WHO THE HELL IS THE WILLING MR. K?
WARNING
This page contains information which you may wish to find out for yourself.
SECTIONS:
NIX NOUGHT NOTHING
ELECTRIC CHAIR THEATRE
OTHER SONGS
UNKNOWN SONGS
Please note that for some of the below information, Mr. Meenee is indebted to Messers Clark, Morden and Justin, not to mention Miss Cheeser and Miss Cootie.
NIX NOUGHT NOTHING
CHELSEA
Gandhi and Hitler were the two persons removed from the cover of The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" album.
This may not mean anything.
SAD SONG
250624
Some note similarities to the song "25 or 6 to 4" by the band Chicago.
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No one has yet devined the meaning of a Richter's Box, though some compare it to
the "great whatsit" box in Kiss Me Deadly.
SPACE NOTHING
The identities of Messers Thimbltwit and Fiddlesticks have not been determined. They certainly SOUND Dickensian...
FAIRY TALES
GENERATION CRAP
OTB means "off track betting."
ENGINEERING
Miles Archer is a character in the film/novel The Maltese Falcon.
Isaac Asimov wrote a novel entitled The Positronic Man which may or may not have
anything to do with the song.
BLOWN AWAY BABY
WORK WORK WORK
The "1984" line clearly refers to George Orwell's novel of the same name.
The "equestrian pedestrian" lines call to mind images from Orwell's Animal Farm.
No one has quite determined the actual identity of Mr. K, but it is almost
unanimously agreed that all signs point to Kafka.
QUICK, WATSON!
Clearly a song about Sherlock Holmes' frequent drug use, which is mentioned all
over in Doyle's books and stories. Moriarity was the name of Holmes' rival.
MARY PICKFORD, MARRY ME!
Mary Pickford was, of course, an early film star (and still attractive by today's standards, if I may).
Tungsten is an element used in flashbulbs.
DIE MOTHER DIE
"The Hapless Child" refers to the Edward Gorey book of the same name. Mr. Gorey's work
is recommended to all stiffs, inc fans.
Mr. Bibble remains unidentified (and possibly at large.)
I'm not sure of the reference, but the pictures of ladies and lizards sound awfully
familiar.
FEAR IN THE NIGHT
The "Hide, Mister Hyde Me" line is obviously a refence to Robert Louise Stevenson.
Messers Burke and Hare were a couple of fellows (British, early 19th century) who supplied bodies
to hospitals who needed bodies on which to experiment. They first got bodies from
funeral homes, then graduating to making their own.
Now, shall we proceed onwards to:
ELECTRIC CHAIR THEATRE
"GOLD DIGGERS of 1996"
The song is loaded with references to Busby Berkely's film Gold Diggers of 1933. The movie
includes Ginger Rodgers singing "We're in the Money" in Pig Latin, and
includes songs such as "Pettin' in the Park" and "Shadow Waltz."
"I Only Have Eyes For You" is another song from a Berkely movie.
The line "mordre wol out certein it woll nat faille" is from The Prioress's Tale in Chaucer's
Canterbury Tales. The line is similar to "This (murder) will out" from Shakespeare's
"Richard III," a line/play referred to all through the album.
As a matter of fact, if the line "murder will out" is examined in one particular copy of a Shakespeare quote book, a footnote connects it with the line in Canterbury Tales.
Mr. Meenee would just like to point out that to so seamlessly construct of murder song out of references to Berkely and Chaucer is a stunning achievement.
I, NEW
There are many theories as to the use of the term "april fourth it." Mr. Meenee doesn't dare guess which one is the correct one. Same with "PKZ it."
ALL MY HATE
Rotwang and Hel are characters in Fritz Lang's film Metropolis. (see here)
Part of the song refer, aurally, to The Beach Boys' "I Get Around."
The next line in the phrase "A Man, A Plan, A Canal" is "Panama."
ENGINEERING CUBED
No new references from the old version.
HITS FOR MGM
Messers. Goldwyn and Meyer are, most obviously, founders of MGM. The Miss Todd refenced
is probably a reference to actress Thelma Todd, a movie star who died in 1935 of "accidental carbon
monoxide poisoning," aged 30.
Double Indemnity
Contains refences to the Hitchcock film of the same name. The "Third Man" refers to a Welles film.
NOUGHTY BOYS
DANCE OF THE PKZ
No, I don't know what PKZ is either.
The stiffs inc t-shirt indicated that it was actually the chemical PKZ3,
but that also appears to be unidentifiable.
ANGELS
Fortunato may, or more likely may not, refer to a character in Poe's "Cask of Amontillado."
THE MAGICIAN
Some have noted references to "Charles" and "Dickens," which points in the direction of
Dickens' novel "David Copperfield," a name later taken by a popular magician.
Some have also debated whether the word sung is "card" or "god." This debate is especially hot among Metropolis fans, as, in the melting of the album with the film, the song plays during Maria's "sermon."
St. VITUS SAYS
St. Vitus Disorder is a disorder which causes constant twitching, to the point at which
the sufferer appears to be dancing constantly.
Prospero's Party and the Revellers are
a reference to Poe's "Mask of the Red Death."
"will you won't you join the dance" is from the "caucus race" portion of Alice in Wonderland.
FOR YOUR LOVE
OUTRO:To the Egress
"Egress" means "exit." P.T. Barnum put signs reading "to the egress" in his museums to trick
people into leaving, meaning they would have to buy another ticket.
CALIGARI WONDERS
Refers to the silent German Expressionist horror classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Miss Daae is from one of the film versions of Phantom of the Opera. The line "Feast Your Eyes, Glut Your Soul" is also
also from Phantom of the Opera.
Some suggest that the repeated use of the term "no more," which begins to sound like "more no,"
may refer, sneakily, to filmmaker F.W. Murnau of Nosferatu fame.
PEARL THREE
"Brave New World" may refer to Aldous Huxley's book of the same name.
RICHARD
The Richard here is surely a reference to the Shakespearian version of Richard III (whose portrait
adorns the back of the 12" single). "Richard loves Richard" is something Richard tells himself
towards the end of the play, trying to comfort himself. There are several other
lines from Shakespeare in the song; "Now is the winter" refers to Richard's opening monologue,
"the pricking of my thumbs" is a line from Macbeth. Many lines here aren't actually quotes from Richard III,
but they ought to be.
Rosicrutions are a group similar in nature to, say, Freemasons. Some suspect that one or more
of them actually wrote the Shakespeare plays.
OTHER SONGS
DESTROY ALL ART
PANIC IN THE SPRINGTIME
Partially a parody of "Paris in the Springtime."
The insert claims that it is the work of the same author as "After The Ball," which is a song by Charles K. Harris. Harris was a well-known author of "parlor" songs known for writing some of the most maudlin, depressing, melodramatic songs in the world, such as "Hello Central, Give Me Heaven," "There's Another Picture in Mamma's Frame," etc.
Funnily, the day he was working on this, Mr. Meenee had been wondering whether Harris was an artist known to stiffs, inc.
A Roentgen Ray is an early form of an x-ray, invented by W.C. Roentgen
One Chord Wonders
cover of a song by The Adverts
Newton's Third Law Defined
Mr. Meenee cannot yet comment on this song.
THE THIRD MAN
This instrumental from the videotape is probably named after an Orson Welles movie. See also: Double Indemnity.
Crime of the Century
Cover of a John Thunders song, more info coming soon.
Thinking of the U.K.
No references here, unless you wish to know what the UK is.
SONGS ABOUT WHICH NOTHING IS KNOWN
"Mr. Thursby's Delight" - an instrumental listed in a review of live show
"The Hunting Song" - listed on setlist of a 1996 show (some suggest a Tom Lehrer cover?)
"Unidentified" - song played at the next-to-the-last show, possibly a Monks cover.
"Doctor, She's In Code Blue" - mentioned in a note from Mr. Paul Boering.
ANY information on any of these songs would be appreciated.
S
