Very obscure question about very obscure band: Too Much Joy...

[Brotherjohn]

... the Song "Kicking (That Gone Fishing Song)" from their second release "Son of Sam I Am"...

Is it about the singer's own experience with cancer, or is he singing from the perspective of someone else with cancer?

Selected lyrics:
"I climbed up a tree
I shouted look at me
Nobody answered
Cause I have cancer"

A nurse talking to him while in the hospital:
"I really wanna be a dancer
It's too bad you have cancer
We could have been friends..."

Despite the band's jokester image, I always thought this song was a little bit of a bittersweet masterpiece. I always wondered whether the lead singer actually went through cancer.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

1. None of the band members...

had cancer, though Tim (the singer) and Jay could have been writing about someone they knew.

I knew the boys back in the 80s, during that time. I did the make-up for their "Making Fun of Bums" video, in fact -- I did a lot of very fun hanging with them. :)

You can ask Tim Quirk about the song yourself on the TMJ website.

[Brotherjohn]

3. Wow, thanks for the quick (and informed) reply!

I really thought that post would be one of those that just sat there forever.

I was just surfing E-Music and noticed a new CD from TMJ put up there (of course, NOT Son of Sam I Am, which I've always wanted to find in MP3 format).

Anyway, the question has always been in the back of my head, and I thought I'd take a shot posting it on DU. Who knew you knew? Maybe I'll try on their site later.

I just always thought the song had a great message (to me anyway): no matter how bad things are, sometimes you just gotta "go fishin'", relax and smell the roses.

Thanks!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. Before I did the video for them..

I was completely unaware of their music. Once I heard "Son of Sam" I became completely hooked -- I thought they were amazing! It was always very sad for me that they never became more popular, even though they were well regarded by critics.

I could tell you stories about drunken, unplugged (before there was an "unplugged") performances at the Holy Cow here in SF with Jay on folk guitar and Tommy on bongos (!) :)

They were a lot of fun. Did you know they got arrested in Florida for playing a song by an other artist - damn, can't remember the name -- that had stired a controversy for its "obscene" lyrics? They have always been very strong civil libertarians. I was with them in SF shooting pool the night Bush I got elected -- it was not a happy night. :(

[Brotherjohn]

6. They did 2 Live Crew songs, or so I read in their bio.

I bet they went down to the exact same town where the sheriff busted Luke Skywalker and 2 Live Crew, just to make sure they also would get arrested (b/c I'm sure some cops in some FL towns wouldn't even care, or know what they wree referring to).

[Richardo]

2. Sounds like he got a brand new rhyming dictionary...

answer
bancer (no)
cancer (yes!)
dancer (yes!)
eancer (no)
fancer (no)
gancer (no)
hancer (no)
iancer (no)
jancer (no)
kancer (wait a sec - no)
lancer (maybe)
mancer (no)
nancer (no)
oancer (no)
pancer (no, but PRANcer, yes!)
quanser (no)
rancer (no)
sancer (no)
tancer (no)
uancer (no)
vancer (no)
wancer (heh. I almost said 'wanker')
xancer (no)
yancer (no)
zancer (no)

[tigereye]

5. oh that was a great band!

I had one of their records or EPs way back when....


All the girls in the music biz
have credit cards and subscribe to MS
but they only wanna fuck long haired guys from England.


(that song always made me laugh)