The Slackers

Speaking of this song being underrated (which I agree with) does anyone out there remember when Vic brought along a theremin and played it on this song and also I believe on "Soldier"? I saw a show in Charlotte at Fat City in the fall of 2000 where Vic played it and also busted out the trusty melodica as well for "You Must Be Good". Let's see some more crazy instruments damnit! How great would it be to see Marcus thumping on the washtub bass complete with broom handle, straight up Emmitt Otter style? just a thought

Its always tricky attempting to explain a song that someone else wrote so I won't even try really: I will merely comment on a personal interpretation. To me this song is a warning of sorts about the ills of government or more specifically the IRS. Vic's references to the "beady little triangle Egypt eye on the back of your dollar bill" or that the mummy will "wrap you up baby, in his red red tape when he starts to calculate..." evoke images in my mind of some little shell of a miser with a clipboard and stale cardboard suit bringing down the hammer on some poor family. Funny thing is I'm probably way off (alas such is the beauty of interpretation-perception is reality). At any rate, I've always taken songs like "The Mummy", "Runaway", or "Soldier" as subversive little political grenades. People thought with the "International War Criminal" EP they got all militant suddenly. While far from overtly militant, there's always been more there than just ass-shakin' utopia. Maybe Mr. Ruggiero could weigh in?