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.
Psycho Chicken
The Fools Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
This Colonel Sanders job is gettin' me down
A crazy chicken chasing me all over town
CHORUS:
Psycho Chicken--what the ****?
Bwak bwak bwak bwaaak bwak bwak bwak bwak bwaaak bwak
I don't know just what to do
He's got a grudge against Frank Perdue
He's clucking a lot, but he's not saying anything
I plucked him once--why pluck him again?
CHORUS
Colonel Sanders wants to cook his goose
but Psycho Chicken's still on the loose
("Hmm, a little chickie--" BWAAK!! "OHH!!")
They caught him down in Ohio
They cut off his head and they put him in the oven
They put him in a box right next to a roll
Put some coleslaw around his legs and someone took him home
Ate him for lunch and he tasted real fine ("BURP!")
but the guy who ate him, he just lost his mind!
HALF-CHORUS (with "Qu'est-ce que?")
CHORUS (with "What the ****?")
("Ooh, it's all covered in feathers!") (alexion)
The Fools' song "Psycho Chicken" is a humorous take on the singer's anxiety and stress, represented by a relentless and vengeful chicken that is chasing him all over town. The lyrics suggest that the singer is overwhelmed by his job as a Colonel Sanders, which could be interpreted as a reference to a mundane or unfulfilling job that is taking a toll on his mental health. He cannot relax and is constantly on the run, unable to face up to his predicament.
The chicken, as a symbol, represents the singer's distress and angst, and it seems to have a grudge against Frank Perdue, who is mentioned in the second verse. The chicken clucks a lot, but its message is unclear, and the singer is unsure what to do about it. He had already plucked the bird once, but it seems to have had no effect. The chorus urges the listener to run away from the psycho chicken, emphasizing the absurdity and comic nature of the situation.
Overall, "Psycho Chicken" is a light-hearted and playful song that uses absurd and surreal imagery to poke fun at everyday problems and stresses. The song's catchy chorus and funny lyrics have made it a cult classic, and it remains a popular choice among fans of novelty and parodic music.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm having trouble accepting reality
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I'm feeling very anxious and stressed out
This Colonel Sanders job is gettin' me down
I'm unhappy with my current job at KFC
A crazy chicken chasing me all over town
I'm being pursued by an insane chicken
CHORUS: Psycho Chicken--what the ****?
The chicken is acting like a psycho and it's freaking me out
Bwak bwak bwak bwaaak bwak bwak bwak bwak bwaaak bwak
The chicken is making bizarre clucking noises
Better run run run run run run run away
I need to escape from the crazy chicken
I don't know just what to do
I'm feeling unsure about how to handle this situation
He's got a grudge against Frank Perdue
The chicken has a personal vendetta against a particular person
He's clucking a lot, but he's not saying anything
The chicken is making a lot of noise, but it's not communicating anything
I plucked him once--why pluck him again?
I've already dealt with the chicken once, why do I have to do it again?
CHORUS
Repeat of the chorus
Colonel Sanders wants to cook his goose
The head of KFC wants to take care of the chicken
but Psycho Chicken's still on the loose
But the crazy chicken is still on the prowl
("Hmm, a little chickie--" BWAAK!! "OHH!!")
An unfortunate chicken meets its end
They caught him down in Ohio
The chicken was found and apprehended in a specific location
They cut off his head and they put him in the oven
The chicken was beheaded and then cooked
They put him in a box right next to a roll
The chicken was presented for consumption
Put some coleslaw around his legs and someone took him home
The chicken was served with a side dish
Ate him for lunch and he tasted real fine ("BURP!")
The chicken was consumed and enjoyed
but the guy who ate him, he just lost his mind!
The person who ate the chicken became insane
HALF-CHORUS (with "Qu'est-ce que?")
Repeat of the chorus with a foreign phrase
CHORUS (with "What the ****?")
Repeat of the chorus with an exclamation
("Ooh, it's all covered in feathers!") (alexion)
Comment on the appearance of something
Contributed by Joshua J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PetroniusArbiter2
Without all the bad spelling and (numerous) other mistakes:
I can't seem to face up to the facts,
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax,
This Colonel Sanders job is getting me down,
A crazy chicken chasing me all over town
A psycho chicken
Better run run run run run run run away
Oooh oh oh oh aye aye ayee
I don't know just what to do,
He's got a grudge against Frank Perdue!
He's clucking a lot, but he's not saying anything,
I plucked him once! Why pluck him again?
A psycho chicken
Better run run run run run run run away
Oooh oh oh oh aye aye ayee
Colonel Sanders wants to cook his goose,
But psycho chicken's still on the loose,
They caught him down in Ohio,
They cut off his head and they put him in the oven,
They put him in a box right next to a road,
Put some cole slaw round his legs and someone took him home,
Ate him for lunch and it tasted real fine,
But the guy who ate him, he just lost his mind!
Psycho chicken,
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Better run run run run run run run away
Oooh oh oh oh
A psycho chicken
Better run run run run run run run away
Oooh oh oh aye aye aye aye aye aye ayeee.
@rapman5791
They’ve actually had a couple
It’s the night (for beautiful girls) &
Life sucks then you die .
They had several regional hits as well,mostly the northeast U.S.
So yes my beloved grandson we did have a pretty good career and had a lot of fun.
Thanks for the mammaries. 😉
@jonmeredith1164
Dr Demento introduced me to this 44 years ago :D
@DrummerPierre
I saw The Fools open for The Knack at the Uptown Theater in Chicago in 1979. My favorite part of The Fools' performance of this song was when a guy in a chicken costume came out and chased lead singer Mike Girard around the stage with a meat cleaver. I just about wet 'em.
In the parts of the song where the band would say, "Qu'est-ce que c'est", that is sometimes replaced with "wtf?" On the radio (and in this TV performance) that is alternately replaced with clucking and crowing. When the band played the song live, of course, the band did not have to worry about such edits. The Fools and The Knack was a great show!
@laakona8381
In Memory of Bannon's Bar, Ipswich, Massachusetts.
@user-fe4ys8fe9k
Lol 😅😅 I saw them three time last time he brought me up and I sang with them..and if you've seen them probably not the first time.one of my best days of my life
@thomasswafford250
I think I want to leave instructions for this to be played at my funeral.
@dalakerdaniel9240
great ☠️💣☠️
@princessterezia
Kinda shook, I always assumed this was my dad's joke. I've sung this along with the real song so many times thinking it was a clever joke by my dad.
@JuanCastro-qo6vx
Nope the Real Deal today chicken day i think i will play it when stand an order one😁😜🤪😛🐣🐤🐥
@juancastro1944
Reisebericht the song from my childhood
@harper8605
same....