The band have never had, or have ever seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base.
The band was formed in 1979 by brothers Rob Wright (bass guitar and vocals) and John Wright (drum set, keyboards and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-date rape slogan. For their first four years the duo's music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo on a jazz trip, Motörhead after art school, or Wire on psychotic steroids." NoMeansNo have been credited with being an influence on, and perhaps even the genesis of, math rock.
The brothers Wright began recording as a two-piece in their parents' basement in 1979. These recordings, heard on their first two self-released 7"s, consisted of full rock band arrangements and had a new wave, warped-pop sound, different from subsequent recordings. When, in the early 1980s, the duo began gigging simply with bass, drums and vocals, the present form of their distinct sound slowly took shape. The songs they played in this period are documented on the "Mama" LP (re-released in 2004 on their own Wrong Records.)
In 1984, they added Andy Kerr (who played with John Wright in Infamous Scientists) on guitar and vocals. Kerr preferred pseudonymity and used such pseudonyms as "Buttercup" or "None-Of-Your-Fucking-Business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk edge to the group, and stayed until 1991. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of NoMeansNo songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong for example). Kerr's vocals were a necessity for a period of time in the 1980s when Rob Wright was recovering from nodules on his vocal cords. While Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main songwriter, all members have contributed songs to NoMeansNo records, and nearly all their material is credited to the entire band.
Wrong is widely considered the band's best and most representative record ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempos and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp lyrics clicking right into place").
After Kerr's departure, the Wright brothers recorded "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?" as a duo. They subsequently recruited guitarist Tom Holliston from Showbusiness Giants and The Hanson Brothers, and have continued touring and releasing records, including "Worldhood of the World (as such)", "Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie", "One", and most recently, "All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt" which was released on August 22, 2006. The album was released by AntAcidAudio in the United States and Southern Records in Europe.
The album "One", released in 2000, featured "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from NoMeansNo": a slow stoner rock-styled version of The Ramones' Beat On The Brat, and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, (complete with electric piano and congas) featuring lyrics by Rob.
NoMeansNo initially released records with seminal punk rock record label Alternative Tentacles. This relationship ended in 2002. The band has since been reissuing old albums through Southern Records under their own Wrong Records imprint.
Even their earliest recordings demonstrate impressive instrumental technique ("some of the most complex instrumentation you're ever likely to find in punk rock"). Jazz has been an influence on the group; Rob's basslines have a loping, melodic quality often reminiscent of Charles Mingus, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones or Art Blakey.
NoMeansNo's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" puns, and significant measures of black humour, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person narrator details a rampaging father's physical and sexual abuse, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch—the baldly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'". One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that NoMeansNo might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock and emo, what with the barely controlled fervour of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."
Equally striking about the band's back catalogue is their ability to jump from style to style and still maintain their musical identity. They leap from dirge to thrash, complication to simplicity, discordant to melodic and still sound like themselves.
John's drumming style has been mentioned as an influence to others, including Dave Grohl.
NoMeansNo's alter ego is TheHanson Brothers, a quartet with John singing and different drummer. Nearly a Ramones tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey fans. The lyrics centre on ice hockey, beer and girls. The name comes from characters in the 1977 George Roy Hill film Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman.
Rob Wright's alter ego is Mr. Wrong, who dresses as an authoritarian priest and often poses with a shotgun. Mr. Wrong is simply Wright on bass and vocals with no other instrumentation. It is rumoured that Wright also plays upright bass in a traditional jazz band who play standards, but he keeps this side of his life fuzzy in interviews.
Tom Holliston released several albums with his band Showbusiness Giants as well as three solo albums.
Andy Kerr and John Wright played in the early 1980s in the Infamous Scientists. Kerr, after leaving NoMeansNo, released a solo CD and collaborated with Victoria musician Scott Henderson in Hissanol. Kerr most recently has begun a duo called Two Pin Din in the Netherlands.
Disappear
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He keeps it in order, a neat little shack
And every day he goes down to the beach
Looking for a clam or an oyster to eat
He said, Trn not unhappy, there is nothing to fear
I'm just trying to disappear
It's not unusual, the future is clear
I'm just trying to disappear"
I'm the number one fan of the invisible man"
He's covered in sweat from his head to his toes
But what he's looking for nobody knows
Lt's not there and it's not here, he said
'Trn just trying to disappear"
Nobody stood in the middle of the street
Where he drew a chalk outline around his feet
Then he smiled and lifted his face to the sky
Flapping his arms like he was trying to fly
He said, "I may not make it to that great beyond
But I'll never be found with my feet on the ground
I'm pretty far gone but I'm still here
Can nobody help me to disappear?"
Nobody sat on a bench in the park
Waiting for the day to turn into the dark
Then he waved goodbye to that setting sun
And did a little dance when the day was done
He said, "The shadows loom, it will be night soon
And the stars will shine over a rising moon
I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to fear
I'm just trying to disappear"
Nobody went for a walk in the rain
I lent him my boots and my walking cane
The cane they found hanging from a tree
But those boots will never walk back to me
He's not far oft but he's nowhere near
That's obvious but it's not very clear
Nobody talks, nobody hears
He said, 'Trn just trying to disappear"
The lyrics to NoMeansNo's song "Disappear" appears to be about a character called "Nobody" who is trying to escape his current reality. In the verses, it is described that Nobody lives in a simple place, goes fishing and is not unhappy, but he's still trying to disappear. The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, where Nobody talks about his desire to vanish from the world. The second verse presents Nobody drawing an outline around his feet and flapping his arms like he's trying to fly. The third verse sees Nobody waiting for the day to turn dark and dancing when it was done. In the final verse, the singer loans Nobody walking boots and a cane, and they later find the cane hanging from a tree.
The song's meaning can be interpreted in different ways since Nobody doesn't clearly explain why he's trying to vanish. It could be a commentary on society's expectations and the pressure to conform, so Nobody wants to break from those chains. Alternatively, it could be a portrayal of someone struggling with mental health issues and trying to escape from the noise of the world. It's a melancholic song that brings in a feeling of defeatism, like Nobody has given up and wants to disappear instead of facing his problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody has his own place in the back
Nobody owns their own place in the world and everyone tries to get by in their own little way.
He keeps it in order, a neat little shack
Someone tries to keep their life in order, perhaps in a small and simple way.
And every day he goes down to the beach
Looking for a clam or an oyster to eat
Someone tries to sustain themselves through simple means of gathering food for survival.
He said, Trn not unhappy, there is nothing to fear
I'm just trying to disappear
It's not unusual, the future is clear
I'm just trying to disappear
Someone feels that disappearing from the world is their best option, as they are not unhappy and have nothing to fear in disappearing. They feel that this is the clear future for them.
He said, I know what I'm doing, I know who I am
I'm the number one fan of the invisible man
Someone believes that they understand themselves and their situation, and sees value in becoming invisible or 'disappearing'.
He's covered in sweat from his head to his toes
But what he's looking for nobody knows
Lt's not there and it's not here, he said
'Trn just trying to disappear'
Someone works hard and is looking for something, but is uncertain whether it exists or where to find it. They feel that their best option is to disappear from the world entirely.
Nobody stood in the middle of the street
Where he drew a chalk outline around his feet
Someone drew attention to themselves with an unusual act of drawing a chalk outline around their feet in the busy street.
Then he smiled and lifted his face to the sky
Flapping his arms like he was trying to fly
Someone finds joy in expressing themselves in creative ways, through the act of pretending to fly.
He said, 'I may not make it to that great beyond
But I'll never be found with my feet on the ground
I'm pretty far gone but I'm still here
Can nobody help me to disappear?'
Someone feels disconnected from the world, but still seeks to disappear and avoid being found.
Nobody sat on a bench in the park
Waiting for the day to turn into the dark
Then he waved goodbye to that setting sun
And did a little dance when the day was done
Someone enjoys the beauty of nature and watches the sunset, then expresses their joy in a creative way with a little dance.
He said, 'The shadows loom, it will be night soon
And the stars will shine over a rising moon
I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to fear
I'm just trying to disappear'
Someone feels that the night brings a sense of peace and the stars and moon have their own beauty. They have no fear in disappearing.
Nobody went for a walk in the rain
I lent him my boots and my walking cane
The cane they found hanging from a tree
But those boots will never walk back to me
Someone borrowed equipment for weathering the rain, but was later found without it. They likely disappeared and will never return the borrowed items.
He's not far oft but he's nowhere near
That's obvious but it's not very clear
Nobody talks, nobody hears
He said, 'I'm just trying to disappear'
Someone feels close to disappearing, yet is far enough away from society that they are not noticed. They feel that no one will hear or care about them disappearing.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tore Nielsen
I know what I'm doing
I know who I am,
I'm the #1 fan of the invisible man
That's my motto.
Yourself
every time i think about something disappearing i have to listen to this song
Bog Bastard
this song does something unholy to me. if someone ever saw the absolutely reprehensible way that i flail about when i put this song on, i would have to silence them. but, seeing as i am thoroughly pathetic, that would be beyond my meager capabilities. and so i would probably just cry.
Eugenio Negro
huge piece of my youth
Brian
Pretty far gone, but I'm still here
MonstroMuggins
The original label was Alternative Tentacles.
Pablo’s Master
Art core
vyas xo
the perfect cut?
Simon MacConmidhe
This is such an intense experience when you are really high
Simon MacConmidhe
Alt tent. No loaf.