by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Even Worse is the fifth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on April 12, 1988. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between November 1987 and February 1988, this album helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after the critical and commercial failure of his previous album Polka Party! (1986).

<i>Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny</i> 2006 film by Liam Lynch

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is a 2006 American musical fantasy comedy film about comedy rock duo Tenacious D. Written, produced by and starring Tenacious D members Jack Black and Kyle Gass, it is directed and co-written by musician and puppeteer Liam Lynch. Despite being about an actual band, the film is a fictitious story about the band's origins, and their journey to find a magical pick belonging to Satan that allows its users to become rock legends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky ("Weird Al" Yankovic song)</span> 1983 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Ricky" is a 1983 song by American parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic, duetting with voice actress Tress MacNeille. It is a parody of the 1982 song "Mickey" by Toni Basil, which itself, is a cover of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn's "Kitty" recorded by Racey. The song focuses on Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in 1950's sitcom I Love Lucy, and their general discussions and hobbies within the show. "Ricky" was one of the last two tracks added to ""Weird Al" Yankovic", in order to fill out the length for an LP record and was recorded at "Scotti Brothers Records".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jurassic Park (song)</span> 1993 song by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Jurassic Park" is a parody of Richard Harris's version of Jimmy Webb's song "MacArthur Park", written and performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic; it was released both as a single and as part of Yankovic's Alapalooza album in October 1993. "Jurassic Park" was penned by Yankovic after he remembered the enjoyment he had when he combined a classic rock track with a recent movie theme with his 1985 song "Yoda". Yankovic decided to combine the plot of the recent movie Jurassic Park—a film about a park on a fictional island where geneticists have succeeded in cloning dinosaurs—with the classic Richard Harris track "MacArthur Park".

<i>Straight Outta Lynwood</i> 2006 studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Straight Outta Lynwood is the twelfth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 26, 2006, the title drawing inspiration from hip hop group N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton. It was the sixth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-2000s. The album's lead single, "White & Nerdy", is a parody of Chamillionaire's hit single "Ridin'". The single debuted at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #9 the following week; "Canadian Idiot", a parody of Green Day's "American Idiot", also charted, peaking at #82.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White & Nerdy</span> 2006 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"White & Nerdy" is the second single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's album Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released on September 26, 2006. It parodies the song "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. The song both satirizes and celebrates nerd culture, as recited by the subject, who cannot "roll with the gangstas" because he is "just too white and nerdy". It includes many references to activities stereotypically associated with nerds and/or white people, such as collecting comic books and action figures, being fluent in JavaScript and Klingon, editing Wikipedia, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Download This Song</span> 2006 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Don't Download This Song" is the first single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's 12th studio album Straight Outta Lynwood. The song was released exclusively on August 21, 2006 as a digital download. It is a style parody of "We Are the World", "Voices That Care", "Hands Across America", "Heal the World" and other similar charity songs. The song "describes the perils of online music file-sharing" in a tongue-in-cheek manner. To further the sarcasm, the song was freely available for streaming and to legally download in DRM-free MPEG fileformat at Weird Al's Myspace page, a standalone website, as well as his YouTube channel.

<i>Were All Nighters</i> 2002 studio album by Liam Lynch

We're All Nighters is an album by rock musician Liam Lynch. It was originally released in 2002, and was reissued in 2008 through digital download.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">"Weird Al" Yankovic discography</span> List of works by Weird Al Yankovic

The discography of American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor and parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic consists of fourteen studio albums, two soundtrack albums, nine compilation albums, eleven video albums, two extended plays, two box sets, forty-six singles and fifty-four music videos. Since the debut of his first comedy song in 1976, he has sold more than 12 million albums—more than any other comedy act in history—recorded more than 150 parody and original songs, and performed more than 1,000 live shows. His works have earned him five Grammy Awards among sixteen nominations, along with several gold and platinum record certifications in the United States. Yankovic's first single, "My Bologna", was released in 1979, and he made his chart debut two years later with his second single, "Another One Rides the Bus", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. His self-titled debut studio album was released on Scotti Brothers Records on May 3, 1983, peaking at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Ricky", the album's third single, became his first single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 64.

"Trapped in the Drive-Thru" is the eleventh song from "Weird Al" Yankovic's twelfth studio album Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released on September 26, 2006. This song is a parody of Trapped in the Closet by R. Kelly. To date, the song is Yankovic's longest parody, and his second longest song ever released on his studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's All About the Pentiums</span> 1999 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"It's All About the Pentiums" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "It's All About the Benjamins " by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and focuses on the narrator's obsession with his computer's hardware. The name of the song reflects this in its title with its referral to the Pentium line of Intel microprocessor chips that were popular in the late nineties. It was also one of the last songs recorded for the album Running With Scissors.

Matt Crocco, born March 18, 1971, is a musician, writer, and producer. He co-created, composed music for, directed and produced MTV's Sifl and Olly Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">"Weird Al" Yankovic</span> American comedy musician (born 1959)

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of several popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.

<i>Alpocalypse</i> 2011 studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Alpocalypse is the thirteenth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It was the seventh studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 2000s and early 2010s. The album's first single, "Whatever You Like", was released almost two and a half years prior to the release of the album, and the single peaked at number 104 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's final single, "Perform This Way", was released digitally on April 25, 2011, but failed to chart.

<i>Mandatory Fun</i> 2014 studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Mandatory Fun is the fourteenth and final studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. The self-produced album was released by RCA Records in the United States on July 15, 2014. Yankovic had previously released Alpocalypse in 2011 and was touring in support of it when he first spoke of his next record. When he began to work on Mandatory Fun, Yankovic found himself listening to older acts, many of which he stylistically spoofed on the album.

<i>Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic</i> Compilation box set by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic is a 15-album box set by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on November 24, 2017. Squeeze Box marks Yankovic's second box set since 1994's Permanent Record: Al in the Box.

References

  1. 1 2 Scott, A. O. (November 11, 2005). "A Comic in Search of the Discomfort Zone". The New York Times .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Fun Facts".
  3. McKee, Ryan (November 18, 2011). "6 Best Sock Puppets On 'Sifl & Olly' Other Than Sifl & Olly". MTV Clutch Blog. MTV.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 334. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  5. "happy birthday to my favorite dweller in my fallout shelter". x.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  6. "The Spark Club - YouTube". www.youtube.com.