NoMeansNo are a band originally from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and… Read Full Bio ↴NoMeansNo are a band originally from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and now located in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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.

Manic Depression
NoMeansNo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Manic depression is touching my soul
I know what I want but I just don't know
How to, go about gettin' it
Feeling sweet feeling,
Drops from my fingers, fingers
Manic depression is catchin' my soul

Woman so weary, the sweet cause in vain

You make love, you break love
It's all the same
When it's, when it's over, mama
Music, sweet music
I wish I could caress, caress, caress
Manic depression is a frustrating mess

Well, I think I'll go turn myself off,
And go on down
All the way down
Really ain't no use in me hanging around
In your kinda scene

Music, sweet music

I wish I could caress, caress, caress
Manic depression is a frustrating mess

Overall Meaning

The song Manic Depression by NoMeansNo talks about the singer's experience of being trapped in a state of extreme emotional instability. The opening line "Manic depression is touching my soul" sets the tone for the song and indicates that the singer is going through a phase of uncontrollable emotions. The next line "I know what I want but I just don't know how to go about gettin' it" suggests that he has a sense of purpose or direction but is unable to act on it. The feeling is described as "sweet feeling, drops from my fingers" indicating that it is almost within reach but still eludes him.

The second verse talks about the futility of relationships. The woman in the song is described as "weary, the sweet cause in vain" implying that even though she is trying to do something good, it doesn't matter in the end. The line "you make love, you break love, it's all the same" underscores the sense of hopelessness and frustration that pervades the song. The singer expresses a desire for music to soothe him, to "caress, caress, caress" him but even the power of music is not enough to overcome the difficulties of living with manic depression.

Overall, the song portrays a bleak picture of a life in emotional turmoil. The lyrics provide a glimpse into the world of someone struggling with mental health issues and the difficulty of finding stability in such a situation.

Line by Line Meaning

Manic depression is touching my soul
I'm caught in a cycle of extreme highs and lows that's affecting me deeply.

I know what I want but I just don't know
I have a clear idea of what I want, but I'm unsure about how to achieve it.

How to, go about gettin' it
I'm struggling to figure out the steps I need to take in order to reach my goals.

Feeling sweet feeling, Drops from my fingers, fingers
I'm experiencing intense emotions that are almost overwhelming, so much so that they feel like they're physically escaping my body through my fingertips.

Manic depression is catchin' my soul
This bipolar disorder is taking over my mental and emotional self, and it's hard to control.

Woman so weary, the sweet cause in vain
I'm exhausted from trying to make a positive impact or change something that seems impossible to fix.

You make love, you break love, It's all the same
Relationships are equally capable of causing joy and destruction, and it's hard to know what to expect.

When it's, when it's over, mama, Music, sweet music
When things fall apart, music is a saving grace that can help me find solace and comfort.

I wish I could caress, caress, caress
I long for a physical connection that can ease some of the emotional turmoil that comes with bipolar disorder.

Manic depression is a frustrating mess
Bipolar disorder is both confusing and frustrating, and it can leave me feeling helpless and overwhelmed.

Well, I think I'll go turn myself off, And go on down, All the way down
Sometimes the best thing for me to do is shut off and remove myself from the situation, even if it means sinking into a depressive episode.

Really ain't no use in me hanging around, In your kinda scene
I don't feel like I fit in with those who don't understand what it's like to have bipolar disorder, so it's best for me to avoid certain situations and people altogether.

Contributed by Ian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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