Formed in 1977 by multi-instrumentalists Reininger and Brown, then two students of electronic music at San Francisco City College, with technical assistance from video artist Tommy Tadlock, Tuxedomoon started playing salons and accompanying performances by The Angels of Light, a San Francisco based, radical theater troup. Brown's connections to local theater gave the band access to vocalists Gregory Cruikshank, Victoria Lowe, and, most frequently, Winston Tong. The band gained some level of recognition in 1978 when they opened for Devo. Michael Belfer, (guitarist), and Paul Zahl, (drummer) joined the band in time to help with the group's first EP, No Tears. Lowe left prior to the album's release in 1978. Soon afterward, Tong and Belfer left the group temporarily, and bassist Peter Principle joined the lineup. In 1979, the group signed to The Residents' Ralph Records, with whom they recorded their next two albums, Half-Mute in 1980 and Desire in 1981, after which the band relocated to Rotterdam for a small time and moved on to Brussels, believing their sound better fit the electronic scene in Europe.
The band soon created the score for a ballet by Maurice Bejart, which was released in 1982 as Divine. In 1983 Reininger left the group in order to pursue a solo career, and trumpeter Luc Van Lieshout joined. In 1985 Tuxedomoon had its largest success commercially with the international release of Holy Wars. Tong left the group again soon after its release and was replaced by Ivan Georgiev, who performed on the group's next two albums, 1986's Ship of Fools and 1987's You. The band remained inactive through most of the 1990s, although never technically broke up. On July 20, 2004 Tuxedomoon, complete again with founder Blaine L. Reininger, released a new studio album, Cabin in the Sky.
Tuxedomoon still perform and record and reside in Europe.
In 2008 Belgian author Isabelle Corbisier published their definitive biography, entitled "Music for Vagabonds - the Tuxedomoon Chronicles": http://www.music-for-vagabonds.com
Stand out tracks:
"everything you want" an early recording, later released on pinheads on the move
"no tears", from the 12" of the same name, available on desire
"special treatment for the family man" from the Scream With A View 12", and later on the Half-Mute/Scream With A View compilation
"loneliness" from half-mute
"again" from desire
"music #2" on suite en sous-sol
"bonjour tristesse" and "in a manner of speaking" from holy wars
"lowlands tone poem" from ship of fools
"the stranger" from pinheads on the move and various other releases
"diario di un egoista" from cabin in the sky
Tuxedomoon sites:
Official Tuxedomoon page (offline)
Blaine L. Reininger's Tuxedomoon page
Blain L. Reininger's own page
Tuxedomoon at Discogs.com
Second version:
Cult legends Tuxedomoon are a welcome exception in today's over-formatted musical world.
Born in 1977, in the heady atmosphere of San Francisco’s postpunk golden age, the band soon became a central part of New York's No Wave scene (as documented in the recent "Downtown 81" film, centered around Jean Michel Basquiat and featuring performances by Blondie, James Chance, DNA and Tuxedomoon). "No Tears", their 2nd single (1979), has remained an electro punk club classic to this day. The band went on to sign to The Residents' Ralph Records, and released two seminal albums, "Half Mute" (1980) and "Desire" (1981) which soon got them overseas exposure.
Fleeing Reagan's America, Tuxedomoon moved to Europe in the early '80s, and stayed there throughout the decade. Although their ability to crystallize a certain dark and romantic zeitgeist quickly turned them into one of the most influential bands around, their music transcended all genres and included impossibly wide parameters –rock, electronics, minimal music, classical, jazz, Gypsy music and pop were all simultaneously consumed and transmutated into a quasi-prescient blend.
After releasing a string of albums on CramBoy (the imprint they set up with Brussels-based label Crammed Discs), the band stopped recording together in 1988, and the various members pursued solo careers, becoming as disparate geographically as sonically, with Steven Brown (vocals, keyboard & saxophone) living in Mexico, Peter Principle (bass, electronics) in New York, Blaine L. Reininger (vocals, violin, guitar) in Greece, and Luc Van Lieshout (trumpet) & Bruce Geduldig (films/visuals) in Brussels.
Many years later, Tuxedomoon got back together to write and record the awesome "Cabin In The Sky" album (2004), which found them in absolute top form, as romantic, rebellious and boundlessly imaginative as they ever were. "Cabin" featured contributions by a carefully hand-picked selection of guests such as Tarwater, Tortoise's John McEntire, Nouvelle Vague's Marc Collin and DJ Hell.
Shortly after finishing "Cabin In The Sky", Tuxedomoon traveled back to San Francisco, the band's birthplace, in order to start writing material for their next album. But the local atmosphere had unexpected effects on them, and drove them to record a series of "spontaneous compositions" (as Mingus would have put it) instead, which soon formed the basis of a side project entitled "Bardo Hotel Soundtrack" loosely connected to Brion Gysin’s novel ‘The Bardo Hotel’ set in the Paris hotel where he and William Burroughs invented the radical cut-up/fold-in technique.
Both "Cabin…" and "Bardo Hotel…" were warmly welcomed, and a wildly eclectic array of references sprang from the pens of reviewers trying to describe Tuxedomoon's music (Charles Ives, Radiohead, Philip Glass, Miles Davis, German electronica, Tom Waits, John Cage, Kurt Weill, Tortoise, Can…).
If anything, these two recent albums revealed that Tuxedomoon were never connected to a particular period: they had become '80s cult figures simply because that's the period in which they happened to develop and rise to fame… but the band have always been evolving in their own space, and their music is as relevant and fresh today as it was then. An impression to be further strengthened by their latest album "Vapour Trails" (2007), which appealed equally to fans of contemporary cutting-edge avant-rock, electronica and jazz.
To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, Crammed have released a limited-edition boxed set entitled 77o7 tm, which includes "Vapour Trails" along with a CD of previously-unreleased archives, a DVD containing 160 minutes of rare or previously-unreleased videos, and a live CD recorded in early 2007.
An Abridged Tuxedomoon Discography
2007 77o7 tm (the 30th Anniversary box)
2007 Vapour Trails | CramBoy
2006 Bardo Hotel Soundtrack | CramBoy
2004 Cabin In The Sky | CramBoy
2003 No Tears/What Use: Remixes & Originals | International Deejay Gigolo
2002 Live In St. Petersburg | Neo-Acustica
1992 Solve Et Coagula (Greatest Hits) | CramBoy
1991 The Ghost Sonata | LTM (reissued on CramBoy)
1988 Ten Years In One Night [live] | Play Boy
1987 You | CramBoy
1987 Suite En Sous-Sol/Time To Lose/Short Stories | CramBoy
1987 Pinheads On The Move | CramBoy
1986 Ship Of Fools | CramBoy
1985 Holy Wars | CramBoy
1982 Divine | Operation Twilight (reissued on CramBoy)
1981 Desire | Ralph (reissued on CramBoy)
1980 Half Mute | Ralph (reissued on CramBoy)
What Use?
Tuxedomoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of feeling betrayed
What's the use
Of feeling at all
I'm pacing the floor
I'm wearing it smooth
This is stupid
What's the use
Of moving uptown
Fly to Rome
On your credit card
An endless parade
Of lawyers and finance
Plenty of time with nothing to do
Give me new noise
Give me new affection
Strange new toys from another world
I need to see more
Than just three Dimension
Stranger than fiction
Faster than light
The song "What Use?" by Tuxedomoon conveys the feeling of exhaustion, disillusionment and futility. The repeated question "What's the use?" emphasizes the singer's sense of hopelessness and confusion in the face of betrayal, emotional pain and a seemingly meaningless existence. The lyrics urge the listener to question the purpose of emotions, actions and societal constructs, such as money, power and legal systems. The singer tries to distract themselves with material possessions, expensive trips and superficial relationships, but quickly realizes their hollowness and lack of fulfillment.
The line "Give me new noise, give me new affection, strange new toys from another world" can be interpreted as a desire for novelty, excitement and something beyond the mundane. The longing for "stranger than fiction, faster than light" suggests a yearning for something otherworldly and transcendent. The final line "I need to see more than just three dimensions" alludes to a desire for spiritual or intellectual growth and the exploration of different realities and perspectives.
Overall, "What Use?" portrays a sense of existential crisis and disillusionment with the status quo, as well as a desire for something beyond the ordinary.
Line by Line Meaning
What's the use
The singer questions the purpose or benefit of something.
Of feeling betrayed
He questions the usefulness of feeling betrayed, suggesting that it may not provide any tangible benefits.
What's the use
The singer again questions the purpose or benefit of something, this time feeling in general.
Of feeling at all
He questions the usefulness of feeling emotions, suggesting that they may not be worth the effort or pain.
I'm pacing the floor
The singer is walking back and forth, likely feeling restless or anxious.
I'm wearing it smooth
He has been pacing the floor so much that the surface is becoming worn.
This is stupid
He realizes how pointless his actions are, possibly feeling foolish.
I think I'll go home
As a result, he decides to leave his current location and return to his home.
What's the use
Once again, the singer questions the usefulness of something.
Of moving uptown
He suggests that there may not be any value in moving to a more upscale area of town.
Fly to Rome
Instead, he suggests that flying to a different location, such as Rome, may be better.
On your credit card
He implies that one could put the expense on a credit card, suggesting that it may not be a wise financial decision.
An endless parade
The singer describes a constant stream of individuals in the legal and financial fields.
Of lawyers and finance
He further elaborates on the types of individuals he is encountering.
Plenty of time with nothing to do
Despite the presence of these individuals, the singer feels as though he has a lot of free time and nothing to occupy it.
Give me new noise
He desires new, exciting sounds, possibly indicating a desire for change or novelty in his life.
Give me new affection
Similarly, he wants new forms of love or attention from others, implying that he may be feeling stagnant or bored in his current relationships.
Strange new toys from another world
The singer desires unusual, foreign items, possibly indicating a desire for novelty or escape from his current reality.
I need to see more
He has a strong desire to experience more, possibly indicating a feeling of being unfulfilled or unsatisfied.
Than just three Dimension
The singer wants to experience more than just the physical world, suggesting a desire for deeper emotional or spiritual connections.
Stranger than fiction
He desires experiences that are more strange or unusual than those found in typical stories or fiction.
Faster than light
The singer desires experiences that are exciting and fast-paced, possibly indicating a desire for adventure or thrill-seeking.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kelwin58
What Use?
by Tuxedomoon
What's the use
Of feeling betrayed
What's the use
Of feeling at all
I'm pacing the floor
I'm wearing it smooth
This is stupid
I think I'll go home
What's the use
Of moving uptown
Flying to Rome
On your credit card
An endless parade
Of lawyers of finance
Plenty of time
With nothing to do
Give me new noise
Give me new affection
Strange new toys
From another world
I need to see more
Than just three dimensions
Stranger than fiction
Faster than light
Alphonso Nanook
What's the use
Of feeling betrayed
What's the use
Of feeling at all
I'm pacing the floor
I'm wearing it smooth
This is stupid
I think I'll go home
What's the use
Of moving uptown
Flying to Rome
On your credit card
An endless parade
Of lawyers of finance
Plenty of time
With nothing to do
Give me new noise
Give me new affection
Strange new toys
From another world
I need to see more
Than just three dimensions
Stranger than fiction
Faster than light
Tiha Voda
Sometimes I don't understand how Tuxedomoon is not ultra-famous. They're deep and authentic and I just can't grow out of them. My taste in music is evolving, they are the only constant for 15 years it's crazy.
fractaljack
I totally agree... except for me it's been 43 years and running.✌🏼
Davorin Devic
My favourite band.
My favourite album.
My favourite song.
sirius 6
...what´s the use of feeling at all
this is stupid
i think
i´ll go home
Isaac 88
Davorin Devic you need to check out bill nelson then.
Zappafrank nanuk
Davorin Devic My favorit commentare
Alphonso Nanook
One of my favorite songs ever.. 🙂
kelwin58
What Use?
by Tuxedomoon
What's the use
Of feeling betrayed
What's the use
Of feeling at all
I'm pacing the floor
I'm wearing it smooth
This is stupid
I think I'll go home
What's the use
Of moving uptown
Flying to Rome
On your credit card
An endless parade
Of lawyers of finance
Plenty of time
With nothing to do
Give me new noise
Give me new affection
Strange new toys
From another world
I need to see more
Than just three dimensions
Stranger than fiction
Faster than light
pashley1411
I always thought if the missles were flying, you and everyone you loved were going to get crisped in a few minutes - this would be song to put you in the right mood.
J V U
I love it!