email:
password:
remember:
login
Spotlight
Discover
Browse
Everything
Playlists
Music
Videos
Groups
People
Blogs
Photos
Polls
Arrogant Worms
Artist
Bio
Albums
Music
Video
Events
Related Artists
All Time Most Popular Songs
The Assumption Song
- 4,625 plays
I Am Cow
- 3,074 plays
O Canada (nat'l Anthem of Canada)
- 2,563 plays
History Is Made By Stupid People
- 1,783 plays
The War of 1812
- 1,713 plays
I Am Cow (The Best of)
- 1,534 plays
Canada's Really Big
- 1,058 plays
The Toronto Song
- 957 plays
Carrot Juice Is Murder (LP Version)
- 932 plays
Rocks and Trees
- 918 plays
view all
Albums
Live Bait
Idiot Road
Dirt!
Gift Wrapped: The Best of the Arrogant Worms
view all
Related Artists
Michelle Shocked
Joni Mitchell
John Prine
Ryan Adams
view all
Fan Comments
Login
to leave a comment.
Loading Comments...
Are you sure that you want to report this as spam?
Arrogant Worms
Total Media Plays: 38,833
Become a Fan
The Arrogant Worms
are not a conventional folk band; the witty and sometimes very black humor of their lyrics should entitle them to carry the title "Canada's secret weapon number one." In order to enjoy the full bandwidth of these "purveyors of the absurd and ambassadors of fun" (in their own words), it is absolutely necessary to have seen a live performance, as they are also perfect showmen, just listening to their recording does not prove sufficient. Whereas the humor
of other acts usually becomes dull, stale, or simply stupid over the years,
the Arrogant Worms
have managed to remain refreshingly funny and witty throughout the decade of the '90s. Their obvious non-presence in the usual commercial comedy schlock just points the more to the quality of their satire. About their being Canadian, they sing for example: "It's not that we are better, it's just that we're less worse." (from
"Proud to Be a Canadian"
).
The initial band lineup consisting of
Trevor Strong
,
Mike McCormick
,
John Whytock
, and
Steve Wood
was formed in 1990 at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, where all of the bandmembers were studying. Originally they had occasionally written songs and sketches for the local university campus radio; as the ideas did not dry up, they decided to form a permanent group. At their first live performances in Kingston, Ontario,
the Arrogant Worms
received an overwhelming response from their audiences. This was clearly a sign that witty humor was in demand and the band occupied a successful niche. During this time, the group was also discovered by the Canadian state-sponsored CBC radio station, which gave them continuous airplay.
In 1992, they released their first album,
The Arrogant Worms
, on their own independent distribution label. The album turned out to be a success throughout Canada; songs like
"Don't Go Into Politics"
or
"Jesus' Brother Bob"
guaranteed them a place in the pantheon of biting humor.
Steve Wood
left the band after the release of their debut and they carried on as a trio, releasing
Russell's Shorts
in 1994. With
"Carrot Juice Is Murder,"
this second album produced another classic which is sung by fans by heart during live concerts. The release of
C'est Cheese
in 1995 saw the addition of bass player
Chris Patterson
to the lineup. Shortly afterwards, however,
John Whytock
left the band and the Worms, as they are affectionately called by their fans, were a trio again. The live set
Live Bait
from 1997 caught some of the hilarious atmosphere of their stage performances, and in the same year,
The Arrogant Worms
presented on their fans' tables a wicked little Christmas present: their fourth regular studio release
Christmas Turkey
-- track titles like
"Santa's Gonna Kick Your Ass,"
"Christmas Sucks,"
or
"Daddy Threw Up on Christmas Day"
speak for themselves. In 1999, they released the funny
Dirt
, expanding their satirical targeting to Canada's schmaltz pop queen and multi-million export hit
Céline Dion
.
At an
Arrogant Worms
concert on February 26, 2000, in Kansas City, a reverend from a local Baptist church circulated leaflets calling the group "satanic examples of the perverted culture" from the "cancerous blob of putrid matter atop the U.S."
Chris Patterson
commented this event sarcastically: "We're not worried. If they're really Christian, they won't kill anyone." By the end of the '90s, the group had sold about 60,000 copies of their albums -- an impressive number for an independent comedy folk act. These sales numbers were also the result of constant touring, on average four months of the year, and playing small-town theatres and folk festivals, as well as a continuous appearance on CBC radio. ~ Frank Eisenhuth, All Music Guide
More
Listeners
Upcoming Shows
Friday, October 17, 2008
Venue:
E.A. Rawlinson Centre For The Arts
Location: Prince Albert, SK
more info
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Venue:
Memorial Center
Location: Red Deer, AB
more info
Monday, October 20, 2008
Venue:
People's Full Gospel Assembly Church
Location: Grand Prairie, AB
more info
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Venue:
Nancy Appleby Theatre
Location: Athabasca, AB
more info
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Venue:
Empress Theatre
Location: Fort Macleod, AB
more info
view all
Everything
Playlists
Music
Videos
Groups
People
Blogs
Photos
Polls
About
|
Developers
|
Blog
|
Jobs
|
Advertise
|
Legal
|
Upgrade
|
Store
|
Help
© 2008 imeem, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2008 All Music Guide, inc. All rights reserved.