While still teenagers, they formed after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Drummer Joe Bradley joined a few months later. They released their first 7" in late 2001/early 2002 on their own Die Slaughterhaus label.
Just days before a tour was to begin in December 2002, Ben Eberbaugh was killed in a car accident after his car was hit by a drunk driver. The band carried on believing that Eberbaugh would want them to continue.
The band's debut full length album was released on Bomp! Records in 2003. Eberbaugh was replaced by Jack Hines, a friend of the band members, but he too was eventually replaced by current guitarist, and former Renegades member, Ian St. Pe , in 2004.
The Black Lips have a reputation for crazy live shows that have included vomiting, urinating, nudity, band members kissing, fireworks, and a chicken. They have slowly built a fanbase that appreciates their energy and style that is a rough mishmash of blues, rock, doo-wop, country, and punk.
They gained national attention in 2006 with features in Spin and Rolling Stone magazines. The band got exposure in the New York Times for being the hardest working band during the 2007 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, in which they played a dozen shows over a three-day period.
In September 2007 their most recent album entitled Good Bad Not Evil was released. The Black Lips made their American national television debut in October 2007 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and played O Katrina.
The band also has songs from previous recording sessions, and they will eventually be released by In The Red Records.
The Black Lips are going to star in a film called Let It Be. They will play musicians in a fictitious '1980s era DIY band called The Renegades. The movie is set for production in 2008.
Cole, Jared and Joe also play in a band called The Spooks, along with members of Deerhunter and The Kiwis. The Spooks have recorded an album which should be released in 2007 or 2008 on the Die Slaughterhaus label. Ian also plays in a blasphemous garage punk band called The Original Three. There is a full length record out on Empty records and a single out on SYA records (Italy). The Original Three will have a new single coming out in December 2007 on Savage records (Sweden). Jared plays in a band called The Gaye Blades. Rob's House Records has released one 7" by The Gaye Blades, and another one should be released before the end of 2007. Cole has also released solo material under the name Old King Cole Younger. There is one split 10" release of his material on Rob's House Records that features Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, under the name of Atlas Sound, on the other side.
In 2009, the band released their fifth album, "200 Million Thousand", on Vice Records.
Band Members
* Cole Alexander (Old King Cole Younger) - Vocals, Guitar (2000 - present)
* Jared Swilley - Vocals, Bass Guitar (2000 - present)
* Joe Bradley - Vocals, Drums (2000 - present)
* Ian St. Pe - Guitar (2005 - 2014)
* Jack Hines - former Guitar (2002 - 2005, 2014 - present)
* Ben Eberbaugh - Guitarz(2000 - 2002) - deceased
Loser's Lament
Black Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put away his childish things
And he left his home and left his childish sorrow
He set out to make a plan
And he kitted out with haste
But he couldn′t earn and he was forced to borrow
He would suffer with a smile
He would give his final dime to his brother
He would give away his all
And he'd stumble lurch and fall
And he′d spend alone at night in the gutter
But he bore his burden proud
As he tried to get away
With things that hounor life
And he gave up everything
Just to hear his freedom ring
And he hoped for better things for tomorrow
And one one day it came to pass
After giving up his last
He could not obtain his cash to carry onward
So the boy become a man
Had to make his final stand
And he died without a friend to do him honor
But he bore his burden proud
As he tried to get away
With things that honor life
And he gave up everything
Just to hear his freedom ring
And he hoped for better things for tomorrow
The lyrics to Black Lips's song Loser's Lament speak of a young boy who grows into a man and leaves behind his childish ways and sorrows. He sets out to make a plan for his life and tries to make a living, but despite his efforts, he can't seem to earn enough and is forced to borrow. He walks alone and suffers silently, giving his last dime to his brother and giving away everything he has. He stumbles, falls and spends nights alone in the gutter, but he bears his burden proudly, hoping for better things in the future.
However, despite his efforts, he is unable to obtain the cash he needs to move forward, and he is forced to make his final stand. The boy becomes a man and dies without any friends to honor him. The lyrics suggest that the man gave up everything in pursuit of his freedom and better things for tomorrow, but in the end, he was unable to achieve his dreams.
Overall, the song is a poignant reminder that life can be challenging and difficult, and our efforts may not always yield the results we hope for. It's a call to persevere through hardship and to never give up on our dreams, no matter how bleak things may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
When the boy became a man
When the singer reached adulthood
Put away his childish things
Stopped engaging in immature activities
And he left his home and left his childish sorrow
Left his hometown to escape his childish problems
He set out to make a plan
Started working toward a goal
And he kitted out with haste
Prepared as quickly as possible
But he couldn′t earn and he was forced to borrow
Failed to earn enough and needed to take out loans
He would walk alone a mile
Would endure hardship alone
He would suffer with a smile
Would endure suffering without complaint
He would give his final dime to his brother
Would give his last bit of money to help his sibling
He would give away his all
Would sacrifice everything
And he'd stumble lurch and fall
And he would make mistakes and struggle
And he′d spend alone at night in the gutter
Would spend time in hardship and poverty
But he bore his burden proud
But he carried his challenges bravely
As he tried to get away
As he attempted to escape his struggles
With things that hounor life
With choices that uphold dignity
And he gave up everything
And he sacrificed everything he had
Just to hear his freedom ring
In hopes of attaining independence
And he hoped for better things for tomorrow
And he remained optimistic for the future
And one one day it came to pass
And one day it happened
After giving up his last
After he had given away everything he had left
He could not obtain his cash to carry onward
He was unable to obtain money and continue on
So the boy become a man
Thus, the artist became an adult
Had to make his final stand
Had to make his last effort
And he died without a friend to do him honor
And he died without anyone to pay him respect
Contributed by Christian A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peter L
Another fine addition to my collection
Yaziji
Jaaaaack!