DJ Potatoe: Fact or Fiction?

DJ Potatoe with The Duke of Pannenkoeken of Freezepop

I mentioned DJ Potatoe in a previous post and provided a quick look at his music. Now I’m giving everyone a more in-depth look into the genius/insanity that is DJ Potatoe/Eric Ruth. And since we’re talking about him, I may be especially silly in this post. Like when Behind the Music did Weird Al Yankovic. Yeah, you know what I mean.

Additionally, the sequence of events portrayed in the following paragraphs may not be completely accurate because the story of DJ Potatoe is one of chaos and mystery. It involves a whirlwind of passion that has left emotional scars on everyone involved… with lots of jiggying too.

I remember first hearing his stuff at a party and Eric was there showing off the first song created under the alias DJ Potatoe. The song was appropriately titled “I’m DJ Potatoe” and was really funny while still catchy and fun to listen to despite the wacky lyrics. It also introduced a poor, unsuspecting audience the oft repeated line, “Ha ha ha, 1-2-3, heh heh heh, that’s funny to me.” Some would say it’s gotten old. Yes. It has.

After winning a Grammy for “Most References to One’s Self in a Song,” beating out every rapper in existence, DJ Potatoe stunned the nation with his politically charged second song called “I’m Still DJ Potatoe.” With this title, Eric Ruth boldly spoke out to those critics who thought his career had run it’s course after one song. “I’m Still DJ Potatoe” was funnier and catchier than it’s predecessor and it featured internationally renowned assassin Pop’n Deth, now known as Pop’nKO, formerly known as Eric “Kill ‘Em While They’re Down” Yockey. Now Pop’nKO runs Pop’nKO Music & Entertainment, LLC, which takes care of the business end of DJ Potatoe’s current projects. More on that later in the post.

In last year or two, DJ Potatoe has been at his busiest as far as I can tell. First he released a self-produced, computer made album called DJ Potatoe Ownz Your Soul. It contained such classics as “Digital Gay,” “Disco Train (Hop Aboard),” “Oh C’Mon,” “Era of Nintendo,” “This Is My Super Eurobeat Song,” and “Women Are Hell.” “Digital Gay” made it to #12 on the eurobeat charts on Soundclick.com, which was minor compared to the Nobel Prize for Eurobeat that DJ Potatoe received. “Era of Nintendo” became a big hit with his fanbase and anyone that was a kid during the 80’s. Although, I don’t think it was ever sold for money. From what I know, he just gave CD-R’s of the music to people he knew and made MP3’s available online.

This is where I really lose track of what happened when. I know DJ Potatoe kept producing music in 2004. He also got the help from musicians such as vocalists Thomas Howard Lichtenstein, who did “Silent Hill” and “La Senorita” from Dance Dance Revolution, and Freda (last name unknown), who was a fan of Eric’s who also happened to be an excellent singer. You can do the math on that one. He also got a guitarist named Oscar (last name unknown) and a saxophonist named Tony Miller. I know he’s signed other musicians on board, but those are the big ones.

He released a self-produced greatest hits album called Evolution, which featured some of the better songs from DJ Potatoe Ownz Your Soul and a lot of his new material. As far as I know, it was released in the same way as Ownz Your Soul (i.e. no money made, all his buddies got a free CD-R). But now DJ Potatoe’s money-making abilities have increased ever since he gained a level. He has just released an album called The DJ Potatoe Super Collection in nonstop format (i.e. the tracks flow into one another) with Shael Riley acting as an MC. I hope that link leads to the right Shael Riley, but really, how many people have a name that uniquely awesome? Anyway, The Super Collection features redone versions of DJ Potatoe classics as well as all new material, which adds up to a total of 28 tracks. It’s a fun album and if you like the samples I have provided, you should check it out. And not all of the songs are credited to DJ Potatoe, which makes things semi-confusing but I’m sure he was involved in the creation of all the material.

Besides The Super Collection DJ Potatoe sent a song called “Hey Mr. Neko” to Konami. If they use it in one of their games, he gets cash. Good deal. A redone version of the song is featured in the new album. He and Pop’nKO have also been working on creating a dancing game called Neon FM. And remember Freezepop? Their music will be featured in the game. A test version of Neon FM should be featured in the game room of Katsucon this year. Check out Pop’nKO’s site for more information if you’re interested.

The only thing left to say about DJ Potatoe’s music is that it’s really fun to listen to. Enjoyment galore. Lots of white boy rap, eurobeat, and disco all thrown together in one jiggy-licious collage. And I can definitely claim to be a DJ Potatoe fan. I guess that’s all there is to say about that. Oh, one more thing: if you happen to be Quentin Tarantino, don’t make contact with DJ Potatoe. The man’s an ex-wrestler and he hates your guts. Bad combination, especially if a folding chair is present.

You can buy The DJ Potatoe Super Collection from Pop’nKO’s website.

DJ Potatoe feat. Pop’nKO – I’m Still DJ Potatoe
DJ Potatoe – Era of Nintendo
DJ Potatoe & Friends – Hey Mr. Neko
Phat Bros. – Save The Floor (From the Super Collection)

Update: DJ Potatoe read this post and had this to say, “It was odd..and full of false information..I loved it.” The post will not be edited.