2) Mark Gunnery (of the Riot-Folk colle… Read Full Bio ↴1) The Band of “Psycho Chicken”.
2) Mark Gunnery (of the Riot-Folk collective) and Mahra Parian.
3) Japanese R&R Band.Check also フールズ.
(1) The Fools Story
By Hugh Jarse
Sometime around 1975, deep in the Home of the Fried Clam, Ipswich, Massachusetts, a really fun bunch of guys who had a band called "The Rhythm A's" somehow changed and became The Fools. This is their story.
All entertainers have a gimmick, a shtick, if you will (even if you won't). The object of a Fools show was to blow real life out of all proportion and morph ‘just another night out to see a band’ into the most fun anyone had ever had — anywhere! Meeting with great success, it wasn't long before the lads were masterminding stage trickery, pratfalls, skits, themes, twisted audience participation, practical jokes, paybacks, big nights and even some colossal events. Then they discovered radio.
In 1979 "Psycho Chicken," X-rated parody of The Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer," exploded over the airwaves of Boston. The boys were so excited they followed up almost at once with another whopping hit — "It's a Night for Beautiful Girls." And the guys weren't the only ones to get excited. EMI Records signed the band and sent them right out to tour the U.S. with The Knack. The tour was a smashing success. Then, off to Miami to record the victorious debut album "Sold Out."
The 1980’s saw the band through a storybook journey of mounting success and achievement. Adoring fans, media attention, the second album "Heavy Mental," touring the U.S. with Van Halen, massive "hometown" shows in Boston, TV appearances galore, European Tours with dizzying record sales, music videos and MTV. Then came the break with EMI. The band, alone and exhausted, retired to Cape Cod for a summer and bravely wrote their most successful album, "World Dance Party." Fueled by no less than four big radio tunes, WDP flew out of stores all across the nation. The title track "World Dance Party," along with a "Doo Wah Diddy" remake, "Life Sucks…Then You Die" and "She Makes Me Feel Big" all added up to a blockbuster of an independent release bringing in sales in excess of either 500,000 or 1,000,000 or 2,000,000 — depending on which band member you ask. Are they playing it up? (Or playing it down.)
Record-breaking radio airplay, new videos with heavy MTV play, new releases and constant touring propelled The Fools through the mid-1990's. Now in the new millenium they're at it again. Do not miss an opportunity to experience the spectacle and splendor, the legendary bombast, yes the shock and the awe — The Fools!
Who Have To Fools Played With ?...Heres just a few according to Rich Bartlett !
Let me see........There were more than a few....Though not a complete list I do remember these: In no particular order: The Doobie Brothers,[ our first 'big' show. people threw things at us] Rush,[couldn't have been nicer] J Geils,[a few times] Jefferson Starship, Blondie,[ the show at the Orpheum got us signed to EMI] The Knack,[ they're one and only tour] Van Halen,[nuff said] Toto, The Plasmatics [with Wendy O'Williams. Scary!], The Bangles,[sigh] Alvin Lee, Joan Jet, Roger McQuin, Steppenwolf, Rick Derringer, The Ramones, The Motels, Otis Day and the Knights [what a joke], Los Lobos, David Johansen, that guy who did 'It's too late for Sharon Tate' and 'People who Died', Oh yeah, that girl who did 'Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves. I know there's more. The mind is a terrible thing. Plus we did some television in Europe with Cheap Trick, Motorhead, Girl School, Peter Gabriel, The Pointer Sisters, Kate Bush, Billy Squire, 'The Dolly Dots' , a 1981 Dutch version of 'The Spice Girls, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes. Or is it Jukes? I know I'm forgetting some...
Then there were a lot of Boston bands like: The Drive, The Del Fuegoes, The Dawgs, Jon Butcher Axis, The Cars,[remember Footstock?], Til Tuesday, The Nervous Eaters, Farrenheit, The Stompers, New Man, Steve Smith and the Nakeds, Girls Night Out, Face To Face, Private Lightning, The Bristols, Tom Hambridge, Human Sexual Responce, Robin Lane, Reddy Teddy, James Montgomery, The Neighborhoods, New England, Orchestra Luna, The Joe Perry Project, The Rings, The Swinging Erudities, The Orbits, and most of Ralph Fatello's bands [The Vinny Band, The Nor'easters, Semper Fi] My apologies to those I can't remember now. If I can think of anybody else, I'll let you know...
Rich Bartlett
You know, I was looking at the web site and saw all those bands you guys played with ! VERY impressive ! If you want to add a few local band names to the list, here's what I got ! In August of "76 ( that's right,I was 5 years old ) yoos guys played at the Twin Rinks on 114 in Danvers with : " Hot To Trot ", "Cloud ", " Voyage " and " Blue Moon " ( My second band with Paul Bonaiuto and Mike Shea )! Let's not forget the many times we played together when Sadler and I had "The Carmody Band " ! Gigs at the Summit Club,The Main Act ( Harbor House ) and I believe the Paradise ( though I'm not too sure about THAT one, I know we played with " The Stompers " and " Private Lightning" a couple of times) I'm sure you're getting inundated with "has beens" trying to re-fresh your memory of those legendary bygone days and I won't take-up any more of your time ! It's not that IMPORTANT to me!
Roger Carmody
(2) The Fools are Mark Gunnery (of the Riot-Folk collective) and Mahra Parian. Their S/T (2006) album was recorded in Mark's bedroom in Berkeley in fall and winter, 2006. The CD has a twenty page booklet full of foolish lyrics, art and writings. They have toured parts of the USA and Canada. They are currently working on a zine/CD combo, no release date as of yet.
Don't Tell Me
The Fools Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's a sign so white of colour.
The more I watch, the more it turns around
And it's painting yellow circles down on the floor.
Go!
Time is up and the sky is down.
Where's the only way I know?
There's nothing else below.
Why don't you take it away?
Why don't you take it away?
Why don't you take it away with all its pain?
Why don't you take your spell away?
Tell me who I am,
Tell me where I go.
My brain begins to swim
But I don't know.
Tell me who I am,
Tell me where I go.
I don't know - oh I don't know,
But I don't know.
No illusion, no discovering,
Nothing left at all,
No protection, no assurance.
I stumbled, now I fall.
Why don't you take it away?
Why don't you take it away?
Why don't you take it away with all its pain?
Why don't you take your spell away?
Tell me who I am,
Tell me where I go.
My brain begins to swim
But I don't know.
Tell me who I am,
Tell me where I go.
I don't know - oh I don't know.
Tell me who I am,
Tell me where I go.
My brain begins to swim
But I don't know.
Tell me who I am,
Tell me where I go.
I don't know - oh I don't know,
I don't know!
The song "Don't Tell Me" by The Fools is an emotional expression of confusion, frustration and despair that one feels when they are lost and cannot find the way back. The first verse talks about a sign on the wall that keeps spinning and painting yellow circles on the floor. This could be interpreted as the confusion and chaos in the mind that keeps increasing and making it difficult to focus and find a way out.
The second verse talks about time being up and the sky being down, which could be a metaphor for feeling stuck and unable to move forward. The lines and times that were once precious and helpful are now no longer useful. The chorus repeatedly asks for the pain and confusion to be taken away and for the spell to be broken.
The bridge talks about the lack of illusion, discovering, protection or assurance. The person has stumbled and now fallen, indicating the deep sense of hopelessness and defeat.
Overall, the lyrics express the need for someone to guide and direct the person who is lost and help them find their way out of the confusion and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a sign on the wall
There is a sign on the wall.
And it's a sign so white of colour.
The sign is very bright and white in color.
The more I watch, the more it turns around
As I watch it, it keeps turning around.
And it's painting yellow circles down on the floor.
The sign is leaving yellow circles on the floor as it turns.
Time is up and the sky is down.
Time has run out and things are now upside down.
Where's the only way I know?
I don't know where to go anymore.
All the precious lines, the previous times.
All the things and times that were important to me before.
There's nothing else below.
There is nothing important left now.
Why don't you take it away?
Why don't you remove this situation from me?
Why don't you take it away?
Why don't you take away this pain?
Why don't you take it away with all its pain?
Please remove everything that causes me pain.
Why don't you take your spell away?
Please break whatever spell has been cast over me.
Tell me who I am,
I need someone to tell me who I am.
Tell me where I go.
I need someone to tell me where to go.
My brain begins to swim
My mind is getting confused.
But I don't know.
But I don't have any answers yet.
No illusion, no discovering,
I'm not finding any illusions or discovering anything.
Nothing left at all,
There's nothing left for me.
No protection, no assurance.
I don't have any protection or assurance anymore.
I stumbled, now I fall.
I made a mistake and now I'm falling even further.
I don't know!
I really don't know what to do.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@URockTodayTV
THIS ALBUM NEEDS TO BE REMASTERED and RERELEASED!!!!!!!!
@URockTodayTV
Thanks, Nowhere other than the Live Bootleg is this song on the Internet!!!!!!
@bwdrums1
Summer of 1980, up front dead center at the Cape Cod Sardine Can watching Mike, Stacey, Rich, Doug and Chris ripping through 'Sold Out'. Great freakin' memory ! I still insist that Sold Out should of been a big hit for the boys, not a bad song on the album. Timing, proper promotion, luck, a lot of things come into play to break an album. They still did pretty damn good for a band from the small Massachusetts mining town of Ipswich and they are firmly entrenched on my desert island Top Ten bands of all time list, luv 'em !
@URockTodayTV
Totally Agree, This Tune Should Have Been A Single as well, It Rocks Harder than U2 when they started.
@johnbandera8135
Why isn’t this song included on “Sold Out” on streaming services? This was one of my faves from the vinyl, back upon release.