Through the years, the band went through many line-up changes, with Ben and John being the only constant members since the band's inception. Screeching Weasel officially broke up for (roughly) the third - and allegedly final - time on July 6, 2001.
The band did a few surprise shows between 2001-2009.
Ben Weasel reformed the group in March 2009 with a new line-up, and without John Jughead. Ben had released solo albums that were the same just in his name. John finally settled for T-Shirt money for being an original member of the band and a royalties for a handful songs he co-wrote, and let Ben play as Screeching Weasel with the hundreds of song lyrics and music has written.
Former Members include renowned punk rock record producer Mass Giorgini on bass guitar, Dan Panic (born Dan Sullivan) on drums, and Danny Vapid (born Dan Schafer,on guitar or bass, depending on the band's necessity. Dan is currently fronting The Methadones and formerly of Sludgeworth)
Members of Screeching Weasel have gone on to form bands such as: The Methadones, The Mopes, Even in Blackouts, and Sweet Black And Blue.
Screeching Weasel has also included members of Green Day, Sludgeworth, Common Rider, Squirtgun, and Teen Idols.
During one of the band's many break-ups, Weasel and Vapid also formed the Riverdales. Additionally, Ben Weasel released a solo record in 2002 entitled Fidatevi.
In 2004 Ben Weasel rescinded all of the Screeching Weasel and Riverdales masters from Lookout! Records in the wake of long-running financial and personal conflicts. The masters were subsequently licensed to and reissued by Asian Man Records.
On December 7, 2010, it was announced that Screeching Weasel will release a new album on March 15, 2011, the band's first album in eleven years. The album will be titled First World Manifesto and will be released on Fat Wreck Chords. It will contain 14 new songs and is produced by Mike Kennerty of The All-American Rejects. It was announced that the label will also be releasing the back catalogs of Screeching Weasel, the Riverdales, and Ben Weasel.
On March 18, 2011, during Screeching Weasel's South by Southwest Festival performance at the Scoot Inn in Austin, Texas, Foster reached from the stage and slapped a female audience member who had spit on him several times. This sent off a fire storm web frenzy from all of the self -righteous non Screeching Weasel fans. Ben apologized for his actions, but all of the perfect people who never loose there cool were not satisfied.
Ben and his hired band had a falling out. He found out who his true friends and fans were. After over a year of spending time with his family and raising a new baby, he released Carnival of Schadenfreude EP in 2011 with huge interest and has resumed his music career again full swing.
Hanging Around
Screeching Weasel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and tried to look at people like I did back then
I kinda wanted to just hang out
remind myself what it was all about
about everything I thought
I shattered and left laying there
that didn't matter
every now and then comes back to my eyes
I know if you're not getting better
you're getting worse but
watching everybody else it's getting harder to remind myself
of what I've learned relying on another lame religion
to validate our arrogant traditions
and any day we're gonna wonder why
we've been left behind
this girl came up to me and said
I think my teacher used to go to school with you
and she was right and if for just a second I take off these colored glasses
I can see it might just be a waste of time
and I don't know everyday that passes
it gets easier to walk off and it seems alright
and everyday another person I used to call my friend
just disappears from sight
now I see that I'm all alone
just like I always was from the beginning
and I think maybe that's the reason I'm not hanging around
I see your face and wonder where you'll be five years from now
and what it really means to you inside
I can't explain the reasons why I can't hang out and bide my time
it just keeps going on and on and on and on and on and I don't know
The song begins with a reflection of the present and the past. The singer walks around alone and tries to see people how he did back in the day. He wants to remind himself what it was all about, everything he thought he believed in and shattered over time. However, he realizes that it doesn't matter much now as he's moving in a new direction. The song speaks about how people tend to rely on religion or tradition to validate their beliefs but in reality, it can be seen as a waste of time.
He meets a girl who recognizes him as a former schoolmate of her teacher. This encounter makes him realize that sometimes it's best not to hold onto the past and move on. Everyday people he used to call friends disappear from his sight and this makes him feel more alone than ever. He questions the significance of his current friends and wonders what they mean to him inside. The song ends with the singer saying how he doesn't know why he can't hang out and bide his time anymore, the feeling just seems to keep going on and on.
Overall, the song speaks about the difficulties of growing up and accepting change. It's about the disconnection and isolation that we can feel from the people around us and how sometimes it can feel like we're better off alone. It highlights the struggle to hold onto tradition and the past while trying to move forward with our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I walked around alone last night
I wandered by myself last night
and tried to look at people like I did back then
and I tried to view people like I did in the past
I kinda wanted to just hang out
I had a desire to just spend time idly
remind myself what it was all about
refresh my memory about what it all meant
about everything I thought I shattered and left laying there that didn't matter
about every thought that I dismissed as insignificant
every now and then comes back to my eyes
it sometimes comes back to mind
moving in a new direction
heading towards a different destination now
I know if you're not getting better you're getting worse but
I understand that there's no standing still; you're either improving or declining
watching everybody else it's getting harder to remind myself of what I've learned
as I watch others, it's getting increasingly difficult to remind myself of what I've learned
relying on another lame religion to validate our arrogant traditions
depending on a different futile approach to justify our conceited customs
and any day we're gonna wonder why we've been left behind
one day we'll ask ourselves why we are lagging behind
this girl came up to me and said I think my teacher used to go to school with you
a girl approached me and told me that she believes her teacher attended the same educational institution as I did
and she was right
and her assumption is correct
and if for just a second I take off these colored glasses I can see it might just be a waste of time
if I remove my biased perception even for a short duration, I might realize it's a pointless pursuit
and I don't know everyday that passes it gets easier to walk off and it seems alright
I'm unsure, but every day it seems easier to depart from that and it appears acceptable
and everyday another person I used to call my friend just disappears from sight
every day, another person who I once considered a friend vanishes from my view
now I see that I'm all alone just like I always was from the beginning
now I realized that I'm solitary, just as I have been from the start
and I think maybe that's the reason I'm not hanging around
perhaps that's why I'm not lingering
I see your face and wonder where you'll be five years from now
I catch a glimpse of your face and ponder where you'll be in the next five years
and what it really means to you inside
and what it genuinely signifies for you internally
I can't explain the reasons why I can't hang out and bide my time
I can't elucidate why I am unable to remain and wait
it just keeps going on and on and on and on and on and I don't know
it just persists incessantly, and I remain uncertain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVE DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind