This morning during "7:10 Celebrity Birthdays" I talked about today being the 60th birthday of actor Matthew Broderick, most well known for his portrayal of Ferris Bueller in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off'
That stuck in my head as I looked for a song to feature on the "Dose" this morning.
Here's what I came up with (via Brett Newski's team):
Barenaked Ladies co-founder Steven Page and BRETT NEWSKI team up for the latest single "I Should've Listened to Ferris Bueller."
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At age 13, Brett Newski's dad "The Vin Man" suggested Newski get a job at Mcdonald’s in order to buy his first guitar. Newski was uncertain because his hands were still tiny and square, like goat hooves. But after seeing Barenaked Ladies to a sold out Milwaukee Amphitheatre, Newski felt the fire and walked down to fill out an application at the nearest Mcdonalds. He was hired.
At $5.15 an hour, it took a bit to acquire the guitar, but he did, and became obsessed by learning BNL and Better than Ezra songs. Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page became Newski's first musical hero.
Last year, Newski uncovered old notebooks of song ideas from two decades ago while still in high school, including early lyrical ideas for the "coming of age" tune "I Should've Listened to Ferris Bueller" which is now the lead track to "It's Hard to be a Person: the Soundtrack to the book." (The book is a collection of Newski’s quirky illustrations making fun of his own anxiety and depression, offering hacks and ideas to feel better in your brain.)
While Newski and his collaborator Spatola were finishing the song, Newski reached out to Steven Page to see if he would guest-vocal on the track. Page replied within 10 minutes and had vocal parts done within 48 hours.
ABOUT NEWSKI:
BRETT NEWSKI is an alternative songwriter, illustrator and podcaster based in Milwaukee, WI, USA. He has been featured on Rolling Stone, NPR, American Songwriter, SiriusXM, Boston Globe, and Paste. His latest book It's Hard to be a Person: Defeating Anxiety, Surviving the World, and Having More Fun has an accompanying soundtrack with 8 new songs. Featuring guest appearances by Steven Page (ex-Barenaked Ladies) and pat mAcdonald (Timbuk3).
Newski has played alongside acts like Pixies, Violent Femmes, Courtney Barnett, Manchester Orchestra, Better than Ezra & New Pornographers. He continues to tour over 100 dates per year.
Newski's podcast Dirt from the Road also dives into mental health boosts. Guests include The Lumineers, All American Rejects, Dashboard Confessional, Guster, Heartless Bastards, Verve Pipe, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Frank Turner. Hear here: https://brettnewski.biglink.to/dirtfromtheRoad