Radio Birdman are a punk band that formed in Sydney, Australia in 1974. The… Read Full Bio ↴Radio Birdman are a punk band that formed in Sydney, Australia in 1974. The band's best known lineup consisted of Deniz Tek (vocals, guitar), Rob Younger (vocals, guitar), Chris Masuak (guitar), Philip "Pip" Hoyle (keyboards), Warwick Gilbert (bass) and Ron Keeley (drums)

Radio Birdman formed in 1974 and began recording in 1976 when the single Burn My Eye was released. They took their name from a misheard lyric in The Stooges song, 1970. (The actual line is "Radio burnin'") Their first LP, "Radios Appear" showed diverse influences, including Blue Öyster Cult and Detroit bands of the late 1960s, such as The MC5 and The Stooges. The album was totally ignored by commercial radio but was championed by Sydney station 2JJ (Double Jay) and became sufficiently successful in Australia to lead to a contract with Sire Records (US label, home of The Ramones), who released a different version of Radios Appear internationally. It took three years to record a follow-up, Living Eyes, and by then, the Australian punk scene had diversified and the band broke up before the LP was released in 1978.

The band's lyrics reference US-born guitarist/main songwriter Deniz Tek's home state of Michigan, with lyrics from tracks such as "Murder City Nights" referring to Woodward Avenue in Detroit:

"Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action/Looking for a lover with a power reaction."

Many of their other songs, such as "Hand Of Law" & "Descent Into The Maelstrom" deal in apocalyptic images of war and violence, but these are more than balanced by the lighter pop culture references of tunes such as "Aloha Steve & Danno", an ode to the TV show Hawaii 5-0. "Man With Golden Helmet" (which Tek wrote in high school) is one of their most cryptic efforts: "Man with golden helmet/drinks water from the faucet..plays with tiny children/on his way home from work...he's a top man/in the language department". Deniz Tek wrote most of the lyrics and music for the band

All members went on to other bands. Younger's New Christs would be more oriented towards hard-edged, blues-based rock and roll. Tek and Keeley and keyboardist Pip Hoyle's band, The Visitors, and guitarist Chris Masuak and bass guitarist Warwick Gilbert's The Hitmen continued the Radio Birdman sound. Tek, Younger & Gilbert played in a one-shot touring band called New Race, with Dennis Thompson of the MC5 & Ron Asheton of the Stooges.

In the 1996, the band reformed sporadically to play gigs, but a full-fledged reunion didn't surface until the 00's, with the 2006 album Zeno Beach being enthusiastically received. The band split once again in 2008.

In 2014, the band announced that Younger, Tek, Hoyle and Dickson announced that they would tour Australia as Radio Birdman to coincide with the reissue of their back catalogue.

More Fun
Radio Birdman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

More fun / You know it's too damn cool
More fun / I'm comin' over agfter school
More fun / All the other girls
More fun / And I'm shootin' the curl

We're gonna have a ball
Do anything at all
It's gonna be so fine

It's borderline

More fun / I'm drivin' in my chine
More fun / You shoulda heard just what I seen

More fun / You know she is a doll
More fun / She'll never be my all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Radio Birdman's song "More Fun" express the desire to have more excitement and enjoyment in life. The singer wants to pursue experiences that are considered cool and fun, expressing this through the repetition of the phrase "More Fun." They talk about coming over after school and shooting the curl, which refers to the act of riding a wave in surfing. The lyrics express a sense of freedom and recklessness, as the singer's desire for fun is described as being "borderline."

The second verse continues this theme, with the singer driving and seeing something that excites them. They also mention a girl who they find attractive but know they will never have a serious relationship with. Overall, the song emphasizes the pursuit of pleasure and excitement, even if it is fleeting or ultimately unfulfilling.

Line by Line Meaning

More fun
We're going to have a great time

You know it's too damn cool
This is an excellent experience

I'm comin' over after school
I'll be there in a little while

All the other girls
All of the other female individuals

And I'm shootin' the curl
And I'll be surfing

We're gonna have a ball
We're going to have a great time

Do anything at all
We can do whatever we want

It's gonna be so fine
It will be excellent

It's borderline
It's almost too good to be true

I'm drivin' in my chine
I'm driving in my car

You shoulda heard just what I seen
You should have heard what I witnessed