The O'Franken Factor Factor: The Very Best of the O'Franken Factor by Al Franken (CD, Sep-2004, Artemis Records)

Album Features
UPC:	699675156626
Artist:	Al Franken
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2004
Record Label:	Artemis Records
Genre:	Comedy

Track Listing
1. President Bush Drops By
2. My Drugs Are Red, White, and Blue
3. Strom Thurmond
4. Wally Ballou at the Airport
5. Flippity - Floppity
6. Ann Coulter in the Green Room, Pt. 1
7. Non-Lie of the Day #1: Rush Limbaugh's Op-Ed
8. Oy Yoy Yoy Show: The New York Times, The
9. Interview With a Male Prostitute
10. Deep Throat 1
11. Outrageous in Vegas
12. Condi Rice and Richard Clarke in the Situation Room
13. Non-Lie of the Day #2: O'Reilly
14. Mastication Theater: A Cocktail Party at the Texacos
15. Mission Accomplished
16. Ann Coulter in the Green Room, Pt. 2
17. Audio Crawl, The
18. Accountants Without Borders
19. Boring Correction: Timken
20. Outsourced Al
21. Gay Terrorism Ad
22. Cheney and Scalia in the Duck Blind
23. Deep Throat 2
24. Non-Lie of the Day #3: Bush
25. Ann Culter in the Green Room, Pt. 3
26. Sorry
27. Iraqi Independence Day Parade

Details
Producer:	Ben Wikler
Distributor:	E1 Distribution (USA)
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
Personnel: Al Franken (spoken vocals); Wayne Lammers (vocals).Liner Note Author: Al Franken.Photographer: Jeffrey Chong.Unknown Contributor Role: Katherine Lanpher.Arranger: Pete Levin.When the left-leaning talk-radio network Air America hit the airwaves, Al Franken was the most famous figure in the initial lineup of show hosts. He and co-host Katherine Lanpher called their program The O'Franken Factor in the hopes that Fox talking head Bill O'Reilly would sue and provide more publicity. The O'Franken Factor Factor collects 27 of the show's crafted comedy bits. The humor falls into three basic categories. Of little substance are bits that mock right-wing pundits of the time like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. While these bits will certainly bring a smile to the face of those sympathetic with Franken's viewpoint, the fact is these bits will not age well and are often simple-minded. A small number of skits on this CD are about radio itself. One of the funniest pieces, "The Audio Crawl," attempts to make Air America sound like CNN, Fox News, and CNBC look, and does a perfect job of pointing out the ludicrous qualities of a 24-hour news cycle. The very best sections of the CD use news events as a jumping-off point to make barbed satirical jabs at the neo-conservative ideology that is the show's (and the network's) real enemy. A conversation between Dick Cheney and Judge Antonin Scalia (voiced by Franken and actor Stanley Tucci) manages to skewer the Bush administration's rampant cronyism while producing laughs. And the final piece, a broadcast of "The Iraqi Independence Day Parade," has become more heartbreaking than funny in the months since it originally aired (which was right after the hand over of power in Iraq in late June of 2004). While this album will certainly play well to the base, Franken's books offer sharper observations and funnier moments. ~ Perry Seibert