Mindless Self Indulgence (or MSI) are an American Industrial rock band that… Read Full Bio ↴Mindless Self Indulgence (or MSI) are an American Industrial rock band that found its origin in New York City, NY in 1997. The current lineup is Jimmy Urine (vocals), Steve Righ? (guitar), Lyn-Z (bass) and Kitty (drums). Though considered electropunk, they are heavily influenced by jungle, industrial, electronic dance music, and hip-hop. Intentionally iconoclastic, James Euringer (who uses the stage name Little Jimmy Urine) owes sartorial influence to the New York Dolls, wearing fishnet shirts at concerts, and is occasionally seen in shorts or pants with the inside cut out similar to how a skirt looks, and neon stockings.

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.

Due
Mindless Self Indulgence Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Repeat x2]
Everyone knows
What you know
All except me
That ain't right
Let me know
When I get
The respect that I'm due if only for tonight

Watch me mix it
In my basement
With no makeup
I feel naked now
Ha ha ha
I never really lost the fight
But I never really won it
Ha ha ha
And die my darling
Ha ha ha

P.S.
Welcome to my life

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mindless Self Indulgence's song Due are about the singer's desire for respect and recognition. They feel left out of the loop and are frustrated by the fact that everyone else seems to know what's going on while they remain in the dark. The repeated refrain "Let me know when I get the respect that I'm due if only for tonight" emphasizes their longing for validation.

The verse that follows expresses the singer's creativity and independence. They mix music in their basement without any cosmetic embellishments - this is a reference to the notion that female musicians are often expected to appear glamorous and made-up at all times. The line "I feel naked now" suggests a vulnerability that comes with bearing one's true self to the world.

The chorus that follows conflates victory and defeat. The singer has never fully lost a fight, but they never really won it either. The repetition of "Ha ha ha" suggests a sense of irony, as if they are laughing at themselves for not quite achieving what they set out to do.

The final line, "Welcome to my life," feels like a wry invitation to enter the singer's world. It's almost as if they are saying, "This is what it's like to be me, and it's not always easy."

Line by Line Meaning

Everyone knows
It's commonly known among peers

What you know
They share the same understanding or knowledge

All except me
Only the singer hasn't caught up with the shared knowledge

That ain't right
The artist acknowledges the discrepancy in their understanding and feels it's wrong

Let me know
The artist wants to be informed or updated

When I get
At what point will the singer receive

The respect that I'm due if only for tonight
The singer deserves respect, even if temporary

Watch me mix it
Watch the artist blend or create something

In my basement
In the privacy or seclusion of their personal space

With no makeup
Without any artificial enhancements or facades

I feel naked now
The singer feels exposed or vulnerable