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.
The New Decameron
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were young and gay
And while money reigned
Minorities were wiped out every day
But we had tailors, we were getting famous
With the patronage of William Burroughs
And also Kathy Acker
Singing 'tirra lirra tirra lirra tirra lirra gabba gabba hey'
And our heroes were
Nightclub entrepreneurs
Our novellas were
Metaphors and deconstructions
Architects
Who blow up their own buildings
While Reagan and Thatcher reigned we got famous
Not all of us survived
As happens in time of plague
Singing 'tirra lirra tirra lirra tirra lirra gabba gabba hey'
In a gilded time
When death was king
A group of authors began to write a new Decameron
Whose elegance bordered on the Florentine
And when the 90s came
We were immune to plague
To every known strain
Then along came Kurt Cobain
The lyrics of Momus's song "The New Decameron" talk about the time when minorities were being wiped out due to a plague, but amidst all that, a group of young people found solace in their tailor-made clothing and were getting famous. With the receiving of patronage from William Burroughs and Kathy Acker, their pens would "save the day". They were singing "tirra lirra tirra lirra tirra lirra gabba gabba hey" and their heroes were nightclub entrepreneurs while their novellas were metaphors and deconstructions. There were architects who blew up their own buildings. In the reign of Reagan and Thatcher, they became famous, but unfortunately, not all of them survived the time of plague.
In the second part of the song, the lyrics change to a gilded time where death was king, and a group of authors started writing a new Decameron that bordered on the elegance of the Florentine. When the 90s came, they were immune to every known strain. But then came Kurt Cobain. Momus's song talks about the times when things were tough, and people found refuge in their creativity. It also talks about how they were getting famous amidst all the chaos, and mentions a sense of invincibility when they could overcome every known strain.
Line by Line Meaning
In a time of plague
During a period of disease outbreak
We were young and gay
We were youthful and merry
And while money reigned
With wealth and power in control
Minorities were wiped out every day
Marginalized groups were frequently eradicated
But we had tailors, we were getting famous
Despite the circumstances, we were successful and fashion-forward
With the patronage of William Burroughs
Thanks to the support of William Burroughs
And also Kathy Acker
And additionally with the help of Kathy Acker
Our pens would save the day
Our writing would help us triumph
Singing 'tirra lirra tirra lirra tirra lirra gabba gabba hey'
Repeating a nonsensical chant
And our heroes were
Our role models were
Nightclub entrepreneurs
Innovators in nightlife businesses
Our novellas were
Our fictional short stories were
Metaphors and deconstructions
Symbolic comparisons and breakdowns
Architects
Designers and builders
Who blow up their own buildings
Who intentionally destroy their own creations
While Reagan and Thatcher reigned we got famous
During the time of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher's leadership, we gained notoriety
Not all of us survived
Some of us did not make it through
As happens in time of plague
As is common during an epidemic
In a gilded time
During an era of extravagant wealth
When death was king
When the fear of dying ruled all
A group of authors began to write a new Decameron
A collective of writers started creating a contemporary version of the Decameron
Whose elegance bordered on the Florentine
Their sophistication approached that of Florence, Italy
And when the 90s came
In the 1990s
We were immune to plague
We felt invincible to disease
To every known strain
To all recognized types of illnesses
Then along came Kurt Cobain
Until Kurt Cobain arrived on the scene
Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.