8 ms·

The Story of Wanz, 51-Year-Old Breakout Singer on "Thrift Shop"

122 points by f055 14y ago

jbuzbee 14y ago
Catchy song, lots of fun - On a side note, while I was in Australia last fall they were playing Thrift Shop uncensored on the radio. We'll never hear that in the states. How about the rest of the world? Does it get uncensored air play in Europe, Asia, etc?
- fnordfnordfnord 14y ago
  In Europe, stations play the grown-up versions of songs, and even play songs for which there is no hope of a censored version. Example: The Ballad of Chasey Lain, which received some radio play in Germany a number of years ago.
  - tobylane 14y ago
    By Europe you mean continental? FM/DAB radio in the UK follows ofcom standards, but French daytime music tv plays F You by Lily Allen.
    - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
      Outside of the UK, almost no one makes the distinction between 'continental' Europe and those islands on the coast of France. Also, that water between England and France? Most of the world refers to it as 'the Channel', while the British tend to refer to it as 'the Atlantic'. Both are correct, of course, but it does show how significant the British find that 4 mile wide gap.
      - GHFigs 14y ago
        Nobody has a monopoly on exceptionalism.
      - chewit 14y ago
        I'm British and I have never heard anyone call the Channel the Atlantic. I'm not saying your generalisation is wrong (there does seem to be a very us|them mentality here) but just thought it was worth a note - in fact, we call the tunnel, The Channel Tunnel.
- coldtea 14y ago
  >Does it get uncensored air play in Europe, Asia, etc? Yes, in Europe we're mostly treated like adults.
  - jbuzbee 14y ago
    To be clear, it plays uncensored over the air in the States too as long as it's on Satellite-radio or pay-TV.
    - trafficlight 14y ago
      The version I've been hearing on XM at the gym is censored.
      - duaneb 14y ago
        Pretty sure that's unusual-most (but not all!) programs are explicitly uncensored.
  - _stephan 14y ago
    Though I sometimes suspect that radio stations wouldn't play certain songs during the day if the average listener actually understood the English lyrics. (I'm from Germany.)
  - mynameishere 14y ago
    The point is, not everyone listening to a broadcast is an adult. I mean, the laws are completely obsolete, but there's a logic to them.
    - jaggederest 14y ago
      You've clearly never had a 12 year old spew all the seven dirty words at you (and some I had to look up) What are you protecting kids from at this point?
      - toyg 14y ago
- Jackim 14y ago
  I've heard the uncensored version in Canada.
- bobbles 14y ago
  Likely only on the station Triple J, which does give a strong language warning before songs (but will happily play pretty much anything uncensored). Most other stations even sensor the line 'big-ass coat'...
- nekojima 14y ago
  I've heard uncensored 50 Cent & Eminem in the toy section of Japanese department stores (as well as elsewhere in the stores, but hearing in the toy section was most memorable). Many of the locals don't understand most of the lyrics, but liked the tune or beat.
- siphor 14y ago
  It's funny how content doesn't play into whether a song is censored or not... I mean this song is about shopping.. and a few 'bad' words are censored.. It's also probably one of the more innocent rap songs out there. Maybe we can drop this censoring bullshit when people realize the words aren't really the thing thats bad..
Evbn 14y ago
> the song's quickly viral music video parodying traditional hip-hop excess. Suddenly realized the connection between Thrift Shop and Gangnam Style. This is a great article about a great story. Did his coworkers know his musical talent before Thrift Shop?
- waterlesscloud 14y ago
  >> the song's quickly viral music video parodying traditional hip-hop excess. >Suddenly realized the connection between Thrift Shop and Gangnam Style. Hello, hit songs of the economic downturn!
mauvehaus 14y ago
Just so I'm clear on this: The number 1 song on the US charts (EDIT: and a bunch of others, according to wikipedia) isn't on a major label, is a white guy rapping about going to the thrift store, and the hook is sung by a software test engineer? Somebody should call Alanis Morissette and explain the concept of irony, because this is about as golden as opportunities get.
- homosaur 14y ago
  Here's what's even better, possibly: the song just broke into the Billboard Hip Hop charts which means this is getting played on actual rap radio.
  - mappum 14y ago
    It already has been on the radio for a while here in Seattle. :) And yes, we liked it before it was cool.
    - homosaur 14y ago
      Macklemore is from Seattle though, right? Makes sense it would hit there first...
      - CamperBob2 14y ago
        Hey, cut us some slack. It's been a while since Nirvana, and we need new cred. :-P
    - Farox 14y ago
      I just went through my activity log on Facebook, because it knew I shared it a while ago. It was mid November, I got it from a German Radio station. (It wasn't played a lot back then though) Not trying to be all hipster and stuff but: "Called it!"
  - pyfap 14y ago
    It plays about every 10 minutes on the radio.
SteveGuttenberg 14y ago
Great story
localhost 14y ago
Girl Talk had a similar "dual life" experience at the start of his career where he was working as a biomedical engineer during the days in a cube farm and jetting off to Europe on the weekends to do gigs. Here's an early interview: http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6415-girl-talk/ http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6415-girl-talk/
- pclark 14y ago
  Jim Eno, from Spoon, was a semiconductor chip designer up until Spoon released Gimmie Fiction. They released four albums before Gimmie Fiction and had multiple international tours.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
kitcar 14y ago
Site seems to be down for me; Here is the cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:qZ_7OsBxnx4J:popdust.com/2013/01/25/the-story-of-wanz-the-51-year-old-breakout-singer-on-macklemores-thrift-shop/+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:qZ_7OsB...
8ig8 14y ago
Reminds me of MC Frontalot, nerdcore extroidaire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Frontalot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Frontalot Zero Day (mp3): http://frontalot.com/media.php/10003/MC_Frontalot_-_Zero_Day_-_01._Zero_Day.mp3 http://frontalot.com/media.php/10003/MC_Frontalot_-_Zero_Day...
rickdale 14y ago
I just downloaded this album about a week ago after finding another story about it on HN. I was blown away. First album I have listened to on repeat over and over again since Pink Floyds Animals. Its really brilliant writing and just on point.

122 points by f055 14y ago

Catchy song, lots of fun - On a side note, while I was in Australia last fall they were playing Thrift Shop uncensored on the radio. We'll never hear that in the states. How about the rest of the world? Does it get uncensored air play in Europe, Asia, etc?

fnordfnordfnord 14y ago
In Europe, stations play the grown-up versions of songs, and even play songs for which there is no hope of a censored version. Example: The Ballad of Chasey Lain, which received some radio play in Germany a number of years ago.
- tobylane 14y ago
  By Europe you mean continental? FM/DAB radio in the UK follows ofcom standards, but French daytime music tv plays F You by Lily Allen.
  - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
    Outside of the UK, almost no one makes the distinction between 'continental' Europe and those islands on the coast of France. Also, that water between England and France? Most of the world refers to it as 'the Channel', while the British tend to refer to it as 'the Atlantic'. Both are correct, of course, but it does show how significant the British find that 4 mile wide gap.
    - GHFigs 14y ago
      Nobody has a monopoly on exceptionalism.
    - chewit 14y ago
      I'm British and I have never heard anyone call the Channel the Atlantic. I'm not saying your generalisation is wrong (there does seem to be a very us|them mentality here) but just thought it was worth a note - in fact, we call the tunnel, The Channel Tunnel.
coldtea 14y ago
>Does it get uncensored air play in Europe, Asia, etc? Yes, in Europe we're mostly treated like adults.
- jbuzbee 14y ago
  To be clear, it plays uncensored over the air in the States too as long as it's on Satellite-radio or pay-TV.
  - trafficlight 14y ago
    The version I've been hearing on XM at the gym is censored.
    - duaneb 14y ago
      Pretty sure that's unusual-most (but not all!) programs are explicitly uncensored.
- _stephan 14y ago
  Though I sometimes suspect that radio stations wouldn't play certain songs during the day if the average listener actually understood the English lyrics. (I'm from Germany.)
- mynameishere 14y ago
  The point is, not everyone listening to a broadcast is an adult. I mean, the laws are completely obsolete, but there's a logic to them.
  - jaggederest 14y ago
    You've clearly never had a 12 year old spew all the seven dirty words at you (and some I had to look up) What are you protecting kids from at this point?
    - toyg 14y ago
Jackim 14y ago
I've heard the uncensored version in Canada.
bobbles 14y ago
Likely only on the station Triple J, which does give a strong language warning before songs (but will happily play pretty much anything uncensored). Most other stations even sensor the line 'big-ass coat'...
nekojima 14y ago
I've heard uncensored 50 Cent & Eminem in the toy section of Japanese department stores (as well as elsewhere in the stores, but hearing in the toy section was most memorable). Many of the locals don't understand most of the lyrics, but liked the tune or beat.
siphor 14y ago
It's funny how content doesn't play into whether a song is censored or not... I mean this song is about shopping.. and a few 'bad' words are censored.. It's also probably one of the more innocent rap songs out there. Maybe we can drop this censoring bullshit when people realize the words aren't really the thing thats bad..

Evbn 14y ago

> the song's quickly viral music video parodying traditional hip-hop excess. Suddenly realized the connection between Thrift Shop and Gangnam Style. This is a great article about a great story. Did his coworkers know his musical talent before Thrift Shop?

waterlesscloud 14y ago
>> the song's quickly viral music video parodying traditional hip-hop excess. >Suddenly realized the connection between Thrift Shop and Gangnam Style. Hello, hit songs of the economic downturn!

mauvehaus 14y ago

Just so I'm clear on this: The number 1 song on the US charts (EDIT: and a bunch of others, according to wikipedia) isn't on a major label, is a white guy rapping about going to the thrift store, and the hook is sung by a software test engineer? Somebody should call Alanis Morissette and explain the concept of irony, because this is about as golden as opportunities get.

homosaur 14y ago
Here's what's even better, possibly: the song just broke into the Billboard Hip Hop charts which means this is getting played on actual rap radio.
- mappum 14y ago
  It already has been on the radio for a while here in Seattle. :) And yes, we liked it before it was cool.
  - homosaur 14y ago
    Macklemore is from Seattle though, right? Makes sense it would hit there first...
    - CamperBob2 14y ago
      Hey, cut us some slack. It's been a while since Nirvana, and we need new cred. :-P
  - Farox 14y ago
    I just went through my activity log on Facebook, because it knew I shared it a while ago. It was mid November, I got it from a German Radio station. (It wasn't played a lot back then though) Not trying to be all hipster and stuff but: "Called it!"
- pyfap 14y ago
  It plays about every 10 minutes on the radio.

SteveGuttenberg 14y ago

Great story

localhost 14y ago

Girl Talk had a similar "dual life" experience at the start of his career where he was working as a biomedical engineer during the days in a cube farm and jetting off to Europe on the weekends to do gigs. Here's an early interview: http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6415-girl-talk/ http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6415-girl-talk/

pclark 14y ago
Jim Eno, from Spoon, was a semiconductor chip designer up until Spoon released Gimmie Fiction. They released four albums before Gimmie Fiction and had multiple international tours.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

kitcar 14y ago

Site seems to be down for me; Here is the cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:qZ_7OsBxnx4J:popdust.com/2013/01/25/the-story-of-wanz-the-51-year-old-breakout-singer-on-macklemores-thrift-shop/+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:qZ_7OsB...

8ig8 14y ago

Reminds me of MC Frontalot, nerdcore extroidaire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Frontalot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Frontalot Zero Day (mp3): http://frontalot.com/media.php/10003/MC_Frontalot_-_Zero_Day_-_01._Zero_Day.mp3 http://frontalot.com/media.php/10003/MC_Frontalot_-_Zero_Day...

rickdale 14y ago

I just downloaded this album about a week ago after finding another story about it on HN. I was blown away. First album I have listened to on repeat over and over again since Pink Floyds Animals. Its really brilliant writing and just on point.