The Dead Milkmen's songs found moderate success on alternative and college radio stations. Videos, notably Punk Rock Girl, even found their way onto MTV in the late 1980s. Topics for their music include satire on the 1980s music scene, toxic waste, jellyfish afterlifes, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and cover bands.
Irreverent absurdity fueled their initial popularity, particularly among college DJs. However, this genre was somewhat abandoned with the 1992 release of Soul Rotation, a much more subtle album.
After the Dead Milkmen went on indefinite hiatus in 1994, Genaro and Sabatino formed a new band, Butterfly Joe. Sabatino was also in the punk rock bands Narthex, Big Mess Orchestra, and Hunger Artists. Genaro was in a band called Touch Me Zoo. Linderman was in a band called Burn Witch Burn. Schulthise left music in the early 1990s after developing tendonitis, preventing him from playing bass, and committed suicide in 2004.
The Dead Milkmen took the stage again for two consecutive nights in November 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia to play a show in memory of Dave Schulthise. Proceeds were donated to a variety of mental health organizations and to a Serbian monastery that Schulthise supported.
The band reunited in 2008 and released a new album (The King in Yellow) in 2011.
Not Crazy
The Dead Milkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got everything I want at my fingertips
Just have to clap and lights turn on
I've got several piles of records
I don't know which one I'll put on next
I've got a hundred subscriptions to magazines I'll never read
I'm staring at the toys on my wall
Wondering what can be swallowed
Or take out an eyeball
Or what the people in China think about these things
When they make them
I'm not crazy
I'm merely entertaining the thought of going insane
The ball game must be over now
Maybe they'll show a movie
From the '80's
And I'll imagine what it would be like to live back then
At the age I am now
I'm staring at the back of her head
Trying to make her turn around
Feeling the meat on my cat
Wondering what it would be like to cook her
But I won't
'Cause that would cause a terrible fuss among my friends
And I'm not crazy
I'm merely entertaining the thought of going insane
I'm not crazy (x9)
The Dead Milkmen's song Not Crazy seems to be a commentary on the mundane and monotony of everyday life. The singer in the song is living a life that is comfortable and luxurious, but also quite boring. He talks about having everything he wants at his fingertips and being able to control his environment with a simple clap of his hands. He has piles of records and subscriptions to magazines that he never reads, and he seems to be lost in his own thoughts, staring at the toys on his wall and wondering what people in China think about them.
The singer's thoughts take a darker turn as he begins to fantasize about more dangerous and taboo activities. He wonders what it would be like to live in the '80s or to cook his cat, but he knows that these thoughts would cause a "terrible fuss" among his friends. The singer insists that he is not crazy, but he is "merely entertaining the thought of going insane." This lyric suggests that the singer is aware of the absurdity of his thoughts and is trying to distance himself from them in some way.
Overall, Not Crazy is a song that highlights the strange and unsettling aspects of everyday life. The singer's thoughts and daydreams may seem outlandish, but they also suggest a deeper dissatisfaction with the status quo. The song is both humorous and poignant, painting a picture of a world that is simultaneously banal and bizarre.
Line by Line Meaning
This is living
I am content with my current state of being
I've got everything I want at my fingertips
I have access to all the things I desire
Just have to clap and lights turn on
I have the convenience of controlling my environment with a simple gesture
I've got several piles of records
I have a large collection of vinyl records
I don't know which one I'll put on next
I am indecisive about which record to play next
I've got a hundred subscriptions to magazines I'll never read
I have numerous magazine subscriptions, but do not have any intention of reading them
I like mail
I enjoy receiving physical mail
I'm staring at the toys on my wall
I am looking at the collection of toys displayed on my wall
Wondering what can be swallowed
I am contemplating which toys could be ingested
Or take out an eyeball
I am considering which toys might be used to remove someone's eyeball
Or what the people in China think about these things
I am curious about the cultural perspective related to the manufacturing of my toys
When they make them
I am pondering the process through which my toys were created
I'm not crazy
I am not mentally unwell
I'm merely entertaining the thought of going insane
I am considering the possibility of losing my sanity, but not actually experiencing it
The ball game must be over now
I am assuming that a sports game has ended
Maybe they'll show a movie
I have the expectation that a movie might be shown soon
From the '80's
I am referencing a specific decade for potential movie choices
And I'll imagine what it would be like to live back then
I will visualize the experience of living during that time period
At the age I am now
I am considering how my current age would have affected my experiences in the '80s
I'm staring at the back of her head
I am looking at someone from behind
Trying to make her turn around
I am attempting to get her to face me
Feeling the meat on my cat
I am touching my cat's flesh
Wondering what it would be like to cook her
I am considering cooking my cat
But I won't
I have decided not to actually cook my cat
'Cause that would cause a terrible fuss among my friends
I am aware that my friends would not approve of me cooking my cat
I'm not crazy
I am not mentally unwell
I'm merely entertaining the thought of going insane
I am considering the possibility of losing my sanity, but not actually experiencing it
I'm not crazy (x9)
The artist is emphatic about not being mentally unwell
Contributed by Oliver W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.