Jokes & Comedians/Capitol Steps

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Expert: Tom - 6/22/2009


Question
Is there any way a guy like me, who has been writing song parodies for family/friends' events for 30+ years, submit something to Capitol Steps?  In the past, most of my parodies have been targetted for the family event, but I wrote 2 parodies for the last presidential election.  They wouldn't be topical now (for Capitol Steps) but who knows?  And maybe that would be an application of sorts?

Answer
David --

Good question. This one is actually addressed on the Steps' FAQ page (http://www.capsteps.com/about/faq.html), where they say that they don't take songs written outside the group and give a reason why. But I think it's great that you've been doing this already on your own! Even the song-parody business needs a little competition.

-- Tom

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Tom

Expertise

I can answer questions about The Capitol Steps, a political (mostly musical) satire group based in Washington, DC which performs in Washington, around the U.S., and four times a year on public radio. I can answer questions about who is performing which role in Capitol Steps sketches and songs on albumns and can help identify a routine (and which albumn or radio show includes it) based on partial lyrics. I can also provide tips and suggestions for those interested in writing and performing spoonerism-based comedy similar to the Steps` "Lirty Dies."

Experience

I have been a Capitol Steps fan since about 1995. I own all the albumns and have listened to each dozens of times. I have particularly studied (and particularly admire) the "Lirty Dies" routines and I have written and performed material of this sort. Despite the fact that I live halfway across the U.S. from Washington, I've attended many live Capitol Steps performances, including several at their permanent locations in the DC area.

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