Live from the Boom Room is a live music video series featuring live performances recorded in the Blip Blap Video HQ bunker in St. Louis, Mo. Learn more about Blip Blap Video at blipblapvideo.com, or follow them on Instagram and YouTube.
This week’s penultimate episode of Live from the Boom Room features Googolplexia performing “Drive-Thru Still Open.” Stay tuned for the final episode in two weeks!
About this week’s artist:
Googolplexia, or “Googz” to his friends (like you), is a live-event emcee, wedding officiant, chicken wings-eating contest proctor, wrestling-match announcer, accomplished voice-over artist, television show host, trivia question writer/host/answer-er, garage concert organizer, award-winning composer/performer/recording & touring artist, theme-song creator, award-winning record label proprietor, occasional movie theatre projectionist and French-speaker, Roman numerals enthusiast, and one-time (just one time, to answer your inevitable “how did that go?” question) contestant of television game-show Jeopardy!. With accordion, ukulele, banjo, and Janet-Jackson-wireless-headset microphone, he’s Saint Louis’s own premiere “whimsical screwball” (Diana Benanti) and “one-banned-man” (Matt Harnish).
What brought you to this point in your life as a working St. Louis artist?
I don’t really know what brought me to this point in my life as a working artist! Mostly what I know is the three-part Googz credo; namely how to 1, Party Big, and 2, Wail Hard, and 3, Be Wonderful, in whatever way I’ve devised. I do my best to encourage others to do the same, and this is where it has led me, against occasional odds. Wherever this is, even! HAVE FUN and BE YOURSELF and LOVE YOUR FRIENDS AND OTHERS, please. Oh yeah, use your manners, too. Please.
What inspires your music? What does this song in particular mean to you?
Googolplexia music is inspired by all kinds of half-baked ideas in dusty poorly-lit corners both knowable and otherwise; characters and situations encountered throughout the years; and the uncanny and anomalous striking of inspiration when perhaps least-expected. This song is called “Drive-Thru Still Open” and is a paean of hope and optimism in the face of despair and adversity. I wrote it originally during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s based on a real (big, blue, zip-tied) sign I saw driving by a White Castle on my last day delivering pizzas for Domino’s in March 2020, but it has become a little more versatile in its application to basically any difficulty or disappointment or disaster or distress (and goodness knows there’re enough of those to go ’round, and then some). It’s an attempt, however vain, to capture the best, most climactic power ballads and anthemic house-bringer-downers of days past—“Thunder Road,” “Purple Rain,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Hey Jude,” “Every Rose Has Its Thorn, “We Are The Champions,” “Tomorrow, Wendy,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and “China In Your Hand,” for example—roll them into one, and multiply by infinity. The words are corny and obvious, and so’s the music, but with any luck it’ll make you want to stick yer lighter in the air (Googolplexia-branded and available at the Googz Merchandise Market Megastore for just $2 apiece, or 3 for $5) and have you looking for a brighter tomorrow, wherever you can find it.
Who in St. Louis are you inspired by right now?
In the Saint Louis region, I am inspired by: Seaby Bess, master of faux-ldies and one of my all-time favorite songwriters, who claims against protest that he’s retired. Carondelet Guy & Jenerator Jenkins & anyone else that’ll buck convention and expectation (and, perhaps, even logic and reason) by letting me play in their band. Kelly Nothing, just an absolute idol. Pete Timmermann & the Webster Film Series for 45+ years of unequaled excellence in cinematic counter-programming. Lenny Mephisto and Pro Wrestling Epic, or any independent professional wrestling promotion actively booking events locally and otherwise (especially if they’ll have me as ring announcer). People who still call their friends to help them move instead of hiring movers. Indomitable, unyielding visual artists like Brian DePauli, Krutie Thakker, & Holly Lammert. Enthusiastic proprietor-artists like Matt Stuttler & Tony Saputo & Jenny Callen & Carrie Harris. Anybody who takes a chance on something weird. Rosy-cheeked room-brightening do-gooders like Chelsi Webster, Andrew Garces, Heather Sharpe, Gabe Karabell, & John Birkner. Anyone who throws a house party but doesn’t have a dishwasher. Other influential good-time party-spirits like Matty Coonfield & Grace Smith & Zak M & Lucy Dougherty & Delia & Hannah & Zeng & good gosh, how long do you want to be here anyway? Suffice it to say, I am inspired with embarrassing frequency by nearly anyone and everyone who shares some part of themselves, however small, with me, whether on purpose or accidentally, on seemingly a daily basis.
What bands are you performing with lately?
My last tour in April 2024 was THE ZERO PERCENT CHANCE OF ANYTHING GOING WRONG Tour with Carondelet Guy (with whom I am accordion player as well). I was out on my own on the Googolplexia XXth Anniversary tour in July/August 2023, and before that in fall 2019 I was on the SATANPLEXIA Tour with Satan’s God and in summer 2019 with Iowa’s Coolzey on the MINOTAUR MINI-TOUR. Before that I did a few other solo tours, but my most recent prior tour partner was Matt Harnish, in 2017 (on the prophetically-named, but still-lovely MARCH TO CERTAIN DOOM Tour) and 2016 (on the DIQBONGING IN THE U.S.A. Tour). I’ll be (flying solo, once again) eastbound on THE TERMINATOUR in late May (StL kickoff Friday 05/30) and the first half of June, and westbound on TERMINATOUR 2: GOOGZMENT DAY in late June and the first half of July. Please help if you know anybody setting up live concert experiences east OR west of here!!
Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
In five years, I hope to be: Making music and/or hanging out with my best friends and the above inspirations (and beyond), learning new things, continuing to tour and party and have fun, asking and answering plenty of trivia questions, and maybe I’ll even finally release a proper album for once, or find my way back onto tee vee’s Jeopardy!..
Links: (clickable text presented may or may not represent actual URL)
www.Googolplexia.com | www.PancakeProductions.net | Googolplexia.BandCamp.com | PancakeProductions.BandCamp.com | www.Instagram.com/GoogzMobile | www.YouTube.com/Googolplexia | www.FaceBook.com/PancakeProductions | www.Twitter.com/PancakeMaster | www.TikTok.com/@googolplexia | Chess.com/member/GoogzMobile | Spotify.com/Artist/Googolplexia
Season 5 of Live from the Boom Room is coming to you with no sponsorship or financial support. Help keep Live from the Boom Room an absolutely free service for musical artists by supporting the project with your donation here: https://paypal.me/blipblap and like and subscribe on YouTube to keep the content coming.
