Weber party crashes the Web

LOUISVILLE – Huh? What? Can a person honestly be this deluded? Is this guy for real?

I regret to report he is.

Those of us who know Roger Weber will certainly appreciate this piece of self-indulgent crap. (See video trailer of "Global Warming" below. Courtesy of YouTube and George Dick.) This video should leave the more intelligent and thoughtful among us scratching our heads in befuddled consternation. Others, namely the initiated members of the cult of Limbaugh, may don tinfoil hats, navy-blue jumpsuits and tennies and wait for the Mother Ship to arrive on the next starry night. Don't forget to drink the Kool Aid before retiring for the evening.

Weber and his new CD were recently the subject of a brief article in The Courier-Journal, St. Matthews/Neighborhoods section (23 April 2008). Apparently, Roger had badgered this hapless reporter into checking out his act at a Jeffersonville, IN bowling alley, a venue of which just may be a fair indication of both his talent and currency. Desperate to fill news hole, the article made it into print, which is more of a testament to the objectivity of the reporter than it is to any pop cultural relevance.

One video observer astutely writes:

"Well, that was quite entertaining. Roger seems to inhabit a small world where he doesn't ever have to grow up. I assume he has a real job of some sort? His stuff would be mildly amusing if he wasn't serious about it (which I'm guessing he is). The video of him playing in front of the hot tub about says it all – Roger and George entertaining themselves while about five bored onlookers sit around wondering why they are there."

Well said.

I contacted Ms. Martha Elson, the reporter at The C-J (whose considerable talent is wasted on such fluff), via email, with these comments:

The only things of which he [Roger] is a master are his skills at self-promotion and his ability to delude himself, mostly into megalomaniacal, grandiose superiority. His political heroes are Stalin, George Bushes (both the elder and the younger) and that ubiquitous gas bag Rush Limbaugh.

He bristles at even the slightest whiff of liberalism and like most self-righteous conservatives of his ilk, he becomes instantly combative when confronted with logic or sound reasoning.

It’s disappointing, because he is otherwise truly a bright guy...

On the plus side, I did get a quiet laugh at the thought of him playing and crooning in some cheesy bowling alley lounge, as famously parodied by Bill Murray on those early SNL skits. Oh, how I can hear Roger now. In addition to his own compositions, I’m sure you had to endure such nuggets as Secret Agent Man, Sixteen Tons and Do You Know the Way to San Jose?.

(As an aside, I believe you’ve been mislead as to his age. My calculations place him securely in his early fifties. But then again, I suppose his vanity is the least of his sins.)  – CM

Ms. Elson kindly replied:

I try to be open-minded about story topics, and, as you say, he was very persistent. I asked him his age, and that's what he said. Again, thanks for reading the story and commenting.

You can view the cover of Weber's new album Happy Hour (which features a nattily attired Weber dousing an overheated planet Earth with a martini), check out audio and video clips and read the full text of Ms. Martha Elson's nicely written article by pulling up this code: 

http://www.myspace.com/rogerweber  

To be sure, many of you are thinking that I tossed my sense of humor out with the first Bush administration (i.e., George H. W.). In the interest of full disclosure, I find the line regarding Al Gore truly funny: "Carbon foot print up his butt/Will surely keep his big mouth shut." (Note: In the video, take notice of George Dick's laughter of approval as this line is delivered.)

That, my friends, is indeed classic Weber.  If only he didn't take himself so seriously.