Me and Momus

Momus has been called the most misanthropic man in pop -- not to mention the most brazenly randy fellow this side of the Oval Office -- but the Brit cult hero is apparently trying to mend his ways and make nice with the human race after more than a decade of snickering in its collective face.

How, you ask? Well, by making it -- or at least portions of it -- every bit as famous as he is, via a karaoke contest tied to his soon-to-be-released new disc, The Little Red Songbook. The album, which will be in stores later this fall, is punctuated with instrumental interludes designed to serve as karaoke fodder: Prospective entrants need only record themselves singing over the CD itself, and send the finished product to Momus' stateside label, Le Grand Magestery.

Since the bizarro-world crooner will be doing the judging himself, participants will need to dip deep into their psyches for material. After all, this is a guy who's written songs about his desire to rid the world of infants ("His Majesty the Baby"), and masquerading as gay in order to get laid by more attractive women ("The Homosexual"). If you think you can top that, record away -- winners will be immortalized in aluminum on Momus' next album.

But if visions of huge royalty checks -- ones that stretch clear into the two figures -- are dancing in your head, get back to reality. All winners, according to the contest's fine print, will be required to waive financial claims, since "like Momus, [they're] doing this for fun, creativity and glory, not money."

DAVID SPRAGUE