To better understand his future, Jason is diving headlong into his past. In moving forward, he is exploring his roots, stripping his music to its most vulnerable core and paying homage to the artists that have touched his life, and the music that has shaped his soul.
“One of the things I've always loved to do is just sit around with an acoustic guitar and sing,” says Miller. “I’m a true believer that if a song doesn't sound good with just a singer and a guitar, then it's probably not a very good song.”
That principle has been at the core of Godhead’s music for years, and it is that same principle that is at the heart of his performances as a solo artist. “I want to present new songs with minimal instrumentation, letting the audience hear them in their purest form,” he states, citing an array of influences so vast, it’s no wonder his songwriting is so profound.
Godhead fans know the influence of Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Robert Smith and Peter Murphy on the band, but as a solo artist, Miller expands his palette to more reverently reflect the songwriters that truly define his roots as a singer, songwriter and performer: Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson… The inspirations are as vast as the artist they inspired.
“When I was young, my father used to sing me James Taylor songs to help me fall asleep, and growing up I always loved roots rock artists like Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Van Morrison,” he says. “If you are a Godhead fan for our hard beats, heavy riffs and industrial programming, you may find my solo material challenging, but that’s okay. If you are a fan of my vocal lines, lyrics and melodies, I think you are going to really enjoy what you hear. Recording without a band is a very big departure for me, but don’t get me wrong, everything you hear is still very much me.”
One wouldn’t be wrong to say that it’s more him, actually. Miller doesn’t abandon the darker tones that mark his material with Godhead, but as a solo artist he strips that darkness to its starkest, most primal essence, exploring the shadowy depths of country, folk, blues and Americana. It is beautiful and barren, humble and honest, naked and exposed, soulful and spirited…
It is the sound of an artist spreading his wings and setting himself free.
It is Jason Charles Miller.
The History…
Jason C. Miller is an accomplished and multi-faceted performer, with more than a decade of professional experience as a musician, songwriter, actor and voice personality.
Miller is most widely recognized as the frontman of the alternative rock band Godhead, the only band ever signed to Marilyn Manson’s Posthuman Records. The band has sold more than 200,000 albums, and toured the world with the likes of Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed, Slipknot, Rammstein and Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. Godhead received a gold record for their placement on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, and Miller has another gold record for the song “The End Has Come,” which he wrote with former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody for the movie The Punisher.
As a songwriter, Miller wrote the all-star collaboration “Forever In Our Hearts” to benefit victims of the 2004 tsunami in South Asia. Performers on the track included Brian McKnight, Mya, Jacoby Shaddix [Papa Roach], Josh Freese, Nate Dogg and more. In addition to Moody, he has also written with Manson and Jeordie White [Nine Inch Nails/Marilyn Manson].
He has been featured on the pages of international magazines including Rolling Stone, Billboard and Guitar World, and has appeared worldwide on MTV, MTV2, VH1 and Fuse.
On screen, Miller most recently appeared in the Sci-Fi Network movie Battle Planet, and starred in and co-produced the independent short film “Everyday Joe,” which won an Audience Award at the eighth annual Valley Film Fest, in November 2008. Also in 2008, he portrayed Nosferatu in four Comedy Central commercials for Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil stand-up special, and also appeared in Day of the Dead, Steve Miner’s remake of George Romero’s classic zombie film.
As a voice actor, Jason C. Miller can be heard on more than 40 different animated series and video games.
Raised in rural Virginia near Washington D.C., Miller has been singing and acting since the age of five, appearing onstage throughout Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. He attended George Mason University, where he formed the band Godhead and signed his first recording contract, a multi-album deal with Sol 3 Records that offered him his first exposure to international audiences.
You Get What You Pay For
Jason Charles Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Asphalt melts like butter, bone dry sun baked ground
Rusted half ton pick up, duct tape on the door
6 pack and a thousand bucks, guess you get what you pay for
Hundred miles from Vegas, thousand miles from you
Sweating last night's whisky, I must be 100 proof
Last night shots were pounding, woke up on the floor
Heartache's now a headache, you get what you pay for
You get what you pay for: Misspelled tattoo
You get what you pay for: Homemade wine
You get what you pay for: Truck stop shower
You get what you pay for
You get what you pay for: Cheap motel room
You get what you pay for: Free advice
You get what you pay for: Bad directions
You get what you pay for
Two pair took my paycheck, three Jacks took my house
Broke and broken down, guess you get what you pay for
You get what you pay for: Misspelled tattoo
You get what you pay for: Homemade wine
You get what you pay for: Truck stop shower
You get what you pay for
You get what you pay for: Cheap motel room
You get what you pay for: Free advice
You get what you pay for: Bad directions
You get what you pay for
You get what you pay for: Sidewalk savior
You get what you pay for: Secondhand shoes
You get what you pay for: Hitch hiked travel
You get what you pay for
You get what you pay for: Free vacation
You get what you pay for: Old used tires
You get what you pay for: Drive through chapel
You get what you pay for
The song “You Get What You Pay For” by Jason Charles Miller is about the struggle of life and how choices have consequences. The singer is on a trip far away from home, and everything seems to be going wrong. The first verse describes the truck’s engine stuttering, and the wheels stop rolling on the road. The asphalt is melting, reflecting the scorching heat and dryness of the desert. The rusty pickup truck the singer is driving is held together by duct tape, and he only has a six-pack of beer and a thousand dollars to his name. It's a case of “you get what you pay for.”
In the second verse, the singer is suffering from the night before, which was filled with whiskey and ended up with him waking up on the floor. He reflects on how heartache becomes a headache, which is a metaphor for how bad decisions can create future problems. He repeats the chorus again, emphasizing how everything he is experiencing on his trip is due to the choices he has made in life.
The song's message is clear that we need to take ownership of our lives and accept that the outcomes we experience are a result of our actions. The song's character may not have much, but he accepts his fate and moves on. The song connects with the audience because we have all made choices in life that have led us to where we are today. It reminds us that we need to take responsibility for our actions and make better choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Feel that engine stutter, wheels stop rolling round
The car has come to a stop on the road
Asphalt melts like butter, bone dry sun baked ground
The heat is making the road hot and sticky
Rusted half ton pick up, duct tape on the door
The truck is old and in poor condition
6 pack and a thousand bucks, guess you get what you pay for
They didn't spend much money on the trip and are now dealing with issues because of it
Hundred miles from Vegas, thousand miles from you
The singer is far away from a loved one
Sweating last night's whisky, I must be 100 proof
The singer drank too much the night before and is now hungover
Last night shots were pounding, woke up on the floor
The singer got drunk and passed out
Heartache's now a headache, you get what you pay for
The consequences of their actions are now affecting them
You get what you pay for: Misspelled tattoo
The cheap tattoo they got is now spelled wrong
You get what you pay for: Homemade wine
The wine they made themselves turned out bad
You get what you pay for: Truck stop shower
The shower they used was not very clean or nice
You get what you pay for: Cheap motel room
The room they stayed in was not very nice
You get what you pay for: Free advice
The advice they received was not very helpful or accurate
You get what you pay for: Bad directions
The directions they received were incorrect
Two pair took my paycheck, three Jacks took my house
The singer lost their money in a card game
Broke and broken down, guess you get what you pay for
They didn't have enough money to handle unexpected expenses
You get what you pay for: Sidewalk savior
The person they asked for help on the street was not very knowledgeable
You get what you pay for: Secondhand shoes
The shoes they got secondhand are not very good quality
You get what you pay for: Hitch hiked travel
Hitchhiking is not always a safe or dependable way to travel
You get what you pay for: Free vacation
A trip that was supposed to be free or inexpensive is turning out poorly
You get what you pay for: Old used tires
The tires they got for their car are worn out and unreliable
You get what you pay for: Drive through chapel
The wedding they had at a drive-through chapel was not very special or memorable
Writer(s): Jon Mark Nite, Jason Charles Miller, David Rivers
Contributed by Charlotte J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheRedQueen79
Pretty cool guy, met him when he was with godhead opening for slipknot , damn I’m old that was 23 years ago. He signed my ticket
@Zorinia
Came for Felicia... Love the song! I may have to buy a new CD... It would be the first in years!
@verepainelistens1459
how in the world am I only seeing this now?!
@JasonCharlesMiller
Vere Paine Listens At least you finally found it!
@lukusblack6442
No matter how shit your day has been so far, if you end up with someone as cute as Felicia in your passenger seat, it's a good day.
@Fritz_Schlunder
The name "Felicia" presumably means something along the lines of "lucky/fortunate/happy". So... I think you mean it is a "lucky/fortunate/happy day".
@robriley4381
Guess it her name means lucky day then... I'll take it
@Dragoonk22
I'm not the biggest fan of Country, but Jason C. Miller is where it's at, love the song, ty
@JasonCharlesMiller
@47syd Yep! YouTube said my title was too long! He's all over the credits though. Awesome person!
@PokerHitmen
I normally don't like country style music as they seem too overplayed for my taste, but this is a really good song with a nice sound and a great chorus that sticks in your head. Best of luck to you Mr. Miller, you have a great tune and a cool sound.