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.

Revelation
Radio Birdman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The hate you hold
It hits your chest
Wont hit you locked it all
Don't let this one go to waste

[chorus]
Worse stoned, good home
You find another one

Step inside of you
Right behind you
Inside which one are you on
Ohhhh ....
Yeah ....

To have an hold
To have and hate
To have and hold is not
Don't let this one go to waste

[chorus]

[break]

The hate you hold
It hits your chest
To have and hold is not
Don't let this one go to waste
Worse stoned, good home
You find another one

The thoughts behind you
Inside which one are you on

Overall Meaning

"Revelation" by Radio Birdman is a song about holding onto hate and how it can consume a person. The lyrics begin with the notion that holding onto hate can feel like a weight on one's chest, but that some people bury their hate away and avoid facing it. The chorus suggests that it's better to confront one's hatred and not let any opportunities go to waste. The song then explores the idea of having and holding onto something or someone, but ultimately realizing that it's not worth the hate or negativity associated with it. The last line of the song ("Inside which one are you on") could be interpreted as a question about which side of oneself, the hateful or the positive, one chooses to embrace.

This song could be seen as a reflection on the human experience of struggling with difficult emotions or relationships. It encourages listeners to face their emotions head-on rather than burying them, and to prioritize positivity and self-awareness over holding onto negative feelings or attachments.

Line by Line Meaning

The hate you hold
The anger and negativity you harbor inside yourself

It hits your chest
It affects you deeply and personally

Wont hit you locked it all
You've repressed it, but it's still there

Don't let this one go to waste
Take this opportunity to confront and deal with your hate

[chorus]
Repetition of the previous lines with added emphasis

Worse stoned, good home
People often make their worst decisions under the influence of drugs, so it's important to have a stable and safe environment

You find another one
Don't settle for a bad situation, seek out a better one

Step inside of you
Look within yourself for strength and answers

Right behind you
Your struggles and problems will always be with you

Inside which one are you on
Which side of yourself are you focusing on - the negative or the positive?

Ohhhh ....
Expressing emotion and passion