DiskothiQ - Harmless But Ultimately Unloveable, Loveless But Ultimately Unharmable (1993) [Shrimper, SHR38, Cassette]
Tracklist:
A1. Going to Pomona
A2. Discovery
A3. Superchunk
A4. SR 72
A5. Hit The North 2 (I Take It All Back)
A6. Bitter Muse
B1. Enrico Constantino
B2. She's Bummin Me Out, Man
B3. Discretion Is the Better Part of Valor
B4. Ocean So Lonesome
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What Does This Tape Sound Like?
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The second DiskothiQ tape. Each copy has a pair of words handwritten on the cassette itself, one on either side. If you own a copy, please email with your two. Known variants so far include:
harmless/unharmable
diskothi/q
ultimately/harmless
loveless/unharmable.
"Going to Pomona" and "Hit The North 2 (I Take It All Back)" both appear in early demos on the Party of One half of split cassette Pick Yr Monologue. "Hit The North 2 (I Take It All Back)" also appears in the live set that ends Delicious, Homemade.
Fans of track 6 on this tape, "Bitter Muse", may be pleased to learn that a higher-quality version survived to a 1999 CD compilation, Songs For The Brokenhearted which you can easily pick up secondhand.
From the tape sleeve:
everything recorded in San Dimas
9-11/92 by Bob Durkee who
played guitar on Discovery too.
Write DiskothiQ c/o Sonic Enemy
P.O.Box 4697 Irvine CA 92716COVER STAR: Greg Lendahl
Lyrics transcribed by ear by this website's admin where possible. Corrections, assistance, suggestions etc are welcome.
2021 July update: thanks very much to Peter Chard for emailing more lyric fixes!
[exciting news, May 2022: asked Peter H himself about the major mystery lyric in "Ocean So Lonesome", and he informed me it's "Pos, Dove, and Whitman". Pos as in Posdnuos, Dove as in Trugoy the Dove. this is a De La Soul reference. Thanks Peter H. For the younger readers unfamiliar with De La Soul, you may be more familiar with their work with Gorillaz, including "Feel Good Inc"]
A1. Going to Pomona
i never thought i'd be face to face
with a girl who came from outer space
but that's just one of the surprises
fate had in store for me
a flying saucer flew into town
the very weekend i happened to be coming down
and i just can't imagine
well how much kinder could fortune be?
i've been to sonoma
i hung around in roma
i never thought i'd find what i needed
right here in pomona
a whole lifetime of shittiness
was instantly transformed into giddiness
when i looked across the room
to find her eyes---they were fixed on me
and as i stood there consumed with joy
the trippy space girl's voice cuts through the beautiful noise
with an invitation, she said
"hey earth boy, now come with me"
oh, but "space girl, space girl!" i protested
"i've too much time on earth invested
i got a job and i got a van
well i'd love to go but please understand"
and with these words i took her hands
but she slipped through my fingers
like so many grains of sand
the five saddest weeks of my life went by
til the night there appeared a light in the sky
and i didn't have to ask
no i just knew what it had to be
because the warm luminous unearthly glow
was shining down on a place i knew from long ago
and it was perfectly clear
well space girl had come back for me
i went to sonoma
i had a fall in roma
but now i found everything i need
and i'm going to pomona
A2. Discovery
when i sit down at my tv
well i know just what i wanna see
adolf hitler, b-17s
they know i'm tuned in
discovery
discovery
when i sit down with my friend steve
we always flip on our tv
adolf hitler, world war 3
they know we're tuned in
discovery
discovery
go!
when i come home, turn on my tv
well i know just what i'm in time to see
adolf hitler, FCC
they know i'm tuned in
discovery
discovery
A3. Superchunk
[not confident on some of the lyrics leading into the choruses]
well i've been good you can't deny
well it's been two whole years
i never even tried to write
never called your house real late
and hung up, just to piss you off
no i just tried to forget
cause i know that's what you want
and it's been time that's been well spent
but i'm not too quick to forget
and so what if we never got to fuck
and so what if you never
wanna hunt for Superchunk
well i don't need you anymore
and i ain't like that anymore
and i was sick
but now i'm not even sore
i just miss you
i miss sleeping on your floor
so what if we never got to fuck
and so what if it'll never happen
and all you know is superchunk
well i don't love you anymore
and i ain't like that anymore
and i was mad
but now i'm not even sore
but i just miss you
i miss sleeping on your floor
stop torturing me
stop torturing me
stop torturing me
A4. SR 72
[The SR-72 is a conceptual aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin to succeed its SR-71 "Blackbird" plane, which is what the verse intros are referring to. At the time this song was written, there was intense speculation about the SR-71's retirement and what would come after. Supposedly the SR-72 will be in use in the next 10-15 years. "Nobody knows just what you'll do," indeed.
There are rough guesses in these lyrics at the end; the line could be "ran two blocks", "ran to th' trucks", "around to the trucks", anything that scans like that.]
blackbird blackbird hear my call
who's the quickest of them all?
now that you've been put out to pasture
here's somethin' even faster
nobody knows just what you'll do
S-R seventy-two
woo-hoo
blackbird blackbird hear my song
where've you gone what have you done
skippin across the edge of space
starin down at the human race
nobody knows just what you'll do
S-R seventy-two
yeah-yeah-yeah
hey there new guy where do you hide
'round two bluffs and on the other side
we know yer there we heard your song
you keep a six-pack good for long?
nobody knows just what you'll do
S-R-seventy-two
woo-hoo
A5. Hit The North 2 (I Take It All Back
the beauty of nature awaits me
500 miles away
i'm hittin the north not a moment too soon
i'm gonna chase away my orange county blues
i ain't got no friends
they let me down or done gone moved away
but on a day like this i'll forget the first
and understand why the rest just couldn't stay
so take me where everythin' is green
and the trees are born, not made
and they stand in the ground
where god put 'em
and not linin' some street or some leveled grade
yeah the wind is whisperin to me
it's an offer i can't refuse
i'm hittin the north on a springtime trail
there ain't no way that i can lose
i take it all back, i take it all back
i take it all back
oh take it all back, take it all back,
take it all back, take it all back
A6. Bitter Muse
don't turn the light on
i don't wanna see it
the darkness hides the mess we've made
don't say a word now
i don't wanna hear it
let's just admit mistakes were made
and it's so hard to let it go
and it's so hard to let it go
don't turn the light on
i don't wanna see it
the darkness hides the mess we've made
and don't say another word
i don't believe it
just get the fuck out of my head
and it's so hard to let it go
it gets so hard to let you go
and i was wrong
oh but you were not
look what we've done
a lifetime worth of bile
that you have left me with
an everlasting bitter muse
that i cannot outlive
but i am going to take you out
just like you took me in
and i will have the last laugh
At the end of the A-side, instrumental piano-pop classic "Music Box Dancer" by Frank Mills plays in its entirety. On some copies, anyway; I have one where it plays in full, and one where it cuts off after a minute and a half.
B1. Enrico Constantino
[this one gets a little closer every time we revisit it, but still not quite there. help]
[Currently have a theory that the first chorus bit after "can't stop me now" is something like, "i'm the silhouette you see there / lurking in the crowd" which scans but isn't clear. Site reader Peter Chard contributed "looking in the crowd" awhile back and that's still up for the time being. After "I recall a time" the lyric is something that scans the same as "the market was so high". Later after "now you're sayin' you gotta go / but what am I supposed to do / when you know I..." it could be anything from "you know I'm just a fool for you" to "you know I'd jump the broom for you". The last chorus's yelled part is also hard to suss out. An ongoing project...]
once upon a time, baby you were mine
walking on the sands
had a real good time
but now that's all changed
say you're tired of my games
but what am i supposed to do
when you know i do it all for you
oh!
i'm enrico constantino
you can't stop me now
[unsure here]
looking in the crowd
if you want to you can leave me
it don't matter now
isn't that the way you see me
you don't know me now
enrico, enrico
constantino
enrico, enrico
constantino
i recall a time,
[inaudible lines again]
go out every night
luck was on my side
but my luck comes and goes
now you're sayin' you gotta go
but what am i supposed to do
if you know i'd [inaudible] for you
i'm enrico constantino
you can't stop me now
[inaudible lines]
if you want to you can leave me
it don't matter now
[inaudible lines again]
you don't know me now
enrico, enrico
constantino
enrico, enrico
constantino
enrico, enrico
B2. She's Bumming Me Out, Man
i got your handwriting on my wall
i'm gettin' old waitin' for your call
well isn't this what i grew out of
well isn't this what i don't need
but isn't this just what i wanted
how many times can you not call a guy back
how many times can a guy care
how many times before you try to call me back
to find out i'm no longer there
and i'm no longer going to brood for you
i'm just really not in the mood for you
to think that once i might
have had the patience for you
well that was about seventy-five
flaky motherfuckers ago
B3. Discretion Is The Better Part Of Valor
the way that your shoulder
fits inside of my palm
well there's something so perfect
it surely belongs
the night stretches out
and we're drifting along
well i'll draw you nearer
as darkness makes way for the dawn
and you can sleep
i'll just watch
i wouldn't miss a minute of this
oh it could last
but it might not
i'm not about to take the risk
'cause losing what little i've gained
after you're gone
what remains?
the sound of your breathing
sets my heart at ease
your lungs so expertly
inhale and release
well our hands tangled up now
well that's fine with me
and outside it's light now
but inside's where i wanna be
and you can sleep
i'll just watch
i wouldn't miss a minute of this
oh it could last
but it might not
and i'm not about to take the risk
'cause losing what little i gain
after you're gone
what remains?
and you won't remember
well i can't forget
if no one's the wiser
well what's there to regret
what's there to regret
B4. Ocean So Lonesome
ocean so lonesome
ain't got but a notion
of what's drawing me to you tonight
perhaps it's the rhythm
of the waves that is givin'
my heart such a tender respite
this world's been as heavy
as a three quarter ton chevy
its weight bearin' down on me
but as i stand on this shore
starin' out evermore
i cast my troubles adrift on the sea
a silly commotion
has set me in motion
i try hard to do what i should
well it's a cold empty feelin'
that i've been concealin'
for fear it would sink me for good
but seasons will come
and seasons will go
and there's a reason
they call autumn fall
but with hopes and dreams dyin'
like leaves on the trees
well there's a wonder
i'm still here at all
i once was so cheerful
that you'd get an earful
of from-the-soul philosophy
if ever i caught
a disparaging thought
it'd be pos, dove, and whitman for me
but now there's nobody
no betty or buddy
it's good ol' me myself and i
and the water i'm treadin'
is the tears i am sheddin'
and the daisies
have withered and died
it's hard to forget it
can't say i regret it
no more so than just bein' born
when life's greatest prize
is two rose tinted eyes
well that's a luxury i just can't afford
if wishes were fishes
then i'd be suspicious
of every creature that lurked 'neath the sea
aw but what can i do
but surrender to you
and let your cool waters wash over me
ocean so lonesome
ain't got but a notion
of what's drawn me to you tonight
perhaps it's the rhythm
of the waves that is givin'
my heart such a tender respite
this world's been as heavy
as a three quarter ton chevy
it's weight bearin' down on me
but as i stand on this shore
starin' out evermore
i cast my troubles adrift on the sea
one, two, three
B5. Outro
(Note: as of January 2023 this is a new mp3 of the outro!)
this is a big collage of audio; several parts are spoken, which i have tried to reproduce here, because if i don't who will?
[answering machine voice]: 12 a.m. monday
[other voice] rolling down like thunder, streaming down like rain, spring rain, it was august and our whole life was sawdust, you have the nerve to say, is that what you call pain, ohh streets of your town, up and down, streets of your town, i got tired, i got tired of draining the pool for you, i won't do, it's cold it's cold it's cold and dusty in here, round and round, up and down. [dolphin noises]
[clearer voice:] peter your shrimper number is three, eight. your shrimper catalog number is three, eight, thirty-eight [dolphin like noises resume]
[synthesized voice, unclear; a mention of KUCI]
[The assorted lyrics here are from, as far as I can tell,
[CALLER] hey um, who's on the air right now
[RADIO DJ] sonic enemy
[CALLER] sonic enemy, who's sonic enemy
[RADIO DJ] what do you mean who's sonic enemy
[CALLER] like your non-air name
[RADIO DJ] ...doctor dirt
[CALLER] doctor dirt... is there anyone else at the station right now?
[RADIO DJ] yes
[CALLER] who's at the station?
[RADIO DJ] gary
[CALLER] gary, like, as in...
[per the Sonic Enemy catalog, reason to believe the person speaking was Peter's Sonic Enemy co-host Greg, whose nickname was Dr. Dirt. Peter was Mr. Nobody. The recording has some other stuff collaged near it, so it's hard to tell, but it almost sounds like the caller could be saying "as in... Held?". Gary Held was a known entity in the scene at the time. I could be wrong on this, but worth a mention.]
[music, fuzz-out]
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] driving dozens of college-age lemmings to Munchie'and rotting their insides with rancid corn dogs, DISKOTHIQ
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] three assholes!
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] DISKOTHIQ!
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] the only man in the world who truly appreciated the genius of franklin bruno: peter hughes
[singing audio] this bit is parodying the chorus of Nothing Painted Blue's "Campaign Song" from Power Trips Down Lovers Lane. Peter H thinks this might be Brent Rademaker of Further/Xmas Records.] that franklin bruno guy can really sing / sounds a little bit like sting...
[ANNOUNCER VOICE RETURNS] fooling people into thinking he cut his hair!
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] three guys who don't know shit about triumph!
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] three guys who hate the north!
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] one burnout and two straight-edge!
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] three guys who rehearse too much
[ANNOUNCING VOICE] three guys with no fx pedals or tremolo bars! DISKOTHIQ!
[cross talk fades into guitar]
You can also hear "DiskothiQ Theme" from Delicious, Homemade in this outro, which is the crunchy guitar near the end. A copy of mine also has a little bit of the opening "Going to Pomona" guitar dubbed in very briefly.
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any images, lyrics, song titles, etc are property of the original artists, where at all possible images are pulled from my own scanned copies and any found/submitted images are noted and credited. this is a fan site without ads, trackers, or even so much as one of those site counters from the late 90's. if you see your intellectual property here and want it removed, email away. thanks