Ep. 223: Dr. Frank discusses The Mr. T Experience’s “Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba”

This week, Frank Portman — better known as Dr. Frank — sits in to dive into the creation of the fan favorite 1996 single "Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba" by The Mr. T Experience. Inspired by The Partridge Family, the song was initially imagined as a folk tune arranged by a rock band. Dr. Frank discusses how the lyrics explore themes of doubt and finding a place for “people like us.” He discusses the challenges of translating his original vision into the final recorded version and emphasizes the importance of connecting the live performance with the recorded music to create a cohesive experience for the audience. The episode also highlights the universal appeal of their music, bassist Joel Reader’s contributions to the harmonies, and the unique mix of irony, humor, and emotion that captures the adolescent point of view in their lyrics. Dr. Frank also reflects on how his writing career extends from his songwriting, exploring similar themes and perspectives, and hints at the possibility of more music and shows in the future.

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Some great quotes from this episode…

"I'm a sucker for a good laugh.”

"One thing that happens when you just take the bare bones of a song that's good enough to stand on its own. And you just do it as unadorned as possible for whatever reason, because you can't afford to do it better or because you don't have the talent to do it better. That means you can actually recreate the exact thing on the stage."

"It is interesting to think that it could have been maybe the outro music of The Partridge Family TV show."

"It's not just the ba-ba-bas that do it. There's the changing from the halftime parts, which are kind of groovy, and then the faster parts, which are kind of exciting. There's a, again, not rational or intellectual, but there's a drama there between the highs and the lows that does actually work on a crowd."

"You can play that song for a small child who doesn't even speak yet, and that child will get it. And I've seen it many, many times. And the only other anecdote about that is that we could tell when we first started playing it that it was working. And we just in our little clubs with audience five or six people, it would even work then."

"Old bands never really break up. And, you know, as long as there's as long as there's one guy who was once in the band, there's still a possibility that you'll see him on tour. So I'm not sure when but I'm sure you haven't heard the last of me because, you know, like they say — too dumb to quit. That's me. So we'll see."

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