What Makes Pat Finnerty’s “What Makes This Song Stink” Series Great

If your YouTube home page looks anything like mine, there is a splattering of content creators like Rick Beato, Pete Thorn, Tim Pierce, Adam Neely, Rhett Shull, and hopefully Guitar Ramble (insert cheeky grin). And while I love these channels, I occasionally need a break from things like learning about every new pedal on the market, or the issues surrounding YouTube copyright claims, or perhaps the ethical failings of collegiate music education.

This week, rather than cleansing my YouTube pallet with random vintage toy restoration videos , I found some comedic relief from Pat Finnerty’s “What Makes This Song Stink,” and I think others should check it out. Beyond the humor Finnerty sprinkles throughout each video, he also makes some pretty good and relatable observations.

“What Makes This Song Stink” is a play on Rick Beato’s “What Makes This Song Great” series in which, as the name implies, Beato breaks apart the elements of songs he dubs “great” in order to understand and express why. He also has an incredible studio here in Atlanta, so the backdrops for his videos are impressive and intimidating. It’s an enjoyable series; check it out!

But alongside all great musical achievements are those which make a ton of money, continue to get airplay, and are loathed by many musicians. We are passionate about what we love, but we can also be passionate about what we hate (sorry Nickelback). Enter Finnerty’s series.

Three episodes of “What Makes This Song Stink” have been released so far, and for each one, I laughed like a drunken idiot at niche satire only music lovers would fully appreciate. Equally hilarious are his efforts to improve his channel by mimicking other big YouTubers. Hopefully they’ll enjoy a laugh at their own expense here and not get too butt-hurt over it, but I have to imagine that most creators have a love/hate relationship with the process and what they think their audience demands.

Check out the first 3 episodes below:

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What Makes This Song Stink Ep. 1
3 Doors Down “Kryptonite”

I think the further we get away from the year 2000, the better.

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What Makes This Song Stink Ep. 2
Kid Rock “All Summer Long” 

Thank God this song made the list – it sucks ass.

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What Makes This Song Stink Ep. 3
Weezer Beverly Hills: A Retrospective

After sharing these videos with Guitar Ramble’s Sam Green, who was a big Weezer head (I’m assuming that’s what they call themselves) like Finnerty, he said he could completely relate to the points in the video. Also, Finnerty wraps the video up beautifully.

Pat Finnerty’s YouTube Channel HERE

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