After mk Ultra broke up in 1999, Vanderslice wasted little time building a solo reputation. In 2000, he gained national media attention over his single Bill Gates Must Die after concocting an elaborate hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over supposed trademark violations (the disc had a similar etching to a Windows installation disc).
Subsequent albums, Time Travel is Lonely, Life and Death of an American Fourtracker, Cellar Door, Pixel Revolt and Emerald City have gained critical acclaim for their melodic quality and sophisticated narrative lyrical content. Vanderslice has spent much of the last few years on tour across North America, Europe, and Japan.
Vanderslice also founded a recording studio in 1997 called Tiny Telephone. Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Tiny Telephone has carved out a niche as the last all-analog recording studio in the Bay Area, and has a policy of setting recording rates under market prices. Bands who have used Vanderslice's studio include Beulah, Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River and Spoon.
Vanderslice is a proponent of using analog instruments and recording equipment to produce a richer, more raw sound which he has sometimes called "dirty hi-fi". He has collaborated closely with Scott Solter in the production of his recent albums, with Pixel Revolt being notably shaped by Solter.
Vanderslice was a contributing producer on the Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, and has collaborated and toured with The Mountain Goats. He is strongly influenced by film and is a fan of David Lynch, whose work is referenced in his song "Promising Actress". His declared musical influences are diverse, ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel to Public Enemy. He is an avid photography hobbyist. He has incorporated the poetry of William Blake and Robert Lowell into his music.
Several songs on the album Pixel Revolt referenced the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent global political situation. This is also true of Vanderslice's most recent album, Emerald City.
Hard Times
John Vanderslice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I clearly remember
We swimming off the Serbian Coast
And you reread and you reread Hard Times
After the way it ended
I was bloody and bruised
I needed to find out why you cut me off
Hard times
So I lost a year
On that shaky pier
To find an answer
I searched every sentence
And ended deeper still
In hard times
In John Vanderslice's song Hard Times, the lyrics allude to a devastating breakup and a painful recovery. The first stanza reminisces about a happy time when the singer and their partner were swimming off the Serbian Coast. The line "you reread and you reread Hard Times" suggests that perhaps the couple were reading Charles Dickens' Hard Times, a novel that deals with the struggles faced by British industrialists and the working class in the 19th century. Perhaps the singer and their partner were also going through some tough times, but were able to find solace in each other's company.
However, the second stanza alludes to the breakup that occurred between the singer and their partner. The use of the words "bloody and bruised" convey the intense emotional pain that the singer felt after being cut off by their partner. Additionally, the reference to Javeria leaves room for the possibility that the breakup was particularly traumatic, perhaps occurring in a foreign country where the singer was left stranded and alone. From that point on, the singer is left to deal with the "hard times" of their recovery.
In the third and final stanza, the singer describes their long journey of introspection and healing. They lost a year on a "shaky pier" to find the answer they were looking for. The line "I searched every sentence / And ended deeper still" suggests that the singer had to delve deep into themselves and grapple with their own personal demons in order to come to some sort of resolution. The song is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the ability to overcome even the hardest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh that summer with you
Recalling a past romantic summer experiences with someone.
I clearly remember
The memory is still fresh.
We swimming off the Serbian Coast
A time and place of a shared experience.
And you reread and you reread Hard Times
Someone was repeatedly reading something named Hard Times.
After the way it ended
Referring to a negative outcome after the romantic experience.
I was bloody and bruised
Metaphorical reference. The person was hurt emotionally.
I needed to find out why you cut me off
Wanted an explanation for being excluded from their life.
And left me for dead in Javeria
Being disassociated from their life left a significant impact.
Hard times
An expression referring to a difficult period in life.
So I lost a year
Part of a prolonged journey.
On that shaky pier
A place of instability.
To find an answer
The motivation for continuing the journey.
I searched every sentence
The search for answers was thorough.
And ended deeper still
The journey extended deeper than intended.
In hard times
An expression referring to a past, difficult experience.
Contributed by Jasmine G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.