Anyone who's ever been inside a trailer park can appreciate Weaver's skewed perspective on Southern living on Looking for Fun. His skits and songs cover all things redneck, from vacations in Myrtle Beach to the disturbing denizens who have stayed too long at the state fair.
But Weaver's singing and songwriting leave a little bit to be desired. Most of the music is stock country-western, and the vocals are delivered in an overdone hick accent that wouldn't be out of place in "Sling Blade." Although Weaver tries hard, his songs tend to disappoint.
The album, however, has its redeeming qualities. A few real gems offer the album's best laughs, especially one well-titled track called simply "The UnHappy Meal." With this song Weaver turns a late-night visit to McDonald's into a nightmarishly madcap scene right out of "Deliverance." You won't be able to look at Ronald, Grimace and company the same way after this one.
Aside from his fast food antics, Weaver's skits are the album's highlights. He presents a series of commercials advertising everything from a phone-in Magic 8-Ball to "Maximum Cliche" -- every action movie in existence rolled into one breathless search for played-out lines and more high explosives.
While much of Weaver's material needs a few more rewrites, the album's potential outweighs its faults -- like Cracker Jacks, there's enough of a prize at the bottom to make rooting through the rest of the box worthwhile.
The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
