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.
Clarissa
Mindless Self Indulgence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i'm telling you every single one of you goddamn bitches ain't never gonna know love
every little thing you do, rock mine
every little thing you do, fucking ho
on monday night bitch
tuesday night bitch
thursday night bitch
if you're so smart, explain this clarissa, pow
explain this, clarissa, clarissa, clarissa
every single one of you goddamn bitches ain't never gonna know love
i'm telling you every single one of you goddamn bitches ain't never gonna know love
every little thing you do, rock mine
every little thing you do, fucking ho
on monday night bitch
tuesday night bitch
wednesday night bitch
thursday night bitch
you're so smart
come hold me fergusun, come on and ride me now
come hold me fergusun, well i said i got nothing
come hold me ferguson,
come hold me ferguson, come hold me ferguson
come on come on come on ride it ride it pow
The lyrics to Mindless Self Indulgence's song "Clarissa" are intentionally crude and confrontational. The singer seems to be addressing women specifically, calling them "goddamn bitches" and telling them they will never know love. The repetition of the phrase "every little thing you do, fucking ho" reinforces this attitude. The singer then goes on to list off the days of the week, calling each one a "bitch." The repetition of this phrase creates a sense of urgency and aggression.
The chorus then repeats the idea that none of these women will ever know love. The final verse is even more confrontational, this time addressing someone named Clarissa and challenging her to explain something. The line "come hold me ferguson" seems to come out of nowhere and adds to the overall confusion and chaos of the song. The final repetition of "come on come on come on ride it ride it pow" brings the song to a frenzied conclusion.
Overall, the lyrics to "Clarissa" are intentionally offensive and confrontational. They are meant to provoke a reaction and challenge societal norms. The song is a powerful statement about rebellion and non-conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
every single one of you goddamn bitches ain't never gonna know love
None of you women will ever find true love.
i'm telling you every single one of you goddamn bitches ain't never gonna know love
I am emphasizing that no woman will ever find true love.
every little thing you do, rock mine
Everything you do affects me greatly and throws me off.
every little thing you do, fucking ho
Every action you perform makes you seem even more like a promiscuous whore.
on monday night bitch
I encountered you on a Monday night, and you acted aggressively.
tuesday night bitch
On Tuesday night, I saw you again and you were still unpleasant.
wednesday night bitch
By Wednesday night, you had still not changed your demeanor.
thursday night bitch
Even on Thursday night, you had not changed and were still acting like a bitch.
if you're so smart, explain this clarissa, pow
If you are truly intelligent, then solve this problem or answer this question, Clarissa. (Pow might be used here as emphasis or an insult)
explain this, clarissa, clarissa, clarissa
I am demanding to know the answer or explanation to my question or problem.
you're so smart
You think you are intelligent or wise.
come hold me fergusun, come on and ride me now
I am asking Ferguson to come to me and engage in sexual activity.
come hold me fergusun, well i said i got nothing
I am being honest and stating that I have nothing of value or appeal to offer to Ferguson.
come hold me ferguson
I am still requesting that Ferguson engage in sexual activity with me.
come on come on come on ride it ride it pow
I am demanding that Ferguson engage in sexual activity right now. (Pow might be used here for emphasis or an insult)
Lyrics © JAMES IS A GIRL MUSIC C/O CITRIN COOPERMAN, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JAMES EURINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind