During the near decade the group spent in Dog Fashion Disco, Smith and his merry band of misfits would amass a loyal underground following of fans (dubbed the “mushroom cult”) through countless tours with the likes of Slayer, Mindless Self Indulgence, Nothingface and Lacuna Coil. Although Dog Fashion Disco never achieved commercial success, their musical legacy gained the respect of musical contemporaries like Serj Tankian of System of a Down (who made a guest appearance on Anarchists of Good Taste), Mushroomhead and American Head Charge, while the group's music lives on through the internet and continues to create new members of the “mushroom cult” long after the band's demise.
While Smith and company may have become sick of living the vagabond lifestyle that a touring metal band requires, the thought of giving up music entirely never even crossed their minds. Within mere months of their former outfits demise the group had created a new group, Polkadot Cadaver to unleash their schizophrenic musical madness.
“Jasan and I decided to start a studio band and Polkadot Cadaver started as shells of songs on Jasan’s computer. After we fleshed out the songs we pitched it Rotten Records, because we loved how they handled the last Dog Fashion Disco album,” says Smith about the formation of the group. “They immediately got behind us and as soon as received a recording budget we went to Wrightway Studios to work and complete the record. Polkadot Cadaver is very similar to Dog Fashion Disco stylistically. The songs are still very quirky and different from each other.” Recorded in the bowels of Baltimore with producer Steven Wright (Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, SR-71), Polkadot Cadaver’s debut album picks up right where Dog Fashion Disco left off. The brilliance of the band’s musical output lies within their ability to sonically shape shift like a musical chameleon that can adapt to any music style. “What’s The Worst Thing” blisters with thrashing Slayer like riffage and then spills into the soothing folk-pop melodies of "Chloroform Girl". The album’s lyrical insanity the delivers homicidal blow to Polkadot Cadaver’s musical homicide, covering gamut of topics ranging from plane crashes, narcissistic models, Christ, the devil and good old Baltimore, MD.
After fulfilling their contractual duties with Rotten Records, The guys decides that they'd had enough of working for the man. Smith and Stepp have since started their own record label, called Razor To Wrist Records, and now record and release albums, all on their own. Every project they now have will be releasing albums under Razor To Wrist [Polkadot Cadaver, El-Creepo! (Todd's Solo Project), Knives Out! (Super Group), and Deimos (Jasan's Solo Project)]. For more info on Polkadot Cadaver and the rest of their happenings, be sure to check out RazorToWrist.com.
Lunatic
Polkadot Cadaver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeding on muscle, under your skin
Spread out the pieces, the look on your face
Scatter the ashes all over the place
In my heart, you are an infection
In my eyes you are divine
On the block, inch by inch, all over you,
Skinned up soul, Foul religion imprisoned in your womb
It only hurts, if you let it in
I'll take the wheel and pull of the road
Teach you a lesson, before we get home
Which one of us is the lunatic?
In my heart, you are an infection
In my eyes you are divine
Strange machinations involving my ultimate demise
On the block, inch by inch, all over you,
Skinned up soul, Foul religion imprisoned in your womb
I only shoot when you drive by
Bullets fly, fill the sky, Oh my, oh my
I only shoot when you drive by
Bullets fly, fill the sky, Oh my, oh my
Death spasm, You ain't innocent
You made your bed, now lay in it
Guilty pleasure and pestilence
You broke the leash and jumped the fence
Death spasm, You ain't innocent
You made your bed, now lay in it
Guilty pleasure and pestilence
You broke the leash and jumped the fence
You know you'll never get away
The song "Lunatic" by Polkadot Cadaver is a dark and intense song that explores the themes of obsession, control, and the battle between two individuals. The lyrics describe a very creepy and twisted relationship, where the singer considers the other person to be their infection, but also divine in their eyes. The chorus repeats "It only hurts, if you let it in," which could be interpreted in a couple of ways. It could mean that the pain of this twisted relationship only exists if you allow yourself to feel it, or it could refer to the fact that the singer is causing the pain, and it's only painful if the other person allows them to continue. The lines "I'll take the wheel and pull off the road, teach you a lesson before we get home" suggest that the singer is physically imposing control over the other person, possibly through some sort of violent means.
The second half of the song takes a more violent turn. The lines "I only shoot when you drive by, bullets fly, fill the sky, oh my, oh my" implies that the singer is engaging in some sort of shooting or violence towards the other person. The bridge of the song repeats the lines "Death spasm, you ain't innocent, you made your bed, now lay in it, guilty pleasure and pestilence, you broke the leash and jumped the fence," which suggests that whatever violence is happening is the result of the other person's actions, but that they are still responsible for it.
Overall, the lyrics of "Lunatic" are incredibly dark and twisted, and paint a very disturbing picture of a toxic and violent relationship. The song suggests that the singer is deeply obsessed with the other person, to the point where they feel they have complete control over them, and are willing to engage in violence and other extreme actions to maintain that control.
Line by Line Meaning
It only hurts, if you let it in
Pain only has power over you if you allow it to affect you
Feeding on muscle, under your skin
The cause of the pain is internal, eating at your very being
Spread out the pieces, the look on your face
After causing destruction, you relish in seeing the emotional toll it takes on its victims
Scatter the ashes all over the place
The remnants of the damage caused, carelessly left without regard for those affected
In my heart, you are an infection
You have infected my very soul, causing irreparable damage
In my eyes you are divine
Despite the harm caused, there is a morbid attraction to the subject of the song
Strange machinations involving my ultimate demise
There is a twisted plan in motion, ultimately leading to the end of the subject's life
On the block, inch by inch, all over you,
The subject of the song is being scrutinized and observed with unwavering attention
Skinned up soul, Foul religion imprisoned in your womb
The subject is plagued by a corrupt ideology that has hollowed out their soul
I'll take the wheel and pull of the road
The artist of the song will take control of the situation to teach a lesson
Teach you a lesson, before we get home
The subject will be taught a lesson before the end of the interaction between them and the singer
Which one of us is the lunatic?
A question of sanity, brought up by the twisted nature of the artist
I only shoot when you drive by
The singer only takes action when the subject is within range
Bullets fly, fill the sky, Oh my, oh my
An explosive and chaotic display of violence
Death spasm, You ain't innocent
The singer asserts that the subject is guilty of their actions
You made your bed, now lay in it
The subject is responsible for the consequences of their actions
Guilty pleasure and pestilence
The pleasure of causing harm to others is a corrupt and toxic indulgence
You broke the leash and jumped the fence
The destruction caused is a result of a lack of control or inhibition on the part of the subject
You know you'll never get away
The singer is confident that the subject will face consequences for their actions, no matter how much they try to escape them
Contributed by Aaron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.