The Sonics are a garage rock band formed 1960 in Tacoma, Washington, United… Read Full Bio ↴The Sonics are a garage rock band formed 1960 in Tacoma, Washington, United States, the band's original members were Gerry Roslie (vocals, piano, organ), Larry Parypa (guitar), Andy Parypa (bass), Rob Lind (saxophone) and Bob Bennett (drums). The band's loud, powerful sound is often considered to be extremely influential on the later psychedelic and punk genres.

Forming in the wake of the early-'60s success of local favorites the Kingsmen and the Wailers (whose Etiquette label they recorded for), the Sonics combined classic Northwest-area teen band raunch with early English band grit (particularly influenced by the Kinks), relentless rhythmic drive, and unabashed '50s-style blues shouting for a combination that still makes their brand of rock & roll perhaps the raunchiest ever captured on wax.

Lead singer Gerry Roslie was no less than a white Little Richard, whose harrowing soul-screams were startling even to the Northwest teen audience, who liked their music powerful and driving with little regard to commercial subtleties. With hit after hit on the local charts (and influencing every local band that ever took the stage), the band inexplicably was never able to break out nationally, leaving its sound largely undiluted for mass consumption. Breaking up between 1966 and 1968 (after one ill-fated album attempt to water down their style for national attention), the Sonics continue today to be revered by '60s collectors the world over for their unique brand of rock & roll raunch.

In 2007, The Sonics reunited again, this time for the Cavestomp garage rock festival in Brooklyn (November 2-4, 2007). The line up featured original members Gerry Roslie on vocals/keyboards, Larry Parypa on guitar and Rob Lind on tenor sax; with Ricky Lynn Johnson (of The Wailers) on drums and Don Wilhelm (of The Daily Flash) on bass and vocals.

In 2008, The Sonics recorded a live session for Mark Lamarr's BBC Radio 2 show God's Jukebox on March 22. They played their first ever shows in London on Friday March 21 and Sunday March 23.

Since then, they have played the Primavera Festival in Barcelona, followed by Bilbao, then Belgium, Norway, and the Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria in the Basque Country.

Their first show in their home region since their last Seattle reunion in 1972 was on Halloween 31 October 2008 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, where they were introduced and joined onstage for a couple numbers by Steven Van Zandt. Kent Morrill (front man of the Wailers) made a surprise appearance to help sing his signature song "Dirty Robber". Bob Bennett was also present to sit in on drums albeit only for a few songs and only while Ricky Lynn Johnson played in unison.

Dirty Old Man
The Sonics Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There′s a guy,
Who lives in our town.
Who's always,
Sneaking around.
He checks out all the girls he can,
Cause he′s a dirty old man.
He's old,
And he looks like a balloon (Yeah)

His wolfwistle is way outta' tune
Well, he checks out all the girls he can,
Cause he′s a dirty old man

He drinks his homemade punch,
Thats why
He′s out to lunch
Well, he checks out all the chicks he can
Cause he's a dirty old man.
He′s a dirty old man
He's a dirty old man
He′s a dirty old man
He's a dirty old man
He′s a dirty old man
He's a dirty old man
He's a dirty old man

He′s a dirty old man
He′s a dirty old man

Overall Meaning

The Sonics’ song Dirty Old Man is a humorous and irreverent take on an older man who has a tendency to leer and wolf-whistle at young women. The singer of the song is described as living in the town and constantly sneaking around, checking out young girls. The lyrics highlight his physical appearance, comparing him to a balloon and indicating that his wolf-whistle is off-key. The chorus repeats the phrase “he’s a dirty old man” several times, underscoring the song’s theme of a man who is inappropriate and unacceptable in his behavior.

The song’s lyrics playfully mock the behavior of this older man, making it clear that his behavior is not only unwelcome but also ridiculous. This humorous take on such a serious topic is a trademark of many of The Sonics’ songs, which often combine dark themes with playful lyrics and upbeat rock and roll music. The overall tone of the song is light-hearted and humorous, but it also draws attention to the issue of sexual harassment and the unsupportable behavior of some individuals in society.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a guy,
In our town, there is an individual who displays a certain type of behavior.

Who lives in our town.
This person's place of residence is located in the community.

Who's always,
This person habitually engages in certain actions.

Sneaking around.
He tends to move in a secretive manner, usually to avoid detection.

He checks out all the girls he can,
He looks at every available young woman and leers at them in a suggestive way.

Cause he's a dirty old man.
This individual engages in inappropriate sexual behavior, usually targeting younger women.

He's old,
This individual is of advanced age, possibly no longer capable of appropriate sexual activity.

And he looks like a balloon (Yeah)
This individual looks disproportionately overweight, which could be indicative of poor health habits.

His wolfwistle is way outta' tune
This person's catcalling is off key and not necessarily welcomed by the individuals being targeted.

Well, he checks out all the girls he can,
He continues to engage in this inappropriate behavior despite any negative consequences.

Cause he's a dirty old man.
This type of sexual behavior may occur as a result of being unable to maintain intimate relationships with individuals of his own age group.

He drinks his homemade punch,
This person may use alcohol or homemade concoctions as a way to lower inhibitions and act out sexually.

Thats why
This may be an explanation for the individual's bad behavior.

He's out to lunch
This person is not in their right mind, with the phrase suggesting mental instability.

Well, he checks out all the chicks he can
He continues to interact with younger women despite the negative consequences to his reputation and personal well-being.

Cause he's a dirty old man.
This behavior is indicative of this individual's deviant sexual interests.

He's a dirty old man
This phrase is used to further emphasize the individual's sexual deviancy and inappropriate behavior.