Before starting the band Mindless Self Indulgence, James Euringer launched a solo album in 1995, called Mindless Self-Indulgence, which he had produced by himself and was limited to 500 copies. Contrary to popular belief, this was not an album by the band Mindless Self Indulgence, however, Steve Righ? played guitar for the track "Bed of Roses".
Another large influence in the band's music comes from early 1980s culture. Frequently the music contains samples of early 80's hip-hop or rock, as well as Atari-style beeps and tones. Their second album as a band, 1999's Tight, was even allegedly mixed on Atari equipment. Many of Urine's dress styles consist of the juxtaposition of popular 1980s clothing or bastardized versions thereof.
Later in February 2000, MSI launched the album Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy, featuring 30 tracks that were sorted alphabetically. Kitty (Drummer) designed and ran the official site of MSI when the album came out.
After Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy , Vanessa YT (Bass player) decided to leave MSI to start a family. Her replacement in the band was Lyn-Z (Bass player).
Mindless Self Indulgence is distinguished from mainstream punk, however, by their incorporating lyrics about being gay and related topics into nearly all of their songs - even titling one of their songs Faggot. Also, Euringer and Steve, Righ? (Guitarist) possess wide vocal ranges, stretching from tenor to high falsetto. The band also has no qualms about using words deemed offensive by some, such as nigga (Jimmy Urine argues that he doesn't say the word out of anger, and often it is more or less used in the sense that it is used in the hip-hop world), and faggot heavily in many of their songs. Many critics have used their word choice to dismiss the band as juvenile.
And although this may be the case, with some songs being of a 'juvenile' subject and tone, they also use clever lyrics and stance to give meaning to songs, such as You'll rebel to anything, which is a song that talks about how punk culture is being exploited by misdirected youths as a way to be unique or get noticed.
In keeping with their confrontational posture, Euringer has been arrested for pulling his penis out of his pants and attempting to set his pubic hair on fire, allegedly succeeding on one such occasion. Other notable stage antics include him drinking his own urine, inviting audience members to punch him in the face and/or throw objects at him, making out with both genders during the show, and roaming through the audience after the set blaring hip-hop music from a boom box perched on his shoulder.
The band's energetic live shows have gained them much recognition. The band is known to stay after the show has finished, signing whatever fans want until not one person is left wanting an autograph. They also take photographs with all desiring fans. They have opened for a number of popular bands, including System of a Down, KoRn, Staind, Sum 41, Mushroomhead, Insane Clown Posse, My Chemical Romance, and Rammstein. They have also played many large musical festivals including Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans in October of 2003 (and in Memphis, TN after Hurricane Katrina in 2006), as well as headlining the Mojave tent at the 2004 Coachella Festival, and the main stage of 2007's Give It A Name. They also headlined the second stage of the Projekt Revolution tour in Summer 2007.
Their DVD, called Our Pain, Your Gain, was released on September 11, 2007, featuring one of their concerts in New York.
On 29th April 2008, their 4th studio album, If, was released. The standard edition contains 15 tracks, the deluxe edition has the same tracklist and a bonus DVD. The Clean version has 16 tracks, Uncle being the additional track. The International edition (UK version) has 21 tracks; 3S as bonus track and four Never Wanted To Dance remixes.
On 25th October 2012, they began a Kickstarter to crowdfund their next studio album, which reached its goal by December 24th of that year. Digital downloads for their fifth studio album, How I Learned To Stop Giving A Shit And Love Mindless Self Indulgence, were released on 13 March 2013. There are three different versions of the album, with each including the standard 13-song tracklist as well as bonus tracks. The Kickstarter exclusive downloads include the bonus tracks Angel, I Am Not Here to Make Any Friends, and Last Gay Song. The Kickstarter exclusive digipak CD includes the bonus track Sex for Homework. The tour edition CD includes the bonus track Seven Minutes in Heaven. The Metropolis Records released CD includes the bonus cover, The Logical Song (originally by Supertramp).
After the 2014 tour concluded, Mindless Self Indulgence began a hiatus from touring to spend time with their families. On 18 September 2015, the band released the supposed "lost" album Pink, a 19-song album of remastered versions of the "Pink Demos" from 1990-1997, including covers Personal Jesus (originally by Depeche Mode and Girls On Film (originally by Duran Duran). The album includes redone versions of tracks from the self-titled EP from 1995. It’s also known that there are 31 “lost” tracks from 1990-1997 (“Pink Demos” era), and that 15 of those tracks were added onto Pink, then also implying that there are another 16 “lost” tracks that could be released in future, however chances are slim due to recent events.
Cake
Mindless Self Indulgence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am the best
I got it made
Now you're impressed
But look what it's done to me
Is it good?
No, it's great
Well it's a little too much too late
I just dig
My own grave
Because everything is fading away, baby
Don't lose your head
Is it good? NO
Is it great? YES
Do I care? NO
Let them all eat cake
I got myself
I got my friends
I got a life
Now I'm in hell
But look what's become of me
Is it good-good-good?
No, it's great-great-great
Well it's a little too much too late
Party on
'Till the dawn
Because everything is fading away, baby
Don't lose your head
Is it good? NO
Is it great? YES
Do I care? NO
Let them all eat cake
The lyrics of Mindless Self Indulgence's song "Cake" are a reflection of individualism and self-absorption. The song starts with the singer boasting about how great they are, but then they question if it's really good for them. They have everything they want, but it's not enough to sustain happiness. Instead, the singer realizes that they have "dug their own grave" with their own self-centered pursuits.
The chorus reinforces this idea, as the singer declares that they don't care about anyone but themselves, and they're willing to let everyone else "eat cake." This could be a reference to Marie Antoinette's famous quote "Let them eat cake," which showed how out of touch she was with the common people's struggles. The singer of the song is similarly out of touch, and they are willing to let others suffer while they maintain their own selfish desires.
Overall, the lyrics of "Cake" are a commentary on the dangers of individualism and self-obsession. The singer's pursuit of pleasure and self-aggrandizement has left them unfulfilled and isolated, and they are unwilling to change their ways.
Line by Line Meaning
I love myself
I have a high level of confidence and self-love
I am the best
I have an extremely high opinion of myself
I got it made
I have achieved success and have everything I need
Now you're impressed
I have caused you to feel admiration and respect towards me
But look what it's done to me
My self-absorption and arrogance have had negative consequences on my mental state
Is it good?
Is the impact of my actions beneficial?
No, it's great
The consequences of my behavior are not just good, but actually fantastic
Well it's a little too much too late
The negative effects of my behavior are severe and cannot be undone by remedial actions
I just dig
I am actively making my situation worse
My own grave
I am causing my own downfall
Because everything is fading away, baby
All of the good things in life are temporary and will eventually disappear
Don't lose your head
Don't let yourself become too obsessed with temporary pleasures
Is it good? NO
The transitory pleasure is not a positive thing
Is it great? YES
The temporary pleasure is extremely enjoyable
Do I care? NO
I am not concerned about the negative outcomes of this behavior
Let them all eat cake
I have no concern for other people's well-being and will enjoy myself regardless of their suffering
I got myself
I have self-sufficiency
I got my friends
I have a supportive social circle
I got a life
I have a fulfilling existence
Now I'm in hell
Despite having everything I need, I am miserable due to my own negative behavior
Is it good-good-good?
Are the consequences of my behavior positive?
No, it's great-great-great
The consequences of my behavior are extremely enjoyable
Party on
Continue to enjoy temporary pleasures
'Till the dawn
Celebrate until the morning
Don't lose your head
Don't become too focused on temporary enjoyment
Is it good? NO
The enjoyment is temporary and not beneficial in the long-term
Is it great? YES
The enjoyment is extremely pleasurable
Do I care? NO
I am not concerned about the long-term negative consequences of my behavior
Let them all eat cake
I will continue to enjoy myself regardless of the suffering of others
Contributed by Maria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.