Their first release, Livin' in the '80s, was a 7" EP released by the band on their home-brew Z-Disc label. Their debut full length album, Vicious Circle, was released in 1982 with its distinctively ugly bright yellow cover on the local label Nimrod Records. Many punk fans nationwide were surprised to find a band like the Zero Boys coming out of the Midwest rather than from the larger and more established scenes in and around Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York City and elsewhere. Vicious Circle was reissued on Toxic Shock later in the 1980s, with added bonus tracks taken from the Affirmation Records compilations LPs The Master Tape and The Master Tapes 2. It was reissued again in 2000 by Lookout! Records, without the Master Tape tracks, but with two additional songs from the original album sessions, "She Said Goodbye" and "Slam and Worm", which had been given limited release on a 7" single.
It has occasionally been reported that the band never recorded further material after this. This is true only in the sense that the lineup of the band that made Vicious Circle never recorded new material. After David Clough left the band to join Toxic Reasons, the Zero Boys did manage to record a handful of tracks intended for a second LP, but broke up before the album could be finished. These tracks were released on the History of the Zero Boys cassette on Affirmation, along with the above mentioned compilation tracks and other demo tracks and outtakes.
Around 1990, Selfless released a 7" single featuring the Zero Boys on one side and Toxic Reasons on the other. The Zero Boys then reformed with a new bass player and guitarist and recorded two further albums, Make It Stop (released on Germany's Bitzcore label in 1992) and The Heimlich Maneuver (released on Skyclad in 1993.)
In the last couple of years, the band has reunited for the occasional show, such as one of a series of shows at CBGB's designed to raise money to help keep the club open, and a series of shows in the spring and summer of 2006 where they performed the entire Vicious Circle album.
Paul Mahern went on to form the power pop band the Datura Seeds and has since become a producer. He also owns the Affirmation Records label.
Tufty owns a punk clothing store in Indianapolis called future Shock as well as a progressive music bar named Radio Radio.
Positive Change
Zero Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I Can See The Hope In Their Eyes, That Could Never Meet,
Most Of Them Curse God, Because Of Their Sexuality,
But The Stigma And Ignorance is within our Society,
We Believe In A Law, Which Is 155 Years Old,
But We Never Look At Lives everyday getting Cold,
Yea, May Be They are in minority,
But Where the hell is humanity,
But its not about emotions, Its about the society commotion,
Its Not a Matter of debate, Its a fact of their fate,
They can't change, Stop Giving Shocks To Be a man,
All Those Medicines are in vain,
What's wrong if he loves a man, Is he insane??
No!! It depends On How you understand,
The facts are screaming over the ears,
But nobody hears, they just wanna change them over the years,
We can't just sit back and wait for the law to change,
Let's change ourselves, And let's be the change,
They say they turn to be gay, They Aren't born like that,
How they know they're straight. Who told them to behave like that,
It's not a choice they make, It's not a choice to be fake,
They can see them faking, But Can't see the hard life they're seeking,
Everyday they're dying, Cuz they can't see they're mama crying,
Why Is Mama Crying? Is Her son or daughter is a matter to bother,
Its time to grow up, and thow up all those stereotypes with which we grown up,
There is more than just being a male and a female,
Lets throw out the ignorance of society that prevails,
Its not a fairy tale,
Its an air of reality to inhale,
The facts are screaming over the ears,
But nobody hears, they just wanna change them over the years,
We can't just sit back and wait for the law to change,
Let's change ourselves, And let's be the change,
Its Sad That Today after 68 years Of independence,
There is one society who are still not independent,
They are living their life without any identity,
Doing all those odd jobs they could do,
They are always hated by the society,
Being called by all those names given to them,
Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals And Transexuals,
We Call them LGBT Society, Why cant we call them humans?
The facts are screaming over the ears,
But nobody hears, they just wanna change them over the years,
We can't just sit back and wait for the law to change,
Let's change ourselves, And let's be the change,
The song "Positive Change" by Zero Boys addresses the issue of the stigma and discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community in society. The lyrics focus on the singer's observations of beggars on the street who are often dismissed and ignored by society. Even though these individuals may curse God due to their sexuality, they still hold onto the hope that they can find acceptance and live without fear of persecution. The singer highlights the fact that society's ignorance and prejudice towards LGBTQ+ individuals is the root cause of their suffering. Despite the existence of laws that aim to protect these individuals, change must come from within society.
The song's lyrics also tackle the misconception that being gay is a choice, which is often used to justify discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. The singer highlights that it is not a choice and that being true to oneself should not be something that is punished. The song calls for society to understand and accept that individuals have the right to live their lives the way they want, without being subjected to violence and hatred due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Overall, "Positive Change" is a call to action for society to change its mindset and embrace the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. It is a reminder that despite the existence of laws, it is up to individuals to make a positive change in the world and ensure that everyone can live a life free from discrimination.
Line by Line Meaning
As I Walk Down The Street, I Always Look At The Beggars They Never See,
The singer is observing beggars in society that are being ignored and disregarded by others.
I Can See The Hope In Their Eyes, That Could Never Meet,
Despite their difficult circumstances, the singer sees a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the beggars.
Most Of Them Curse God, Because Of Their Sexuality,
The beggars are angry at God due to the mistreatment they face as a result of their sexual orientation or identity.
But The Stigma And Ignorance is within our Society,
The root of the problem lies in society's ignorance and prejudice against those who identify as LGBTQ+.
We Believe In A Law, Which Is 155 Years Old,
The artist is referring to a discriminatory law that is outdated and perpetuates inequality.
But We Never Look At Lives everyday getting Cold,
Society is ignoring the struggles and hardships faced by those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Yea, May Be They are in minority,
Those who identify as LGBTQ+ are a minority in society.
But Where the hell is humanity,
The artist questions where humanity and compassion are in this situation.
I know the law don't give a shit about emotions,
The law is not concerned with the emotions and struggles of those who identify as LGBTQ+.
But its not about emotions, Its about the society commotion,
Despite emotions playing a role, the larger issue at hand is society's reaction to those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Its Not a Matter of debate, Its a fact of their fate,
The singer believes that being LGBTQ+ is part of someone's destiny, not a choice or something to debate.
They can't change, Stop Giving Shocks To Be a man,
Those who identify as LGBTQ+ cannot be 'changed' or forced to conform to societal norms of masculinity.
All Those Medicines are in vain,
Attempts to change or 'cure' someone's sexual orientation are futile and harmful.
What's wrong if he loves a man, Is he insane??
The singer questions why society views homosexuality as abnormal or crazy.
No!! It depends On How you understand,
Whether or not someone accepts and understands LGBTQ+ individuals depends on their own beliefs and attitudes.
They say they turn to be gay, They Aren't born like that,
The artist challenges the idea that being LGBTQ+ is a choice or something someone 'turns to.'
How they know they're straight. Who told them to behave like that,
The artist points out the double standard in assuming heterosexuality is the default or 'normal' sexuality.
It's not a choice they make, It's not a choice to be fake,
Being LGBTQ+ is not a choice or something someone can choose to 'fake.'
They can see them faking, But Can't see the hard life they're seeking,
Society may view LGBTQ+ individuals as 'putting on a show,' but they fail to recognize the struggles and hardships they face.
Everyday they're dying, Cuz they can't see they're mama crying,
LGBTQ+ individuals are dying every day due to discrimination and intolerance, causing their loved ones to grieve.
Why Is Mama Crying? Is Her son or daughter is a matter to bother,
The artist questions why society places so much importance on someone's sexuality or gender identity rather than treating them as human beings.
Its time to grow up, and thow up all those stereotypes with which we grown up,
The artist urges society to shed old stereotypes and biases that they may have learned growing up.
There is more than just being a male and a female,
Gender exists on a spectrum and is not limited to just two binary options.
Lets throw out the ignorance of society that prevails,
The artist calls for an end to the ignorance and prejudice that exists against LGBTQ+ individuals in society.
Its not a fairy tale,
The struggles and hardships faced by LGBTQ+ individuals are very real.
Its an air of reality to inhale,
The reality is that society must accept and embrace those who identify as LGBTQ+ for who they are.
Its Sad That Today after 68 years Of independence,
Even after independence, society still has a long way to go in terms of acceptance and equality for LGBTQ+ individuals.
There is one society who are still not independent,
Those who identify as LGBTQ+ are still facing discrimination and lack of freedom in society.
They are living their life without any identity,
LGBTQ+ individuals may feel like they lack an identity due to the bigotry they face in society.
Doing all those odd jobs they could do,
LGBTQ+ individuals may be forced to take certain jobs due to discrimination or lack of opportunities.
They are always hated by the society, Being called by all those names given to them,
LGBTQ+ individuals face hatred and derogatory names from society due to their sexual orientation or identity.
Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals And Transexuals,
The artist lists out some of the identities that fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.
We Call them LGBT Society, Why cant we call them humans?
The artist questions why society cannot treat LGBTQ+ individuals as human beings deserving of respect and acceptance.
The facts are screaming over the ears,
The reality of the struggles faced by LGBTQ+ individuals is loud and clear.
But nobody hears, they just wanna change them over the years,
Despite the facts, society may choose to ignore or actively try to change LGBTQ+ individuals rather than accepting them for who they are.
We can't just sit back and wait for the law to change,
The artist believes that society must take immediate action to fight for equality and acceptance for LGBTQ+ individuals rather than waiting for the law to change.
Let's change ourselves, And let's be the change,
The singer calls for individuals to change their attitudes and behaviors towards those who identify as LGBTQ+ to help bring about societal change.
Contributed by Wyatt N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.