#11 Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"No I'm thinking what I'm thinking"

"So you're not thinking what I'm thinking?"

"No, 'cause you're thinking I'm thinking what you're thinking!"

(Flight of the Conchords - Same Girl)

I hate "comedy" songs with a passion. Whenever I go to a comedy club and someone comes on stage with a guitar, I go to the bar.

There are however three exceptions to this rule. The Lonely Island, Tenacious D and, of course, the Flight of the Conchords.

Why? Because whilst all the crappy stand-ups start with some jokes and then come up with a tune, with these guys the music comes first. The songs are actually good - catchy, well produced and often parodying (but not simply changing the lyrics of) classic tyoons. It helps that the lyrics are then also genius.

After providing me with the best live gig I have ever been to, it was a no brainer that when it came to challenge #11 - Learn a full song on the guitar and sing along while playing it , Flight of the Conchords was the obvious choice.

I settled quickly upon "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room"...

For clarity, this is not me

I would love to say I chose this because it is amongst my favourite FOTC songs (it is) but in reality it was because I have been known to batteredly belt this out at K-Box and it is built around a simple 4-chord progression with a simple hammer-on run that sounds waaaaay more impressive than it actually is!

It is fair to say that my prestigious history of singing (where highlights include fainting on the opening night of "African Jigsaw" at primary school, rocking a lack-lustre performance of George Michael's "Fast Love" on a Butlins football tour and not a lot else) is only eclipsed by woeful attempt (at university, obviously) to self-teach myself the guitar.

But what the hey - I'm pretty good at Guitar Hero and can rub my head and pat my tummy at the same time, so playing and singing at the same time should be a doddle.

As soon as I decided on the 30 things I started practicing. I quickly got the hang of the chords and then learnt to sing along as well as the other bits of the song.

There exists - somewhere in the ether - a video of my "dress" rehearsal gig. "Dress" is in quote marks because my outfit included only a mankini and the alcohol flowing out of my pores as I serenaded a poor hen party during my stag do.

You'll be happy to know that the video I have to prove I have completed the challenge is not this video, but one of me at home. I apologise in advance for the aural assault.

For clarity - this is me