Live Fast, Diarrhea
Encyclopedia
Live Fast, Diarrhea is the fourth studio album by the southern California
punk rock
band The Vandals
, released in 1995 by Nitro Records
. It was the band's first album for Nitro, a label started and co-owned by Dexter Holland
and Greg Kriesel
of The Offspring
. It was also the first to be produced by Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald
, who would continue to produce most of their albums throughout their career, and the first to include Brooks Wackerman
, who often substituted for regular drummer Josh Freese
. It was a breakthrough release for the band, who would release three more albums on Nitro before moving to their own label Kung Fu Records
in 2002.
The album's title is a play on the saying "live fast, die young," a popular phrase in the punk community of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The album cover is a drawing by Fitzgerald of a man shooting a pistol at an airplane, with the title misspelled as "diarrea." The artwork in the liner notes includes a memo stating that the band may absolutely not use this picture on the cover. This seems to indicate that the drawing was intended as a concept for an actual photo of a man shooting at a plane, but that someone, possibly at the record label, forbade the band from using such a photo, so they simply substituted the concept drawing.
An independent music video
was filmed for the song "I Have a Date," which is a cover of a song by a relatively obscure Orange County
punk band called The Simpletones. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
" is also a cover, of a song from the Disney movie Mary Poppins
. Other references to Disney occur in the songs "Get in Line," which describes the experience of waiting in line at a theme park ride and includes an unmistakable message from a Disneyland attraction, and "Power Mustache," which deals with an employee grooming policy at Disneyland. Several of the band members visited Disneyland frequently as youths, and this was not the first time they had referenced it in song. "Ape Shall Never Kill Ape" is also a film reference, to the original Planet of the Apes
.
Both the album and band gained increased attention thanks to an episode of the popular television
show The X-Files
which aired on June 10, 1995 (episode 3x03: "D.P.O."). Actor Giovanni Ribisi
plays a teenager in a small town who has the power to control electricity and summon lightning
, and wears a number of Vandals t-shirts throughout the episode. The final scene shows Ribisi's character incarcerated but using his power to change the channels on a television while the Vandals song "Live Fast, Diarrhea" plays. According to the band the idea to include their music came from X-Files creator Chris Carter
, who was a longtime fan of punk rock and also a friend of band member Joe Escalante
.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Vandals
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, released in 1995 by Nitro Records
Nitro Records
Nitro Records is an independent record label created and owned by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel . They started the label in 1994. The label is famous for being an incubator for punk rock artists who have subsequently become successful, most notably AFI...
. It was the band's first album for Nitro, a label started and co-owned by Dexter Holland
Dexter Holland
Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland is the singer and rhythm guitarist for the California punk rock band The Offspring...
and Greg Kriesel
Greg Kriesel
Gregory David Kriesel , best known by his stage name Greg K., is an American bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the punk band, The Offspring.-Biography:...
of The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
. It was also the first to be produced by Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald
Warren Fitzgerald
Warren Fitzgerald is an American punk rock musician, guitarist, songwriter, and record label owner.-Overview and business:Warren Fitzgerald is most famous for being the current guitarist of The Vandals...
, who would continue to produce most of their albums throughout their career, and the first to include Brooks Wackerman
Brooks Wackerman
Brooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
, who often substituted for regular drummer Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
. It was a breakthrough release for the band, who would release three more albums on Nitro before moving to their own label Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996 by Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald of the punk rock band The Vandals. Founded in order to release a record by the Riverside, California band Assorted Jelly Beans, the label soon grew to include a roster of notable artists...
in 2002.
The album's title is a play on the saying "live fast, die young," a popular phrase in the punk community of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The album cover is a drawing by Fitzgerald of a man shooting a pistol at an airplane, with the title misspelled as "diarrea." The artwork in the liner notes includes a memo stating that the band may absolutely not use this picture on the cover. This seems to indicate that the drawing was intended as a concept for an actual photo of a man shooting at a plane, but that someone, possibly at the record label, forbade the band from using such a photo, so they simply substituted the concept drawing.
An independent music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was filmed for the song "I Have a Date," which is a cover of a song by a relatively obscure Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
punk band called The Simpletones. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
" is also a cover, of a song from the Disney movie Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
. Other references to Disney occur in the songs "Get in Line," which describes the experience of waiting in line at a theme park ride and includes an unmistakable message from a Disneyland attraction, and "Power Mustache," which deals with an employee grooming policy at Disneyland. Several of the band members visited Disneyland frequently as youths, and this was not the first time they had referenced it in song. "Ape Shall Never Kill Ape" is also a film reference, to the original Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968 film)
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
.
Both the album and band gained increased attention thanks to an episode of the popular television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
which aired on June 10, 1995 (episode 3x03: "D.P.O."). Actor Giovanni Ribisi
Giovanni Ribisi
Giovanni Ribisi is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar...
plays a teenager in a small town who has the power to control electricity and summon lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, and wears a number of Vandals t-shirts throughout the episode. The final scene shows Ribisi's character incarcerated but using his power to change the channels on a television while the Vandals song "Live Fast, Diarrhea" plays. According to the band the idea to include their music came from X-Files creator Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
, who was a longtime fan of punk rock and also a friend of band member Joe Escalante
Joe Escalante
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Escalante is an American musician, record label owner, radio host, film and music video director, and amateur matador, as well as a former television executive and entertainment lawyer...
.
Reception
Track listing
Performers
- Dave Quackenbush - vocals
- Warren FitzgeraldWarren FitzgeraldWarren Fitzgerald is an American punk rock musician, guitarist, songwriter, and record label owner.-Overview and business:Warren Fitzgerald is most famous for being the current guitarist of The Vandals...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I Have a Date" - Joe EscalanteJoe EscalanteJoseph Patrick "Joe" Escalante is an American musician, record label owner, radio host, film and music video director, and amateur matador, as well as a former television executive and entertainment lawyer...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Brooks WackermanBrooks WackermanBrooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
- backing vocals on "Live Fast, Diarrhea"
Album information
- Record label: Nitro RecordsNitro RecordsNitro Records is an independent record label created and owned by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel . They started the label in 1994. The label is famous for being an incubator for punk rock artists who have subsequently become successful, most notably AFI...
- Recorded at Formula One Studios in La Habra, CaliforniaLa Habra, CaliforniaLa Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. Its related city, La Habra Heights is located to the north of La Habra, and is in Los Angeles County.-Origin of name:...
- All songs copyright and published 1995 by Greco-Roman Publishing Co., except "I Have a Date" (Covina High Music BMI) and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (1963 Sherman Music/Wonderland Music Co., Inc. BMI).
- Engineered by Greg Nelson at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California and Barry Conoly at Mambo Studios in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. - Mastered at Futuredisc by Eddy Schrayer.
- Produced by Warren Fitzgerald
- Graphics by Mackie Osborne
- Drawings by Warren Fitzgerald