It's the DummyFAQ!

Frequently Asked Questions for Crash Test Dummies

THIS FAQ APPEARS AS A COPY Last updated August 13, 1996

Up to date copies of this document may be obtained in several ways; e-mailing James Kalyn at jak139@mail.usask.ca (note - replies are sent manually, not by an auto-responder), watching Usenet's alt.music.ct-dummies where it is (theoretically) posted every two weeks, or from the website http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/3342/dummyfaq.html. This FAQ was started by Katharine Glover, and is currently maintained by James Kalyn, who owes a great deal to many contributors (Tak Ariga, Jim Love, Patrick Matte, Amanda Skopik, Brian Smyth, Kim Stromberg, Bernd Wender, Mark Wilderspin, Kate (of course), and probably many others - if I'm forgetting someone, make sure to let me know). This document can be reprinted if you like, as long as James, Kate, etc. get credit for it, and as long as it is not modified from it's original form. Otherwise, we'll have to get medieval on your ass. (Now wasn't that better than legalese?) (:->)

NOTE! Due to preparations for the new school year, I will be losing 'Net access from August 15th to sometime in mid-September. The FAQ will still be available from my website, but please don't e-mail me during that time, since I'm pretty sure I'll never see any mail sent my way then.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
  1. Who are Crash Test Dummies?
  2. How did the band get started?
  3. Where did the band get it's name?
  4. What all is currently available in the way of CTD recordings?
  5. Have the Dummies done any videos?
  6. What can you tell me about their non-album songs?
  7. Where did the lead singer get his deep voice?
  8. What accounts for the Dummies unusual intelligence for a pop band?
  9. Who is Solomon Grundy from Superman's Song?
  10. Does Brad Roberts sometimes change the words to Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm?
  11. Is it true "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of one of CTD's songs?
  12. Who was the woman that accompanied the Dummies on the GSHF tour?
  13. Are Crash Test Dummies Satanists?
  14. Is there a fan club for the group?
  15. Are there any Crash Test Dummies sites on the World Wide Web?
  16. Is it true that there's been a book written about the Dummies?
  17. What's the best/most popular CTD song?
  18. When are the Dummies coming out with a new album?
  19. When are the Dummies going to perform in my area?
1)- Who are Crash Test Dummies?
Crash Test Dummies are a five-person musical group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The band's material is rather difficult to classify, but can be described as an unusually literate, eclectic brand of pop with noticable folk influences. Their songs are characterized by whimsical, thoughtful, and dryly humourous lyrics, creative musical arrangements, and the unmistakable prescence of lead singer Brad Roberts' distinctive voice. Crash Test Dummies first appeared on the Canadian musical scene in the late 1980's and began to achieve commercial success with the release of their first album, The Ghosts That Haunt Me, in 1991. The album eventually reached quadruple platinum sales (400,000) in Canada, largely due to the overwhelming popularity of the smash hit single Superman's Song, and earned CTD the 1991 Juno Award for Group of the Year. However, the Dummies did not receive much international recognition until the 1993 release of their second album, God Shuffled His Feet. Particularly instrumental in increasing CTD's exposure in the U.S. market was the appearance of a new type of radio format: adult album-oriented alternative rock (AAA). These stations put the single Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm in high rotation, with the result that by mid-1994 the album had passed the platinum sales mark in the U.S. (one million), and had also earned the Dummies three Grammy nominations and three more Juno nominations. GSHF has to date sold more than four-and-a-half million copies worldwide.
In alphabetical order, Crash Test Dummies are:
2)- How did the band get started?
In many ways, the origin of Crash Test Dummies is tied to the history of two Winnipeg nightspots, the Spectrum Cabaret and the Blue Note Cafe. These were owned by Curtis Riddell, a next-door neighbour to the Roberts family. In the mid-1980s Riddell joined with Brad to form the decidedly less-than-serious bar band Bad Brad Roberts and the St. James Rhythm Pigs. Their material, according to Brad, consisted largely of "ridiculous cover tunes - everything from cheesy Irish traditionals to TV theme songs to acoustic versions of Alice Cooper hits." Over time, the band evolved into the Crash Test Dummies that we all know and love. Ellen Reid and Ben Darvill became permanent additions. George West, the original bass player, quit and was replaced by Dan Roberts, Brad's brother. Riddell was replaced by Vince Lambert, who later quit/was fired (depending on who you listen to), and was replaced by Mitch Dorge around the time that TGTHM was released.
3)- Where did the band get it's name?
Crash Test Dummies was adopted initially as a joke, at the suggestion of a friend in medical school. Apparently through constant use, the name stuck. Among other monikers considered were Skin Graft and the Chemotherapists.
4)- What all is currently available in the way of CTD recordings?
This is a complete list (to the best of my knowledge) of all currently available CTD audio material:

Studio albums:

The Ghosts That Haunt Me (1991) Arista ARCD-8677
In addition to the standard jewel box configuration, this album was also released in a limited edition 10" picture sleeve. The CD is identical to the standard issue, but it is tucked in a slot of the two-layered cardboard sleeve that is visible after the hinged cover photo of Superman's torso is opened.
God Shuffled His Feet (1993) Arista 74321-16531
EP singles (CD only):
Afternoons & Coffeespoons (1994) Arista 07822-12708
also includes Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, God Shuffled His Feet, and In The Days Of The Caveman, all live versions
Afternoons & Coffeespoons (1994) RCA (UK) 74321-21962/3
the first disc also includes studio The Ghosts That Haunt Me, and live versions of In The Days Of The Caveman (same as above) and Androgynous
the second disc also includes live versions of Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm and God Shuffled His Feet (same as above)
The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead (1995) RCA/BMG 07863-64262-2
this disc also includes Hurdy Gurdy Man by Butthole Surfers
The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead (1995) RCA 74321-27677
this disc also includes Afternoons & Coffeespoons, When I Go Out With Artists, and a live version of Swimming In Your Ocean
God Shuffled His Feet (1993) Arista ASCD-2766
this disc has an edited version of GSHF and the studio Two Knights And Maidens
God Shuffled His Feet (1994) RCA (UK) 74321-23808
this disc also includes.... ????
God Shuffled His Feet (1994) Arista/BMG (Aus) 74321-25006
this disc also includes.... ????
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (1993) Arista/BMG 07822-12666
also includes studio How Does a Duck Know? and Superman's Song
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (1993) Arista/BMG (UK) 74321-20151
also includes studio Here I Stand Before Me and live Superman's Song, the same version as the Mountain Stage discs
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (1993) Arista/BMG (Aus) 74321-18973
also includes.... ????
Swimming In Your Ocean (1993) Arista/BMG (Aus) 74321-25006
this disc also includes.... ????
Additional contributions:
All You Pretty Girls
from A Testimonal Dinner: The Songs of XTC (1995) Thirsty Ear thi 57019.2
The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead
from Dumb And Dumber soundtrack (1995) BMG 07863 66523-2
The First Noel
from A Lump Of Coal (1991) First Warning 72705-75702-2
God Shuffled His Feet
from Juno Awards Sampler 1995 (1995) KCDP-51288
In The Days Of The Caveman
from The Flintstones soundtrack (disc info needed)
In The Days Of The Caveman
from Hollywood Soundtracks (1994) Sony Music Special Products A 25360
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
from Live At The World Cafe, Volume 2 (1995) World Cafe WC-9502
A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dummy (1991) Arista/BMG (Can) ASCD-2131
This was a promotional CD that included four songs (each repeated twice) and 32 minutes of interview clips from Brad (the majority of these are repeated as well). When I wrote to BMG, they said that they didn't have any left to give away, but they sent me an autographed GSHF poster, so I wasn't too upset. Apparently, they're now out of posters as well... (:->)
Superman's Song
from Oh What A Feeling (1996) MCA Juno 25
Superman's Song (live)
from The Best of Mountain Stage, Vol.3 (1992) Blue Plate Music D108724
Superman's Song (live)
from Upfront! Canadians Live From Mountain Stage (1994) BMG/Blue Plate Music BPM 302 CD
Swimming In Your Ocean
from Earth Day 1996 (1996) HMV Canada Earth1996
If you have any additional info about CTD recordings, please contact me.
5)- Have the Dummies done any videos?
The Dummies have recorded videos for the following songs: Ellen Reid is credited with formulating the general concepts for all the band's videos. In addition, the Dummies have released Symptomology of a Rock Band: The Case of Crash Test Dummies. This 45 minute video, done in the style of a pseudo-rockumentary, was directed by Kris Lefcoe, a friend of the band's. It contains the videos of Superman's Song, Afternoons & Coffeespoons, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, God Shuffled His Feet, and Swimming In Your Ocean interspersed with footage of the band and commentary by various professionals.
6)- What can you tell me about their non-album songs?
The First Noel was included on an alternative Christmas compilation called A Lump Of Coal. It's unknown whether or not this album is still in production, but it was sold in record stores during the 1995 Christmas season (which is about the only time of year that you'll find this). Other artists on the album include The Odds and Henry Rollins. A video exists for this song, but there are no singles.

The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead was recorded in 1994 for inclusion on the soundtrack to Dumb and Dumber. This song is rather unique in that it is the only (legally recorded) CTD song where Ellen sings lead vocals. The original was recorded by the English group XTC, and it can be found on their album Nonsuch. The original version features a verse that was cut from the Dummies' version in order to save a little time:
Peter Pumpkinhead pulled them all
Emptied churches and shopping malls
When he spoke it would raise the roof
Peter Pumpkinhead told the truth...
Multiple singles exist, as does a video, which was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and featured Jeff Daniels, one of Dumb and Dumber's stars.

All You Pretty Girls was recorded in in 1995, and can be found on the XTC tribute album A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs Of XTC, which was released in late 1995. The original can be found on XTC's The Big Express. There are (currently) no singles and no video for this one - the only way to get it is to buy the disc. The Dummies' covers of TBOPP and AYPG (which were both written by XTC's Andy Partridge) can be largely attributed to Brad's tremendous admiration for the band, and for Andy Partridge in particular.

If I Had My Way is performed only during live concerts. Again, Ellen sings lead vocals. The Dummies have stated that they have no intentions of recording this song, so the only way to hear it involves going to a live concert or tracking down a bootleg recording. The actual title of the song is Samson and Delilah, and versions of the song have been recorded by The Grateful Dead and Peter, Paul and Mary, among others.

7)- Where did the lead singer get his deep voice?
This is an oft-asked question, astonishingly enough. (Don't they cover any elementary genetics in high school biology anymore?) The correct answer, according to the man himself, is that Brad inherited his unusual bass baritone from his paternal grandfather. However, the incorrigible Mr. Roberts, who displays a delightful penchant for making rather provocative comments, has on occasion provided an alternate answer: his deep voice is due to the fact that he possesses a third testicle...
8)- What accounts for the Dummies' unusual intelligence for a pop band?
This trait can largely be attributed to the prescence of their frontman, Brad Roberts. Mr. Roberts, who writes all of the group's material (with the exceptions of Thick-Necked Man by Ben Darvill, Androgynous by Paul Westerberg, and the XTC covers), received his college education at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with double B.A. honours in English Literature and Philosophy, and was intending to pursue an advanced degree when he was, as he puts it, "sucked into the vortex of the music industry." Incidentally, it was at university where Brad first became acquainted with Ellen, who was pursuing her own degree in history.
9)- Who is "Solomon Grundy" from Superman's Song?
Solomon Grundy and Superman collided in Superman issues 301, 319, and 320. Grundy, "The Marshland Monster," was a very large, very dim-witted, zombie-type creature who came from an alternate dimension in order to find other people (he was lonely, poor thing). As all good monsters know, to make friends, you must pummel Superman, and so he did. Finally Superman ended up leaving Grundy on the moon, which meant that he was again left with no people, and no oxygen as well... Roberts claims that he bought one of the aforementioned comics on the way home from a physical examination in Grade 7, and when later writing the song, he chose Grundy because it rhymed (well, almost) with "money" and none of the other super-villains did.
10)- Does Brad Roberts sometimes change the words to Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm?
Sometime during their 1994 God Shuffled His Feet tour, Brad started singing an alternate third verse:
'Cause then, this kid named Scott Bell
Got to keep his tonsils in a jar for show-and-tell
But when he went to bring them
His mom had thrown them out in the garbage
He couldn't quite explain it
She wouldn't let him keep them...
 When performing this version, Brad usually follows the song with a remark to the effect of "when you've had to suffer through a song a million times, you might as well have it changed up for the live program." However, there is a bit of a story behind the Scott Bell verse, as apparently when originally composing the song Brad had considered among three alternatives. The inferred result is that the ecstatic Christians beat out Scott Bell and his tonsils by a narrow margin to make the album recording. No hints as of yet as to what the last remaining alternative was...
11)- Is it true "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of one of CTD's songs?
Yes indeed. The song, called Headline News, is a parody of Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. The verses consider the tabloid exploits of three now rather infamous individuals (Michael Fay, Tonya Harding, and John Bobbitt), and the song represents (in the humble opinion of this author) some of his best work to date. Incidentally, the parody was recorded with the full cooperation of CTD, and can be found on Al's 1994 box set Permanent Record (1994, Attic, 72392 75451-2/4), his 1994 album Greatest Hits Volume II (disc info needed), and on a CD single accompanied by Christmas At Ground Zero (1994, Attic, CD 446). As well, a video for this song exists, and it's available on Yankovic's Bad Hair Day: The Videos.
12)- Who was the woman that accompanied the Dummies on the GSHF tour?
Her name is Kathy Brown, and she is a friend from Winnipeg who accompanied the band on tour to provide additional keyboards and back-up vocals. According to Brad, Kathy's contribution is necessary to recreate the sound of the studio recordings of GSHF, many of which were produced with multiple tracks. In addition, she possesses the rather unusual ability of "Mongolian overtoning," in which she manipulates her voice such that she can sing two distinct notes simultaneously. Kathy has been known to demonstrate this talent during CTD concerts, and it can also be found on Symptomology (during Mitch's section). It is unknown whether she will rejoin the band for any future tours - in mid-1995, she was in the Republic of Tuva at the International Symposium of Throat Singing. She now lives in Toronto, pursuing a solo career and performing her unusual blend of pop and overtoning. She can be contacted through:
YEMYSS Music
403 Kingston Road
Toronto, Ontario
M4L 1V1
13)- Are Crash Test Dummies Satanists?
The fact that this question even needs to be included here is testimony to how humour-impaired some individuals can be... The origins of this absurd rumour no doubt lie in a remark made by Brad when he was asked in an interview how he felt about receiving three Grammy nominations. In his typical, self-deprecatory, tongue-in-cheek manner, Mr. Roberts replied with something to the effect of "it looks like all those pacts with Satan are finally paying off..." In all truth, Brad is a self-proclaimed "icy rationalist," and it is doubtful that he believes in the existence of any deific higher power, divine or diabolic.
14)- Is there a fan club for the group?
Not anymore. Until recently, there was an official CTD fan club known as Dummyheads, but with the release of the official CTD website, Dummyheads ceased operation, claiming:
"...we here at "Dummyheads" will be made redundant. Our plan in the beginning was to provide you with the inside "scoop" and get info to you about your favourite DUMMY. The new web site can do it better, faster, and use a lot less paper!"
Of course, this isn't exactly thrilling news for Dummyheads who aren't online, but since the fan club only sent out three newsletters during it's roughly two-year existence, it won't really be missed anyway.
15)- Are there any Crash Test Dummies sites on the World Wide Web?
How could there not be? There are hundreds, maybe even thousands! Well, five, at least. Four of them - the unofficial sites - are maintained by fine individuals, who, when listed in alphabetical order, look something like this:
Patrick's site is the most inclusive of the four - it features links to the other three sites, song lyrics, guitar tabs, articles, photos, and a heap of fun stuff. George's site is the original home for the Dummies on the World Wide Web, but he had to move his page last year, so it hasn't been maintained as well as Patrick's. Erick's page is still under construction, and contains a few lyrics. Naisha's page, the Pantheon of Dummies, is the newest of the four. There, die hard fans can throw themselves at the shuffling feet of the Almighty Voice, should they be so inclined.

As well, there is now an official site (http://www.crashtestdummies.com/), created to coincide with the release of the third album. This site features new pictures of the Dummies, tour dates, sound and video clips, and an official mailing list.
If anyone knows of any other CTD sites, feel free to contact me!

16)- Is it true that there's been a book written about the Dummies?
Indeed. Superman's Song: The Story of Crash Test Dummies was written by Stephen Ostick, alt.music.ct-dummies lurker and former music critic at the Winnipeg Free Press. The book is published by Quarry Press, and was released in Canada in early October 1995. The book retails for $19.95 CAN, plus G.S.T. It has also been released in the United States - the price is unknown, but the author reports seeing it for $13.95 US on a World Wide Web bookstore. The book, an unauthorized biography of the band, was published in trade paperback form (oversized softcover), contains about fifty photos, and is 203 pages long.
As mentioned, the book is unauthorized, and in the third (and final) issue of Dummyheads, Brad was quoted as saying that "the general tone is nauseatingly sentimental, the fact-finding is wildly inaccurate, and the analysis ranges from the merely dull to the downright bone-headed." The author stands by his work, saying that "all the information came either from the public record, from the mouths of the Dummies themselves, or from those who were there and saw or heard it for themselves." And for what it's worth, the book was consulted several times when editing this FAQ.
17)- What's the best/most popular CTD song?
Though it's mainly a personal choice, there has been some consensus about the favourite CTD songs, at least among members of the newsgroup. In early 1995 and 1996, I've run two polls to determine the most popular Dummies song. In 1995, the top five looked like this: One year later, the results were: For complete results from the 1995 and 1996 polls, go to Patrick Matte's Dummies page.
18)- When are the Dummies coming out with a new album?
In early 1995, the Dummies completed their GSHF tour, and took a well-deserved year off. The band is now back at work, and has just put the finishing touches on the fabled third album. Due to hit store shelves October 2 in Canada, October 1 in the United States, and September 30 elsewhere, A Worm's Life will feature twelve new songs, and a hidden bonus track. The first single from the album, He Liked To Feel It, will be released two weeks before the album. Bear in mind that delays in this process are not uncommon...
19)- When are the Dummies going to perform in my area?
Both Patrick Matte's site and the official site are trying to maintain a complete list of special appearances and tour dates. It is expected that their A Worm's Life North American tour will begin in October, before moving onto Europe in early 1997. These concerts will feature the presence of one Murray Pulver, a 24-year-old guitar player from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, who has joined the band (temporarily, as far as I know) to fill out the sound, much like Kathy Brown did during the GSHF tour.
And thus we come to the conclusion of the Dummynet FAQ. While every effort has been made to insure the veracity of the information contained herein, please bear in mind that the author is only human and thus prone to a certain amount of fallibility. Any and all questions, comments, corrections, and criticisms (alliteration - it's your friend!) regarding this document may be directed to the maintainer:
James Kalyn
Thanks to James Kalyn for producing this page!
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