The band's current configuration is Isaac Brock (vocals, guitar), Tom Peloso (strings, horns, bass, keyboards), Jim Fairchild (guitar), and Eric Judy (bass)). Plummer has recently become the new drummer for The Shins.
Brock came up with the name "Modest Mouse" when he read the Virginia Woolf stream of consciousness essay The Mark On the Wall in which the author described the working middle class as "modest mouse-coloured people"
Brock frequently moved around with his mother when he was a child. Around this time, his mother left his father for his father's brother (Brock's uncle). Brock's mother's house flooded and forced them to move into his mother's new husband's trailer, but there was no room for Brock. Brock stayed behind, living in the second story of the flooded house, until he was eventually evicted by police. He then moved into a shed next to his mother's house and it is said this is where Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy first began playing music.
In 1994, the band recorded their debut EP, Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. Then followed a single with Sub Pop that was recorded by producer Steve Wold at Moon Studios. Wold, who in the mid-2000's would begin to perform under the name Seasick Steve, would also perform on the band's albums, but was never an official member of the band. After moving to Up Records Modest Mouse put out several releases recorded at Moon Studios, including 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. This double LP was produced and recorded by Steve Wold. The next offering on UP was Interstate 8; also produced by Steve Wold. 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) turned out to be the band's breakthrough album. The Lonesome Crowded West gained the band a cult following and is now widely considered by many critics to be one of the defining albums of mid-90s indie rock.
In 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon And Antarctica, their first album on a major label (Epic Records). The band enjoyed some success on alternative radio with the singles "3rd Planet" and "Gravity Rides Everything." Lead singer Isaac Brock has since put out an album with his side project Ugly Casanova on Sub Pop Records.
In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band; the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. He was replaced with two members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci (Murder City Devils). Weikel being new to the band and Gallucci returning to the band for the first time since This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released the platinum-selling Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty". In 2004 Jeremiah Green returned to the band, and Benjamin Weikel now drums exclusively for The Helio Sequence. Dann Gallucci left the band in August, and they toured with Hutch Harris of The Thermals during the fall of 2004.
Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM v. Grokster. Justice Souter wrote that on the Grokster P2P network, "Users seeking Top 40 songs, for example, or the latest release by Modest Mouse, are certain to be far more numerous than those seeking a free Decameron, and Grokster and StreamCast translated that demand into dollars."
In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso, who already played various instruments on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, officially joined the band. In 2006, Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, became an official member of the band.
On March 20, 2007, the band released their fifth album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Four singles were released from the album: "Dashboard", "Missed the Boat", "We've Got Everything" and "Little Motel". The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. James Mercer of The Shins provides backing vocals on three songs.
In 2009, they released No One's First And You're Next, an EP of unreleased songs from around the time Good News and We Were Dead were recorded, and two songs that had already been released, "I've Got It All (Most)" and "King Rat". The video for King Rat was directed by late actor Heath Ledger.
In 2009, Johnny Marr left the band and was replaced by Jim Fairchild, formerly of Grandaddy. The band performed at several festivals throughout 2009 and 2010, including the main stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2010.
After an 8 year wait, the band's latest full-length is "Strangers To Ourselves", released March 17th, 2015- two weeks after the original release date, March 3rd, 2015. The album art is an aerial photo of an RV resort located in Mesa, Arizona. Five singles were released before the album, "Lampshades on Fire", "Coyotes", "The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box", "The Best Room", and "Of Course we Know".
Drummer Jeremiah Green passed away from cancer on December 31, 2022 at the age of 45.
The Fruit That Ate Itself
Modest Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got bad breath talking bout fresh rain
My hand my hand gonna shake the same
Are you gonna be your own goddamn best friend
Well we taught the fruit how to eat itself
It was hanging out alone all on the shelf
How do I land
Cause I don't understand
And you're buying the product,
But you didn't get that 'cause you already got it
And you do not understand
Take a drive
Black hole talking bout nothing
You can't get the chicken or the stuffing
Going round and you think your tough
When you can't kick ass
Take a ride on a downtown train
Wake-up so you can get drunk again well
Take a drive in the wrong hand lane
Got bad breath talking bout fresh rain
We taught the mirror how to admire itself
Are you gonna get sick worrying bout your health
Where do I land
I don't understand
The lyrics of Modest Mouse's song The Fruit That Ate Itself start with the singer taking a drive in the wrong-hand lane, and he has bad breath from talking about fresh rain, implying that he may be rambling without any coherent thought. The singer’s hand is going to shake the same, which could suggest that he is going to repeat the same patterns of behavior, even if those behaviors are not beneficial to him. The singer then asks if the listener is going to be their own best friend, indicating that they should not rely on the opinions of others, but instead, trust in themselves.
The chorus talks about how they taught the fruit to eat itself, which is a metaphor for how humans consume, destroy, and ruin themselves. The fruit hung out on the shelf, and the humans taught the fruit to eat itself instead of nurturing it. The singer does not understand how he should land, implying that there is no clear direction or purpose for his life. He then talks about walking across the country, shaking many hands, and buying the product, but not realizing he has already bought it.
The next verse talks about the black hole talking about nothing, and they cannot get the chicken or stuffing, which could be a metaphor for feeling like there is nothing to hold onto in life. The singer thinks he is tough, but he cannot kick ass, which could suggest that he is all talk and no action. The singer then tells us to take a ride on a downtown train, wake up, and get drunk again. The final lines of the song reference teaching the mirror to admire itself and questioning if worrying too much about one's health will make you sick.
Overall, the lyrics of The Fruit That Ate Itself seem to be about the self-destructive tendencies of humans and how we may be inadvertently teaching ourselves to harm and ruin ourselves. The song encourages listeners to be their own best friend, to avoid mindless consumption, and to question the patterns and habits that may be harmful.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a drive in the wrong hand lane
Driving recklessly and not caring about consequences.
Got bad breath talking bout fresh rain
Bad mouthing things that are actually refreshing and good because of one's own negativity.
My hand my hand gonna shake the same
Mental and emotional instability, leading to physical responses.
Are you gonna be your own goddamn best friend
Questioning self-love and self-care.
Well we taught the fruit how to eat itself
Introducing destructive behaviors and tendencies to something innocent and pure.
It was hanging out alone all on the shelf
The aforementioned innocent and pure something being neglected and unused.
How do I land
Feeling lost and unsure about one's destination.
Cause I don't understand
Confusion and frustration about the current situation.
Walk across the country shaking many hands
Traveling and meeting new people, making connections.
And you're buying the product,
Consumerism and materialism.
But you didn't get that 'cause you already got it
Owning something but not realizing its value or worth.
And you do not understand
Continuing with destructive behaviors and lacking awareness of the consequences.
Black hole talking bout nothing
Engaging in conversations that have no substance or value.
You can't get the chicken or the stuffing
Not being able to obtain basic needs or wants.
Going round and you think your tough
Pretending to be strong and capable when in reality, one may not be.
When you can't kick ass
Being unable to effectively handle challenges or problems.
Take a ride on a downtown train
Escaping reality and routine by traveling and exploring new places.
Wake-up so you can get drunk again well
Coping mechanisms instead of facing problems head-on.
We taught the mirror how to admire itself
Conceitedness and self-absorption.
Are you gonna get sick worrying bout your health
Ironically causing harm to oneself through excessive concern and anxiety about one's health.
Where do I land
Uncertainty and insecurity regarding one's future.
I don't understand
Lack of comprehension or insights about the current situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Eric Judy, Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gonk Nodge
Best song to show off Eric and Jeremiah's skills. My favorite MM song
Eye Balling
@flyingnoodle Trucker's Atlas is pretty good for it but I prefer this song because he just goes absolutely ham at the end
flyingnoodle
the best song to show off Jeremiahs drumming is Truckers Atlas
Guercinator
hmmmm, I just realized that there is no guitar in this song, and yet it still sounds awesome!
Scurvy
Sometimes you don’t need a fucking guitar
judaschrist12
this is their sickest song. love it.
Sixsoul
Are you gonna get sick worrying about your health?
Din Djarum
* fires shotgun *
AMEN!
Y4123
Probably the most underrated song in the Modest Mouse discography
amehrer1
Arghhh, jealous! Bass is one of the instruments I always wished I had learned as a kid >:D