The Man is a 4 piece from the city of the stars (although they prefer to not disclose their location.) In fact, they do not consider themselves musicians. More accurately The Man engage in cultural deconstruction as a form of revolutionary art, a highly decentralized experiment in social control mechanisms, inspired and motivated in & from: "Xanadu, World Domination, Methamphetamines and having really nice haircuts."
Comprised of J. Ray on Guitar/Vox, Joy Ray on Keyboards/Vox, Tate McLaughlin on Bass and Mike Hyde on Drums. The Man's debut album, "Uptight!" was produced by the feared and famed, Kooool G. Murder (the eels) and is being brought to the unsuspecting public care of Lars Mars' Makeout Records. While the band describes their music as "sonic narcotics overlaid with subliminal antisocial instructions," Christian Bordal describes it as "fun, pop-y, 80s synth and rock kind of new wavy with flashes of sounds that remind me of the B-52's, Gary Numan, The Strokes and the Raveonettes." The Man vehemently discounts his opinion, based on the fact that he is on NPR.
Musically, The Man are influenced by The Gun Club, Germs, X, Screamers, The Cars & Blondie. The band's name was originally derived from the Velvet Underground's "Waiting for my man." They comment on the obvious glorification of song title subject matter, "However, that does not mean that we are exclusively adoring of drug dealers. Although, we do appreciate their services and style of dress." The Man is also a statement on/against/about politicians, police, gangstas, white people and anyone else who is commonly thought of being "the man." The album name, "Uptight" has a simplified base. According to the band, "Uptight is how we make people feel. And how most people make us feel."
The Man takes no credit for Uptight's nine sonic offerings. Accrediting the song writing process as a "reception of songs via a mail order song delivery service run over the internet. We believe they are typically acquired in Indonesia or Thailand, places where songs can be purchased over the counter." But make no mistake, The Man are indeed attached to their songs and they want them to have an effect on the listener, "We hope that people feel scared, but like dancing." As far as confessional ratings per song, the band states, "every song is both completely true and completely false, in the most shallow possible way." "Modern World" (track 5) is recommended as the shallow soundtrack for the frustrated workforce. "First Rate Shit" (track 6) seeks to glorify dead-end recreational drug-use and antique cars. And (a lil personal info) some listeners perceive the song "Last Song" as an argument between Joy and J. Although since, as mentioned above, the songs are written abroad and purchased anonymously, (track 3) is more likely to be an argument between a Balinese tailor and his ruthless corporate elitist clientele.
As The Man's tour of the states and Europe is scheduled for February 2004, it is legally necessary to issue a fair warning. The Man's live show is dangerous. The fans are prone to inflicting physical violence on the band. When asked what was the biggest compliment or insult a fan ever gave them, they replied, "After seeing us play, most of our fans are drunk and therefore unable to speak. Usually they express themselves through vomiting or having sex."
The Man takes bubble baths every day and is frequently drunk before noon. They dine and dash. They are irritated by tow truck drivers, notes from the landlord and know-it-alls. Their long-term overall goals are plastic surgery and significant international real estate holdings. The Man dream of touring with Dave Eggers. Their dream tour vehicle is "the backs of the corporate elite" and the rider of choice? All the vicodin you can eat. The Man's literary selections are cereal boxes, shampoo bottles and FOIA documents. The Man think that Nick & Jessica are "a wonderful couple who deserve all the success in the world. That said, he has a disappointingly tiny wee-wee."
Lars Mars is the Founder and President of the Sweden Based, Makeout Records. Mr. Mars is independently wealthy and unashamed. He is on a mission (& a private plane.) He is currently in Bangkok and unafraid of interviews. Mr. Mars states, "Makeout Records will heat your mind and embellish your depleted soul until we all rise from our midnight vespers to face the new and exciting day." From his "horrible vacation home in Singapore" this is how Lars recently described his life, "The Cosmic Kiss. Born. Exploding here and there. Fast forward past boring childhood to NOW!" For Lars, and for the rest of the world, NOW! will be controlled or freed, revolutionized and overthrown by The Man.
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