Institutionalized

Lou covers the Suicidal Tendencies classic

We haven’t done a Mini-Music-Monday in awhile and ain’t -this- the way to come back! When we started the podcast I felt compelled to cover the most memorable novelty tunes of my youth. First, the tri-fecta of The Streak, Convoy, and Kung Fu Fighting.

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Institutionalized is definitely -not- just a novelty song. In a very real way it changed the course of music. It broadly signaled a stylistic crossover between punk rock and heavy metal, something that might have been unthinkable in 1980…to me.

The original recording is classic. It’s a city bus slowly gathering passengers and then careening down the highway set to the inner dialogue of a teenager. My cover does not re-create that. Nothing can re-create the original recording. As with all my cover songs, it’s the thought that counts…I just thought I -needed- to cover the song.

In another way I do think Institutionalized is a novelty song. One of the best ever. I have so much to say about it I can barely say anything at all, as evidenced by my inability to complete a sentence in this hot, fresh, commercial free ep.

HEAR my cover in it’s full 4 minute plus glory below -lou