The Fools were big in Boston. Their 1979 single “Psycho Chicken,” a goofy take on Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” made them local heroes in Beantown but their attempts to break out of the novelty tune ghetto were pretty much fruitless.

As parody songs go, Psycho Chicken is well-executed and funny. The song was filled with dirty bits that were “clucked out” for radio play. “I plucked him once, why pluck him again” could have gone the route of inter-species weirdness so romantically depicted in John Waters’ Pink Flamingos. But getting plucked is funnier.

Lead vocalist Mike Girard has written a book about his adventures being a Fool in Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales. The Fools are still playing and touring.