1. Comment #270773 by aprilmb on October 24, 2008 at 3:50 pm

Darn! I don't want his wife! Oh, well.

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2. Comment #270776 by Ex~ on October 24, 2008 at 4:03 pm

Well, this is stupid, he's being eminently open minded. He's saying, I'm open, give me an example, and I'll look at it.

The lyrics in this song are preaching open-mindedness.

Personally I think the quote is bullshit, and the first time I saw it (the "your brain will fall out" quote) was on a Church Sign. No surprises there.


Atheists are 100% open-minded.

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3. Comment #270780 by Frankus1122 on October 24, 2008 at 4:10 pm

This is getting forwarded to the people on my email list.

Bravo!

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4. Comment #270792 by madame_zora on October 24, 2008 at 4:36 pm

Aww shucks, this guy is my new hero! I'm going to check out his other stuff, sounds like a pretty great pianist as well.

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5. Comment #270797 by Wosret on October 24, 2008 at 4:50 pm

I'm not open to the supernatural in any sense. Not until someone refutes Hume. Until then I couldn't be more closed to the idea.

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6. Comment #270804 by Atticus_of_Amber on October 24, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Brilliant.

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7. Comment #270809 by lazlow on October 24, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Man, those lyrics just rolls off your tongue! Here I was appreciating: "Hey Satan, payin' my dues, playing in a rocking band. Hey Momma, look at me, I'm on my way to the promised land."

But this shit is way better.

P.S.: I was going to use some obscure Ace Freehly lyrics, after having stuck his Kiss solo album on a usb-stick in my car stereo I'm kinda addicted (thank you GTA IV), but I was worried about being ousted for not having any taste or having too simplistic taste. That said: He's got some great instrumentals.

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8. Comment #270813 by TalkyMeat on October 24, 2008 at 5:26 pm

I think an open mind would is a wonderful thing, but it needs to be combined with one other thing - an indefinitely long lifespan. Unfortunately, there are so many wildly implausible ideas out there, to subject each and every one of them to serious critical scrutiny would take many times longer than a human lifetime, so unless/until the future vindicates Aubrey de Grey, frankly we need a few quick-and-dirty heuristics for flagging likely rubbish up as safe to ignore.

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9. Comment #270820 by marcomerlin on October 24, 2008 at 5:45 pm

Mindblowing!

Who will be the greatest buddy ever and post the lyrics for us? :D

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10. Comment #270824 by AfraidToDie on October 24, 2008 at 5:58 pm

My kind of humor...satirical comedy laced by truth! Nut'n Mo Better.

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11. Comment #270831 by Wolvan on October 24, 2008 at 6:21 pm

Lyrics to If You Open Your Mind Too Much, Your Brains Will Fall Out (Take My Wife) :
If anyone can show me one example in the history of the world of a single
Psychic who has been able to prove under reasonable experimental conditions that they are able to read minds

And if anyone can show me one example in the history of the world of a single
Astrologer who has been able to prove under reasonable experimental conditions that they can predict events by interpreting celestial signs

And if anyone can show me one example in the history of the world of a single
Homeopathic Practitioner who has been able to prove under reasonable experimental conditions that solutions made of infinitely tiny particles of good stuff dissolved repeatedly into relatively huge quantities of water has a consistently higher medicinal value than a similarly administered placebo

And if anyone can show me just one example in the history of the world of a single
Spiritual or religious person who has been able to prove either logically or empirically the existence of a higher power that has any consciousness or interest in the human race or ability to punish or reward humans for there moral choices or that there is any reason - other than fear - to believe in any version of an afterlife

I’ll give you my piano, one of my legs, and my wife

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12. Comment #270848 by KRKBAB on October 24, 2008 at 7:16 pm

TalkyMeat says it all in post #270813. There's gotta' be some general guidelines for what is reasonable to even consider as a possibility to be open minded about. Time doesn't stand still for us while we investigate all wackadoodle claims! Lets just strike out anything to do with religion and spirituality from the beginning. That should free up some time to contemplate important matters- like what exactley would Jimi Hendrix's music sound like if he didn't die so young. TalkyMeat, your avatar's hair style is slightly more interesting than mine.

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13. Comment #270858 by NewEnglandBob on October 24, 2008 at 7:44 pm

Catchy tune!

Now I will walk around for days just humming that over and over.

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14. Comment #270860 by Bonzai on October 24, 2008 at 7:46 pm

I must say the song is horrible. I can't finish listening to it. Sorry, guy has no talent.

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15. Comment #270883 by skepticato on October 24, 2008 at 9:13 pm

Tim Minchin is a genius. I saw him in NYC a couple of times early this year and he ridicules religion quite a bit in his show - needless to say, I absolutely loved it. Here's another of his tunes that's worth checking out - absolutely brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tp0NPC8OGU

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16. Comment #270884 by windfall on October 24, 2008 at 9:21 pm

Awesome! I'm definitely sending this one around.

Bonzai, there's no accounting for taste, however, I think you're being a bit harsh. He's not trying to be Elton John, he's trying to be funny.

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17. Comment #270886 by theonlybap on October 24, 2008 at 9:41 pm

Funny :)

However, I'm not sure I understand the quote, "If you open your mind too much your brain will fall out."

Does it mean if you "open your mind" to the extent the religious "open" their mind, you'll just be dumb? Or is it anti-open-mindedness?

And does this guy remind anyone else of Bill Bailey? It seems the humor is similar (Bill Bailey's "Love Song" came to mind), and he kind of looks similar too. Maybe my knowledge of British comedians is just too limited.

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18. Comment #270887 by Sittingduck on October 24, 2008 at 9:42 pm

Thought this was entertaining. Never heard of this guy before... Is his whole schtick humorous songs?

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19. Comment #270921 by latsot on October 25, 2008 at 12:03 am

Does it mean if you "open your mind" to the extent the religious "open" their mind, you'll just be dumb? Or is it anti-open-mindedness?

I think you are over-analysing a little. It's just a humorous advocation of skepticism: have an open mind, but sensibly so. Be prepared to be proven wrong, but don't believe everything you are told.

The brain-falling-out bit is just for comedy. I suppose you might think of it as saying jokingly that if you don't employ skepticism then you aren't really thinking at all.

It is certainly not anti open-mindedness. It is anti being TOO open-minded.

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20. Comment #270924 by helenlibra on October 25, 2008 at 12:06 am

Actually, theonlybap, I think he's Australian.

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21. Comment #270927 by latsot on October 25, 2008 at 12:14 am

Well, this is stupid, he's being eminently open minded. He's saying, I'm open, give me an example, and I'll look at it.

Exactly. He's saying that it's good to be open minded when there's evidence, bad to believe things just because someone says so. The latter is being *too* open-minded.

The lyrics in this song are preaching open-mindedness.

Yes, of course they are. Open-mindedness to a degree. Open-mindedness based on evidence.

Personally I think the quote is bullshit, and the first time I saw it (the "your brain will fall out" quote) was on a Church Sign. No surprises there.

I don't think you've understood how it was intended. In context, it reads to me as meaning "don't believe every damn thing you hear, but if there's evidence, be prepared to give it some consideration". Which is more or less what you said in response: I think you both agree.

Atheists are 100% open-minded.

I would modify this in three ways. First, not *all* atheists are open-minded or even rational. Second, rational atheists are generally open-minded in principle, but if we look hard enough, I'm sure we'll find something we are closed-minded about in practice. Third, almost by definition, rational atheists are open minded only to the extent that we'll change our minds if the evidence tells us to. We are *not* so open minded that we will accept anything anyone tells us.

Perhaps we're just quibbling about the definition of 'open-minded' here: we seem in general agreement otherwise.

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22. Comment #270931 by latsot on October 25, 2008 at 12:25 am

frankly we need a few quick-and-dirty heuristics for flagging likely rubbish up as safe to ignore.

Isn't that what much of skepticism is about? There are lots of resources that try to do this. For example, try Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, either the site (www.badscience.net) or the recently released book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/0007240198/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224919307&sr=8-1)

Or look at the JREF site (www.randi.org)

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23. Comment #270936 by theonlybap on October 25, 2008 at 12:44 am

Gotcha, latsot :)

helenlibra, you're correct :P And now that you mention it, I can hear the accent. I can usually tell between an Australian and a New Zealander, so I'm a bit surprised at myself for not catching the Australian accent here.

EDIT: Still reminds me of Bill Bailey though.

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24. Comment #270943 by Chris_The_Positivist on October 25, 2008 at 1:15 am

Reminds me of Bill Bailey

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25. Comment #270944 by latsot on October 25, 2008 at 1:21 am

Gotcha, latsot :)

Got me...how...exactly?

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26. Comment #270951 by theonlybap on October 25, 2008 at 1:34 am

"Gotcha" as in "I understand" and "thanks for the explanation" :P

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27. Comment #270982 by ridelo on October 25, 2008 at 3:31 am

I’ll give you my piano, one of my legs, and my wife...

Only one leg?

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28. Comment #270985 by Enlightenme.. on October 25, 2008 at 4:18 am

He manages to sing and play along to all this in 4.31 minutes, that's an impressive talent:

So you’re gonna live in paradise
With a ten-foot cock and a few hundred virgins
So you’re gonna sacrifice your life
For a ride on a UFO
And when the Lord comes down with his shimmering chariot of salvation
Your gonna be the first to know

So if
God was there from the very beginning
He invented men and women
Then He also invented wanking
Then He said wanking was sinning
So now if I’m feeling randy
I’m not allowed a hand shandy
But having sex with my family
That is just fucking great
It’s all there in Ezekiel 8
Just before he opens up His big pearly gates
And says that it’s a sin
To take it up the date
Even if it’s great
Even with your mate

So you’re gonna live in paradise
With a ten-foot cock and a few hundred virgins
So you’re gonna sacrifice your life
For a shot at the greener grass
And when the Lord comes down with his shiny rod of judgement
He’s gonna kick my heathen ass

So if you
Cover the bodies of your women
Everybody is grinning
Because black is so slimming
Though it’s not great for swimming
But it gives you an erection
With the increased sexual tension
What with the UV protection
That is second to none
You’ll find it all in the Koran
Just next to the bit that justifies guns
And says that it’s a sin
To take it up the bum
Even if it’s fun
Even with permission from your mum

So you’re gonna live in paradise
With a ten-foot cock and a few hundred virgins
So you’re gonna sacrifice your life
For a shot at eternity
And when the Lord comes down and I haven’t done my penance
He’s gonna disembowel me

You say that
If I
Stumbled on a watch I’d assume it had a watchmaker
That a muffin presupposes a baker
So we must agree sooner or later
This proves there’s a creator
So if I put your foot in a stinker
You’d assume the existence of a sphincter
Thus you don’t need to be a great thinker
To conclude that God’s a bum
Which negates the words of Genesis 1
Which make him out to be so much fun
Until Adam succumbed
To temptation
And then his only son
Got nailed to a gum

Or the Middle East equivalent
Which suggest that God’s omniscience
Is nullified by his ambivalence
Unless it turns out that he’s impotent
And if God can’t get a boner
I guess that explains the plethora
Of huge erections in His honour
Cos we all know a steeple is just a subconscious, compensatory manifestation of a huge, stiff penis
And still He tell us that it’s heinous
To stick a penis up your anus
Even if you’re famous
Even if you like tennis

So you’re gonna live in paradise
With a ten-foot cock and a few hundred virgins
So you’re gonna sacrifice your life
For a ride on a UFO
And when the Lord comes down with his big, stiff, slimy rod of judgement
I’m gonna be the first to go
He’s gonna send me down below
He’s gonna whip me like a ho
D’ya really think so?
I’m gonna be the first to go

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29. Comment #270989 by windfall on October 25, 2008 at 5:29 am

DJ Grothe also uses this quote pretty often on his POI podcasts (http://www.pointofinquiry.org/archive), which of course are fantastic.

Yeah, the idea of the quote is simple enough: do not reject unusual claims out of hand, this is being too closed-minded, and is a ridiculous position. But don't error on the side of entertaining *every* claim, just becuase there is no good evidence against it (or because you are familiar with the details).

An interesting practical example of this is Joe Nickell (who is on POI a lot). I think he goes a teeny bit too far in insisting on evaluating every *new* claim, no matter how bizarre. Here's a great example: http://www.pointofinquiry.org/joe_nickell_humanistic_skepticism/

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30. Comment #270991 by AfraidToDie on October 25, 2008 at 5:32 am

28. Comment #270985 by Enlightenme – He manages to sing and play along to all this in 4.31 minutes, that's an impressive talent:

Thanks for posting the prose to “Ten Foot Cock & A Few Hundred Virgins”. After watching the “If You Open Your Mind..” video, I too watched several more of his videos, including this one. The combination of his piano, voice, prose (sickness beyond even that of Steven Wright), and looks (Edward Scissorhands on drugs) pulls hard across my funny bone. I sent several of his links to special friends who share my same sickness.

Edit: this is what "opening your mind" is all about.

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31. Comment #270993 by Neuro on October 25, 2008 at 5:48 am

Hah. So true.

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32. Comment #271028 by digitalia on October 25, 2008 at 7:13 am

this was already posted here at RD.net about a year ago, much to the disappointment of many readers for the misogynistic final few words - after all that brilliant insight he claims to "own" his female companion? tsk tsk

still, over all, still pretty funny.

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33. Comment #271060 by a non e-moose on October 25, 2008 at 7:53 am

never heard of this guy before, but I just watched all the videos with him on youtube. Brilliant.

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34. Comment #271155 by Jeff.Satterley on October 25, 2008 at 11:12 am

Peace Anthem for Palestine is absolutely brilliant. I think it sums up everything you need to know about religious conflict.

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35. Comment #271308 by undeadgoat on October 25, 2008 at 1:24 pm

His love songs are pretty amazing too . . . me and this guy I have an off-and-on romantic entanglement with are both really into "If I Didn't Have You" because it's all about the intersection of a romantic and an overly realistic worldview. Sort of. It's brilliant.

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36. Comment #271359 by Logicel on October 25, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Digitalia #32, good point, Minchin may own his piano, his own leg, but not his wife.

I like Minchin's style, using humor and music to get to the intellectual core of many an important topic.

As for the religious using the quote, I think they are using it in the sense that one must not be so open minded to EVIDENCE. Because if one demands evidence then one can't embrace their wonky beliefs. What a bunch of loons!

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37. Comment #271363 by tieInterceptor on October 25, 2008 at 2:25 pm

best song ever.

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38. Comment #271483 by TalkyMeat on October 25, 2008 at 5:47 pm

I love the work that people like Joe Nickell and James Randi do, it really is great that we have people out there holding even the fruitloopiest of claims to serious rational scrutiny. It saves the rest of us from having to do it. To do so is a life's work, and even then only scratches the surface of the compost heap of accumulated nonsense stinking up the public discourse in more or less every society in the world. But the rest of us, whose intellectual efforts are directed elsewhere, do not have time to take seriously every faith-healer, lake-monster, or Nigerian widow wishing to deposit the sum of 22.8 million USD in our bank accounts, that passes our way. We need crude-but-effective cognitive spam filters that pass obvious crap to the trashcan unread and unconsidered. If someone making a claim is an obvious nutter, if a website contains more than 5% text in caps lock, if someone's argument involves Atlantis, things they saw in a dream, or any reference to ancient texts as authorities rather than primary historical sources, then, sorry, here's 20p, phone someone who cares. Yes, that is closed-minded of me, but fuck it, I just don't have the time.

KRKBAB - thanks! my avatar's hair is mostly photoshopped, except for the dreadlocks in bunches made to project rigidly from the sides of my head using a couple of dozen hairbands, which was for a halloween costume.

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39. Comment #271485 by Enlightenme.. on October 25, 2008 at 5:50 pm

I also like 'Fuck the poor' (I'll give you fifty bucks to take away my guilt)

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40. Comment #271715 by dansam on October 26, 2008 at 1:33 pm

Although it's not religion or science related... I thought this was brilliant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QQkMVddwx0

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41. Comment #271880 by BigC on October 26, 2008 at 5:19 pm

I saw him at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year after discovering him on youtube. Absolutely brilliant.

Some more non-religion related highlights:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e6raVzrbqrM&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Gaid72fqzNE&feature=related

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42. Comment #272565 by aquaman65 on October 27, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Digitalia, evidently you are not aware that "Take my wife, please!" is an old Henny Youngman joke. Or maybe you are aware of it, but you're one of those people who is so politically correct that you can't laugh at anything without wringing your hands about how it my offend someone. Misogynistic? Claims to own his wife? Come on. He's a comedian and he's making a joke. As my mother used to say: Get off your high horse.

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43. Comment #273127 by cerbera on October 28, 2008 at 7:36 am

Bonzai, you are quite wrong - the man is extremely talented. That's quality playing, that is...

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44. Comment #273133 by CaptainMandate on October 28, 2008 at 7:51 am

"P.S.: I was going to use some obscure Ace Freehly lyrics, after having stuck his Kiss solo album on a usb-stick in my car stereo I'm kinda addicted (thank you GTA IV), but I was worried about being ousted for not having any taste or having too simplistic taste. That said: He's got some great instrumentals."

Lazlow you are not alone

I named my cat Frehley (naming him after Peter Chris was pointless, and he looked more like Ace)

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45. Comment #273873 by Roundearther on October 29, 2008 at 11:19 am

I'm going to see him in Huddersfield (UK!) in a couple of weeks! Yay!

I also particularly like "I want my neighbour's ass".

http://www.youtube.com/watch'v=7KnXtIodYJg

It's just a bit embarrassing when you find yourself singing it at work!

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