Screeching Weasel is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They wer… Read Full Bio ↴Screeching Weasel is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They were formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel (aka Ben Foster who also used to be a columnist for the punk fanzine Maximum Rocknroll) and John Jughead (aka John Pierson). The band gained prominence in the early 1990s after signing to East Bay punk label, Lookout! Records and are cited to be a major influence over many bands playing that style of punk music.

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In 2004 Ben Weasel rescinded all of the Screeching Weasel and Riverdales masters from Lookout!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 Was a High School Psychopath
Screeching Weasel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I really hated high school
it was such a drag
everytime I walked the halls
all the kids would call me a fag
I dodn't care for physical ed
and I didn't care for history
I wanted to blow up my high school and take my G.E.D.
I was a high school psychopath

I needed therapy
I was a high school psychopath
with an overload of energy
there was a teenage wasteland in my brain
from staying after school
I didn't want to pledge allegiance
because I thought it was so uncool
each and everybody hated me
they thought I was such a jerk

with my leather jacket my ripped jeans
and my Ramones t-shirt

Overall Meaning

Screeching Weasel's song "I Was a High School Psychopath" is a poignant examination of the isolation and angst that many teenage students face, particularly those who feel ostracized by their peers. Through the lyrics of the song, the singer expresses his overwhelming dislike for high school, viewing it as a "drag" that holds him back from realizing his full potential. He describes the taunts and insults he received from other students each time he walked the hallways, feeling alienated and marginalized due to his non-conformist attitude and personal style.

The narrative of the song indicates that the singer lacked interest in the traditional academic disciplines taught in schools, avoiding both physical education and history classes. Instead, he nurtures a desire to rebel against convention, wishing to "blow up" his school in defiance and attain his high school diploma through the General Educational Development (GED) program. The line "I was a high school psychopath" highlights the extreme emotions that the singer feels after being bullied and rejected by his peers. He claims to have "overload of energy" which indicates the frustration he feels for being held back.

The song's chorus captures the essence of the singer's feelings of isolation, describing his psyche as a "teenage wasteland." He refuses to pledge allegiance to the flag, seeing it as an outdated ritual that fails to respect his genuine individualism, besides feeling uncomfortable with a symbol of his country that doesn't seem to deserve it. The song's portrayal of the singer's appearance, with his leather jacket, ripped jeans, and Ramones T-shirt, encapsulates his rebellious, punk rock attitude.

Line by Line Meaning

I really hated high school
I had a strong dislike towards high school

it was such a drag
I found it to be very boring and tiring

everytime I walked the halls
Whenever I moved around in the corridors

all the kids would call me a fag
All the other students used to verbally abuse me with this derogatory term

I dodn't care for physical ed
I had no interest in physical education classes

and I didn't care for history
I felt indifferent towards history subject

I wanted to blow up my high school and take my G.E.D.
I had a strong desire to destroy my alma mater and receive a General Equivalency Diploma

I was a high school psychopath
My behavior and mindset was that of a dangerous and crazy high school student

I needed therapy
I required professional help to cope with my mental state

I was a high school psychopath
My mental condition was of a violent high school student

with an overload of energy
I had an excessive amount of energy which was uncontrollable