The Meatmen
Encyclopedia
The Meatmen are an American
punk
band headed by Tesco Vee
originally from 1980 to 1997, and reformed in 2008. They are currently still touring and recording.
The Meatmen made fun of the hardcore punk
scene of the time. The band was known for their stage antics, and for songs with colorful song titles such as "Tooling for Anus", "1 Down, 3 To Go" (a reference to the murder of former Beatles member John Lennon
), and the Suck Trilogy of "Crippled Children Suck," "French People Suck," and "Camel Jockeys Suck." They also covered "What's This Shit Called Love?" by The Pagans
, as well as The Smiths
' "How Soon Is Now?
" for the compilation The World Still Won't Listen: A Tribute to The Smiths.
and Lyle Preslar
of Minor Threat
, Todd Swalla of Necros
, Jim Forgey, Eliot Rachman, Mike Achtenbourg, Graham McCulloch, Eric Zelzdorf, Stuart Casson, James Cooper, Mark "Gooly" Kermanj,Tommy "Dog" Cohen also TVHP days, Norman Voss, Mark Davis, Mark Glass, and Rob San Pietro.
In 2010, Vee recruited 3 members of Detroit-based rock band, CHAPSTIK, not long after touring the U.S. together the previous year. The lineup quickly became the newest iteration of "Tesco Vee's Hate Police," and transformed into "The Meatmen" shortly after. The current lineup includes guitarist Leighton Mann (aka Hal Seitan), bassist Dan Gillies (aka Biff Baloney, although recently adding the name Danny Dirtbag to his short list of aliases), and John Lehl (aka Swarthy "Bun-Length" Franklin) on drums.
Smith (2005) claims that "throughout different media contexts, the laugh has been presented as the ultimate expression of the human, and its mechanical reproduction serves as a lightning rod for anxieties concerning authenticity and the social dimensions of
mass media consumption." On the other hand, Lieberman, et al. (2009) have found no significant effects of laugh tracks on perceived humor but suggest that it may be a moderate enhancement of comic appeal under certain narrative conditions. The audience sounds on We're the Meatmen and You Still Suck are the cock rock equivalent of a laugh track. Applause acts as a sort of "confederate of masses" in the listening experience. It provides a concert-like experience that occurs between the listener and the physical (or digital) medium. Yet, in the case of We're the Meatmen and You Still Suck, one might argue that the audience sounds have an effect on some listeners precisely because of the album's existence and placement within the greater context of American consumerist culture.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band headed by Tesco Vee
Tesco Vee
Tesco Vee is a Michigan-based punk rock musician and co-founder of Touch and Go Records zine. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he is a former elementary school teacher and the founding member, and front man, of punk bands The Meatmen, Tesco Vee's Hate Police, Blight, and Dutch Hercules.-History:In...
originally from 1980 to 1997, and reformed in 2008. They are currently still touring and recording.
The Meatmen made fun of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
scene of the time. The band was known for their stage antics, and for songs with colorful song titles such as "Tooling for Anus", "1 Down, 3 To Go" (a reference to the murder of former Beatles member John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
), and the Suck Trilogy of "Crippled Children Suck," "French People Suck," and "Camel Jockeys Suck." They also covered "What's This Shit Called Love?" by The Pagans
The Pagans
The Pagans were an early American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio that was originally active from 1977 to 1979 before briefly reforming in 1982 and disbanding the following year...
, as well as The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
' "How Soon Is Now?
How Soon Is Now?
"How Soon Is Now?" is a song by the British alternative rock band The Smiths. Written by Smiths singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, it was originally a B-side of the 1984 single "William, It Was Really Nothing"...
" for the compilation The World Still Won't Listen: A Tribute to The Smiths.
Members
The original band that existed for two years was formed by Rich and Gregg Ramsey, David Howse and Tesco Vee. After making their name, the Meatmen later had a revolving door cast when Tesco moved to D.C. Other members of the band after Tesco's move to D.C. included Brian BakerBrian Baker (musician)
Brian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson...
and Lyle Preslar
Lyle Preslar
Lyle Preslar is an American musician best known for being a guitar player and song writer for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat. Before that, he was the vocalist for The Extorts....
of Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
, Todd Swalla of Necros
Necros
Necros were an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They are the first band to record for Touch and Go Records.-History:...
, Jim Forgey, Eliot Rachman, Mike Achtenbourg, Graham McCulloch, Eric Zelzdorf, Stuart Casson, James Cooper, Mark "Gooly" Kermanj,Tommy "Dog" Cohen also TVHP days, Norman Voss, Mark Davis, Mark Glass, and Rob San Pietro.
Reunion
Reuniting in 2008, new members included, Ian "The Pit Viper" Sugierski on drums (of Superchrist and Wolfbait), Dave Malosh on guitar (of Wolfbait and The Paybacks), and Andy "Lord Vapid" Lucas on bass. This lineup went on to tour the U.S. through 2009 and performed on the "Cover The Earth" album.In 2010, Vee recruited 3 members of Detroit-based rock band, CHAPSTIK, not long after touring the U.S. together the previous year. The lineup quickly became the newest iteration of "Tesco Vee's Hate Police," and transformed into "The Meatmen" shortly after. The current lineup includes guitarist Leighton Mann (aka Hal Seitan), bassist Dan Gillies (aka Biff Baloney, although recently adding the name Danny Dirtbag to his short list of aliases), and John Lehl (aka Swarthy "Bun-Length" Franklin) on drums.
You Still Suck
In the late 1970s and 1980s major record companies began recycling music from glam metal bands to sell "greatest hits" albums and alleged live bootlegs. Such albums required a minimal effort to produce and could be quite lucrative. 1988's We're the Meatmen ... and You Still Suck! fit brilliantly with the motif. Its overproduction, perfect timing and execution of the music, and "arena-style" crowd noises suggest it may have been recorded completely in a studio, or at least doctored to create the illusion of performance in an arena or other large venue.Smith (2005) claims that "throughout different media contexts, the laugh has been presented as the ultimate expression of the human, and its mechanical reproduction serves as a lightning rod for anxieties concerning authenticity and the social dimensions of
mass media consumption." On the other hand, Lieberman, et al. (2009) have found no significant effects of laugh tracks on perceived humor but suggest that it may be a moderate enhancement of comic appeal under certain narrative conditions. The audience sounds on We're the Meatmen and You Still Suck are the cock rock equivalent of a laugh track. Applause acts as a sort of "confederate of masses" in the listening experience. It provides a concert-like experience that occurs between the listener and the physical (or digital) medium. Yet, in the case of We're the Meatmen and You Still Suck, one might argue that the audience sounds have an effect on some listeners precisely because of the album's existence and placement within the greater context of American consumerist culture.
Studio albums
- 1985 - War of the Superbikes (Positive)
- 1986 - Rock & Roll Juggernaut (Caroline)
- 1990 - Crippled Children Suck (Touch & Go)
- 1994 - Toilet Slave (Meat King)
- 1995 - Pope on a Rope (Pravda)
- 1996 - War of the Superbikes, Vol. 2 (Go Kart)
- 2009 - Cover The Earth (Meat King)
EP
- 1982 Blüd Sausage (Touch & Go)
- 1983 Crippled Children Suck (Touch & Go)
- 1984 Dutch Hercules (Touch & Go)
- 1997 Evil in a League With Satan (Go Kart)
Live
- 1983 - We're The Meatmen...and You Suck!!We're the Meatmen...and You Suck!!We're The Meatmen...And You Suck!! is an album from the Michigan hardcore punk band The Meatmen, which was released in 1983 on Touch and Go Records. Despite the fact that this is a live recording, it's usually referred to as the band's first album. Some sources list it as a compilation album...
(also contains tracks from the Blüd Sausage EP) (Touch & Go) - 1988 - We're the Meatmen...And You Still Suck!!! (Caroline)