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)

Detroit
Mondo Generator Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here I sit alone
Ride through the Motor City
Crying inside
I'm dying inside
I can remember you
Like a photo, like a star
It moves like
I wanna be like you

I remember you

I'm covered in black
But I remember you
You ain't coming back
You

I see your face
And I feel fine
When I see your face

Last time you saw me
I'll never forget
You looked at me
Like we'd never met
Hold my head down
And look up to the sky
Crack a smile
I say goodbye
I remember you

I'm covered in black
I remember you
I'm still in black

All in time we die
In time we die

I remember you

I'm still in black
Never coming back

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mondo Generator's song "Detroit" express the emotions of a person, who is riding through the Motor City and reflecting on memories of someone that they have lost. The person is crying inside and dying inside, but they remember the individual they lost, and it gives them some comfort. The person remembers this individual like a photo or star, and they want to be like them. The lines “I’m covered in black, but I remember you. You ain’t coming back, you” demonstrate the finality of the situation and the inability to bring back the individual who is gone.

The lyrics characterize the person as emotionally devastated and still in mourning. In the lines “Last time you saw me, I'll never forget. You looked at me like we'd never met,” demonstrate that the person experienced a significant shift in their relationship with the individual they lost. They look up to the sky, crack a smile, and say goodbye to remember the person. The final lines of the song proclaim that the individual is not coming back, but the person will always remember them and continue to feel that loss.

Line by Line Meaning

Here I sit alone
The singer is by themselves.

Ride through the Motor City
They are driving through Detroit.

Crying inside
The singer is grieving internally.

I'm dying inside
They feel like they are slowly losing themselves.

I can remember you
The artist has memories of someone.

Like a photo, like a star
They remember this person as if they were captured in a picture or shining in the sky.

It moves like
Their memory is vivid.

I wanna be like you
The artist looks up to this person.

I remember you
The artist has strong recollections of this person.

I'm covered in black
They are wearing dark clothing as a symbol of their mourning.

But I remember you
Despite their sadness, they hold onto memories of this person.