Started out as a band of four sixteen-year-olds in 1978 under the name of T… Read Full Bio ↴Started out as a band of four sixteen-year-olds in 1978 under the name of The Bungalows. After learning to play some instruments and a name change to Red Zebra, they debut with a self-produced, self-written and self-sold EP.

This EP includes the song "I can't live in a living room". This biting indictment of bourgeois society became a radio-hit and is considered one of Belgium's finest cult classics.

In 2000, the band was celebrating the 20th anniversary of the legendary song, with a special 2-hour performance in front of a seated audience in the Stadsschouwburg of their hometown Bruges (October 28th). This performance was also captured on CD, and released on the Belgian Parsifal label in 2001 with the title "Last Band Standing". On it, there were 13 new interpretations of the songs that made their fame.

TV Activity
Red Zebra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I got used to cruelty
I see it always on tv
Other people's misery
It looks so funny on tv
It looks so funny on tv

Sitting in your seat
In front of the screen

Looking at the pictures
That never really hurt
That never really hurt
Never never

War in Cambodja
More hunger in Africa
If you don't like this tragedy
Switch over to comedy
One great comedy
One great comedy

I got used to cruelty
I see it always on tv
Other people's misery
It looks so funny on tv
Funny on my tv

Radioactivity is no longer it
tv activity fills your head with shit
Fills your head with shit

Switch on switch off
Switch on switch off
On and off
On and off
On off

On off
On

Overall Meaning

Red Zebra's "TV Activity" is a biting commentary on the numbing effect of television on our collective empathy. The lyrics express a disconcerting apathy towards the suffering of others, as the singer admits to becoming desensitized to cruelty through constant exposure on television. The line "Other people's misery/ It looks so funny on tv" highlights the perverse enjoyment some take in watching others' misfortunes. The chorus emphasizes the inaction of the viewer, sitting "in your seat/ In front of the screen/ Looking at the pictures/ That never really hurt." The song calls upon people to wake up and take action against the injustices in the world rather than simply switching over to mindless comedies as a form of escapism.

The second verse of the song takes a more specific look at the media's portrayal of global struggles, calling out the wars in Cambodia and hunger in Africa. The criticism is directed towards the TV stations and their choice of coverage - if viewers don't like the tragic stories, they can simply switch to a comedy program. The repeated line "One great comedy" serves as a mocking reminder of the triviality of what we are often presented with on television. The final lines of the song proclaim that "Radioactivity is no longer it/ tv activity fills your head with shit," equating the addictive quality of television with the toxicity of radioactive materials.

Line by Line Meaning

I got used to cruelty
The singer has become accustomed to seeing cruel things on TV.

I see it always on tv
The singer is constantly exposed to cruel things on TV.

Other people's misery
The TV broadcasts other people's suffering.

It looks so funny on tv
The TV makes suffering seem amusing.

Sitting in your seat
The listener is sitting in front of the TV.

In front of the screen
The listener is watching the TV screen.

Looking at the pictures
The listener is watching images on the TV.

That never really hurt
The images on TV don't physically cause the listener pain.

War in Cambodja
The TV is broadcasting news about the war in Cambodia.

More hunger in Africa
The TV is broadcasting news about starvation in Africa.

If you don't like this tragedy
If the listener doesn't like the depressing news, the TV offers an alternative.