Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway was the original lead singer for the band Wall of Voodoo, singing on their debut EP and first two albums, including their only hit song, "Mexican Radio". Wall Of Voodoo's genesis was in a Hollywood company called "Acme Soundtracks", a commercially unsuccessful venture founded in 1977 in Hollywood by Ridgway. Ridgway's intent for the company was to provide soundtrack music for independently produced low-budget horror films; unfortunately, the company found few takers for its services. Instead, Acme Soundtracks evolved into a band that played live shows.
The band was named Wall Of Voodoo by Ridgway before their first gig in reference to a comment made while recording and overdubbing a Kalamazoo Rhythm Ace drum machine, a gift to Ridgway by writer and iconic voice over artist Daws Butler, partner to Stan Freberg, voice of Yogi Bear and many other Hanna-Barbera characters. When someone jokingly compared the multiple drum machine and farfisa organ laden recordings to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, Ridgway commented it sounded more like a "Wall Of Voodoo", and the name stuck.
Actually, for new listeners, the voodoo reference was a little misleading, as it referred to the music's often spooky quality, as opposed to any Haitian or Caribbean influences. In fact, WoV's music could fairly have been described as a cross between early synthesizer pop (especially that of Devo) and Ennio Morricone's soundtracks for Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" films. Adding to the music's distinctiveness was Nanini's percussive experimentation, mixing drum machines with unconventional found instruments such as pots, pans and various kitchen utensils, as well as Marc Moreland's twangy spaghetti-western guitar. On top of the mix was Ridgway's unusual vocal style—a nasal Western drawl that combined the stoic ballad-style Sprechgesang of Johnny Cash, the declamatory theatrical delivery of Ethel Merman, and the ironic, clenched-jaw voice of a wisecracking ventriloquist's dummy. One of Ridgway's hobbies since childhood has been ventriloquism and he occasionally assumes the persona of a dummy named Jackie T. Lazar, such as in his cover version of "Behind Closed Doors" from Holiday in Dirt and in the video for "Big Dumb Town" from Black Diamond.
Ridgway embarked on a solo career in 1983, shortly after Wall of Voodoo's appearance and break up at the US Festival that same year. After collaborating on the song "Don't Box Me In" with Stewart Copeland from The Police for the soundtrack to the film Rumble Fish (1983), directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Mickey Rourke, Matt Dillon, Dennis Hopper and Tom Waits, he released his first proper solo album, The Big Heat (1986), which included the top 5 European hit "Camouflage". This was followed by numerous other solo recordings Mosquitos (1989), Partyball (1991), Black Diamond (1995), Anatomy (1999), The Way I Feel Today a collection of big band standards (2000) and Holiday In Dirt (2001) which also included a DVD of videos. Ridgway's most recent solo outing is Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs (2005) featuring the narrative song, "Talkin' Wall Of Voodoo Blues Pt. 1", a history of his former band in song that was especially poignant, having followed the recent deaths of Marc Moreland and Joe Nanini.
Since the early days of Wall of Voodoo, Ridgway has been interested in music for cinema. A list of films for which Ridgway has written scores and/or original songs is included below. Ridgway's album Holiday in Dirt was a quasi-cinematic project, with the release of the album accompanied by a showing of 14 short films by various independent film makers, each film corresponding to one of the songs on the album. A compilation DVD of the films was released in February 2005.
In 1994, Ridgway began work on a new project in the form of a trio called Drywall, the other members of the trio being Ridgway's wife, keyboardist/vocalist Pietra Wexstun of the band Hecate's Angels (who had previously worked with Ridgway on Mosquitos and Partyball), and former Rain Parade drummer Ivan Knight. In 1995, Drywall released its first album (first of a "trilogy of apocalyptic documents"), titled Work The Dumb Oracle. A short film directed by Carlos Grasso titled The Drywall Incident was released the same year. An extended, instrumental soundtrack album for The Drywall Incident was released in 1996.
Ridgway and Wexstun also collaborated on a suite of mostly instrumental and orchestral pieces to accompany an exhibition of post modern surrealist artist Mark Ryden's paintings, which was released as the album Blood- Miniature Paintings of Sorrow and Fear"in 2003 in a unique 3 panel packaging design by the artist which quickly sold out of its limited pressing of 7,500.
Stan Ridgway and Drywall regrouped in 2006 to release the album Barbeque Babylon, the third "apocalyptic document" with the single "The AARP Is Following Me". The new Drywall lineup features Rick King on guitars and bass and Bruce Zelesnik on drums and percussion.
Ridgway has also contributed to albums and projects by producer Hal Willner, Frank Black and the Catholics, The Flesh Eaters, The Divine Horsemen, The Ray Campi Quartet, The Fibonaccis, and Roger McGuinn.
Pile Driver
Stan Ridgway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whose engines don't pump gasoline
It's a poundin' crazy arm that works all day
It's run by all the people who
Have got some blueprint plan to do
So don't shake your head¨c¨cno, just nod and say "okay"
And before I knew it, I got shoved in line
Chorus:
(so, and) bring that pile driver over here and be quick
We've got to dig a hole right now, so we can put in this stick
We've got a hundred forty-seven done, we only got a day
So bring that pile driver over here right away
Now here's a big wide open space
So wipe that smile right off your face
And replace it now with a look of stern regard
It's the early bird that gets the worm
So what happens when the worm will learn
It's the older ways for new we will discard
And someone sent us this big machine that guarantees
There'll be no argument at all when we're packin' one of these
Chorus repeat
But wait a minute
Did you hear it cough
This crazy arm
We can't turn off
It's rollin' round
And diggin' down a mile
Look out¨c¨cthis big machine
Has gone hog wild!
So look out, world, we're buildin' now
When the hammer hits, the thumb says "ow!"
Somewhere you know there's progress made
One thing's for sure, we'll get our asphalt laid
This big machine has run amuck
And someone somewhere passed the buck
So keep an ear out for that whistle call
And duck when you see that wreckin' ball
And hey, bob, don't light that match, we could explode
I'll move some dirt while you block off the road
Chorus repeat until fade
In "Pile Driver" by Stan Ridgway, the singer emphasizes the mechanization and progress that has taken over the labor force. The singer describes a machine, the poundin' crazy arm that works all day, which is run by people with a blueprint plan for construction. The workers are commanded to not question the use of the machine and instead just nod and say “okay.” The singer then chronicles their experience in a march where they count off in time, before returning to the chorus where they need to dig a hole and only have a day left.
The second verse shifts to an open space where the singer calls for the wiping of smiles and adopting of a look of stern regard. The emphasis on the early bird getting the worm shifts to the idea that old ways of working will be discarded for new ways. A big machine arrives that guarantees no argument when they’re packing up. The chorus repeats before it’s interrupted to note that the big machine has gone hog wild and that it requires caution.
The singer ends with a plea to Bob not to light any matches in the area, and instead to be aware of the debris and excavation that’s taking place. The singer's use of visual and aural images throughout the song creates an allegory of the massive and inexorable force of progress and industry.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a big click clack machine
There is a large, noisy machine with mechanical arms that moves in a clicking and clacking motion.
Whose engines don't pump gasoline
The machine's engines do not run on gasoline or any usual fuel source.
It's a poundin' crazy arm that works all day
The machine consists of mechanical arms that pound on something continuously and works all day long.
It's run by all the people who
Have got some blueprint plan to do
So don't shake your head¨c¨cno, just nod and say "okay"
The machine is operated by people who have a specific plan to execute. One should not question, but just agree and comply with the plan.
And before I knew it, I got shoved in line
Marchin' south in single file, and countin' off in time
Unexpectedly, I was put in a line with others and forced to follow them, marching in a particular direction and keeping pace with everyone else.
Chorus:
(so, and) bring that pile driver over here and be quick
We've got to dig a hole right now, so we can put in this stick
We've got a hundred forty-seven done, we only got a day
So bring that pile driver over here right away
The chorus emphasizes the urgency of getting a hole dug quickly by using the machine called the pile driver. There are several holes already dug, but not enough to meet the goal in time, so they need to hurry.
Now here's a big wide open space
So wipe that smile right off your face
And replace it now with a look of stern regard
There is a large open area, but one should not look happy or carefree. Instead, one must have a serious and stern look on their face.
It's the early bird that gets the worm
So what happens when the worm will learn
It's the older ways for new we will discard
The saying 'the early bird gets the worm' raises questions about the fate of the worm. The song suggests that the worm must learn that the old ways will be replaced by new ones.
And someone sent us this big machine that guarantees
There'll be no argument at all when we're packin' one of these
Someone sent them a big machine that ensures there won't be any arguments when they use it for their work.
Chorus repeat
The chorus repeats again, emphasizing the urgency of getting the work done.
But wait a minute
Did you hear it cough
This crazy arm
We can't turn off
Suddenly, the machine malfunctions with a cough-like noise, and one of the mechanical arms won't stop its movement.
It's rollin' round
And diggin' down a mile
Look out¨c¨cthis big machine
Has gone hog wild!
The machine begins to move on its own and dig down, and the situation turns chaotic as the machine goes out of control, causing destruction around it.
So look out, world, we're buildin' now
When the hammer hits, the thumb says "ow!"
Somewhere you know there's progress made
One thing's for sure, we'll get our asphalt laid
This big machine has run amuck
And someone somewhere passed the buck
So keep an ear out for that whistle call
And duck when you see that wreckin' ball
Despite the chaos, the song talks about how progress is being made, and they will eventually finish their work. However, someone is to blame for the situation, and one needs to be cautious when working with a machine that can cause real damage.
And hey, bob, don't light that match, we could explode
I'll move some dirt while you block off the road
The situation is dangerous, and they need to take precautions like not lighting matches. They need to keep working, someone blocking off the road, while someone else moves the dirt.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: STANARD RIDGEWAY FUNSTEN, STANDARD RIDGWAY FUNSTEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind