The band has 11 releases through Fat Wreck Chords: eight studio albums, one EP, one live album and a collection of B-sides, compilation tracks and demos. Lagwagon has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America, Europe and Asia. Their moderate success reflected a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, along with fellow California bands Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. Their song 'May 16' was also featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.
The story about the name Lagwagon is that Joey’s mom was often late picking him and his brother up from school. She drove a station wagon, which his brother dubbed the "lagwagon". After signing to Fat Mike's label Fat Wreck Chords, Lagwagon released their debut album for the label, Duh, in 1992. Frontman Joey Cape commented on how the album was made, "Back then, we were inexperienced in the studio. It was less about the recording process and more about rehearsing. We recorded and mixed Duh in 4 days. There's something to be said for a budget. You have to have your shit together before you go into the studio and the end result is a record that better reflects the band's sound at the time." Two years later, Lagwagon released Trashed, their second record on Fat, which turned out to be highly successful, leading to the eventual production of a video for "Island of Shame." During this time, a number of punk bands, such as Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid, had hit the mainstream and Lagwagon turned down offers to join several major labels. Hoss, the third Lagwagon album, was released on November 21, 1995. After the release of that album and an extensive tour in Europe, Australia, and Japan, both guitarist Shawn Dewey and drummer Derrick Plourde would leave the band and be replaced temporarily by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) on guitar, and permanently by Dave Raun (RKL) on drums. Shawn Dewey, already in the side project band Buck Wild on Lobster Records would go on to release two full-length LPs Beat Me Silly and Full Metal Overdrive and do two European tours with Good Riddance and Ten Foot Pole.
After two more albums, Double Plaidinum and Let's Talk About Feelings, the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2000, due to all members working on side projects. Lagwagon resurfaced in 2002, and released their sixth album Blaze the following year. In 2004, frontman Joey Cape released a split album with No Use for a Name vocalist Tony Sly featuring acoustic versions of songs by both bands. On November 1, 2005, Lagwagon released Resolve, which is a homage to the life of Derrick Plourde, original drummer for Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut.
In 2008, Lagwagon released an EP titled I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon. Despite earlier reports that the band would begin recording their next full-length studio album by 2009, Lagwagon had gone on hiatus from touring and writing again, due to Cape launching a solo career, releasing Bridge in 2008 and Doesn't Play Well with Others in 2010.
In January 2010, Joey Cape announced during an interview with Canada's Exclaim! magazine[4] that Jesse Buglione had left Lagwagon, having been with the band since its foundation in 1990. However, Cape dismissed rumors of Lagwagon breaking up. While he was not sure if Lagwagon would record a new album or embark on another full-scale tour, he said that he was open to playing shows and possibly recording and releasing new Lagwagon songs sporadically. Jesse Buglione confirmed his departure on Lagwagon's official message board himself, as reported by sputnikmusic.com and punknews.org. Lagwagon toured with No Use for a Name that summer. In an interview with fasterlouder.com.au Joey Cape, revealed former RKL bassist Joe Raposo is Lagwagon's new bassist. In a June 2011 interview with ExploreMusic however, Joey Cape said that things didn't work out with Raposo, and the band is testing a new bassist. After first announcing Patrick Solem as the new bass player in August 2011, the band decided that Raposo would remain in the band permanently.
On September 22, 2011, Fat Wreck announced they would be re-issuing expanded editions of the first 5 albums on CD, vinyl, and digital download. The albums were available both separately and in a box set titled Putting Music In Its Place. The reissues were released November 22, 2011, with a short line-up of concerts in the USA played in December and January, and a European tour following in April 2012. As of October 2012, Lagwagon is headlining a full U.S. tour titled The Fat Tour 2012, with Dead To Me, The Flatliners, and Useless ID as support.
In October 2012, Joey Cape stated that there will be a new Lagwagon album, which will be their first since 2005's Resolve. While details and release dates are not yet known, the band announced on its Twitter feed that songs are being written for a new album. The September 22 Tweet reads, "Writing, writing, writing. New album... It's gonna happen!"
The band recorded their eighth album, Hang, with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room, Ft Collins, CO. The album was released on October 28, 2014, and debuted at #95 on the Billboard 200.
On October 4, 2019, the band released their ninth studio album Railer.
Sad Astronaut
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moments from your end
Inconceivable dread
Inches from your head
I can't bear to imagine you
In that horror scene
One too sad to be
Embracing you so scared
Now you kill me too
You killed me too
Decidedly willing to lie for you
Absolutely willing to cry for you
Ill at ease in saying goodbye to you
A part of me will never know
I am there again, intervals of red
An accomplice to
Things I couldn't do
In a fable disabled
I say words like foolish son
God what have you done
I'm a thin blue cliche, hopelessly
I'm a mouthful of doubtful
Decidedly willing to lie for you
Say again
Willing to cry for you
Finally saying goodbye to you
A part of you I'll never know
Looking through the spyglass in a punctured sky
While your garden died
You couldn't see the sky for your fallen stars?
Endless in your arms
You were still alive even as the sad astronaut
The lyrics of Lagwagon's "Sad Astronaut" describe the final moments of someone's life and the unbearable pain of losing them. The first stanza takes the listener to a gruesome scene of someone on a bed, moments away from dying, and the dread that overwhelms them. The singer cannot bear to imagine the horror of the situation and holds onto the memory of embracing the dying person in fear. The knowledge that the person will soon be gone kills the singer; they are as good as dead.
In the second verse, the singer continues to express their willingness to do anything for the dying person. They feel ill at ease saying goodbye, and there will always be a part of them that will never know what to do. The singer is consumed with guilt for not doing enough to save the dying person or help them. They feel like they are part of a fable that is broken and disabled.
The final verse describes the aftermath of the person's death. The singer is looking at the world through a punctured sky, perhaps a metaphor for a shattered reality. The garden has died, and the stars have fallen. The person whom they have lost was like a sad astronaut, alone in the vastness of space. The singer realizes that they will never know all the secrets that the dying person held.
Overall, "Sad Astronaut" is a song that deals with loss, guilt, and unanswered questions. The lyrics are full of vivid metaphors and images that paint a picture of the emotional turmoil that the singer is going through.
Line by Line Meaning
As you sat on the bed
As you were on your deathbed
Moments from your end
Close to death
Inconceivable dread
Unimaginable fear
Inches from your head
Close to your head
I can't bear to imagine you
It's painful to imagine you in that situation
In that horror scene
In that terrifying moment
One too sad to be
A moment too sad to be real
In my mind's eye I am there
I can picture it in my mind
Embracing you so scared
Hugging you and being scared
Now you kill me too
Your death also hurts me
You killed me too
Your death affected me deeply
Decidedly willing to lie for you
I would lie for you without hesitation
Absolutely willing to cry for you
I would cry for you without hesitation
Ill at ease in saying goodbye to you
It's hard to say goodbye to you
A part of me will never know
A part of me will never fully understand
I am there again, intervals of red
I keep replaying it in my mind, seeing flashes of red
An accomplice to
Feeling guilty for not being able to prevent it
Things I couldn't do
Things I wasn't capable of doing to save you
In a fable disabled
Feeling helpless, like a disabled character in a story
I say words like foolish son
I talk as if I'm foolish
God what have you done
Questioning why this happened
I'm a thin blue cliche, hopelessly
Feeling like a hopeless and overused stereotype
I'm a mouthful of doubtful
Feeling uncertain and full of doubt
Say again
Repeat
Finally saying goodbye to you
Saying a final goodbye to you
A part of you I'll never know
A part of you I'll never fully understand
Looking through the spyglass in a punctured sky
Feeling lost in a damaged world
While your garden died
While your life ended
You couldn't see the sky for your fallen stars?
Did you feel overwhelmed by your losses?
Endless in your arms
Feeling comforted and loved in your embrace
You were still alive even as the sad astronaut
You were still alive, even in a metaphorical state of sadness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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on Never Stops
twin towers coming down