Defend the Indefensible: Rusted Root

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All I know about them is their music blows and a girl I knew in college with who was friends with them borrowed my copy of "Deep Blues" by Robert Palmer and then dropped out of school a week later to follow them. Keeping my book of course.

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 5 February 2004 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh god, the nadir of nadirs.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 February 2004 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

When I first heard "Send me on my way" I thought Lindsey Buckingham had a new record. "Simeonna way" So they scored a few points for sounding like Lindsey Buckingham.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

we may have a winner here!

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Until the Rusted Root fans google this that is.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"Drum Trip" is cool. They got some really fine drummers. Never was a big fan of "Ecstasy" or "Send Me on My Way," though.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

A friend of mine once referred to their, um, "percussive sound," as "a bunch of hippies banging on trash cans." I still laugh when I think of that.

― Mark M, Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Why do I like all the stuff that ILM says you're pretty much supposed to hate? Y'know, Dave Matthews, Ween, and now Rusted Root! Sure, they're not exactly the least boring band in the world, BUT THEY'RE SURE-AS-SHIT MORE LISTENABLE THAN MISSY FUCKING ELLIOTT!!!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:08 (twenty-two years ago)

"Lonely As A Flower"

Lyrics Here we stand again in the year of 1999. But you’re so far but yet so close and in the ancestral rays of the sun We’re passing time in the video store remembering all the things that we were
but I’ve been pushed back to the cradle though I believe I’m bigger now although I’m lonely as a flower

In the alabaster lazy sun never long time for the weeping alabaster lazy sun in my day

and I swung the door wide open yes I’ve done my deeds adorned when I crashed into your building and I hope you don’t cry to long huddled in debris land but tommorow’s perfect tommorow’s Tuesday

In the alabaster lazy sun, never long time for the weeping alabaster lazy sun in my day

but darlin’ don’t you weep silver and gold Aren't we lonely as a flower climbing above these walls

Aren’t we Lonely as a flower Climbing above these walls let’s forget these stupid buildings come on my lover take the fall

In the alabaster lazy sun never long time for the weeping alabaster lazy sun in my day

I can remember when Rock n Roll was somewhat of a God leaving us naked and so alive but now it’s just a two day masquerade I guess I’ll go to the corn fields and pray

― jack cole (jackcole), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:08 (twenty-two years ago)

the first song I heard by them sounded like talking heads. but I was really drunk so I might have been mistaken.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:08 (twenty-two years ago)

the idea that rusted root at their worst [relative] are better than missy elliot at even her laziest, most tossed-off makes me fear for the children.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha you went to school in Northern California didn't you, Snrub?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

i mean, first geir listening to "p.i.m.p." and now this.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

poor me when with j*** i must agree.

― jack cole (jackcole), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:11 (twenty-two years ago)

my 11th grade english final included a part where we had to explain why a Rusted Root lyric was great.

Kill them.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha B-b-b-but JESS only one of those things is shocking (actually Geir listening to "P.I.M.P." isn't shocking, Geir LIKING "P.I.M.P." would be shocking though.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

in 8th grade a student teacher made us react to G'N'R's "November Rain" video.
in 9th grade a student teacher made us react to the lyrics to U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
in 11th grade the student teacher made us react to Rusted Root lyrics, a Tracy Chapman lyric that rhymed crying with dying, and the regular teacher noted that a live acoustic version of "Sounds Of Silence" lacks the quality of the bombastic version that Paul Simon originally created for the song (of course I was squirming in my seat, KNOWING that Tom Wilson created that arrangement BEHIND PAUL'S BACK. GAWWWWWWD!).

I really wish they'd just never bring up rock at all.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

in high school an English teacher had a sign above his desk that said "I don't need no education" or whatever that line is from the Pink Floyd Wall song is. he would would then tell everyone how the two negatives cancelled each other out and what the sentence really meant was that, of course, we all need an education, yadda yadda. of course, later i realized this wasn't necessarily true since in Old English two negatives together form as an intensifer, which was the double negative considered "slang or bad grammar or whatever" came, a proper usage until those damn Normans showed up.

― jack cole (jackcole), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

it's times like this i am glad that almost every teacher i ever had up until college was like 92 and hadn't bought a record since 78's.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

"Sounds of Silence" must be a particular favorite of high school English teachers, cuz I'm pretty sure my teacher played that track, too. I got up and left.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Aaaah, but Jess just think that the next generation will get the gift of analyzing Mobb Deep lyrics or Nas or whatever.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:31 (twenty-two years ago)

better fucking mobb deep than rusted root!

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I KNOW!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:35 (twenty-two years ago)

actually, I wanna say God Bless to my 2nd grade teacher who had is bring in songs, she'd transcribe the lyrics and we'd all just SING 'em. No goddamn ANALYSIS. I personally brought in the Beatles' "When I'm 64," and Spike Jones's version of "My Old Flame."

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

in 10th grade, i tape-recorded gg allin's "i wanna fuck yer brains out," brought the tape into class, put it in a walkman, and played it for friends. i was discovered by my english teacher and was given in-school expulsion for one day with all the burn-outs!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:39 (twenty-two years ago)

For that 11th grade we all had to bring in a song for the rest of the classic to, I dunno, groove on. I was originally going to bring in Pavement's "Stereo" but ended up bringing XTC's "Dear God." Either way I should have brought in Mojo Nixon's "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child," at least for the line about his butt in Rick Astley's face.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

interestingly enough, that particular teacher was one of the few teachers i had that had decent taste in music (e.g., she liked the stones, prince, and madonna).

another teacher, i turned onto talking heads b/c i played remain in light in her car when she was driving me and a friend to a state competition.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Um, I left out the word class AND mispelled it in the first sentence of that post. English was my favorite subject.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

My freshman comp prof made us "react" to "Born to Run"
While reading the lyrics to the class, he got this sort of misty, far-away look in his eyes. It was almost... touching.

Of course, I spent the rest of the afternoon doing a spiteful (yet hilarious, if I do say so myself) impression of him for my roomates.

― Will (will), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

my high-school german teacher made us memorize the lyrics to "99 luftballons" and "der kommissar."

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Nancy Wilson lost a lot more respect for comparing "Born To Run" to Shakespeare on VH1 than she did for the "These Dreams" video.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Rock music showed up JUST ONCE in my rather great 12th grade English class. After reading The Stranger our teacher played us "Killing An Arab" which a student had given her. I don't think many people enjoyed it, including the neither-mod-nor-rocker teacher.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:46 (twenty-two years ago)

and in 10th grade I compared Yo La Tengo's "False Alarm" to Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain. AWWW YEAH!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 5 February 2004 03:47 (twenty-two years ago)

This is a beautiful sidetrack.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 February 2004 04:19 (twenty-two years ago)

First day of my first english class in my freshman year of college, the prof whips out ol' Bobby D. Lay Lady Lay, two versions. I made the point that the image of the "big brass bed" corresponded with the pearly gates of heaven, thus reinforcing the classical relationship between sex and death.

― Prude (Prude), Thursday, 5 February 2004 04:35 (twenty-two years ago)

And, yes, I am ashamed.

― Prude (Prude), Thursday, 5 February 2004 04:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Compulsory Speech & Drama from grade 8 - 10. In every class we had emote/mime/dance/act/whatever to Enigma's "Sadeness". For three years, Jesus.

― Jedmond, Thursday, 5 February 2004 07:01 (twenty-two years ago)

You are all looking away from the blinding supernova of mediocrity that is Rusted Root and I applaud you.

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 5 February 2004 07:43 (twenty-two years ago)

True, but what we're now looking at is hardly an improvement.

― Jedmond, Thursday, 5 February 2004 07:50 (twenty-two years ago)

No, this is great. We had to do poetry in year 10 and I couldn't be bothered so just transcribed a Rage Against The Machine lyric (the song off the first album about suicide) and changed the second verse a bit. It was well received but the teacher wondered why there was no punctuation.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 5 February 2004 10:39 (twenty-two years ago)

In 11th grade English I had to write some poems. My teacher was a fucking hippie, and she didn't like my poetry because seh said she couldn't understand what it meant. (tho she never asked me to explain it. Not that it was actually good, but her reasoning was bullshit.) But then I just paraphrased "Wooden Ships" and she loved it.

And in college English, we listened to "persuasive lyrics" - one prof. played "Hurricane"(Dylan) and "Revolution"(Beatles). The other played "ManEater"(Haulin' Oats) and "Straight on for you"(Heart.) I was thinking that somewhere there ought to be more persuasive lyrics than those that were chosen.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 5 February 2004 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

the most amazing thing about this thread is how nickalicious didn't post here!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 8 February 2004 02:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think we ever had to analyze rock lyrics as poetry in high school (thank GOD). However...I tried writing an essay about how Lifes Rich Pageant was a concept album about trasnportation; once amazed my social studies teacher by knowing who Pearls Before Swine were and being able to correctly identify who originally sang "Stranded in the Jungle"; had a totally crushworthy substitute teacher talk about seeing the Ramones at CBGBs; ripped off a line by Yoko Ono for an English Essay I stayed up till five o'clock trying to write; borrowed Public Image Limited and Talking Heads in a poem by journalism teacher really really liked; reviewed R.E.M.'s Green in the same journalism class; got into a in-class argument with another kid about how black and white music weren't supposed to be separate (I said "they haven't been seperate since Cab Calloway" when I wanted to say Duke Ellington -- she used something Billy Idol said in an interview to her defense!) that my teacher broke up by agreeing with me; did a really good grease crayon portrait of Otis Redding that my art teacher prominently displayed in class for months; had to sang James Ingram's "Just Once" and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something" in junior high chorus; got extra credit for translating "Isn't She Lovely" into French; made fun of senior year AP English teacher's poster of The Doors; and one text in a PSAT I took said something about the enduring qualities of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 8 February 2004 03:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I was forced to listen to them in a van on a road trip. my companions must have played them a dozen times. I wanted to fucking KILL THEM.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Sunday, 8 February 2004 03:48 (twenty-two years ago)

between Rusted Root and Dead Can Dance, I dropped out of the road trip a week earlier than I'd intended. the trip was to last two weeks.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Sunday, 8 February 2004 03:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I owned their first album before it was rereleased on a major, and saw them in a club when they first came out. Kill me.

The only hippie high school teacher I had that played us music actually had decent taste, though maybe I'm only remembering the good stuff - The Band, Delbert McClinton, etc.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Dead Can Dance

:-( But I admit that having to go from DCD to Rusted Root would be a vast terror of extremes, so I probably would have left too.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

my 11th grade english teacher used to work at maxwell's of hoboken, nj. every discussion of brave new world inevitably merited a reference to the buzzcocks' "everybody's happy nowadays." we broke for lunch in the middle of class and when we came back i'd usually hear guided by voices, luna, or stiff little fingers wafting from the stereo. back then, i thought that was the coolest thing ever.

and i remember some class i wasn't in had to a project revolving around bruce springsteen lyrics.

as for rusted root...heard two songs, didn't like either of them, probably won't bother with the rest, blah blah.

― joseph (joseph), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:42 (twenty-two years ago)

sixteen years pass...

ON MY WAY

― eat my room temperature ass (Neanderthal), Monday, 19 October 2020 17:07 (five years ago)

two months pass...

I guess I had never actually bothered to listen to these guys before, which is strange considering how hippie adjacent I was in college. I feel like I remember listening to them, but I think I just remember being around people who talked about them.

This sounds like the halfway point between shitty Paul Simon and shitty Dirty Projectors. And admittedly it's sort of fun in a ridiculous way. I think that's what it has going for it, it's just much more unselfconsciously ridiculous than I thought it would be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGMabBGydC0

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 03:53 (five years ago)

you should check out old lunch's classic rusted root poll

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 04:59 (five years ago)

ommaway

― Telly Salivas (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 05:04 (five years ago)

for posterior’s sake: Rusted Root Neologisms

― Qui-Gon's Noble End (morrisp), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 05:04 (five years ago)

This sounds like the halfway point between shitty Paul Simon and shitty Dirty Projectors

^I would have followed this map to “shitty Vampire Weekend,” tbh

― Qui-Gon's Noble End (morrisp), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 05:06 (five years ago)

Ommaway

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 05:26 (five years ago)

Love the top youtube comment on the video:

“This man sings in doctor’s handwriting”

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 07:41 (five years ago)

I’ll say this as a defense: they perform it rather well live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mvXbBehCGg

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 07:42 (five years ago)

We always talk about how Limp Bizkit ruined Woodstock 99, but no one ever talks about how Rusted Root saved it the next day. Well, I oombayseeyou Rusted Root.

― peace, man, Wednesday, 30 December 2020 13:25 (five years ago)

if dude has nightmares does he wake up shrieking OMMAWAY

― Looking for Cape Penis house (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 13:26 (five years ago)

Windchimes never had a nightmare, he keeps it irie even in his sleep

But yes, he does way up shrieking OMMAWAY anyway

― Telly Salivas (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 13:28 (five years ago)

All that performance is missing is lead singer saying “Here comes the lawsuit” before the TCB quote.

― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Wednesday, 30 December 2020 13:54 (five years ago)

Holy fuck, this is horrifying. I've heard some awful hippie horseshit in my life but this is like...Christian youth-group hippie horseshit. That singer is actually more annoying than Dave Matthews, something I didn't think was possible. Wow.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 14:35 (five years ago)

There is definitely something a little bit religious cultish about their affect.

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:02 (five years ago)

This song has literally been an internal joke for me since it came out, and every time one of these threads is revived, I lose my mind with laughter.

― "Bi" Dong A Ban He Try (the table is the table), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:05 (five years ago)

The placid looks on their faces that say "We are definitely happy and calm and at a good place in our lives and not trying to escape our demons"

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:05 (five years ago)

ombaytellyoutorun

― "Bi" Dong A Ban He Try (the table is the table), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:06 (five years ago)

Someone needs to impose this track over scenes from Midsommar

― "Bi" Dong A Ban He Try (the table is the table), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:06 (five years ago)

my friend says he usually sings this to his girlfriend to deliberately get it in her head and upset her

― Looking for Cape Penis house (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:07 (five years ago)

omg table

― Looking for Cape Penis house (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:07 (five years ago)

preferably during the antestuppe (sp?) scene

― Looking for Cape Penis house (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:07 (five years ago)

I legit just rejoined Twitter to post that. I've decided I've been having too many ridiculous ideas that make me cry laughing to keep them to myself. and i HATE twitter.

― "Bi" Dong A Ban He Try (the table is the table), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:19 (five years ago)

lol

― Looking for Cape Penis house (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:20 (five years ago)

So glad these threads get regularly bumped. Rusted never sleeps!

― Telly Salivas (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 16:31 (five years ago)

People keep pointing me to this but Solsbury Hill just isn't the same as "ommaway"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd6F3b98JXw

― "Bi" Dong A Ban He Try (the table is the table), Wednesday, 30 December 2020 23:22 (five years ago)

Also using Solsbury Hill is just ripping off the classic "Shining" trailer.

― MarkoP, Wednesday, 30 December 2020 23:37 (five years ago)

one month passes...

That's an accurate headline.

https://themuse.jezebel.com/i-listened-to-rusted-root-for-a-day-and-lost-all-grip-o-1846290993

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 25 February 2021 23:24 (five years ago)

ommaway

― Chokeslamming A Memory (Old Lunch), Friday, 26 February 2021 00:11 (five years ago)

three years pass...

Ommaway

― Iacocca Cola (Neanderthal), Monday, 24 June 2024 17:08 (one year ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoG1S8Ovadc

― Great-Tasting Burger Perceptions (Old Lunch), Monday, 24 June 2024 17:48 (one year ago)

lmao

― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 26 June 2024 21:26 (one year ago)

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