The lineup first consisted of vocalist Jack Grisham (who has been credited as Jack Greggors, Alex Morgan, Jack Ladoga, Jim Woo and James DeLauge), guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, and drummer Todd Barnes, the band's first release was a harshly political eponymous T.S.O.L. EP featuring tracks such as "Superficial Love," "World War III" and "Abolish Government."
After their debut EP, they released Dance With Me, their first full-length record. A departure from the entirely political nature of the previous release, Dance With Me was far darker and more macabre, featuring such themes as necrophilia, and the song "Silent Scream," which is made up entirely of horror movie clichés. Their most popular release, both then and to this day, the album earned them the title of the "West Coast Misfits" (a reference to Glenn Danzig's band the Misfits on the East Coast), and has made the band a favorite amongst horror punk fans.
They later signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, for which they released the Weathered Statues 7" EP and the Beneath the Shadows album which featured, for the first time, keyboard player Greg Kuehn who added a new dimension to the band. Around this period their style had changed further, becoming highly experimental and varied, featuring art punk and psychedelic leanings, as well as their customary horror themes.
In 1983 amid personal turmoil, Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes left the band and were replaced by singer Joe Wood (who was Grisham's brother-in-law) and drummer Mitch Dean. This new line-up (with Joe Wood and Mitch Dean) released the album named Change Today? in 1984 on Enigma Records.
The group changed their sound entirely for their next release Revenge, adopting a punk metal sound. Their music was featured in the 1984 movie Suburbia, the 1985 version of popular horror movie Return of the Living Dead and Dangerously Close in 1986.
The band became friends with Guns N' Roses and T.S.O.L. t-shirts can be seen in the "Sweet Child o' Mine" video. They followed up with an album in a similar style, titled Hit and Run. Before it was released, original guitarist Ron Emory quit the band, leaving Mike Roche as the sole original member.
T.S.O.L. were joined briefly by guitarist Scotty Phillips, who quit before the band started recording the follow-up to Hit and Run. They eventually hired guitar player and actor Marshall Rohner. They released a blues-metal album titled Strange Love in 1990. Mike Roche quit shortly before the album release, leaving no original member in the band. A compilation album entitled Hell & Back Together: 1984-1990 was issued in 1992 with an emphasis on their metal era. Murphy Karges, later of Sugar Ray, briefly replaced Roche on bass as did Dave Mello.
Meanwhile, the original members had started playing shows featuring the band's early material under the name T.S.O.L., often playing the same cities, the same nights as the other T.S.O.L. Since Joe Wood and Mitch Dean now owned the rights to the name T.S.O.L., they threatened to sue the original members, who released a live album of their early material under the name "Grisham, Roche, Emory and Barnes" but stopped playing together soon after because of drug problems.
In 1996, most of the original members settled down and realized that they still had a passion for their music and that fans wanted them to reunite. In 1999, they fought with Wood for rights to the name and won before joining the Vans Warped Tour, playing for the first time in years under the name T.S.O.L.
Todd Barnes had died on December 6th, 1999 of a brain aneurysm at the age of 34. The remaining members recruited drummer Jay O'Brien and released the Anticop single and the Disappear and Divided We Stand albums on Nitro Records, the latter of which featured Greg Kuehn back on keyboards. The Original T.S.O.L. recorded two more full length albums. In September of 2007, Cider City Records released the posthumous live album Live From Long Beach, recorded in November 2006 on the weekend of the band's two "farewell" performances.
Their departure was short-lived, however, with a couple of local shows in late 2007. They also headlined the "F**k the Whales, Save a Chckn" benefit in February of 2008, held to help with cancer treatment bills for guitarist Craig "Chckn" Jewett of D.I.
They are an independent band under the Nitro Records banner, which was started by the Offspring vocalist Dexter Holland, for whom T.S.O.L. is cited as an influence.
In December 2008, the band, in cooperation with Hurley, entered the studio to record Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads which was, as the title suggests, made available as a free download through Hurley's website on January 8, 2009.
The late eighties T.S.O.L. version apparently are popular enough to invite bookings in Brazil & Argentina, where the Grisham led band hold no legal rights to prevent Wood from gigging as T.S.O.L. Since 1996, Wood has been joined by guitarists including Mike Martt and Drac Conley, drummers Steve "Sully" O’Sullivan and Mitch Dean and bassist Dave Mello, who joined the band near the end of its Enigma years run. Additionally, Wood has pursued musical work in Joe Wood and the Lonely Ones & Cisco Poison.
Members
* Jack Grisham - vocals
* Ron Emory - guitar
* Mike Roche - bass
* Antonio Val Hernandez - Drums
* Greg Kuehn - piano, synthesizers
Former members
* Todd Barnes - drums
* Murphy Karges (born Matthew Murphy Karges) - bass
* Dave Mello - bass
* Joe Wood - vocals, guitar
* Mitch Dean - drums
* Marshall Rohner - guitars
* Jay O'Brien - drums
* Travis Johnson - drums
* Billy Blaze - drums
* Frank Agnew - guitar
* Scotty Phillips - guitar
* Tiny Bubbz - Drums
Fuck You Tough Guy
T.S.O.L. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to T.S.O.L.'s song "Fuck You Tough Guy" describe the experience of being bullied and intimidated in an educational environment, likely in high school. The singer paints a vivid picture of feeling scared and small in the face of aggressive and violent peers. The song centers around the repetitive refrain of "Fuck you tough guy," which is directed at the bullies and their toxic behavior.
The first verse describes the fear and humiliation of being laughed at and tripped in front of classmates and teachers, without anyone coming to the singer's defense. The second verse continues with the experience of being physically assaulted, and feeling helpless and alone in the face of violence.
In the bridge section, the song takes on a more abstract and philosophical tone, suggesting that the oppressive and violent social systems that allow bullies to thrive are also responsible for other forms of harm such as political corruption and war.
Overall, the song is a powerful critique of bullying and an empowering statement against the perpetrators.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking in the hallway terrified and feeling like a worm in the dark
Feeling scared and worthless while walking in an intimidating environment
Laughing in the classroom, tripped up on the stairs and the teacher doesn't know who you are hey...fuck you tough guy.
Being laughed at and humiliated by others while feeling invisible to those in authority
Standing in detention people staring, hung beneath a picture of mars swimming through the garbage
Being subjected to public scrutiny and humiliation for punishment
Pushed into a locker and the blood really started to flow on my shirt and it hurts and its worse now, hey...fuck you tough guy
Experiencing physical and emotional pain due to bullying and feeling angry and helpless
No teachers, no parents no classrooms, embarrassed no students, no idols no music, so jealous again and you're gonna do it again, you're gonna do it again libertine, guillotine set yourself free, systems got you down so ya beat on me
Feeling alone, embarrassed, and envious while being targeted by someone who is trying to cope with their own problems by hurting others
Innocent, evidence doubled up dry, can't believe the truth so you swallow those lies homicide, suicide what's in store?
Feeling falsely accused and unable to face the consequences, leading to thoughts of violence against oneself or others
Never seen a game where they play so hard politics, politics dancing men, got a new boy so they're out again feeling temporary, military, secondary life
Feeling like life is a game where people are constantly competing and changing allegiances, leading to a sense of insecurity and lack of purpose
No students, no idols, no music, so jealous again and you're gonna do it again, you're gonna do it again
Feeling envy and bitterness towards others who seem to have a better life, leading to a desire to hurt them
Walking in the hallway, pushed into a locker and the blood really started to flow, on my shirt and it hurts and its worse now. hey...fuck you tough guy
Experiencing physical and emotional pain due to bullying and feeling angry and helpless, while addressing the perpetrator with defiance
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: CHRIS HIGGINS, JACK LOYD GRISHAM, MICHAEL PAUL ROCHE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TrickFail
Crank - high voltage
@motsm3711
This song makes me wanna go do a bunch of drugs and violently take out my frustration on a bunch of douchy guidos
@BrianBowerz
Love following into my dads footsteps and listening to them fuck yes
@JeppiBoolr
same! my dad recommended alot of bands like these! fucking awesome! \m/
@Tomsedated
Haha great parents ;)
@johnmarese1310
why am i just learning about this band now?! haha these dudes rock
@MegaRollerblade
fucking awesome!
@depret5
nice nice :)
@JeppiBoolr
THESE GUYS ARE FUCKING PLAYING WARPED! FUCKING LEGENDS! SO HYPED I MIGHT SEE THEM OH MY GOD
@sleepiswrong667
wish i could find the original on here