Cover art for the Viva la Fry project

A few weeks ago I was approached by Kenneth Plume from Quick Stop Entertainment to take part in a project called “Viva la Fry” celebrating the great British polymath Stephen Fry.

Fascinating Guy – Download

My track is called “Fascinating Guy” simply because those were the first words out of my mouth when I started doing my research. From a somewhat troubled youth (getting kicked out of school, stealing a family friend’s credit card) to one of the most respected entertainers in the UK today, he’s had a very interesting life that’s almost impossible to sum up in less than 3 minutes (including instrumental passages).

Other artists involved include Jeff MacDougall, Mike Lombardo & Mick Bordet, so it should be a decent package when it all comes together. I’m not sure when the actual release date will be, but you can follow all the latest details at Nuts on the Road. There’s also some decent Fry-related swag there with all proceeds going to Comic Relief.

Here’s the lyrics, if you happen to be in a sing-along mood:

He’s a fascinating guy
Mr. Stephen Fry
Ain’t no need to wonder why
There’s no denying
He’s a fascinating guy
Mr. Stephen Fry
If we don’t see eye to eye
Let me tell you why

He rescues bears
He flies a biplane
Smokes a pipe & drives a cab
He’s bipolar but not insane
Digital devices rock his world
He’s got a podcast
And the UK record for
Saying “fuck” the most times in a live broadcast

[Repeat chorus]

Born between a younger sister
And an older brother
Emma Thompson says he’s 90% gay
10% other
Kicked out of more prep schools
Than most could hope to get into
Douglas Adams told him why
The ultimate answer is 42

And I’d really like to know
But it only goes to show
He’s taking that knowledge with him
To his grave
What a bastard

[Repeat chorus]

From 3 months in jail
For credit card fraud
To the best man for Mr. Bean
And Dr. House, isn’t it odd

Rector of Dundee U
With an honourary doctorate
Why the hell hasn’t queen knighted him yet

I cuss a couple of times, which is a bit of a rarity, so my apologies to my younger fans, especially Emily. Just wait until I get around to recording the track “Fucking Tim.” I’ve got a feeling your folks will put the kibosh on that one, too.

In other news, I’ve finished my latest Masters of Song Fu tune, written from the point of view of an inanimate object with no moving parts. More details to follow when the voting goes live next week.