Derek Zanetti believes in the power of punk so much that he's re-created the "Ironic" video shot-for-shot. Okay, maybe the logic doesn't make much sense, but neither does Alanis Morissette's use of irony.
Zanetti's been making acoustic-driven protest songs as The Homeless Gospel Choir for a little more than five years; his work stems from a lifelong obsession with punk and the community it fosters. It's in the latter, in particular, that the Pittsburgh songwriter finds inspiration for "Normal," a tease for a new album he's putting out this fall. A staple of his live set, it tells a story about turning 11 in 1994, coming to terms with being a weird kid, and getting into punk: "I found my escape in that Green Day tape / When the songs would end, we'd just rewind them."
Now, the acoustic song has become a full-blown, anthemic rocker out of The Replacements songbook. Fully expect to find yourself shouting along to the extremely shout-along-able hook and message: "You're never gonna be normal because you're punk."
"Normal" comes out as a 7" single on June 9 via A-F Records. The Homeless Gospel Choir will go on a U.S. tour this summer.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.