John Scott has provided an insight into a few of the tracks from the album.
Track 1 – Familiar Territory
“This is really about the whole deal about America, how on the one hand they allow guns everywhere and then are absolutely shocked when a massacre like Columbine occurs. It’s so two faced and hypocritical. So I wove the story of Charles Manson into it – sort of saying “Well what do you expect” – as he was very adept at asking the parents of his day that same question.
He’d go along the lines of “you throw your children away, and they come to me – see what happens”. So my whole take is, well, You’re in Familiar Territory, aren’t you? So why the boo-hooing over a little massacre (obviously I’m saying this cynically). I like this song – it has all the subtlety of a tank driving over someone.”
Track 2 – [R] Retaliate
“I always liked this story about a guy (Howard Unruh) who felt insulted when his neighbour called out “Hey You” at him to shut the gate into his back lane. He was pissed that his neighbour didn’t know his name. So “Hey You’s” name went on this list Unruh kept, and he wrote an ‘R’ next to the name indicating “Retaliate”. That is where the idea came from for the word.
But the song itself is about introspection and feeling weak, hurt and wanting to shut the world out, but has (I hope) a postiveness about it, where the character won’t just crawl away and retreat – he will actually retaliate and use his anger and frustration to mobilise him/herself towards redemption or recovery.
The song certainly wasn’t about celebrating a serial killer – though I can see how at face value it could be taken so. We wanted an off kilter weird beat to it to suit the character and so it fell to a 7/4 beat and some odd counts. We always have to check ourselves on this one to make sure we all know where the changes occur. This was also a good song from the point of view that Andy Gill who produced this song, had me sing in a way I’ve never tried before and I liked how it came out.”
Track 5 – Lone Pine
“The never ending salute to our heritage. I’m just one of those people who respect those who die for their country. I think it’s weak when people try to blame the soldier for the faults of the politicians. (The old hippy cry of “But what if everyone refused to fight?” – The outcome? Then the other side will attack you and take your land and freedom away – and if EVERYBODY refused to fight, as in the whole world? Then pull yourself together hippy, d’ya think we’re living in Disney Land, you outdated fuck!
So- it’s basically a song I wrote after reading a novel by an Australian soldier about the Western Front – and I wanted to write an Anzac song which celebrated their spirit and decried the misery of war.”
Track 7 – Sleep
“Girlfriends have always given me shit about writing this and I try to explain that it’s a guy who is saying this to his girlfriend (or girl to guy friend and any other combination you wish) that he prefers to sleep on his own anyway, after she has walked out on him. Plus it touches on the complications of emotions in relationships.
Maybe I do mean that I sleep better when I’m alone, maybe I don’t. I think this lyric can be used however you feel, as a payback sourgrapes type thing, or for real. ”
Track 8 – One Day Late In December
“Another friend of mine had passed away in Dec ’99 and it blew me away that he was going to stay back in the 20th century but I was journeying into the new millenium. At first I was thinking of the song as a sort of LMA 2 – which it sort of is, but with a male counterpart. He was a good friend, roadied for us in the early days and was one of the few people I’d call a close friend.
I just found it exasperating that they were still dropping like flies and not getting help for their problems with alcohol and drugs. Basically a lot of people I knew way back, when we’d all dabble in all sorts of activities involving illegal things, a lot of them ended up dying from continuing those activities. Anyhow – it’s just a sad song.”
Track 11 – Lockdown
“Lyrically it explores the idea of right and wrong and black and white, injustice and the system grinding you down, keeping you in a state of Lockdown. It’s about a guy waiting for his girlfriend to get out of prison, and thinking about the 18 months he’s waited and why he chose the roads he did that lead him to that point.”
Track 12 – Cut ‘Em Down
“I’d always been sort of shocked but fascinated at this footage that was taken by Austalian jounalist Neil Davis in Vietnam where a number of Vietnamese were trying to surrender and were carrying a white flag as they walked towards a Marine perimeter. Then this Sergeant yells, “Bullshit, bullshit” (he doesn’t beleive they are surrendering but is a trap) and then yells “Cut em Down, Cut Em Down”.
I thought what a great sample that would be. And it also made me think of all the shit musical acts that are so fake, so wanting to make it they will do anything – just to be ‘famous’, who say “music is my life’ but what they mean is that they watch top ten videos, listen to top 40 radio and buy nothing out of the ordinary or vaguely different from what they are exposed to.
I thought, wow – tmoc could be the last standing band trying to stave off all those fake prissy groups and solo acts, and just mow the fuckers down. What a great thought! Like we are the only ones left to hold the fort. I guess my imagination gets the better of me sometimes. So we worte just a blitzkrieg riff and repeated it ad-infinitum, complete with olde school wanky drum solo (hell, it was John Stanier playing afterall for Chrissakes!)- and so there you have it. Nothing too deep. Just a musicians despair at the state of the industry – or factory is maybe a better word….”