Frenetically creative, and playing only by his own rules, Thirlwell has never stopped experimenting and evolving his sound. While his music is most often outside of any genre, it is most frequently described as Industrial or No-Wave. His earlier music is usually quite harsh and distorted, although since Love, his music has become increasingly orchestral and symphonic, sometime sounding like a full orchestra, but is actually only J.G Thirlwell himself, though sometimes assisted by guest musicians on select tracks. His latest album, Hide, goes even further in this direction than Love did, beginning with an operatic piece sung by Abigail Fischer.
He has inspired many following industrial artists; like Nine Inch Nails, Pig and Cop Shoot Cop, among others, with his sonic assault and innovative use of studio technology, and was a key contributor on Coil's groundbreaking debut album Scatology as well as appearing on a few early Nurse With Wound recordings.
Thirlwell has also worked on collaborations under the names of Steroid Maximus (multiple collaborators), Stinkfist (with Lydia Lunch), Flesh Volcano (with Marc Almond), Baby Zizanie (with Jim Coleman) and Wiseblood (with Roli Mosimann of Swans); and does remix work as well, often under the name of Foetus. He also lent his voice to the introduction of album Misguided by Argyle Park.
Thirlwell is currently the Composer In Residence for Adult Swim's "The Venture Brothers".
For the video release of Season 3, a soundtrack album was also released, titled "The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell". This is the same audio CD included as a bonus with the Blu-ray version of Season 3. While the CD release was originally made available at Adult Swim's website, it was given a wide release on May 12, 2009;[15] the vinyl LP release came out a month earlier. It can also be downloaded from most major digital retailers. The CD features 20 tracks, while the vinyl LP release is 16 tracks.[16]
In the episode "The Trial of the Monarch," The Monarch mentions a picture of Dr. Girlfriend "skinny dipping with Jim Foetus," a reference to Thirlwell.
Sick Man
Foetus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man possessed of not a lot
Skin and bones and rings and crown
Legs reach right down to the ground
Swivel hips and loose lips
Stab the dagger, turn it round
His life's an open book
Scribbled in his own blood
His constant companion is always at hand
Making entries in his diary
The diary of Sick Man
Overcome by waves of lechery
One for you sixteen for me
Kill the monkey on his back
He kisses big, he kisses black
Profile of Neanderthal
Leaves his debris in the hall
Pushover furniture, barroom brawls
Taking notes from toilet walls
His victim screams, he has a ball
The bigger the head, the harder they fall
He lives a life of luxury, he lives a life of misery
The entries in his diary are the entries of Sick Man
His constant companion is always at hand
Making entries in his diary
The diary of Sick Man
His pen's as mighty as his sword
Bites off more than he can afford
The torture-meister relishing
Intimidating everything
Typewriter rhythms drowning the
Newly acquired insecurity
Gets in fights, stays up nights
Rends and mends companion's tights
Forcing symptoms of his own disease
A boy for you, Black Plague for me
His constant companion is always at hand
Making entries in his diary
The diary of Sick Man
His constant companion is always at hand
Making entries in his diary
The diary of Sick Man
Blackheaded Blackguard with a blackjack
Laced his coffee with spoons of RATSAC
Hangs his trophies on walls of his place
Hangs his carrots in front of his own face
Lust and greed has swallowed him
Tearing limb from hymn to limb
He's worried now, he got a gun
Swallowed in his clammy hams
All he got for Christmas was
A chip on his shoulder
And a constant reminder
Left companion in pool of blood
She had tried to make him taste his own medicine
Gone down dead end alleyway
"Hey, Sick Man! Suck this, Sick Man! Eat hot lead!"
He's grinding, shaking, dancing dead
Illegal entries in his diary, diary of Sick Man
His constant companion is always at hand
Making entries in his diary
The diary of Sick Man
His constant companion is always at hand
Making entries in his diary
The diary of Sick Man
Illegal entries in his diary, diary of Sick Man
Sick Man
The lyrics of Foetus's song 'Sick Man' narrate the story of a man who is possessed by lust, greed, and violence, and his life is documented in his own diary. The song describes his physical appearance as being skinny, while still having a ring, and a crown. He walks like a broken man and has a strong sexual desire, and he makes notations of his experiences in his diary. The song reveals that Sick Man is also a sadistic bully who takes pleasure in hurting others, and he keeps writing notes of his criminal deeds in his diary. He has no limits, and he bites off more than he can chew, which becomes his ultimate demise. In the end, Sick Man is killed by one of his victims, who catches up to him in a dark alleyway.
The song is a commentary on our human nature and the dark side that resides in every one of us. We have an inner voice that can inspire us to be creative and compassionate, but we also have another voice that pushes us towards violence and destruction. The lyrics of 'Sick Man' show how our choices and actions determine the story of our lives - whether they are inspiring or depraved.
Line by Line Meaning
Lurchin' round the parking lot
He ambles aimlessly around the parking lot.
A man possessed of not a lot
He has very little to his name.
Skin and bones and rings and crown
He is extremely skinny, with few possessions to his name that he values highly.
Legs reach right down to the ground
He has very long legs.
Swivel hips and loose lips
He moves his hips and speaks without restraint or inhibition.
Stab the dagger, turn it round
He hurts people and enjoys inflicting pain.
His life's an open book
He does not keep his actions or feelings secret.
Scribbled in his own blood
He has written his experiences and emotions in his own blood.
His constant companion is always at hand
He always has a friend nearby.
Making entries in his diary
His friend writes down his experiences and emotions.
The diary of Sick Man
The diary belongs to the sick man.
Overcome by waves of lechery
He is consumed by lustful desires.
One for you sixteen for me
He takes advantage of others for his own benefit.
Kill the monkey on his back
He wants to eliminate the urges that he cannot control.
He kisses big, he kisses black
He kisses aggressively and without care for the other person's feelings.
Profile of Neanderthal
He exhibits primitive, uncivilized behavior.
Leaves his debris in the hall
He makes a mess and leaves his belongings lying around.
Pushover furniture, barroom brawls
He is a bully and causes destruction in bars.
Taking notes from toilet walls
He writes down vulgar and inappropriate comments on bathroom walls.
His victim screams, he has a ball
He enjoys hurting and torturing others.
The bigger the head, the harder they fall
The more arrogant and prideful a person is, the more satisfying it is to see them fail.
He lives a life of luxury, he lives a life of misery
Although he may have material possessions, he is unhappy.
His pen's as mighty as his sword
He is skilled in writing and uses it as a weapon.
Bites off more than he can afford
He takes on more than he can handle financially.
The torture-meister relishing
He enjoys causing pain and discomfort.
Intimidating everything
He scares and bullies others into doing what he wants.
Typewriter rhythms drowning the
The sounds of his typewriter are overpowering.
Newly acquired insecurity
He has become insecure about his own abilities or image.
Gets in fights, stays up nights
He is always ready for a fight and stays up late.
Rends and mends companion's tights
He tears and then repairs his friend's clothing.
Forcing symptoms of his own disease
He is causing others to exhibit symptoms of his own sickness.
A boy for you, Black Plague for me
He is willing to inflict harm on others even if it means putting himself at risk.
Blackheaded Blackguard with a blackjack
He is a wicked person who carries a weapon.
Laced his coffee with spoons of RATSAC
He had poisoned his own coffee and consumed it.
Hangs his trophies on walls of his place
He displays reminders of his terrible actions in his home.
Hangs his carrots in front of his own face
He dangles rewards in front of himself as a motivation to continue his bad behavior.
Lust and greed has swallowed him
His desires for physical pleasure and material wealth have consumed him entirely.
Tearing limb from hymn to limb
He is causing extreme pain and harm to others.
He's worried now, he got a gun
He is fearful of being caught for his actions and has obtained a weapon for protection.
Swallowed in his clammy hams
He is trapped in the consequences of his own bad decisions.
All he got for Christmas was
He received nothing of value for the holiday.
A chip on his shoulder
He has an attitude of hostility and resentment towards others.
And a constant reminder
He has something that reminds him of his bad behavior at all times.
Left companion in pool of blood
He killed his friend and is now covered in their blood.
She had tried to make him taste his own medicine
His friend attempted to hold him accountable for his actions.
Gone down dead end alleyway
He has reached a point where there is no way out of his situation.
"Hey, Sick Man! Suck this, Sick Man! Eat hot lead!"
Someone is threatening him and telling him to face the consequences of his actions.
He's grinding, shaking, dancing dead
He is experiencing a physical and emotional breakdown.
Illegal entries in his diary, diary of Sick Man
He has committed illegal acts and documented them in his personal diary.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James George Thirlwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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