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My Gen X Playlist: Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys

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The other day I heard about a new craze that’s sweeping TikTok – Dr. Pepper with pickles. I’m not quite sure what to make of this. Adding pickles to the mix is a bit strange. You actually can order this at Sonic.

Dr. Pepper dates further back than I would have imagined. I always thought it was carbonated prune juice. That was the rumor when I was a kid. I just learned it was wrong.

Dr Pepper . . . was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885.

As with Coca-Cola, the formula for Dr Pepper is a trade secret, and allegedly the recipe is kept as two halves in safe deposit boxes in two separate Dallas banks. A persistent rumor since the 1930s is that the drink contains prune juice, but the official Dr Pepper FAQ refutes this with “Dr Pepper is a unique blend of natural and artificial flavors; it does not contain prune juice.”

– Wikipedia

Adding pickles to Dr. Pepper would make me pause. The thing is, there are other odd pickle combinations that have gained acceptance and a following over the years – deep fried pickles, peanut butter and pickle sandwich, hillbilly sushi (pickles and cream cheese rolled up in ham) and pickle ice cream to name a few. I’ve been around long enough to say, don’t knock it until you try it and I think those are good words to live by. Keeping an open mind to try new things, well, that’s my recipe for leading a good, full life. If you give Dr. Pepper and pickles a try, let me know what you think. You just might like it.

I couldn’t write about Dr. Pepper without throwing in the old school commercial. It would be a crime if I didn’t.

I was thinking about strange drink combinations and Brass Monkey by the Beastie Boys came to mind. I know I just said to try new things, but this may push the limit right up to the edge. A brass monkey is a mixture of malt liquor and orange juice. I seriously can’t imagine the taste.

When I was living in Japan, I introduced my Japanese friends to sake bombs. Basically it’s a sake shot that you drop into your beer and you down the whole glass. Hey, I was in my twenties at the time. That’s what we learned in college. Let’s just say by the expression on their faces, this will never start any TikTok craze in Japan. I may have even upset the sake gods with that one.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Brass Monkey, that funky monkey
Brass Monkey junkie
That funky monkey
Brass

Got this dance that's more than real
Drink Brass Monkey, here's how you feel
You put your left leg down, your right leg up
Tilt your head back, let's finish the cup
M.C.A. with the bottle, D. rocks the can
Ad-Rock gets nice with Charlie Chan
We're offered Moët, we don't mind Chivas
Wherever we go, we bring the Monkey with us
Ad-Rock drinks three, Mike D is D
Double R foots the bill most definitely
I drink Brass Monkey, and I rock well
I got a castle in Brooklyn, that's where I dwell

Brass Monkey, that funky monkey
Brass Monkey junkie
That funky Monkey
Brass

Because
'Cause I drink it any time and any place
When it's time to get ill, I pour it on my face
Monkey tastes def when you pour it on ice
Come on, y'all, it's time to get nice
Coolin' by the lockers, getting kind of funky
Me and the crew, we're drinking Brass Monkey
This girl walked by, she gave me the eye
I reached in the locker, grabbed the Spanish fly
I put it in the Monkey, mixed it in a cup
Went over to the girl, "Yo baby, what's up?"
I offered her a sip (sip), the girl, she gave me lip (lip)
It did begin, the stuff wore in, and now she's on my tip

Brass Monkey, that funky monkey
Brass Monkey junkie
That funky monkey
Brass

Step up to the bar, put the girl down
She takes a big gulp and slaps it around
You take a sip, you can do it, you get right to it
We had a case in the place, and we went right through it
You got a dry Martini, you thinking you're cool
I'll take your place at the bar, I smack you off your stool
I'll down a 40 dog in a single gulp
And if you got beef, you'll get beat to a pulp
Monkey and parties and reelin' and rockin'
Def-def girls-girls, all y'all jockin'
The song and dance keeping you in a trance
If you don't buy my record, I got my advance
I drink it, I think it, I see it, I be it
I love Brass Monkey but I don't give D it
We got the bottle, you got the cup
Come on, everybody, let's get f—

Brass Monkey, that funky monkey
Brass Monkey junkie
That funky monkey
Brass Monkey, that funky monkey
Brass Monkey junkie
That funky monkey
Brass Monkey

30 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys”

  1. Never was a Dr Pepper fan, at this point, mixed with pickles could probably cause me severe heartburn lol….love the Beastie Boys and since you mentioned Japan, this morning I was listening to one of my all time favourite songs, Big in Japan by Alphaville

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    1. I haven’t heard that song in ages. I’m 6’2, so it makes me think about my year living in japan. I know the song isn’t about actual height, but it still would be funny to listen to it standing in a crowded Tokyo train. That’s what comes to mind,

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  3. Here’s to trying new things – within reason. I was never a big Dr Pepper fan, but that commercial was iconic. I love a big musical number and that one had it all—street cars, hay bales, cafes, even mountaintops! And the guy was sort of a Mark Hamill/Richard Hatch crossover. So cute!

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  4. Ah, the classic DP commercial! Love it! All of my brothers and my son LOVE Dr. Pepper. I like it, but I also like other soda like Coke and Root Beer. My Mom refused to drink DP because of the prune juice myth. 😂 Funny that it wasn’t true.
    At my age, I’m not too adventurous with new food combinations, so I’ll skip the pickle DP challenge.

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  6. DP and cheerwine taste the same to me, and I like both more than any other soft drinks. But DP with pickles!!! I don’t think I can try it. I’m not a big pickles fan.
    Thank you for sharing the history of Dr Pepper.

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      1. Yes, it is a local Carolina drink. But now it is available in much of the southeastern United States, from Maryland south to Florida. They said it’s made of Cherries, but when I looked up the ingredients I found out that it’s made of caramel and corn syrup just like Dr Pepper. Maybe a little bit sweeter.

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  8. I didn’t realise that Dr Pepper was that old. My grown up kids enjoy it! I’ve never tried it and the thought of a fizzy drink with pickles sounds revolting 🤮 also never tried sake 😆

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