1. An alterna… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists that have used the name Electric Six
1. An alternative rock band from the United States
2. A musical group from South Africa
1. Electric Six is a six-piece Detroit-based rock band consisting of Dick Valentine (vocals), Tait Nucleus? (synthesizers), Johhny Na$hinal (guitar), Da Ve (guitar), Percussion World (drums), and Smorgasboard (bass) who play a mix of rock, funk and disco.
The band's first notorious formation comprised Valentine, Rock and Roll Indian (guitar), Surge Joebot (guitar), Disco (bass, former member of Detroit Cobras), and M (drums). Dick Valentine (real name Tyler Spencer) has always been the primary songwriter (both music and lyrics) of Electric Six, currently and under their former incarnation, when they were known as the Wildbunch. During the band's temporary split at the end of the 1990s, Spencer formed his own band called The Dirty Shame and released one CD entitled Smog Cutter Love Story which featured, among other tracks, a first version of Fire track "Vengeance and Fashion". The band reformed by 2001 to record and release the first release of 'Danger! High Voltage' and record the track 'Dealin' With Death N' Stealin' In The Name Of The Lord' with Troy Gregory for his Sybil album.
Electric Six fuses rock and punk with the laid-back funky rhythms and falsetto vocals of disco, and a distinctly comic touch. However, they tend to reject such genre classifications as disco-metal and disco punk. They formed the band in 1996 and were initially known as The Wildbunch, eventually dropping that name due to pressure from the Bristol trip-hop collection of the same name. Throughout the latter half of the '90s, they played about once a month at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Magic Stick, and the now-defunct Gold Dollar in Detroit, the center of a scene that produced breakout acts like the White Stripes.
Electric Six's 2002 breakout single "Danger! High Voltage" was an infectious dance-rock number, and Jack White from The White Stripes helped sing back up vocals to this track. White has denied this, though Spencer has confirmed it in several interviews. The single reached number 2 on the UK singles chart, and they enjoy icon status in that nation.
Their second single, "Gay Bar", released in 2003, became a hit as well in the UK, reaching #5 in the charts and further aided the group's growth. Curiously, in the American Radio Edit of this track, The words "Nuclear War" are censored with whip-crack sound effects. After fulfilling their recording duties (namely their debut album) three members left in June, leaving Dick Valentine, Tait Nucleus? (synthesizer), and M.
The Colonel (Zach Shipps, guitar, ex-member of Brendan Benson and Mood Elevator), John R Dequindre (guitar and whose stage name is a combination of two Detroit streets) and Frank Lloyd Bonaventure (bass) subsequently joined the group, though they had all been credited on the album and most had been associated with the group for some time. At that time, they were touring in the UK, and they managed to seamlessly replace the members without interrupting the gigs. In time, Johnny Na$hinal joined the group on guitar, Dequindre switched to bass, and Bonaventure switched to law school.
The band's sophomore album, Señor Smoke, was released in the UK on February 14, 2005. Percussion World replaced M on drums around the same time.
The first single from the album put the band at the center of controversy, especially with Queen fans following a cover of the Queen hit song "Radio Ga Ga". The controversial music video shows lead singer Dick Valentine as the ghost of Queen's flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury and a backing band of poodles. Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who wrote the song, said that he was "unimpressed" with the video; however, Queen guitarist Brian May reportedly liked it. Electric Six claims they were contractually obligated to commit the song to the album. Issues with Warner Brothers caused a switch to Metropolis Records, who released Señor Smoke in the US.
Switzerland was released in September 2006. A plethora of videos have also been released, and a fan contribution contest led to the video for the single "I Buy the Drugs."
I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me From Being the Master was released in October 2007. Their next album, titled Flashy, was released in October 2008. In October 2009, their sixth album, KILL, was released. The 7th album, Zodiac was released on September 28, 2010, with one tour-exclusive single ("Jam it in the Hole") and the 8th, Heartbeats and Brainwaves, on October 11th 2011.
A double live album is set for release in 2012.
2. Electric Six was a Soweto-based South African combo active in the 1960s and 1970s
Good View of the Violence
Electric Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll cross the finish line before you even begin
You cook my goose, I'll cook your duck
You and your friends, phantom fuck
I got a good view, good view of the violence
I got the groove flu but radio silence
I like the way you scream, I like the way you yell
And that bodes really really well for our trip to hell
No tellin' what we're gonna get into
If there's a hellmouth, I'm gonna push you through
I got a good view, good view of the violence
I got the groove flu but radio silence
Silence!
I'm the photogenic kid from your darkest dreams
I see the flashbulbs and babe I hear the screams
When I take you on my tour I wear another hat, and...
Who else is gonna show you shit like that?
I gotta show you my view of the silence
The older, the milieu, the younger, the violence
Young violence!
The electric Six's song Good View of the Violence presents a character with a ruthless, distorted and almost psychopathic nature. The opening lines of the lyrics set the tone for the rest of the song as the character declares their intention to win a "tournament of sin." The words "cook my goose, I'll cook your duck" suggest a violent exchange where the singer will take extreme measures to get what he wants. When the lyrics state "You and your friends, phantom f***," it's clear that the character doesn't care whether he hurts one person or many.
However, what sets this song apart is the way that the lyrics are sung with ironic detachment, and even humor, which creates an interesting contrast to the dark, threatening nature of the words. Lines like "I got the groove flu but radio silence" suggest that the character is absorbed in the pleasures of the moment, while his violent tendencies go unnoticed. The character is opportunistic and fraternizes with 'bad' individuals who are just like him.
The chorus repeats "I got a good view, good view of the violence" as if the singer derives some form of sadistic pleasure from watching violent acts, and he revels in it. The line "If there's a hellmouth, I'm gonna push you through," highlights how far he is willing to go, and the assertion that he can take the listener on a tour that nobody else can suggests that he takes a particular pride in being cruel and unusual.
Overall, Electric Six's Good View of the Violence lyrics leave plenty of room for interpretation, but one thing becomes clear, the song is a commentary on the way people can become fixated on violence and how that fixation can quickly turn into something toxic.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a tournament of sin and I'm gonna win
I'm in a competition to do the most evil things, and I'm determined to come out on top.
I'll cross the finish line before you even begin
I'll have accomplished my goals before you even get started trying to achieve your own.
You cook my goose, I'll cook your duck
If you mess with me, I'll mess with you right back.
You and your friends, phantom fuck
I don't care about you or your friends, you're nothing to me.
I got a good view, good view of the violence
I'm witnessing a lot of chaos and destruction, and it doesn't bother me at all.
I got the groove flu but radio silence
I'm feeling really good and energized, but I'm not gonna talk about it.
I like the way you scream, I like the way you yell
I enjoy hearing people in pain or distress, it's entertaining to me.
And that bodes really really well for our trip to hell
We're both going to hell, and your suffering will only make it better for me.
No tellin' what we're gonna get into
Who knows what kind of trouble we might cause?
If there's a hellmouth, I'm gonna push you through
If there's a portal to hell, I'm gonna make sure you go through it.
I'm the photogenic kid from your darkest dreams
I'm like the villain from your worst nightmares, but I look good doing it.
I see the flashbulbs and babe I hear the screams
I revel in the attention and chaos I cause, it's what I live for.
When I take you on my tour I wear another hat, and...
When I show you my version of the world, it's like I'm a different person entirely.
Who else is gonna show you shit like that?
No one else is going to give you the experience I can, so you might as well come with me.
I gotta show you my view of the silence
I want to share my perspective of the world with you, even if it's a violent and destructive one.
The older, the milieu, the younger, the violence
No matter what age or background, people are always capable of great acts of brutality.
Young violence!
Even young people can be just as violent and dangerous as adults.
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.