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In 2004 Ben Weasel rescinded all of the Screeching Weasel and Riverdales masters from Lookout!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.
I Don't Wanna Be Friends
Screeching Weasel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I better take my Ritalin
I'm about an inch away from smacking her
She wants to tell me what to do
I'm really not in love with you
I've had it up to here with your obnoxiousness
Don't play little games with me baby
Cause you know it's already over
You're giving me a heart attack
You'll never catch me crawling back
I'm not about to listen 'cause I'm really sick of this
You want to be my buddy too
I'm not a retard at the zoo
There's not a chance 'cause this is totally ridiculous
Don't play little games with me baby
Cause you know it's already over
The beginning of Screeching Weasel's "I Don't Wanna Be Friends" already sets the tone for the entire song. The singer, who is likely Ben Weasel, is being bugged by a girl named Susie. He mentions taking his Ritalin, which leads one to believe he has ADHD or some other attention-related disorder. Susie is being demanding, and he's reaching his boiling point. The singer clearly wants to break up with her, but Susie doesn't seem to get the message. She's playing games, and he can't take it anymore.
As the song continues, the singer reiterates that he doesn't want to be friends with Susie. He's over this relationship, and he doesn't want anything to do with her. He has no interest in crawling back, and he wants to cut ties with her entirely. The singer seems to be standing up for himself and being honest with Susie, telling her that he's really sick of this.
In the final verse, the singer makes it clear that he's not interested in being friends with Susie, nor does he want to be her buddy. He's not going to stick around for her games. He refers to her request as "totally ridiculous." The song comes to a close with the singer telling her not to play games because it's already over.
Overall, "I Don't Wanna Be Friends" is a song about ending a relationship with someone who is frustrating and demanding. It's a cry for independence and freedom from a relationship that is making the singer unhappy.
Line by Line Meaning
Susie's bugging me again
Someone named Susie is bothering the singer
I better take my Ritalin
The singer may need medication to deal with Susie's behavior
I'm about an inch away from smacking her
The singer is frustrated to the point of violence
She wants to tell me what to do
Susie is being bossy towards the artist
I'm really not in love with you
The artist does not have romantic feelings for Susie
I've had it up to here with your obnoxiousness
The singer is tired of Susie's annoying behavior
Don't play little games with me baby
Susie should not try to manipulate the singer
Cause you know it's already over
The relationship is ending, so there is no point in playing games
I don't want to be friends with you
The artist does not want to maintain a friendly relationship with Susie
You're giving me a heart attack
Susie's behavior is causing the artist stress and anxiety
You'll never catch me crawling back
The singer will not return to the relationship with Susie
I'm not about to listen 'cause I'm really sick of this
The artist is tired of hearing Susie's words and does not want to listen anymore
You want to be my buddy too
Susie wants to maintain a friendship with the singer
I'm not a retard at the zoo
The singer is not interested in maintaining a childish relationship
There's not a chance 'cause this is totally ridiculous
The singer thinks it is absurd for Susie to think they could still be friends
Don't play little games with me baby
Susie should not try to manipulate the artist
Cause you know it's already over
The relationship is ending, so there is no point in playing games
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: BENJAMIN M. FOSTER, BENJAMIN M FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind