Intro/Band Overview 00:00 Mama 13:40 Sex Mad 30:35 Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed 43:01 The Day Everything Became Nothing EP 56:33 Wrong 1:04:12 0 + 2 = 1 1:18:58 Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? 1:28:15 The Worldhood of the World (As Such) 1:38:27 Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie 1:48:46 One 1:58:08 All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt 2:09:31 Tour EP 1 (aka Old) 2:22:02 Tour EP 2 (aka Jubilation) 2:27:14 Outro 2:33:26
@wanzhemvergg I think most NMN fans were pretty surprised by that one. 😆 Hard disagree with Mike here. He needs to listen to that song a few times more.
So stoked to listen to this! :) We do a podcast (NoMeansNo Thing Podcast) which is pitting all of the songs against each other to find the best song. Anyone who wants to hear each song dissected, hit us up! :)
i do a band-related podcast myself (Bad Religion), but just yesterday i was wondering if someone did a NMN-related one! Nomeansno are one of my top 10 favorite bands of all time. i will definitely be listening. This makes me so (Mr.) happy! Thanks!
Sorry for spamming your comment section, but they're my favorite band: I think in "All the little bourgeois dreams" the contrast of Rob's old voice and the lyrics "Will I make the baseball team..." is really, really moving and together with the melody is something beautiful and unique. They found a way of making (Pop-)Punk, that somehow oozes a sort of wisdom of age in that song. Haha. Anyway... I disagreed with a lot of what you said, but had great fun listening to it all. Thanks Folks. Gosh, what a band. :D
One of the things I always loved about Nomeansno is how they have a mixture of Kinks-like sentimentality, Monty Pythonish type silliness and something stark and grim amd poetic all their own. Their lyrics can really hit me in the feels too.
Wrong is one of those rare albums where there isn't a week moment. This is the full meal deal. There are no small fries with this one. I think The Tower might be my favorite nomeansno song. Also, one the best live bands I've ever seen. I never pass up a chance to see them.
The last EP, "old" has an absolute Nomeansno masterpiece on it. Anyone who felt NMN dropped off should check out the song "something dark against something light"
You should have seen them live. MIND-BLOWING. Never seen anyone play as loud yet that precisely. I THINK my favorite song is their shortest: ‘Brainless Wonder.’ John is fucking AMAZING, the array of styles, timing and changes would make Neil Peart cry actually trying to play some of his work live. His talent isn’t immediately perceivable until you see a broad array of his work, because he just doesn’t dominate the rhythm section like a typical ego-centric drummer. He just plays perfectly appropriate for each song, instead of showing off. He’s a drum teacher’s dream I’ve always said. Extremely rare for a great drummer.
I saw Nomeansno with Melvins,, Mr Bungle, Fantomas on new years eve 1999. Ive talked to John and Dale on seperate occasions, there is def a mutal respect between the 2 bands
As a twenty year plus listener of NMN I have lots of things to say about the bonfire t-shirt guy’s opinions, but they are mostly negative so I’ll leave it there. I’ll just say you have the right to be wrong. Be Strong. Be Wrong.
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver cam out years after 0+2=1, This is NOT an attack, I am really liking your retrospective. However this is a fact. I suspect that Primus heyday drew more upon NoMeansNo than vice versa. I'm really liking the appreciation of NoMeansNo, people make mistakes
Totally unfamiliar with them, but I'm very intrigued now. I listened to Junk after Mike gushed about it, and then listened to it three more times. Good stuff.
I finally got around to your Nomeansno episode and you guys didn’t disappoint. I never picked up on some of your band comparisons with other bands other than Primus. Thanks for spreading the word of Nomeansno.
Tanner only came out with 2 albums and a few singles but I'd say their first album "Ill Gotten Gains" would be considered Prog Punk or as my friends called it Symphonic Punk. No Means No, extremely talented, the first time I heard them was their collaboration with Jello Biafra "The Sky Is Falling And I Want My Mommy". I later on then heard "Wrong" and I fell in love, as a bassist that album was like The Minutemen on Meth and Steroids.
Thanks for your on point comments on the discography of one of my favorite bands. I discovered them around 89 and they're still on my mandatory playlists. Hearing them while driving is a must. I had the pleasure and luck of catching them live on three occasions, first at the memorable UK's ATP festival (how I miss it). Then two consecutive days in Lisbon, the first day was maybe one the most insane (in a good way) gigs I saw in my whole life. The venue (ZDB) has a big window separating the stage and the street (ground level) and there were people moshing in the street. Super intense. And I must confess that one of my current guilty pleasures is the bonkers collab between John Wright and the robotic band Compressorhead. If you don't know them please check the duel between John and the 4 arm robot drummer.
Another great deep dive. Saw these guys 4-5 times, the dichotomy between their boys next door, chill dudes look and the mind-bending raw power of the first and all subsequent notes always blew me away.
Thanks for doing this. NMN has been my top favorite band since forever, so it was interesting to see what music nerds like yourselves have to say about 'em. Even though they dropped the ball for me in their last few releases, that hasn't thrown them out of the throne. They're still my no. 1. Here's my personal rank: 1. Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed + The Day Everything Became Nothing (EP) 2. 0 + 2 = 1 3. Wrong 4. Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? 5. The Sky Is Falling I Want My Mommy (with Jello Biafra) 6. Sex Mad + You Kill Me (EP) 7. Mama 8. One 9. Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong 10. Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie 11. The Worldhood of the World (As Such) 12. All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt 13. In The Fishtank (EP) 14. Old (EP) + Jubilation (EP)
Just found this vid and I haven't started really watching yet. I had their EP's on LP's in the the 80's and early 90's. I got to see them live many times back then and tbh they were one of the best small venue bands I've seen. Veryy Avant Garde and super TIGHT band, which I always chalked up to the Wright brothers being the basis of the band. LOL I just heard you mention Butthole Surfers and I saw them both within the same week late 80's at Pine Street Theatre in '88 '89 I think it was. I'm laughing now because you are mentioning Melvins and I saw them probably more than NoMeansNO because they came through town more often, although I saw NoMeansNo at The Offramp in Seattle. Idk how many times I've seen NoMeansNo but it was more that 3 times and my favorite era is before Mr Happy. I loved Small Parts and Wrong probably the most but I loved that whole era.
I had the Lard album on vinyl way back when, they were on AT records, how could they not be influenced by Jello and DK? lol I'll shut up now and listen. Promise
The first time I saw them the played with DOA in the 80's, I know I shouldn't spam your comments but I used to drag people to their shows after that and my friends always got their socks rocked off. One of my favorite live bands, and I saw a lot of bands back then. I'll try to shut up now (I didn't follow them much after Mr Happy tbh)
The People's Choice does really capture some of their best work, but Live and Cuddly really captures their power and how tight they were live. I saw them in 96 and 2006 and they are funny, angry, tight, powerful, and uniquely their own.
On Spodify you can stream Nomeansno's Wrong, Live and Cuddly, The People's Choice, The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy (with Jello Biafra), In the Fishtank, and Dad/Revenge.
Worldhood is a top 3 for me. Songs like predators, in the jungle, he learned how to bleed... Some absolutely fun songs to play and an album that for me has only become better as it ages. I'd go; Wrong Worldhood... 0+2=1 If I had to pick a top 3
I just got the new book about NMN called "From Obscurity to Oblivion; An Oral History" and it's excellent. This podcast is a great companion piece. One of the greatest bands ever, been a fan since the early 90s.
We (The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets) got to play with Nomeansno AND The Hanson Brothers in the early 2000's. As they were a big influence on the band it was a dream come true
Great run-through. I mostly agree with Alex on this one. First of all I need to mention this: "Revenge" is my favorite song of "Sex Mad", so definitely do not agree with Mike here. "The River" is EASILY the best song on "Mr Happy" and top 5 NMN songs of all time. Mike is totally off on this one. 😂 "All The Little Bourgeois Dreams" is the best song on the "Jubilation" EP, with some great lyrics. And I agree with Alex that "Mama" is probably the least great album (they didn't make bad albums) of the catalogue. However, I get Mike's points regarding Ausfahrt and getting into pop-punk territory. It's likely the least experimental full length album they did and consequently could be seen as the least interesting. I DO agree about Mike's personal favorite and best album respectively. I love this band. By the way: In april this year, John released a new solo album under the name of Dead Bob (named after an old NMN song). The album is called "Life Like" and yes, it does include the old NMN outtake in a new version. The album is great and is, unlike most NMN, actually on streaming services (well, Spotify for one - not sure about others). His album can be bought on bandcamp.
‘I Need You.’ Greatest love song lyrics ever. And ‘The River.’ Again profound AF lyrics. And ‘Happy Bridge’ to ‘Kill Everyone Now.’ Are you kidding? Just great and I like that they have such a great sense of humor to contrast with the heavy sound. STILL a great album, Mr. Happy and again, their willingness to keep deviating completely. Unheard of to this degree.
I mean as great as they Damn well know ‘Wrong’ is, the fact that they didn’t even let that epic sound define them, and moved on to create subsequent albums to sound COMPLETELY different, yet just as innovative in new ways, is just as epic and unusual as the album itself. They just continued to defy all convention, they cannot even be defined. They were just that AMAZING. And their lyrics on the 0+2 album…FUUUUUCK…
Oh, a rare video talking about NMN, I couldn't be happier, the band never gets enough praise and it's great to see anyone diving into their catalogue, especially since you guys seem to to know what you're talking about. While I do not share most of your more negative opinions on The Worldhood of the World (As Such), Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie and Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? (I listened to Mr. Happy for 2 months straight while commuting back and it was the 1st time in my life I've wished my commute lasted longer so I could get through the whole album), it's still great to hear others' opinions about them, I'll have to skip All roads... and forward because I have yet to give them a listen and I'd hate to have my own opinion influenced, good or bad. I'll have to check your guys' channel later if you give this level of attention to other artists as well
The XTC and Devo influence is very prominent. We used to have these discussions back on the Nomeanswhatever forum that is now defunct. FYI The band ALL were huge fans of NomeansNo.
‘What Slayed Says’ though has such profound lyrics I can’t help but love it. It’s about that Carl Jung ‘Shadow’ theme, or Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde. It’s about that little sociopath inside everyone. You know, the little guy everyone tries to suppress or ‘kill,’ but in that the ‘Shadow’ comes to assert itself in ugly, demented ways, by your rejecting it. Fucking profound. They know their philosophy I’ll say that much.
Concerning Ken Kempster playing drums in the band... I saw them play NYC for the Worldhood tour and he and John were absolutely playing drums simultaneously side by side on each track.
Check out The Hanson Brothers., Nomeansno's alter ego Ramones hockey themed band. The first CD is solid all the way through. Straight up Ramones if they were hockey fanatics.
You missed the 0+2= 1-1/2 album, and the greatest live album ever: LIVE AND CUDDLY !!! There are a few other EPs that should have had mention. As well as the Mr. Right & Mr. Wrong collection. The River kills, so fgcnuik good. Appreciate you doing this. Have tix to see Dead Bob in March.
Really good podcast. Enjoyed listening, although u surprisingly I certainly don’t agree with your views…..but that asides, you really need to do one with Husker Du.
have to completely disagree on the take regarding the "Dance" album - Think it encapsulates NMN's idiom perfectly with it's dark humor and amazing grooves. "All Roads" has one of their best, most complex drum playing with "Dust" - don't hear anything Cowpunk on it.
Sry to post so much but the og Dance of... album ended after One fine day, those last 2 songs were added later or there was a mistake of some kind somewhere on the internet
Yeah I think they added youth and lifelike to a later release, which I didn't love, but I also think they came after one fine day. Album flows way better from gimme the push to one fine day. Dance of the Headless has been my favorite at times.
listen to Mr.Wright and Mr Wrong, Generic Shame and Would We Be Alive. You are missing out . Also Hissanol and Dead Bob John's new band.And Andy has a cool RU-vid channel.
There is actually guitar on a few tracks on Mamma. played by Rob I'm assuming. Also, I never got that incestuous father thing you were talking about on No Sex. I just got, Excuse the term, a denial of traditional sexual roles. I know nothing but my opinion. What's cuckolding?
On the one hand I commend you guys for tackling the Wrong Bros. catalog, but on the other hand, your takes on the albums are really a "I just discovered this shit and I have no way to process it..." kind of thing. While that is cute, it doesn't really convey anything other than your Millenial music completist nerdery, which is to say you approach it like a lot of people who approach "obscure psychedelic African band from the '70's" kinda shit in a annoying detached way. Yeah, I'll be THAT old fart guy: you had to be there and experience them as a live unit, and given plenty of live clips on YT, I'm surprised by your reactions. Speaking of which, you left out Live And Cuddly, which is pretty much the ONLY NMN record you need
Too much talking. Not enough music. Waaay too much blabber, waaay not enough music. You guys want to promote music or your opinions? 2,5/10 BTFW, it's good theyre not streaming. They were always a live band. And they freaking slayed! And can you guys share your make-up artist, please? (half-half would be just absolutely amazing!)
