Inventory Six collaborations that are just as strange as Andrew W.K./Calder Quartet's

Like most self-respecting musicians, Andrew W.K. eventually yearned to collaborate outside of his usual purview of profuse bleeding and maniacal head-thrashing. But while most other collaborations make at least a modicum of sense, some—like his set with the Calder Quartet at Lakeshore Theater on Friday Oct. 1—seem to defy convention so brashly that you can’t help but be drawn to the ludicrousness. (Although doubters might be interested to know that W.K. is also a classically trained pianist who started taking lessons at age 4.) You may remember the dirty white T-shirt-wearing W.K. for his 2001 anthem “Party Hard,” for flinging himself around stages like a deranged animal, and for using cocaine as a sweetener for his coffee (speculatively). The Calder Quartet, on the other hand, is a black-tie, classically trained group of good-natured string players. As contradictory as this collaboration seems, it isn’t the first such perplexing musical alliance. The A.V. Club dug up a few other head-scratchers.

Collaboration: Grizzly Bear and Michael McDonald (formerly of The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan)
Song: “While You Wait For The Others”
The backstory: According to interviews, a mutual friend set up the two parties after McDonald was “knocked out” by Grizzly Bear’s New York concert, though he initially thought the offer was “a joke.” McDonald offers that perhaps the indie-rockers aren’t so different from his Doobies, in that the '70s soft-rockers tried to create intricate arrangements and “make things as complex and interconnected as possible.” Now that he mentions it, “Two Weeks” does sound like the sonic brother of “Takin’ It to the Streets.”
Verdict: “While You Wait For The Others” is arguably Grizzly Bear’s best song, though that probably is more a result of the chorus’ insane harmonies than McDonald’s guttural baritone. But McDonald does bring a new, gruff element that’s unknown to virtually any indie act, so it was worth the experiment—unless there’s a sudden influx in 50-year-old men at Grizzly Bear shows.

 
Collaboration: Bing Crosby and David Bowie
Song: “Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth”
The backstory: Bowie initially declined to sing with Crosby for his Merrie Olde Christmas TV special, claiming that the “Little Drummer Boy” was “all wrong for him” (a polite way of saying, “You do realize I’m an androgynous punk, right?”). But the producers were stubborn, and a team of composers wrote the “Peace On Earth” countermelody, which persuaded Bowie to agree to the extraordinarily weird duet.
Verdict: Pairing Crosby, the venerable, grandfather figure, with Bowie, who probably wiped glitter off his face moments before filming, has become the gold standard in bizarre, “What producer came up with that one?” collaborations. That the Bowie/Crosby “Little Drummer Boy” became a lovable Christmas hit could be Jesus’ greatest miracle of all, not to mention the memorable spoofs it inspired, like Craig Kilborn and Bob Mould's winking rendition of it on the The Daily Show in 1996.



Collaboration: Tinted Windows (Taylor Hanson of Hanson, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains Of Wayne, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins)
Song(s): The group's 2009 self-titled debut.
The backstory: While the formation of this inconceivable supergroup made the Internet explode with “WTF” posts in February, the actual story is rather believable: Schlesinger had been friends with Iha and Hanson for years. The three decided to form a straight-up power-pop quartet in the vein of Cheap Trick, and wanted to enlist “a drummer like Bun E. Carlos.” Of such drummers, Bun E. Carlos narrowly won the job.
Verdict: Outside of “Kind Of A Girl” and “Messing With My Head,” Tinted Windows is a legit contender for “most generic record of all time”—too many textbook riffs and Hanson’s squeak-laden junior-high poetry.

Collaboration: Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave
Song: “Where The Wild Roses Grow”
The backstory: Cave had wanted to work Minogue for some time, and the two ended up playing a bit of phone tag with each other’s mothers while trying to get in contact for the “Wild Roses” recording session. It’s a pretty cute story for a song about a man leading his lover down to river to beat her to death with a rock.
Verdict: The song is haunting and graceful, and the video does a fine job of portraying Minogue, the petite Australian starlet, and Cave, the king of menacing eyebrows, seem slightly compatible. On a side note, the two have remained friends since. In fact, the main character in Cave’s new novel, The Death Of Bunny Munro, fantasizes over Minogue, interpreting her song “Spinning Around” as a love letter to anal sex.



Collaboration: Eminem and Elton John
Song: “Stan” (live at the Grammys)
The backstory: Eminem’s homophobic lyrics were causing a bit of a hubbub in the run-up to the 2001 Grammys, so the always diplomatic and level-headed Slim Shady decided to patch up his differences with the gay community by inviting the openly gay Elton John to sing the chorus to his hit song “Stan.” 
Verdict: As offensive and tasteless as Eminem's music can be, Elton John put in an admirable performance. But for all the pre-Grammys hype, the "Stan" performance was a little too underwhelming. Wouldn't America rather see these two brawl onstage instead of sharing an anti-climatic post-song embrace? Damn you, Elton John, for being such a compassionate, forgiving human being.

Collaboration: Dr. Dre and Burt Bacharach
Song(s): Bacharach’s 2005 album At This Time
The backstory: Easy listening’s elder statesmen met the former N.W.A. founder in an L.A. studio, and the two evidentially struck enough of a bond for Dre to help produce Bacharach’s At This Time, an undeniably smooth anti-war album. (Nothing says “stop dropping bombs” like a soothing trumpet solo!) Dre supplied the drum loops for three songs, which Bacharach said “was a very interesting format for me structurally.” Bet on it.
Verdict: Bacharach has reached his hand out to plenty of musicians and genres in his time, but credit him and Dre for having the discretion to keep rap out of the album. That must have been very tempting, as it would have sold a ton of records out of intrigue alone. Oh, and it would have been one of the most gut-wrenchingly funny moments in music history, too. On second thought, Bacharach, dude, have you thought about rapping?