Over the years, the group has become perhaps best known for their 1989 tune "Scared", an Alice Cooper inspired track featuring the refrain of "I think I like being scared". Parent album 'Dangerous Toys', the band's first full release, notably received some positive critical reviews and reached the #65 slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead vocalist Jason McMaster currently sings for hard rock band Broken Teeth.
In 1999 Dangerous Toys released a live album, 'Vitamins and Crash Helmets Tour - Greatest Hits Live' (Deadline/Cleopatra). After that, band activity slowed.
Singer Jason McMaster performs in various Austin-based rock-bands, including Sad Wings, Capricorn USA, and Broken Teeth a band formed in 1999 with Dangerous Toys guitarist Paul Lidel. Lidel left Broken Teeth in 2006 and now writes and performs with Adrenaline Factor, Jokerville, and 99 Crimes. Lidel is also a music instructor who trains future would-be guitar rockstars. Drummer Mark Geary and bassist Mike Watson record and perform in an Austin-based heavy metal band called Proof Of Life.
In 2001, they played a few shows in their hometown of Austin, Texas and in Tokyo, Japan, rejoined by their original bassist, Mike Watson. They reunited for another set of live shows in Austin and Tokyo during February 2003, Austin in May 2005, and at Bat Fest (an annual Austin event) with Rhino Bucket in September 2006. Portions of the 2006 show were recorded and initially intended for release as XX, a 20-year career retrospective CD/DVD. The XX project was postponed indefinitely in mid-2007. The band was also rumored to be working on a new album during this period, but nothing has come out of it.
In 2006, "Teas'n, Pleas'n" was covered by Shadows Fall on their compilation album Fallout from the War, featuring guest vocals from Toys' vocalist Jason McMaster.
In 2007, Dangerous Toys recorded a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit song Simple Man for An All Star Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, (Deadline/Cleopatra). Also in 2007, they performed an unannounced short set at the end of a show featuring the member's current bands (Adrenaline Factor, Proof of Life and Broken Teeth).
In 2008 they performed a handful of shows. Most notable was a 20th Anniversary show in Austin, TX, on November 8, with all original band members.
In 2017, it was announced that Dangerous Toys had signed a deal with EMP Label Group, the label of Megadeth bassist David Ellefson to reissue remastered versions of several of the band's catalog releases including Pissed, The R*tist 4*merly Known as Dangerous Toys, and XX: Live. Pissed was re-released on September 8, 2017 on Vinyl LP, Picture Disc, and CD.
Though not a full-time ongoing band, Dangerous Toys is still active as of 2020, performing at least one live show every year. McMaster had stated in interviews there would be no new material under the Dangerous Toys name, but would never rule it out. Despite McMaster's previous statements, Dangerous Toys guitarist Scott Dalhover revealed on his Facebook page in September 2018 that he was working on demos with him for what will be the band's fifth studio album. During their performance at the Rocklanta festival in Atlanta on March 30, 2019, they performed their first song in 24 years "Hold Your Horses".
Best Of Friends
Dangerous Toys Lyrics
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Could not believe what I saw
A friend of mine was killed
Runnin' from the law
I could still see the face of my old friend
In the picture that stared back at me
And through the tears I went back through the years to remember
Playin' pirates in the school yard, singin'
Soldiers in the fields
We were dreamin'
Brothers in blood 'til the very end
We were best of friends
Best of friends
Always hang together, forever
Thought we'd always be that way
But in time you grow up
And you slip away
It was thirteen years since I'd seen him
This man that I no longer knew
His mother, god bless her
Asked me if I'd say a word or two
Lookin' out in a room full of strangers
I didn't know quite what to say
All I could tell was of two old friends
And some long gone summer days of
Playin' pirates in the school yard, singin'
Soldiers in the fields
We were dreamin'
Brothers in blood 'til the very end
Friends like him don't come very often
You never treasure them while there's time
And if they slip away
You gotta somehow say
You're still on my mind
So your memory's all I have left now
These words are all I can give
And from time to time I turn back in my mind
To the place where you'll always live
Playin' pirates in the school-yard, singin'
Soldiers in the fields
We were dreamin'
Brothers in blood 'til the very end
The song "Best Of Friends" by Dangerous Toys is about remembering and mourning the loss of a childhood friend who had passed away. The lyrics express the shock and disbelief that the singer experiences upon learning of his friend's death. He reflects on their shared memories of playing childish games and dreaming of the future together. The loss of this close relationship is something that has stayed with the singer, even as he has grown and moved on with his life.
The singer's realization that he never fully appreciated his friend while he was alive is a theme that runs throughout the song. The lyrics express the regret of not being able to properly convey the depth of the friendship to the friend's mother and a room full of strangers. In the end, all the singer has left is his memories of their time together and the knowledge that his friend will always live on in his heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Picked up the paper this morning
I found a piece of paper today
Could not believe what I saw
I was shocked by what I read on it
A friend of mine was killed
Someone I knew died
Runnin' from the law
They were trying to escape the police
I could still see the face of my old friend
I could remember what my friend looked like
In the picture that stared back at me
I was looking at a photo of them
And through the tears I went back through the years to remember
I cried while thinking back on the past
The times that we were
The moments we shared
Playin' pirates in the school yard, singin'
We would pretend to be pirates and sing songs when we were young
Soldiers in the fields
We would play war in open areas
We were dreamin'
We had big hopes and aspirations
Brothers in blood 'til the very end
We were close friends who would always stick together
We were best of friends
We were the closest of buddies
Always hang together, forever
We always spent our time with each other and thought it would never end
Thought we'd always be that way
We believed we would never grow apart
But in time you grow up
Eventually, you mature
And you slip away
You drift apart from friends
It was thirteen years since I'd seen him
It had been a long time since I'd last seen him
This man that I no longer knew
He had changed so much since we last met
His mother, god bless her
I felt sympathy for his mother
Asked me if I'd say a word or two
She requested that I speak at his funeral
Lookin' out in a room full of strangers
I was speaking to people I didn't know
I didn't know quite what to say
I struggled to find the right words
All I could tell was of two old friends
I spoke about our past memories together
And some long gone summer days of
Times we spent together in the distant past
Friends like him don't come very often
He was a very special and rare kind of friend
You never treasure them while there's time
We never appreciate how important our friends are until they're gone
And if they slip away
If you lose contact with them
You gotta somehow say
You should try to let them know
You're still on my mind
You still think about them
So your memory's all I have left now
I can only hold onto my memories of him
These words are all I can give
This is the best I can do
And from time to time I turn back in my mind
I often reminisce about the past
To the place where you'll always live
To the memories that will never leave me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANNY AARON, MARK BARTLEY GEARY, MICHAEL H WATSON, SCOTT DEWAYNE DALHOVER, WILLIAM JASON MC MASTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind