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.
Tape Recorder Man
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a tape recorder man
He traveled far and wide through the dusty countryside
The tape recorder man
Collecting songs of love, collecting songs of blood
Sometimes songs of evil men and sometimes songs of good
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
He said the age of the machine would make us all the same
The tape recorder man
And we should tape record the songs the old men sing
The tape recorder man
Because when the old were gone, there'd be no more songs
Just mechanical din
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
At a music festival he presented to the world some of the folk greats
Then, with a condescending smile, he introduced us all to some electronic fakes
Saying 'The old folks don't need gimmicks to make the music new
But here's a group of college kids who apparently do'
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
And he left the stage to seek some nerdy boffin geeks who sounded like the Pogues
Singing like the BeeGees, dancing like freaks, playing modular Moogs
I met him in the dressing room at the end of the show
I said you used to be my hero but tonight you've fallen low
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
I said tape recorder man damn your Memorex
What about innovation, man, what about art and sex?
He couldn't share my point of view, and he freely said so
So me and the tape recorder man quickly came to blows
I hit out at his shoulder where his tape recorder hung
It slipped to the floor with a crash, the strap must've been undone
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
It exploded like a bomb from the first world war
And seven spools of folk recordings rolled across the floor
A random burst of yodelling rubbed up against the heads
That woozy crazy spool was like John Cage or Varese
I cried 'Tape recorder man, this I won't forget
This is folk music... concrete!'
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
The song "Tape Recorder Man" by Momus tells the story of a man who travels around the countryside with his tape recorder, collecting songs of love, songs of blood, songs of evil men, and songs of good. The singer highlights the importance of preserving these songs, as the age of the machine would make us all the same. He introduces the idea of recording the songs the old men sing because when they are gone, there would be no more songs, just mechanical din. The Tape Recorder Man presents some of the folk greats at a music festival but then introduces some electronic fakes, saying that the old folks don't need gimmicks to make the music new. However, he leaves the stage to seek some nerdy boffin geeks and meets the singer in the dressing room at the end of the show.
The singer confronts the Tape Recorder Man about his methods and lack of innovation and art in music. They quickly come to blows, and the singer hits out at his shoulder where his tape recorder hung, causing it to slip and explode like a bomb from the first world war. Seven spools of folk recordings roll across the floor, and a random burst of yodeling rubbed against the heads, creating a woozy, crazy spool like John Cage or Varese. The singer exclaims that this he won't forget, as this is folk music... concrete.
The song is a commentary on the importance of preserving traditional music and the clash between tradition and modernity. It highlights the potential loss of cultural heritage in the face of technological advancement and commercialization. The Tape Recorder Man represents the idea of preserving the old, and the singer represents the need for innovation and art in music, creating a conflict that ultimately results in the loss of tapes that could have been a significant contribution to preserving folk music heritage.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all ye rounders if you want to hear the tale
Join me as I share a story
Of a tape recorder man
About a man who travels with a tape recorder
He traveled far and wide through the dusty countryside
He journeyed to many different places
Collecting songs of love, collecting songs of blood
He recorded songs of different themes
Sometimes songs of evil men and sometimes songs of good
He recorded songs from both sides of the morals spectrum
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
Repetitive melody indicating the rhythm of the song
He said the age of the machine would make us all the same
He believed technology would strip away individuality
And we should tape record the songs the old men sing
He suggested recording the songs of the older generation
Because when the old were gone, there'd be no more songs
He feared the loss of songs with the passing of time
Just mechanical din
Only the sounds of machines
At a music festival he presented to the world some of the folk greats
He showcased some legendary folk artists at a festival
Then, with a condescending smile, he introduced us all to some electronic fakes
He sarcastically introduced some non-traditional electronic artists
Saying 'The old folks don't need gimmicks to make the music new
He claimed that traditional artists didn't need modern tricks to make their music appealing
But here's a group of college kids who apparently do'
He then introduced some younger artists who he believed needed gimmicks
And he left the stage to seek some nerdy boffin geeks who sounded like the Pogues
He left to find quirky artists similar to the Pogues
Singing like the BeeGees, dancing like freaks, playing modular Moogs
These artists sang high-pitched and danced weirdly while playing an electronic instrument
I said you used to be my hero but tonight you've fallen low
The artist expressed disappointment in the tape recorder man's choices
I hit out at his shoulder where his tape recorder hung
The singer physically attacked the tape recorder man
It exploded like a bomb from the first world war
The tape recorder burst open dramatically
And seven spools of folk recordings rolled across the floor
Seven recorded spools of folk music leaked out of the tape recorder
A random burst of yodelling rubbed up against the heads
A yodelling clip played unexpectedly on the tape recorder
That woozy crazy spool was like John Cage or Varese
The random recording had a unique and experimental sound, similar to John Cage or Varese's music
I cried 'Tape recorder man, this I won't forget
The singer stated that they won't forget this incident
This is folk music... concrete!'
The artist realized that recorded music could also be experimental
And sing irie aritty ardie and sing irie arrity anne
Repetitive melody indicating the rhythm of the song
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NICHOLAS CURRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.