They made their first recordings available in late 1979 via the SF Underground 7" compilation series released via Steve Tupper's newly-formed Subterranean Records. In 1981 a 7" followed Love Canal and Ha Ha Ha and the original lineup made 2 full-length studio albums on Subterranean, 1982's Generic and the 1984 followup Gone Fishin'.
Flipper's music was very shambolic and noisy, and oft considered "slow" for a punk band of the time. In many early shows, the band had half the audience on stage with them singing backup vocals, and encouraged horn players to join them for their anthem, Sex Bomb -- and the crowding on stage usually knocked the stringed instruments out of tune. Guitarist Ted Falconi installed spikes in the head of his guitar to help prevent this, but blaring, out-of-tune dissonance became part of the band's signature sound.
Bassist/vocalist Will Shatter died in 1987 of a heroin overdose. The remaining members reformed for the 1993 album American Grafishy on Def American Recordings which re-issued Generic, and a compilation called Sex Bomb Baby on Rick Rubin and Henry Rollins' Infinite Zero label. This relationship soured and the surviving Flipper members allegedly were duped out of their rights to their back catalog. Bassist/vocalist Bruce Loose got in a car accident which severely injured his spine resulting in a crippling injury which requires him to use a cane. Apparently drummer Steve Depace was in the works of writing an autobiography of his Flipper experiences to the irk of his band mates. Bruce most recently performed as Not Flipper at 924 Gilman and reunited as Flipper for a show in SF with surviving members Falconi and Depace. In December 2006, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic joined the band. On 22 September 2008, due to responsibilities at home, Novoselic announced his departure from the band.
Get Away
Flipper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The scene was really hairy
We were sitting in the dark
What you don´t see you don´t know
He said this town is getting kinda scary
Pretty soon comes the big fall
He said he´s gotta get away
Go Larry, get away
I thought she looked really healthy
She said she´s feeling pretty queasy
She said she hasn´t been very lucky
Her life is all fucked up
She said she´s gotta get away
Go Suzie, get away
Have you seen Mitchell
Got a call from him in jail
He asked if I could post the bail
Busted and strung out
He said he´s feeling really sick
Really sick
He said he´s gotta get away
Go Mitchell, get away
Go go get away
The lyrics of Flipper's song "Get Away" suggest that the characters in the story are feeling trapped and dissatisfied with their lives. Larry comments on the state of their town, claiming that it's becoming scary and that a big fall is imminent. He decides that he needs to escape this town and all its problems. Similarly, Suzie is feeling queasy and unlucky; her life seems to be completely messed up, and she also wants to get away. Mitchell is in jail, strung out and feeling sick, and he too feels the need to escape from his current situation. In all three cases, the characters are seeking to leave their problems behind and start anew.
The song's repeated chorus of "Go Larry, get away," "Go Suzie, get away," and "Go Mitchell, get away," suggests that the band is encouraging the characters to take action and leave their current lives behind. The overall message of the song seems to be that sometimes the best option is to cut ties with your past and move on to something better.
Line by Line Meaning
I was talking to Larry
Flipper was conversing with Larry
The scene was really hairy
The situation was tense or dangerous
We were sitting in the dark
The two were in a poorly lit area
What you don´t see you don´t know
What isn't visible is unknown
He said this town is getting kinda scary
Larry expressed unease about the town's condition
Pretty soon comes the big fall
Larry believed some significant trouble was imminent
He said he´s gotta get away
Larry felt compelled to leave the town
Go Larry, get away
Flipper encouraged Larry to depart
I just saw Suzie by coincidence
Flipper encountered Suzie unexpectedly
I thought she looked really healthy
Flipper noticed Suzie appeared well-being
She said she´s feeling pretty queasy
Suzie shared that she was nauseous
She said she hasn´t been very lucky
Suzie implied that she has had a streak of bad luck
Her life is all fucked up
Suzie's life is disarrayed or disorderly
She said she´s gotta get away
Suzie said she needed to leave
Go Suzie, get away
Flipper offered Suzie encouragements to escape
Have you seen Mitchell
Flipper inquired about Mitchell's whereabouts
Got a call from him in jail
Mitchell contacted Flipper from prison
He asked if I could post the bail
Mitchell requested Flipper to bail him out
Busted and strung out
Mitchell was arrested and addicted to drugs
He said he´s feeling really sick
Mitchell claimed he was unwell
Really sick
Mitchell emphasized that he was seriously ill
He said he´s gotta get away
Mitchell said he had to flee
Go Mitchell, get away
Flipper encouraged Mitchell to escape
Go go get away
Flipper concluded the song by urging people to leave their troubles behind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Gavin Ragnar Jones, Ivar Lisinski, Niklas Kings
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind