The Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files: The Mr. T Experience Has A Heart Attack

Time for another installment of the Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files, where we blow the dust off of a forgotten favorite and give its lack of chart success a once-over.

Artist: The Mr. T Experience Song: “Tapin’ Up My Heart,” 1994 What happened: For a while there in the ’90s, Lookout! Records was releasing a new Mr. T Experience album seemingly every forty-five minutes, each one packed with a dozen or so solid pop-punk heartbreak anthems. Led by nerdsmith singer-lyricist Dr. Frank–who’s now a big deal in the publishing biz–the band perfected head-in-the-locker angst. Why it should have been a hit: “Tapin’ Up” is the opening track from the group’s …And The Women Who Loved Them EP, and it’s the perfect MTX track, full of barely checked frustration, self-deprecating asides, and expert use of a fuzz pedal. If only soundtrack supervisors back in 1994 were listening to this kind of stuff instead of Coolio.

UPDATE: In a strange bit of timing that indicates a massive worldwide PR effort–or, more realistically, indicates that the entire media consists of nerdy thirtysomething guys writing about nerdy fortysomething guys–there’s a story about Portman in Time today.

The Mr. T Experience – Tapin’ Up My Heart [MP3, link expired]