Ramblings of a Geek: Evil Music I Enjoy Part 2: Mindless Self Indulgence

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Mindless Self Indulgence

Brief History
Take some Atari driven electronics, mix in rap and new wave influences, and add the punk rock style you more or less get what Mindless Self Indulgence is. MSI(for short) is the bastard child of one James Euringer who likes to go by the name of Little Jimmy Urine.

I can't really give you too much of a background on Jimmy and his cohorts of Steve(aka Righ?), Kitty, and Lyn-z but it all started when Jimmy produced a demo EP Mindless Self-Indulgence with a little help from Righ? A little later Jimmy and his pals released their debut album Tight on their own record label after Roadrunner Records decided not to release the album. The band quickly gained cult status with their look, outrageous live performances, and musical and lyrical content. Not meant to be taken seriously but could easily be deemed offensive.

In 2000 they signed to Elektra records. they released the album Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy with album art from Tank Girl and Gorillaz co-creator Jaime Hewlett. The 30 song albums track listing was put in alphabetical order due to some labels need to rearrange track listings from bands. As well as the overuse of asteriks on the back cover as a form of protest against censorship. MSI and Elektra had a falling out which lead or MSI going back underground and releasing a live album and an EP. They signed to electro/goth label Metropolis in 2005 and released their first real follow up to Frankenstein Girls entitled You'll Rebel to Anything featuring a music video directed by Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Invader Zim Jhonen Vasquez. The band has since released a few remix and EPs to date.

MSI has went on to tour with the likes of popular groups like Rammstein, Insane Clown Posse, KoRn as well as having now mainstream groups like My Chemical Romance or Kill Hannah open for them. Their live performances are notorious and in at least one case had Jimmy Urine arrested and charged with public obscenity.

The band has scored some semblance of mainstream success as two singles, Straight to Video and Shut Me Up, both debuted #1 on Billboards dance charts over the likes of popualr artists like Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.

My Interest in Mindless Self Indulgence
So the first time I heard MSI was at the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The one I had went to a few times had a little dance club environment going until people got in and situated. I was on the floor, you know keeping raw, when a song came on and got the attention of me and my friend. It had this simple beep-beep-beep keyboard and catchy pseudo-industrial punk feel. I asked the "DJ" and he told me the song was Faggot by Mindless Self Indulgence. Next morning my friend had the song downloaded and loved it enough to buy the album an hour later and burn me a copy. 30 songs(more or less) none over 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Just fun, sing-a-long music with Jimmy doing a simple verse over a sampled Siouxsie & the Banshees beat for Bitches, rapping random nonsense on I Hate Jimmy Page, or going quick polished punk number like Seven-Eleven. Most the songs are just silly fun for the Ritalin generation.

For me MSI is just the kind of band I can put it and just nod my head to. Laugh at the silliness (If your so smart explain this Clarissa/pow!-Clarissa, about the Nickelodeon show Clarissa Explains it All), sarcasm (I'd like to thank god for all my dopest rhymes-Thank God, about Music Award Acceptance speeches), or occasionally serious content of certain lyrics. That, and at times I am just amazed at the range vocally and musically. Songs like Pussy All Night has Jimmy switching from singing mock-up reggae to R&B to hip-hop with the beat accompanying it. It's just music unlike any I had heard at the time.

My fascination and interest for the band jumped when I eventually got my hands on a burnt copy of their out of print first record, Tight, and was mesmerized. Not just the before mentioned Pussy All night but their dynamic cover of Method Mans Bring the Pain, somewhat haunting Molly, or just adrenaline pumping Tornado. I've picked up all their albums since becoming a fan and just the other day got to check out their latest EP, Another Mindless Rip Off, which harkens back to back to their Tight/Frankenstein Girls sound. Pre-Teen Violence may not make much sense and at first listen be a pretty stupid song, but it just puts a smile on my face as I listen and sing with urine.

Now I just need to find a copy of their demo. Back when Jimmy was a little more goth with his lyrics.

Favorite Albums