"James Joyce on drums" exclaimed David Byrne on seeing Adrian Huge at work with the Tiger Lillies. Adrian has worked in butchers, pie shops, banks, motorcycle shops, and as a ham-fisted-but-cheap car mechanic before co-founding, in 1982, Dover's only surreal, theatrical jazz/punk/calypso comedy ensemble : Uncle Lumpy and the Fish Doctors. The group floundered shortly after arriving in London in 1989 which coincided with the formation of The Tiger Lillies and the start of his bashing ever smaller, re-cycled drums, toys and kitchen-ware.
The man that once turned up to gig in the Czech Republic expecting to find a drum kit waiting for him only to discover a pile of freshly polished kitchen utensils instead. This did not deter him for a second as he went on to deliver an amazing performance that night armed only with pots, pans and spatulas. With his usual drum kit looking like a cross between a modern sculpture and a childrens toy shop its all in a days work for Adrian.
Adrian Stout - Contra Bass, Musical Saw, Theremin, Vocals.
Adrian Stout had played Blues, Jazz, Country, and other primitive musical forms in various known and lesser known bands throughout the UK, Europe and as far afield as India, and recorded two albums for Blues diva Dana Gillespie before being co-opted by The Tiger Lillies for 1995's Edinburgh Festival. This once serious musician has since then found himself dancing in leider hosen, making love to inflatable sheep and dressing as a cheap prostitute. He designed and maintains both the Tiger Lillies and Shockheaded Peter websites.
In 2007 he released a cd with cult icon Sexton Ming called "A Taste of Wood" on their own Crapping Clown label. He co-wrote all the songs with Sexton and recorded, mixed, produced and mastered the cd. Click here to buy "A Taste of Wood". He also toured and played bass on 2 albums for Stuart A Staples/Tindersticks, 'Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04' and 'Leaving Songs'.
Disease
Tiger Lillies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's starting to feel rather sick.
The cubicle door, well it opens again,
He never quite gets used to it.
And the drugs in his veins, they don't ease the pain,
He started at sixteen and he is nineteen now,
His mother don't understand how.
His life's almost over now.
And his funeral was a shame,
Because none of them came.
He's got a disease, he's not very pleased, his life's almost over now.
Yes he's got a disease and he's not very pleased cause his life almost over now.
The above lyrics are from Tiger Lillies' song "Disease," which highlights the harrowing tale of a young man who is slowly losing his life to addiction. The song starts with the singer acknowledging that the young man, who is the subject of the song, is not deceiving anyone, and he is indeed feeling very sick. The cubicle door opens again, referring to the young man's trips to the hospital, and the singer remarks that he never quite gets used to it.
As the song progresses, the heartbreaking realities of addiction become more apparent. The drugs in the young man's veins no longer ease his pain, and he has been battling addiction since the age of sixteen. His mother doesn't understand his predicament, and the young man's life is almost over now due to the disease that has taken over him. The song ends by pointing out the tragic fact that none of his acquaintances cared enough to attend his funeral.
The song is a poignant reminder of the devastating effects of addiction and the harm it causes not only to the user but also to those around them. The lyrics also highlight the anguish felt by family members who don't comprehend their loved one's condition and the helplessness felt by friends as they watch their friend succumb to addiction. "Disease" is a powerful song that delivers a painful message about the destructive nature of addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
He isn't deceiving, that's twenty this evening,
He's not lying, that's his twentieth drug fix tonight.
He's starting to feel rather sick.
The effects of the drugs are making him feel unwell.
The cubicle door, well it opens again,
He's in a public bathroom using drugs and someone else enters, making him uncomfortable.
He never quite gets used to it.
He's used to using drugs, but not to the vulnerability and shame of doing it in public.
And the drugs in his veins, they don't ease the pain,
The drugs he's taking aren't providing any relief, they're just causing more problems.
He started at sixteen and he is nineteen now,
He started using drugs when he was sixteen and now he's nineteen.
His mother don't understand how.
His mother doesn't understand how he got into this situation and can't help him.
He's got a disease, and he's not very pleased.
He realizes that his addiction is a disease, but he's not happy about it.
His life's almost over now.
His addiction has taken over and is destroying his life.
And his funeral was a shame,
He died as a result of his addiction and his funeral was not well-attended.
Because none of them came.
No one wanted to attend his funeral because they were ashamed or didn't care about him.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind