Band members are as follows:
Vic Ruggiero - Keyboards, Vocals
Jay "Agent Jay" Nugent - Guitar
Dave Hillyard - Saxophone
Glen Pine - Trombone, Vocals
Marcus Geard - Bass
Ara Babajian - Drums
Former members and contributors:
Marq "Q-Maxx 4:20" Lyn - Vocals
TJ Scanlon - Guitar
Luis "Zulu" Zuluaga - Drums
Jeremy "Mush One" Mushlin - Trumpet, Vocals
Allen Teboul - Drums
Dunia Best- Vocals, Flute
Jeff "King Django" Baker - Trombone
Tobias Fields - Congas
Eric "E-ROC" Singer - Alto Saxophone
Victor Rice - Bass
Dave Hahn - lead guitar
Justin Redekop- Trumpet
The next album released was Redlight, on HellCat Records in 1997. This album solidified their sound and further fixed the line-up.
The band released its latest album, entitled Self Medication, in May of 2008.
Peculiar
The Slackers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a bad disposition and a pistol all loaded for suicide,
And though I didn't act, that don't really matter,
The law books they are fat, the lawyers they get fatter,
And I'll be lucky if they ship me to Siberia.
I've got two mad women, no mother, and a brother who prays for me,
And as for my man Ivan, if I'm lucky, maybe he'll take the blame for me,
Or maybe I'll go down just like the other night,
And I'll be lucky if they ship me to Siberia.
Well Father was peculiar, and now the fruit it don't fall to far away,
So what's it to ya? If he was here I know he would say,
No, he'd tell ya, I didn't do those crimes you claim,
No, he'd tell ya, I didn't do those things you say.
Well, Father was peculiar and we both ended up with the same girl,
If you call me obsessive, well it kind of underestimates my behavior,
Now everyone believes in an imminent conviction,
Everybody knew my overall intentions,
And I'll be lucky if they ship me to Siberia.
Now Father was peculiar, and now the fruit it did fall so far away,
Well, what's it to ya? If he were here I know he would say,
No, he'd tell ya, I didn't do those crimes you claim,
No, he'd tell ya, I didn't do those things you say.
Now the judge and the jury and the people in the city, they all talk about (talk, talk, talk),
The people in my life like they're someone in a movie on your night out.
Evidence is bad and it don't look like I'm getting out of here,
And as for the man who done it, he fixed it up nice, he made it very clear,
But Ivan understands, when everything is awful,
You do just what you can because everything is lawful,
And I'll be lucky if he can break me outta here.
And I say, come on man!
Well Father was peculiar,
Yeah, so what's it to ya?
It didn't mean I did those crimes you say.
Hey!
I said Father was peculiar,
Yeah, so what's it to ya?
Still I didn't do those crimes you say,
You say, you say,
Father, Father was peculiar,
Didn't mean I did no crimes.
The Slackers' song "Peculiar" tells the story of the singer who finds himself in trouble with the law even though he did not commit any crime. He had a bad disposition and a loaded pistol for suicide, but he did not act on it. However, this did not stop the law from coming after him, and he feels like he has no place to hide. The singer feels like he is being unfairly targeted, and he believes that he may end up in Siberia. He has two mad women, no mother, and a brother who prays for him. He also has a man named Ivan in his life who might take the blame for him, but he is not sure if he will be lucky enough to get out of this mess.
The song talks about the singer's father, who was peculiar, and how the singer ended up with the same girl as his father. He feels like he is being judged unfairly, and everyone believes in his imminent conviction. Even though the evidence is bad and does not look like he will be getting out anytime soon, he believes that he did not commit any crime. The judge, jury, and people in the city keep talking about him, and he feels like he is someone in a movie on their night out. He hopes that Ivan can break him out of this mess because he did not do anything wrong, and his father being peculiar did not mean that he committed any crimes.
Line by Line Meaning
I committed no crime but it seems that I have no place to hide,
I didn't do anything wrong, but I still feel like I'm being targeted and have nowhere to go.
I had a bad disposition and a pistol all loaded for suicide,
I was in a really dark place mentally and had a loaded gun with me, ready to give up.
And though I didn't act, that don't really matter,
Even though I didn't do anything, people are still quick to judge and assume the worst.
The law books they are fat, the lawyers they get fatter,
The legal system is bloated and the people who profit from it just keep getting richer.
And I'll be lucky if they ship me to Siberia.
I'm afraid I'll end up getting sent to some remote, desolate place as punishment.
I've got two mad women, no mother, and a brother who prays for me,
My family life is complicated, but my brother still cares about me enough to pray for me.
And as for my man Ivan, if I'm lucky, maybe he'll take the blame for me,
My friend Ivan might be willing to take the fall for me to protect me.
Or maybe I'll get loaded, end up in a fight,
I might turn to alcohol and violence to cope with my problems.
Or maybe I'll go down just like the other night,
I could end up getting in trouble again like I did recently.
And I'll be lucky if they ship me to Siberia.
Once again, I don't think I'll be able to escape punishment if I get caught.
Well Father was peculiar, and now the fruit it don't fall to far away,
My father was a strange person, and it's clear that I have some of his traits as well.
So what's it to ya? If he was here I know he would say,
It's not anyone else's business, but I'm sure my father would defend me if he were here.
No, he'd tell ya, I didn't do those crimes you claim,
My father would insist that I'm innocent of the crimes I'm being accused of.
Now the judge and the jury and the people in the city, they all talk about (talk, talk, talk),
Everyone is spreading rumors and gossiping about me and my situation.
The people in my life like they're someone in a movie on your night out.
It feels like everyone is treating my life like it's a form of entertainment for them.
Evidence is bad and it don't look like I'm getting out of here,
The evidence against me is weak, but it doesn't seem like I'll be able to prove my innocence.
And as for the man who done it, he fixed it up nice, he made it very clear,
The person who actually committed the crime has covered their tracks well and made it obvious that I'm the scapegoat.
But Ivan understands, when everything is awful,
My friend Ivan sympathizes with me and knows how hard things can be.
You do just what you can because everything is lawful,
When the world seems unfair, sometimes you have to resort to less-than-legal means to survive.
And I'll be lucky if he can break me outta here.
The only way I see myself escaping my current situation is if my friend Ivan can somehow help me escape.
Well Father was peculiar,
Once again, I'm reminded of how strange my father was.
Yeah, so what's it to ya?
I'm tired of people judging me based on my family background when it's not my fault.
Still I didn't do those crimes you say,
Just to reiterate, I'm innocent and didn't do what I'm being accused of.
Contributed by Sydney A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.