For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.
Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.
Michelin Man
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pump it up if ever it goes limp
Dress in crepe, dress up in silk
Pump it up, 'cause when he's hard and when he's big
He's the Michelin Man
Made of rubber
The Michelin Man
Make him Zeppelin big
On your bicycle pump
And he'll bump you 'til your bed's just junk
So pump the Michelin Man
Pump the Michelin Man up
Honey bunch dress it up
Dress it up and you can pump him up
Put a boob tube round your bust
Pump it up, he'll slam it up your dress
He's the Michelin Man
Made of rubber
The Michelin Man
Josephine Baker
See his extra white teeth
His extra big rump
He's gonna bump you 'til your bed's just junk
Pump the Michelin Man
Pump the Michelin Man up
The song "Michelin Man" by Momus is a surreal and sexually explicit tribute to the famous Michelin Man mascot, who is made of rubber and has been a symbol of the Michelin tire company since 1898. The lyrics suggest that by dressing up in fancy clothes and pumping up the Michelin Man with a bicycle pump, one can achieve sexual gratification. The repetition of the phrase "pump it up" emphasizes the importance of inflation and expansion, both in terms of sexual desire and the physical properties of the Michelin Man.
The reference to Josephine Baker in the chorus is likely a nod to her provocative performances and her association with rubber, as she was known for her rubber skirt dance in the 1927 film "The Sun Also Rises." The lines "See his extra white teeth / His extra big rump" are a playful reference to the Michelin Man's iconic appearance and emphasize the connection between physicality and sexuality.
Line by Line Meaning
Pump, pump it up
It's time to inflate the Michelin Man.
Pump it up if ever it goes limp
If the Michelin Man loses air, pump him back up.
Dress in crepe, dress up in silk
Dress up the Michelin Man in fancy attire.
Pump it up, 'cause when he's hard and when he's big
Pump up the Michelin Man to make him large and strong.
He's the Michelin Man
The subject matter is the famous Michelin Man mascot.
Made of rubber
The Michelin Man is made of rubber material.
Josephine Baker
This line is possibly a reference to the famous dancer/singer Josephine Baker.
Make him Zeppelin big
Pump the Michelin Man up to a gigantic size.
On your bicycle pump
Use a bicycle pump to inflate the Michelin Man.
And he'll bump you 'til your bed's just junk
The Michelin Man, once inflated, will bounce against you fiercely.
So pump the Michelin Man
This line serves as a call to action to pump up the Michelin Man.
Honey bunch dress it up
Dress the Michelin Man up in attractive clothing.
Dress it up and you can pump him up
Dressing the Michelin Man up will prepare him for inflation.
Put a boob tube round your bust
This line is open to interpretation, but it seems to suggest that dressing provocatively could lead to interactions with the Michelin Man.
He'll slam it up your dress
Once inflated, the Michelin Man may bump into you with great force.
See his extra white teeth
This line is unclear, but it may be referencing the Michelin Man's toothy grin in the mascot's advertising.
His extra big rump
The Michelin Man has a large posterior.
Pump the Michelin Man
This line repeats the call to action to inflate the Michelin Man.
Pump the Michelin Man up
Continuation of the previous line, emphasizing the importance of pumping the Michelin Man up.
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steve Lennon
Great track.Thanks for posting.
Andi Pandi
"Michelin Man", caused Momus to be threatened with legal action by the Michelin tyre company. They were angered by his use of their mascot, the aforementioned Michelin Man, an anthropomorphic pile of rubber inner-tubes, as a metaphor for hypersexual rubber fetishism. As a result, all unsold copies of the album were destroyed and future pressings of the album omitted the song from the album.
a relief that this track and the cover have been restored..
Chris Papageorgiou
it plays when christos races aganist windows 98