Mondo Generator (sometimes known as "Nick Oliveri And The Mondo Generator")… Read Full Bio ↴Mondo Generator (sometimes known as "Nick Oliveri And The Mondo Generator") is an American punk/hard rock band fronted by Nick Oliveri.

Nick Oliveri (under the moniker Rex Everything) formed Mondo Generator in 1997 and with friends Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Rob Oswald, and others, recorded the debut album, Cocaine Rodeo. The LP wouldn't be released until 3 years later due to Oliveri and Homme being full-time members of Queens of the Stone Age. The album was released by Southern Lord Records in 2000. There was little support of the album by the way of live shows, and the band gained cult status among the most devoted Queens of the Stone Age fans.

In 2003, the band again emerged with a new LP, A Drug Problem That Never Existed. This time, Oliveri hired on more friends for recording duties including Dave Catching, Troy Van Leeuwen, Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, and Molly McGuire, and Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia for co-producing duties. It was released jointly by Mike Patton's label, Ipecac Recordings, and Homme's Rekords Rekords. The live band, which included Oliveri, Catching, Bjork, and McGuire, went on a three month tour of North America and Europe to support the disc.

In early 2004, after Oliveri was fired from Queens of the Stone Age by Homme, he announced that Mondo Generator would become his full-time project. He recorded an acoustic record, Demolition Day, and toured Europe with Brant Bjork and Mark Lanegan Band. He then recorded an EP with Catching, McGuire, and Alfredo Hernandez. On the summer 2004 tour to promote the disc, Oliveri physically assaulted a sound crew member of a German night club after complaining about his sound through a few songs during the band's set. The other members of the band were furious and left Oliveri behind and returned to the United States.

In 2005, Oliveri once again toured Europe frequently, opening for such bands as Motörhead, and playing along-side and on stage as a member of Dwarves. Oliveri also recruited UK band Winnebago Deal's Ben Perrier and Ben Thomas to join Mondo Generator on tour. They were frequently dubbed "Winnebago Generator" by fans. The three-piece entered Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Los Angeles in December 2005 to begin work on the next Mondo Generator LP. Oliveri also hired on several friends from his hometown to record parts of the record, which was co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz and Oliveri.

In July 2006, it was reported that Perrier and Thomas had exited the band under unknown circumstances. Oliveri then re-named his band Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator and signed to Mother Tongue Records, who then released the new LP, Dead Planet: SonicSlowMotionTrails in the United Kingdom and Europe in September of 2006.

Discography
Cocaine Rodeo (2000, Southern Lord)
A Drug Problem That Never Existed (2003, Ipecac)
III The EP (2004, Tornado)
Dead Planet: SonicSlowMotionTrails (2006, Mother Tongue (UK/Europe)
Dead Planet (2007, Suburban Noize)

Former members include: Brant Bjork (drums), Dave Catching (guitar), Marc Diamond (guitar), Alfredo Hernandez (drums), Josh Homme (guitar), Josh Lamar (drums), Molly McGuire (bass), Rob Oswald (drums), Ben Perrier (guitar), Ben Thomas (drums), Spud (guitar)

Basket Case
Mondo Generator Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Flying until now
Falling is how we live to die
Watch, I burn to the ground
The whole thing down
Riding with the unsound
Rolling with the profound
Dot spins round and round

Watch it burn to the ground
The whole thing down
Basket case, basket case
I found nothing, I found you
None of this and everything too
I'll fucking kill you
Watch it burn to the ground
The whole fucking thing down
Basket case, basket case

Basket case

Lost in space
Basket case

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mondo Generator's song 'Basket Case' suggest themes of self-destruction, chaos and menace. The opening lyrics imply a sense of doom, describing life as a constant fall towards death. The following lines reference burning, destruction and madness, with the repeated refrain of 'watch it burn to the ground the whole thing down' emphasising the sense of chaos and collapse.

The line 'Basket case, basket case' is repeated throughout the song, acting as a refrain and emphasising the themes of madness and disorder. It seems to suggest a sense of being lost or overwhelmed, and the following line 'lost in space' reinforces this idea. The final line of the song, 'basket case', brings the themes of self-destruction and chaos full circle, with the repetition of the phrase leaving the listener with a sense of unease and uncertainty.

Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of nihilism and desperation, reflecting a mindset of someone who sees life as a perpetual cycle of chaos and destruction. The repetition of phrases and a lack of a clear narrative or structure in the lyrics only serve to reinforce this sense of confusion and hopelessness.

Line by Line Meaning

Flying until now
We've been soaring until this moment

Falling is how we live to die
Our way of existence is falling until it leads to our demise

Watch, I burn to the ground
Observe as I crumble completely

The whole thing down
Everything will be destroyed

Riding with the unsound
Traveling with the unstable

Rolling with the profound
Moving with deep and meaningful thoughts

Dot spins round and round
A point dances in circles

Watch it burn to the ground
Observe as everything comes crashing down

The whole thing down
Everything will be destroyed

Basket case, basket case
A person who is emotionally unstable and overwhelmed

I found nothing, I found you
Even though I have nothing, I have you