Mr Floppy

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Mr Floppy
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres Alternative rock, punk rock, oi!
Years active 1989 (1989)–1997 (1997)
Labels Waterfront, Zombie Penis Death
Associated acts The Swarm, TISM, Frenzal Rhomb, Nancy Vandal, Skrewdriver, Mizar, The Down & Out
Past members
  • Tim Aylward
  • Mick Carroll
  • Paul Johnson

Mr Floppy was an Australian alternative rock, punk rock and oi! band formed in 1989 by Tim Aylward on guitar (ex-The Swarm), Mick Carroll on guitar and Paul Johnson on bass guitar and vocals. They issued three studio albums on Zombie Penis Death Records, which were distributed by Waterfront Records, Breakfast (1991), Gratuitous (1992) and The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead (1993). They enjoyed a cult following, however the band broke up in 1997. They were compared to TISM throughout their career, with some people actually claiming Mr Floppy were a TISM side project, although the band members hated such comparisons.

Band history

Mr Floppy was formed in Ascot Vale, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1989 by Tim Aylward on guitar (ex-The Swarm); Mick Carroll (aka Michael Kuarroll) on guitar; and Paul Johnson on bass guitar and lead vocals (ex-The Down & Out).[1][2] The band's name comes the fourth and final series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, Blackadder Goes Forth, "Mr Floppy" being one the Trinity College Tiddlywinkers mentioned by Lt George. They set up their own label, Zombie Penis Death, which was distributed by Waterfront Records.[1][3]

Their debut single, "100,000 Morrisseys", appeared in 1990,[1][4] which was written by Aylward and Johnson.[5] The lyrics deal with English rock group The Smiths' front man, Morrissey.[6] The single received many negative reviews but was played on John Peel's radio show. It uses a sample of the beginning of "This Charming Man" and samples other Smiths' songs (including "William, It Was Really Nothing" and "Accept Yourself") throughout the track.[6] It was seen by Jason Heller of The A.V. Club as an anti-Morrisey song where the lyrics ask listeners to "imagine a nightmarish apocalypse where the fearful question on humanity’s lips is 'What shall we do? / What shall we do? / When 100,000 Morrisseys come marching over the hill?'".[6]

Late in 1990 they issued a six-track extended play, Firm and Fruity, which had been recorded in that October at Whirled Records Studios.[3] For a Firm and Fruity track, "Stir Fry Baby", Australian blues musician, Chris Wilson, guested on harmonica.[3][7] Late in 1991 Mr Floppy released their debut studio album, Breakfast, which included three cover versions of Australian Crawl's 1983 single, "Reckless" written by James Reyne,[8] parodied as "Breakfast".[9][10] Also included was the entire contents of Firm and Fruity. "Breakfast" peaked at No. 5 on the 2XX Independent Chart in March 1992.[11]

In 1992 Mr Floppy issued a seven-track album, Gratuitous.[12] In April that year the group supported a gig by pub rockers, v. Spy v. Spy and Canadian folk-rockers, Crash Test Dummies.[13] This turned out to be their last release on Waterfront - they left the label shortly after and got a distribution deal with Mushroom Distribution Services.

In July 1993 the band released their third and final album, The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead, which included two cover versions of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".[14] The track "Boring Fart" from this album was used by Silverchair to open up their first tours in the mid-1990s.

The band stopped playing gigs in 1994 and did not release anything afterward. By 1997, the band had split up.

In November 2008 The Dwarf website's Matt James reviewed an EP by Melbourne band Root!, Get Up Yourself (August 2008), and noted the influence of Mr Floppy on TISM and Root!: "[w]hatever this kind of music is – I'm gonna go with pop-schlock for now–is very much the wry Melbourne type that seems to have evolved from the oval ball park of Mr Floppy (punk rock), to TISM (dance punk), through to the 5-piece of Root! (roots punk?)".[15]

Discography

Singles

  • "100 000 Morrisseys"/"Big Death" - Zombie Penis Death (ZPD 001) (1990)
  • "Homebrew" - Zombie Penis Death (DAMP 155) (1991)

Extended plays

Albums

  • Breakfast - Zombie Penis Death (DAMP 167 CD) (1991)
  • Gratuitous - Zombie Penis Death (DAMP 174 CD) (1992)
  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead - Zombie Penis Death (ZPD 002) (1993)

Release details

Breakfast

Breakfast cover art

Breakfast is the first album by Mr Floppy. It was released in 1991 and contains the Firm and Fruity tracks plus three versions of a previously unreleased track, "Breakfast" (a parody of the Australian Crawl song "Reckless").

The back of the CD's booklet contains a reproduction of the Firm and Fruity front cover.

Tracklist
No. Title Length
1. "Breakfast" (Manuel Mix) 3:37
2. "Breakfast" (Cake Mix) 4:39
3. "Homebrew"   3:26
4. "Noonan"   2:46
5. "Stir Fry Baby"   4:39
6. "I Feel Sick"   1:33
7. "Up the Duff"   3:03
8. "God Loves You"   3:10
9. "Breakfast" (Yes, we know it's too bloody long, but we like it that way, so you can go to buggery, edit) 11:55

Gratuitous

Gratuitous

Gratuitous is the second album by the band. It was released in 1992, and features a re-recording of 100 000 Morrisseys in a rap rock-style, and a cover of the Yugoslavian beer drinking song, "The Tree in the Wood".

The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead

Album cover for The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead

Released in 1993, The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead is the third and final album by Mr Floppy. The album contained two covers of Wuthering Heights by Bush.

Tracklist
Part 1: Laughter
No. Title Length
1. "Chew the Fat"   3:20
2. "Get a Dog Up Ya"   2:59
3. "Birdie Num Num"   4:51
4. "Head Job"   3:09
5. "Wuthering Heights"   3:06
6. "Piss Off, You Witch"   3:42
7. "Steak and Kidney Pie"   3:05
8. Untitled   0:44
Part 2: Forgetting
No. Title Length
9. "Boring Fart"   3:57
10. "They Call Me Bruce"   2:51
11. "The 1992 WS Cox Plate"   4:12
12. "Sunflowers"   3:59
Only a Story
No. Title Length
13. "Part 2: Kellar's Keep"   4:33
14. "Part 3: The Dance of the Puppets"   4:53
15. "Part 1: Return of the Witch Lord"   6:07
16. Untitled   3:09
Live, Landsdowne Hotel, 29 August 1992
No. Title Length
17. "I Feel Sick"   2:18
18. "100 000 Morrisseys"   2:13
19. "Noonan"   3:33
20. Untitled   1:06

Track 8 is a sample from a porn film, with the stereo channels in inverse directions. Track 16 is an instrumental version of Wuthering Heights with no guitars, bass or drums. Track 20 is a minute of silence followed by someone saying "Floppy Floop". "Boring Fart" has the mantra Om mani padme hum chanted throughout.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "100,000 Morrisseys". Mr Floppy. Zombie Penis Death. 1990. ZPD 001.
  2. ↑ "100,000 Morrisseys". Mr Floppy. Waterfront Records. 1990. DAMP 136.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Firm and Fruity. Mr Floppy. Waterfront Records. 1991. DAMP 151.
  4. ↑ "Maximum Rocknroll". Maximumrocknroll (95) (Michigan: Tim Yohannan). 1991. 
  5. ↑ "'100,000 Morrisseys' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Heller, Jason (4 October 2010). "Viva Hate: 15 anti-Morrissey Songs". The A.V. Club (Onion Inc.). Retrieved 8 November 2010. 
  7. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus. "Chris Wilson". Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  8. ↑ "'Reckless' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  9. ↑ Breakfast. Mr Floppy. Waterfront Records. 1991. DAMP 167. http://musicbrainz.org/release/c2c70f74-f71d-4554-939d-ce2989475fc6. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  10. ↑ Walker, Clinton (1996). Stranded: The Secret History of Australian Independent Music, 1977-1991. Michigan: Pan Macmillan. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-73290-883-6. 
  11. ↑ "Good Times". The Canberra Times (ACT: National Library of Australia). 12 March 1992. p. 15. Retrieved 6 November 2013. 
  12. ↑ Gratuitous. Mr Floppy. Waterfront Records. 1991. DAMP 174. http://musicbrainz.org/release/723f8271-fc09-4b13-8bec-ce68ac995a5b. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  13. ↑ "Advertising: ANU Union and Triple J". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (National Library of Australia). 2 April 1992. p. 13. Retrieved 6 November 2013. 
  14. ↑ The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead. Mr Floppy. Zombie Penis Death Classics. 1991. ZPD 002. http://musicbrainz.org/release/6d17e3ff-6822-4126-923c-e425727f2266. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  15. ↑ James, Matt (14 November 2008). "Get Up Yourself by ROOT! Reviewed". The Dwarf. Retrieved 8 November 2013. 

External links

Mr Floppy
  • Paul Johnson
  • Tim Aylward
  • Mick Carroll
  • Bonecrusher Roland
Studio albums
  • Breakfast
  • Gratuitous
  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Dickhead
Singles
EPs
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