Since his arrival to New York in 1996 he has made a big impact on the local music scene with his unique sound, compositions and style, bringing a mixture of pop, rock, blues, funk, and jazz, into a cohesive and intoxicating groove.
Oz has performed, toured and recorded with well established artists such as Richard Bona, Chris Botti, Mike Clark, Jeff 'Tain" Watts, Harry Bellefonte, Toni Braxton, Phoebe Snow, Gavin Degraw ,The Barrio boys, as well as some of the new names in the pop and rock scene; Wendy Starland, Marly Hornik, Amo, Colby prior... to name a few.
He played on numerous commercials and movie soundtracks like 'Auto Focus' and 'Undefeated' (HBO) with Angelo Badeomenti; 'Queer as Folk' (HBO)....
Oz Noy's "Ha!" includes drummers Anton Fig, Keith Carlock, and bassists Will Lee and James Genus, and guest guitarist Mike Stern (Billy Cobham, Miles Davis) and keyboardist George Whitty (Brecker Brothers).
QUOTES
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"Oz is a fantastic guitar player...one of the best I've ever seen...he's just too good!"
-Mike Stern
"Oz is to guitar what Jaco was to bass!"
- Will Lee
"Oz is a brash, innovative guitar player. He knows the music inside out but takes it to a different place visionaries can only dream of!"
- Mike Clark
" Oz is a truly amazing guitarist! He is blazing new trails in sonic textures, voicings, fingerings, and "cross platform" improvisation. He is a welcome fresh voice on the instrument for the new century and beyond!"
-Chuck Loeb
"Oz brings startling innovation to the guitar with a command of the instrument rarely encountered... he is the future of the guitar. He plays his #@! off!"
-Chris Botti
"Playing with Oz is an intense and exciting experience...he pushes the envelope so far I have to sit on the edge of my drum seat ...he is a gifted and unique guitarist with his own sound and style.
- Anton Fig
"Oz is one of the most creative guitar players on the scene today... he is blowing people away with his unique style and compositions. He has his own vocabulary from some other planet which keeps things new, interesting and very unpredictable-you gotta check this guy out!"
-Keith Carlock
"Oz is just demented enough to give these songs that unexpected twist to make them really interesting...and the band is just sick enough to pull it off."
-Jeff Golub
Return To Oz
Scissor Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who had a little too much,
Time on his hands,
He never stopped to think,
That he was getting older.
When his night came to an end,
He tried to grasp for his last friend,
And pretend,
That he could wish himself health,
On a four-leaf clover.
He said is this the Return to Oz?
The grass is dead
The gold is brown
And the sky has claws.
there's a wind-up man
Walking round and round.
What once was Emerald City's
Now a Crystal Town
It's three o'clock in the morning,
You get a phone call
From the queen with a hundred heads
She says that they're all dead
She tried the last one on
It couldn't speak, fell off
And now she just wanders the halls
Thinking nothing
Thinking nothing at all
She says is this the Return to Oz?
The grass is dead
The gold is brown
And the sky has claws.
there's a wind-up man
Walking round and round.
What once was Emerald City's
Now a Crystal Town
The wheelies are cutting pavement
And the Skeksis at the rave met
To hide deep inside
Their sunken faces
And their wild rolling eyes
But their callous words reveal
That they can no longer feel
Love or sex appeal
The patchwork girl has come to cinch the deal
To return to Oz
We've fled the world
With smiles and clenching jaws
Please help me friend from coming down
I've lost my place and now it can't be found
Is this the Return to Oz?
The grass is dead
The gold is brown
And the sky has claws.
there's a wind-up man
Walking round and round.
What once was Emerald City's
Now a Crystal Town
The lyrics of Scissor Sisters’ “Return to Oz” are a surreal and chilling exploration of a man’s descent into madness. The man in question has lived his life in reckless abandon, never considering the consequences of his actions as time inexorably marches on. The song paints the image of a man who is trying to hold on to his youth and vitality as it slips away from him, culminating in his desperate attempt to grasp at his last friend before succumbing to a sense of despair and hopelessness.
The chorus of the song is almost dreamlike in its surreal imagery. The grass is dead, the gold is brown, and the sky has claws. These images serve to reinforce the sense of disorientation and loss that the man is experiencing. There is a wind-up man walking round and round, an image that is both unsettling and darkly comical. The Emerald City is now a Crystal Town, representing the shattered dream of the man who has realized too late that he cannot hold on to youth forever.
The final verse of “Return to Oz” introduces several new characters, the Queen with a hundred heads, the wheelies, the Skeksis, and the patchwork girl. These characters are surreal and almost cartoonish, yet they serve to reinforce the sense of dislocation and unease that permeates the song. The patchwork girl has come to cinch the deal, suggesting that the man’s descent into madness is now complete. In “Return to Oz,” Scissor Sisters have created a haunting and unsettling portrait of a man’s journey into madness.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a man,
There was a man who had a lot of free time and didn't realize he was getting older.
Who had a little too much,
He had too much time on his hands.
Time on his hands,
He had too much free time and didn't use his time wisely.
He never stopped to think,
He didn't take the time to reflect on his life.
That he was getting older.
He didn't realize that time was passing and he was aging.
When his night came to an end,
When he realized his life was coming to an end.
He tried to grasp for his last friend,
He tried to reach out to someone, anyone, for comfort.
And pretend,
He tried to ignore the harsh reality of death.
That he could wish himself health,
He tried to wish for good health and a longer life.
On a four-leaf clover.
He clung to any hope he could find for a longer life.
He said is this the Return to Oz?
He wonders if this is the end of his journey, and if he will find peace in death.
The grass is dead
Everything around him is dying.
The gold is brown
What was once bright and shiny has lost its luster.
And the sky has claws.
The sky seems to be closing in on him, like a predator ready to pounce.
there's a wind-up man
Everything seems mechanical and lifeless.
Walking round and round.
Going nowhere, stuck in the same place.
What once was Emerald City's
What was once beautiful and vibrant.
Now a Crystal Town
Is now lifeless and empty.
It's three o'clock in the morning,
It's late, and he's alone with his thoughts.
You get a phone call
He receives a message, possibly from someone important to him.
From the queen with a hundred heads
The message is from someone powerful, with many responsibilities.
She says that they're all dead
She tells him that everything is falling apart.
She tried the last one on
She exhausted all options, but nothing worked.
It couldn't speak, fell off
The last hope was a failure.
And now she just wanders the halls
She's lost, powerless, and aimless.
Thinking nothing
Her mind is blank and she can't find a solution.
Thinking nothing at all
She's given up hope and lost faith in herself.
She says is this the Return to Oz?
She too wonders if this is the end, and if there's any hope left to cling to.
The wheelies are cutting pavement
Even the once-joyful things have become destructive.
And the Skeksis at the rave met
Even the powerful people have resorted to desperate measures.
To hide deep inside
To protect themselves from the harsh reality of their situation.
Their sunken faces
They've lost all energy and optimism.
And their wild rolling eyes
They're terrified by what's happening and have lost control.
But their callous words reveal
Their inner thoughts betray their outward appearance.
That they can no longer feel
They're numb to everything, including love and emotions.
Love or sex appeal
They've lost all desire and passion for life and love.
The patchwork girl has come to cinch the deal
A powerful figure has arrived to finalize the end, to give meaning to the loss.
To return to Oz
To find peace and acceptance in death.
We've fled the world
We've left behind the living and their problems.
With smiles and clenching jaws
With both fear and hope, we face the unknown.
Please help me friend from coming down
Help me find peace in this unknown world.
I've lost my place and now it can't be found
I'm lost and there's no way to come back to life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jason Sellards, Scott Hoffman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind