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.
Talk's Cheap
Flipper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talk's cheap...oh yeah
Everybody's likes the sound of their own voices
everybody's life is so dull
They spend their time living someone else's
Ain't it fun to socialize
Get together with some friends
Talk's cheap...oh yeah
Ring ring call me on the phone
Hello, did you know? Know what?
Guess who...and then
Wll I never know, swear to God, I was there
It happened just like this; do tell...uh huh
Guessit makes you someone special
To be in on all the secrets and to tell them
Ain't it entertaining
Keeps your tongue in shape
I guess it passes the time you do it all day long
Talk's cheap!!!
You must think you're really sharp
The way you use your words like knifes
Yeah, TALK'S CHEAP
Talk's Cheap is a song by San Francisco-based punk rock band, Flipper, which explores the theme of the frivolousness of gossip and the shallowness of small talk. The song is predominantly about how people love talking, especially about situations they have no control over or personal involvement in, just because they want to seem important or relevant. The opening lines of the song, "Talk's cheap...uh huh, Talk's cheap...oh yeah", set the tone for the entire track. The band seems to be mocking people who love to talk for the sake of talking, without offering any real substance or an actual message.
The lyrics delve deeper into the fact that people are often bored with their lives and will talk about anything to make it seem like they are living a more thrilling life. In the second verse, the band sings about people who spend their time living someone else's life and enjoy circulating rumors, which arguably indicates an innate desire to meddle in other people's lives without any genuine concern for their wellbeing. People love to feel special, and they believe it makes them so to be in on all the secrets and to tell them, as discussed in the third verse.
Overall, Talk's Cheap delivers a message of the utter silliness of gossip and the pointlessness of engaging in unproductive small talk that only passes the time. It exposes the heart of the need to feel important and the lengths people will go to achieve that state without any actual effort on their part.
Line by Line Meaning
Talk's cheap...uh huh
It's easy to talk, but harder to back it up with actions.
Talk's cheap...oh yeah
Reiterating that talk is easy but meaningless when not followed up by something tangible.
Everybody's likes the sound of their own voices
People tend to enjoy talking and hearing themselves, often more than paying attention to others.
everybody's life is so dull
Many people are bored with their own lives and seek out excitement elsewhere.
They spend their time living someone else's
They focus on other people's lives and drama instead of their own.
Ain't it fun to socialize
Socializing can be enjoyable and a fun activity.
Get together with some friends
Hanging out with friends is a common way to socialize.
And pass aound some rumors
Gossiping and sharing rumors about others is often a topic of conversation when socializing.
Ring ring call me on the phone
Depicts the act of receiving phone calls.
Hello, did you know? Know what?
A common way to start a conversation about hearsay or rumor.
Guess who...and then
A way to tease listeners and build suspense before revealing information.
Wll I never know, swear to God, I was there
People often lie or exaggerate stories to make themselves seem more interesting or knowledgeable.
It happened just like this; do tell...uh huh
Again, teasing listeners and building suspense before divulging information.
Guess it makes you someone special
Hearing and telling secrets can make one feel important and valuable to the group.
To be in on all the secrets and to tell them
Repeating secrets allows one to maintain their status and relevance in social circles.
Ain't it entertaining
Watching others' drama and spreading rumors can be entertaining for some people.
Keeps your tongue in shape
Talking and gossiping can help maintain conversational skills.
I guess it passes the time you do it all day long
Gossiping and repeating secrets can fill time and keep people occupied throughout the day.
You must think you're really sharp
Implying that the singer sees through the listener's ulterior motives and false sense of importance.
The way you use your words like knifes
Using words to hurt or cut others, resembling a sharp knife.
Yeah, TALK'S CHEAP
Repeating the perfect mantra for the song: talking may make one feel important, but it is meaningless without action.
Contributed by Skyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.