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In 2004 Ben Weasel rescinded all of the Screeching Weasel and Riverdales masters from Lookout!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.
Mary Was an Anarchist
Screeching Weasel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to Screeching Weasel's song "Mary Was an Anarchist" tell the story of a young woman named Mary who was passionate about social issues and fighting against oppression. She moved to Berkeley and made a statement by sticking pins in her face, a visible symbol of the ways in which women were oppressed. Mary protested with signs and even threw a rock at a cop, feeling powerful in that moment. However, the song suggests that Mary's efforts were ultimately fruitless. She won a husband who embodied everything she hated and her former friends had become part of the system, selling stocks in IBM. Mary realized that she couldn't truly change the world and settled into an unfulfilling existence like her mother before her, despite patting herself on the back for her actions.
Line by Line Meaning
mary was a girl with a cause she was simply fed up
Mary was a woman who was tired of the oppression she faced due to her gender, and she was determined to fight against it.
mary moved out to berkeley and stuck pins her face as a sort of statement against oppression of her sex
Mary relocated to Berkeley and used the act of sticking pins in her face as a way to call attention to and speak out against the oppression of women.
mary took a walk in the park with a sign in her hand
Mary participated in a peaceful protest, holding a sign conveying her message.
mary threw a rock at a cop and man she felt like a man
Mary expressed her anger and frustration by turning to violent means, but in doing so she momentarily experienced a sense of empowerment.
and you know the ugliness became her but now she's gone
Mary's extreme actions eventually defined her, but she is no longer here to suffer the consequences.
she couldn't take it anymore and what's she won she won a husband who embodies everything she hated
Mary ultimately couldn't bear the constant struggle against oppression and gave up, but in doing so she ended up with a partner who perpetuated the very same oppressive ideas she had been fighting against.
and all her friends from years ago are selling stocks in ibm
Mary's former comrades, who shared her ideals, have now become complacent and have abandoned the fight against oppression to pursue personal gain.
right on mary finally saw she couldn't change the world
Mary realized that her attempts to change the world were futile and that the scope of her impact was limited.
but mary often fondly looks back and pats herself on the back
Mary frequently reminisces about her past activism and gives herself credit for what she accomplished at the time.
for a convenient romanticized version of the facts of what she'd done
However, Mary's idealized recollections of her past actions ignore the reality of what she actually achieved and the impact she had.
but she didn't change a goddamn single on of the oppressive pigs who made her what she was
In reality, Mary's actions had no real effect on the individuals responsible for the oppression she faced and who shaped her into who she became.
and the empowerment she felt was just a crumb compared to all the butts of jokes that she'd become
In the end, the sense of empowerment Mary briefly gained was insignificant when compared to the ridicule and mockery she faced from others who saw her activism as foolish.
and now she's at the kitchen table all alone and she ended up exactly like her mom
In the present, Mary is alone and facing the disappointment of having failed to make any real change. Ultimately, she has ended up mirroring her own mother's life, despite her best intentions.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Simon Ramone
Mary was a girl with a cause she was simply fed up
mary moved out to berkeley and stuck pins her face as a sort of statement against oppression of her sex
mary took a walk in the park with a sign in her hand
mary threw a rock at a cop and man she felt like a man
and you know the ugliness became her
but now she's gone
she couldn't take it anymore
and what's she won
she won a husband who embodies everything she hated
and all her friends from years ago are selling stocks in ibm right on
mary finally saw she couldn't change the world but
mary often fondly looks back and pats herself on the back
for a convenient romanticized version of the facts of what she'd done
but she didn't change a goddamn single on of the oppressive pigs who made her what she was
and the empowerment she felt was just a crumb compared to all the butts of jokes that she'd become
and now she's at the kitchen table all alone
and she ended up exactly like her mom
Robert Dudley
The song isn't anti-activism--it's a genuinely meant elegy for a friend that let her obsession with politics and corruption ruin herself. When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks back at you.
Simon Ramone
Mary was a girl with a cause she was simply fed up
mary moved out to berkeley and stuck pins her face as a sort of statement against oppression of her sex
mary took a walk in the park with a sign in her hand
mary threw a rock at a cop and man she felt like a man
and you know the ugliness became her
but now she's gone
she couldn't take it anymore
and what's she won
she won a husband who embodies everything she hated
and all her friends from years ago are selling stocks in ibm right on
mary finally saw she couldn't change the world but
mary often fondly looks back and pats herself on the back
for a convenient romanticized version of the facts of what she'd done
but she didn't change a goddamn single on of the oppressive pigs who made her what she was
and the empowerment she felt was just a crumb compared to all the butts of jokes that she'd become
and now she's at the kitchen table all alone
and she ended up exactly like her mom
YellowNumberFive
I used to listen to this song and see futility in activism, now I hope to be half the person my mom was. At least she cared enough to speak out, and did so without regard to her career or station in life. If only we all had the balls of such a 85lb woman.
Trust1nYou
There's nothing wrong with being active. It's just a matter of what you're being active for.
VIVA LA MIGRA CABRONES
I love how everyone literally is saying the same thing in the comments. Hurriedly making the same excuse in the same words.
"It's not anti-activism!"
Nothing more punk than than a hive mind, amirite?
Rockstar Raccoon
This song isn't anti activism, it's about that line in 'Chickenshit Conformist' by the Dead Kennedys that goes "Harder-Core than thou for a year or two, then it's time to get a real job." Manufactured rebellion is hollow, meaningless, and ultimately ends as "just another phase"
Rockstar Raccoon
I didn't mean literally... it was an example.... -!-;;
YellowNumberFive
So it's a sarcastic song about a sarcastic line in another band's song? It's a cool story, but I doubt it. The Weasels and DK were not that friendly to my knowledge, and I've never seen anything from either band commenting as to what you just said. It would be cool if it were true, but I highly doubt it. These bands did not run in the same circles, and they did not sing about the same things. I'd love for you to prove me wrong, but a line out of context from a DK song isn't going to cut it.
William Z
tallcanify Sloppy Seconds song*
tallcanify
I dunno. SW does stuff like that all the time. "I Wanna be a Homosexual" is a reply to the Dead Milkmen song "I Don't Wanna Be a Homosexual," "Political Song for Screeching Weasel to Sing" is a reply to the Minutemen song "Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing." I don't think SW were pals with those bands at all, really. I realize I'm replying to a ten year old comment on a youtube video so I'm probably talking to nobody here. But that story at least seems possible.