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.
Steven Zeeland
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A soldier, a sailor, a pretty marine blowing on the horn
On a military base or a battleship deck
Let me come in his ass with my tongue down his neck
When I die mix my ash with the piss
At Camp Pendleton Del Mar Enlisted Club
Well Brent was my crush in high school, boys
Well the army sent Brent off to Frankfurt, boys
But Brent he went off with a girl
I rented a room like a Fassbinder film
But I needed a job so they had me begin
At a sporting goods store on the military base
Blowing on the horn
And why should I lust after killing machines
A man of my delicate build?
Why request photos of naked marines
From the Athletic Model Guild?
Stripped to the skin, their muscles like rocks
With their hair high and tight, gripping their cocks
Put it down to the fact that opposites attract
And go blowing on the horn
On Okinawa straight Corporal Buchman bonded while getting tattoos
In California a thousand marines were caught posing for gay videos
Nobody's straight one hundred percent
Every soldier and sailor's potentially bent
I'll keep you hard till your girlfriend arrives
And go blowing on the horn
He wrote 'Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers', 'The Masculine Marine'
'Sailors and Sexual Identity' and did lots of research in between
But a writer should never stop living to write
Steven Zeeland, our hero, still follows the fleet
Painting the town, writing it down
And a' blowing on the horn
A man in the thrall of a sexual spell is the luckiest man alive
The dreams he has lived and the sperm he has spilled
Give meaning to his life
When you look back, after you're dead
You'll regret what you didn't do, not what you did
When I die mix my ash with the piss
At camp Pendleton Del Mar Enlisted Club
The song Steven Zeeland by Momus is a vivid depiction of a man's sexual desire for military men. The lyrics express a longing for soldiers, sailors, and marines, and for the ultimate sexual experience of coming in their ass with his tongue down their neck. The military settings of the base and the battleship deck create a backdrop for the sexual fantasies of the singer. He even goes as far as to request that his ashes be mixed with piss at Camp Pendleton Del Mar Enlisted Club when he dies.
The lyrics also tell the story of Brent, the singer's high school crush who joined the army and went off with a girl. The singer himself ends up working at a sporting goods store on the military base and blowing on the horn. He questions why he is attracted to killing machines and naked marines, but puts it down to the fact that opposites attract.
The song seems to highlight the taboo nature of homosexuality in the military and the idea that many soldiers and sailors may not be straight one hundred percent. The references to Corporal Buchman bonding while getting tattoos on Okinawa and a thousand marines being caught posing for gay videos in California suggest that these desires may exist beneath the surface.
Line by Line Meaning
All I desire is a military man who knows that he is born
I want a man in uniform who is confident about his identity and his job
A soldier, a sailor, a pretty marine blowing on the horn
I want a man from any of the military branches who plays the trumpet and is attractive
On a military base or a battleship deck
I am open to having sex in either location
Let me come in his ass with my tongue down his neck
I want to perform oral sex on him and penetrate him from behind
When I die mix my ash with the piss
When I die, I want my ashes to be mixed with urine
At Camp Pendleton Del Mar Enlisted Club
At a specific military club in California
Well Brent was my crush in high school, boys
I had a crush on Brent when I was in high school
And I followed him round the world
I tried to be with Brent wherever he went
But Brent he went off with a girl
Brent had a girlfriend
I rented a room like a Fassbinder film
I rented a room that was like a scene from a Fassbinder film
But I needed a job so they had me begin
I needed a job and started working at a sporting goods store on a military base
At a sporting goods store on the military base
I worked at a store that sold sports equipment on a military base
And why should I lust after killing machines
Why do I desire men who are trained to kill?
A man of my delicate build?
Given that I am not physically strong
Why request photos of naked marines
Why do I ask for pictures of naked marines?
From the Athletic Model Guild?
From a specific modeling agency
Stripped to the skin, their muscles like rocks
Their bodies are muscular and defined
With their hair high and tight, gripping their cocks
Their hair is styled in a military fashion and they are touching themselves in suggestive ways
Put it down to the fact that opposites attract
Perhaps this attraction is based on the idea that contrasting personalities are appealing
And go blowing on the horn
And continue to play the trumpet
On Okinawa straight Corporal Buchman bonded while getting tattoos
A heterosexual man named Corporal Buchman made a connection while getting tattoos in Okinawa
In California a thousand marines were caught posing for gay videos
A large number of marines were discovered taking part in homosexual pornography in California
Nobody's straight one hundred percent
No one is completely without same-sex desires
Every soldier and sailor's potentially bent
All men in the military have the potential to be attracted to other men
I'll keep you hard till your girlfriend arrives
I can keep you sexually aroused until your girlfriend shows up
He wrote 'Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers', 'The Masculine Marine'
He authored books with titles such as 'Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers' and 'The Masculine Marine'
'Sailors and Sexual Identity' and did lots of research in between
His work also focused on the sexual identity and behavior of sailors
But a writer should never stop living to write
A writer should not prioritize writing above experiencing life
Steven Zeeland, our hero, still follows the fleet
Steven Zeeland, who wrote about homosexuality in the military, is still connected to that community
Painting the town, writing it down
He is enjoying himself and documenting his experiences
And a' blowing on the horn
And still playing the trumpet
A man in the thrall of a sexual spell is the luckiest man alive
A man who is experiencing great sexual pleasure is very fortunate
The dreams he has lived and the sperm he has spilled
His sexual experiences and release are a significant part of his life
Give meaning to his life
These experiences give him a sense of purpose
When you look back, after you're dead
When you reflect on your life after death
You'll regret what you didn't do, not what you did
You'll regret missed opportunities more than what you have done
When I die mix my ash with the piss
When I die, I want my ashes mixed in with urine
At camp Pendleton Del Mar Enlisted Club
At a specific military club in California
Contributed by Riley A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.