By Megan Lanham
WARNING: The contents of this article may not be appropriate for children and some readers.
Have you ever wished for a jazzy cover of “WAP” by Cardi B, or a slow, swing rendition
“Get Down With The Sickness” by System of The Down? Then look no further than Richard Cheese, he’s got your back. Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine, or just Richard Cheese, is a cover band and comedy act, known for performing popular songs in a lounge/swing style. The song covers are reminiscent of swing and jazz singers of the 1940s and 1950s such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Benett.
The character Richard Cheese is created and portrayed by Los Angeles-based actor/comedian/singer Mark Jonathan Davis. Davis first came up with the Richard Cheese lounge singer idea in the mid-1990s while working as a producer at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles where he portrayed a character named “Paul the 55-Year-Old Intern” on the Kevin and Bean morning show. Davis recorded a single as Paul called Paul on 45, which was a comedic medley of KROQ songs arranged in a swing/big band style. Davis pitched this idea as an album concept in the early 2000s, which ended up being the band’s first album, Lounge Against the Machine.
They have since released many albums from the early 2000s all the way up to the current year, with hits such as “The Lounge Awakens: Richard Cheese”, “I’d Like A Virgin” and “Tuxicity”. The following is a list of the top ten Richard Cheese covers.
1.) “Thrift Shop” from the album “Big Cheese Energy” (2021)
2.) “My Neck My Back” from 2010 “OK Bartender” album
3.) “Tik Tok” (from 2015 “Bakin’ At The Boulder” album)
4.) “Chop Suey” from the 2002 album “Tuxicity”
5.) “Baby Got Back” from the 2002 album “Tuxicity”
6.) “WAP (Lounge Version)” from the 2021 album “Big Cheese Energy”
7.) “Bad Guy” (2020) from the 2020 album “Numbers of The Beast”
8.) “Creep” from the 2000 CD “Lounge Against The Machine”
9.) “Down With The Sickness” from “Dawn of the Dead” (2004) and the 2002 album “Tuxicity”
10.) Johnny Aloha, “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the 2010 album “Lavapalooza” (produced
by Richard Cheese)
That about sums up the variety of Richard Cheese’s songs, ranging from downright
goofy to actually pretty catchy. There is plenty to listen to aside from just these ten
songs, as he has produced twenty-six albums over the past two decades. If you found
yourself interested in these songs, check out more of his music on his YouTube channel.
