The Meat Beetles

Greetings From The Meat Beetles!

2012-12-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our blog. This is your one-stop source for all things Meat Beetles. Specifically this is where we, The Meat Beetles, will post our "music". Our primary purpose in what we do is to hold a mirror up to this poor, sick, twisted society so that all of us--including The Meat Beetles--can see who/what we really are. We do not post our work to promote ourselves. We are not interested in fame or fortune. We put this work out for free, and invite you to download it and use it as you see fit. Dance to it, do homework to it, sample it, delete it, share it with friends (or even better, share it with enemies!). And please add comments, positive or negative, if you feel so inclined.

Thank you for visiting. We hope you either enjoy our work or don't.

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His Beck Is Worse Than His Bark

2011-02-20T15:31:00.001-08:00

Glenn Beck has never been too tightly wrapped, but lately he seems to have com completely unraveled. There's not much we can say about this one that it doesn't say for itself. Most of these samples were taken from recent radio and TV broadcasts in which Beck waxes paranoiacally on the uprising in Egypt. Let's just hope that the Fox "News" employee benefits include mental health coverage. To borrow a line from Bruce Gilbert's father-in-law, the man has a few chairs missing in his living room.

Listen: Beck Worse Than Bark

Download MP3 4.4 MB

Nobody Was Translating

2011-02-20T15:24:00.001-08:00

The samples in this one came from a recent Rush Limbaugh show in which he made fun of the Chinese language. The sad thing is that both he and his listeners will continue to insist that there isn't a racist bone in Oxy Boy's body. Wheter that is true or not, it is obvious that Rush has several hundred pounds of racist blubber in his body.

Listen: Nobody Was Translating

Download MP3 4.3 MB

The Savage Weenie

2011-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

The Meat Beetles are pleased to release their latest "collaboration" with Michael Weenie Savage, the #1 hot dog in American hate radio. Also "present" in the studio was Dick "Two Ton" Baker, courtesy of the 365 Days Project. Additional material came from a '60s anti-drug film in which a young woman on acid sees her hot dog turn into a living, speaking being.

Yet another good argument for vegetarianism, if you ask the Meat Beetles.

Listen: The Savage Weenie

Download MP3 3.7 MB

That's Your Signal

2011-01-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

More good, clean fun with found audio. This one uses material culled from a tape (found at the 365 Days Project) that one was supposed to listen to while driving though Glacier National Park in Montana; an audio auto tour if you will. The details were left out and only the important stuff was left--the narrator's repeated requests to be turned on and turned off.

Enjoy, but keep your mind on your driving and your eyes on the road.

Listen: That's Your Signal

Download MP3 2.1MB

Happy Dreams

2011-01-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here's some spooky stuff for you. The audio source material was found at WFMU's 365 Days Project. Shortly after recording this the Sloptops learned that Boyd Rice used the same material in one of his pieces some years back. So maybe this could be thought of as a Boyd Rice cover. Or maybe not. You decide. And keep it to yourself.

Listen: Happy Dreams

Download MP3 3.7 MB

Driving A Bus To A Train Wreck

2010-02-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

Not much to say that the song can't say for itself. Most of the samples came from the recent Glenn Beck interview with Sarah Palin. A few others of Sister Sarah came from other sources.

That our next president may be someone who believes that France gave the US the Statue of Liberty "hoping that we wouldn't evolve into something more along their lines" is astounding. Truly, the end of America is upon us.

Listen: Driving A Bus To A Train Wreck

Download 5MB

Elvis Gets Wired The Wrong Way

2009-09-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

There are apocryphal stories that say Elvis Presley's last words were, "My only regret is that I didn't live long enough to record a song with The Meat Beetles." No one knows for sure if this is true or not, but just to be on the safe side, The Sloptops decided to oblige The King.

The source material for this was an album called "Fun With Elvis". It consists solely of Elvis's between-songs banter. Every vocal sound you hear in this was made by Elvis (with a few minor contributions from his audience). If this one doesn't get you all shook up like a hound dog, then you're caught in a trap and you can't walk out.

Listen: Elvis Gets Wired The Wrong Way

Download MP3 3.9 MB

Fear Of A Black President

2009-09-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Let's get this straight right out of the gate: The Meat Beetles are not, by the stretch of anyone's imagination, wide-eyed, hope-filled Obama supporters. As we have said elsewhere on this site, we like the man. We support some of what he's trying to do, but we also have a lot of trepidations, beginning with his appointment of Rahm "Republican Lite" Emmanuel as his Chief of Staff. And what the fuck is up with this "bi-partisan, building consensus, reach across the aisle" shit? Why does this president want to even TRY to build consensus with a gang of self-serving thugs (the GOP) who made it abundantly clear on November 5, 2008 that they were going to do all they could to obstruct Obama and destroy his presidency. Time will tell if President Obama is really going to be an agent of any substantive change. We hope he will and we will support him in any sincere efforts he makes in that direction (we want single-payer health care, strict environmental regulations with harsh penalties for violators, and we want the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to end immediately, if not sooner). But we will also skewer him on this site should we feel so inclined and inspired. In short, we lean ever so slightly toward the pro-Obama side, and while we do not like some of what he is doing, we are by no means anti-Obama.

In fact, when you look at the people who are anti-Obama, we do not wish to be numbered among them. We'd rather stand back, watch and listen, and look for opportunities to laugh at them, to ridicule them. That is what this song is about.

Invited into the studio to contribute guest vocals for this one were Rev. Steve Anderson, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn, Michael Savage, Linda Chavez, Keith Ablow, Bill Cunningham, and a bevy of the ignorant racist, low-life thugs known as "Tea Baggers " (you know, the people who bought a million tea bags as a protest against wasteful spending).

Demagogues like Limbaugh and Beck have been able to tap into the lizard brains of these poor, (apparently) inbred hillbillies and whip them up into a frenzy of unfocused, undefined anger. Do they even know what they are saying when they call Obama both a communist and a Nazi? Are they even remotely aware of the irony in such utterances? No, it is quite clear when you listen to them that they do not know anything abut history, anything about competing political and social ideologies. There is really only one thing they know for sure: A black man has been elected President of the United States. This simple fact has thrown them into fits of racism, fear, and paranoia.

Make no mistake--The Meat Beetles consider these people quite dangerous. They are in essence cornered animals. They are in a state of abject fear and they don't even know exactly what they are afraid of. To add to the danger, many of them are armed and are not smart enough to solve problems and resolve differences through any but the most violent means. On the other hand, there is something quite comical about them. Perhaps if we can laugh at them, laugh loudly, laugh long, laugh uproariously, we can rob them of just enough of their power that they will no longer be a viable threat.

Credit where credit is due: The Pictures accompanying this post were found at Sod Blog. Give them a visit. Great site. Hope they don't mind our use of these images.

Listen: Fear Of A Black President 13.2 MB

Download MP3 13.2 MB

Meaningless Mister Mustard

2009-05-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

And Barack-O-Phobia continues on, unabated. You may have heard or heard about the recent attacks on President Obama by certain hate-radio reptiles concerning his choice of condiments on his cheeseburger. Well, if you know The Meat Beetles (and you do, don't you?) you know they aren't going to let such delicious source mateiral to go to waste. Featured here are the voices of Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Mark Steyn. After listening to this audio (courtesy of Media Matters) The Meat Beetles were left with one question: Who the fuck is Mark Steyn and who the fuck invited him to come here and spout off disrespectfully about our president? If he doesn't like it here why doesn't he slither back into whatever festering scum-hole begat him? Yeah, we know, that's more than one question, but still...!

Despite an advanced state of decomposition, the corpse of the American conservative movement continues to twitch.

About the pictuere: We went to Google Images and typed in "mustard". We found this one at Jawa Warhol's site. Not only is Jawa a musical kindred spirit, but there was already a link to our site at his site. We hope he doesn't mind that we are using his picture, but it is perfect for this "song".

Listen: Meaningless Mister Mustard

Download MP3 3.8 MB

New Wave Punk Rock

2009-04-13T20:33:00.001-07:00

Have you heard about the new pop music craze that's sweeping the country like wildfire? It's called new wave punk rock. It's an exciting new music played by performers with names like Johnny and the Rottens and Sid Viscous. When young people "do their own thing" to this music, they do so by performing a "slam dance" called "the pogo" while sticking safety pins in their ears.

The Sloptops decided that it was time to "get down" with the young people and cash in on this fad, because if you're not "with" it, then you must be against it.

So don't delay. As the lyrics say, "All you punkers dance away!"

And don't forget to destroy.

Listen: New Wave Punk Rock

Download Mp3 4 MB

The Sour Grapes Of Wrath

2009-04-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

The good news: The American conservative movement seems to be in its death throes. The bad news: It appears that it is going to be a very noisy, ugly death and they will take as many Americans with them as they can (you see, they are amoral and don't care who gets hurt, as long as SOMEBODY gets hurt--watching Americans suffer causes them to squirt viscous goo into their underwear). However, even in the bad news is some good news: Loud-mouthed, right-wing wind-bags are one of the Sloptops' favorite sources for their sound collage work.

For this one they tapped a regular who's who of hate-based radio and television; Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Jonah Goldberg, Bobby Jindal, and Michael Savage were all invited into the studio to contribute vocals for this piece. Also present were a gentleman known only as Charles who recently accomplished what was once thought impossible--he got past Limbaugh's screeners and called Oxy Boy "a brainwashed Nazi". You can be absolutely certain that the staffer who let that call through is, at best, unemployed, and at worst, feeding fish in the coastal waters of eastern Florida. Finally, in the interest of fairness and balance, The Sloptops gave Jon Stewart a quick cameo near the end of this piece.

The object of derision for the hate mongers featured here is, of course, President Barack Obama. The Meat Beetles are a bit taken aback by the reaction from the right over his election. Although they are portraying our new president as some sort of left-wing radical, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, he is, in a political sense, a lot closer to many Republicans than he is to true leftists like The Sloptops, yet we actually support and respect the man. We have no doubt that we will be at odds with a number of his policies and decisions (we're already a bit concerned about some of his foreign policy decisions), but we are willing to give the guy a chance. We want to see him succeed.

The picture accompanying this piece, by the way, was found at Blue Herald. We hope they don't mind our using it.

http://blueherald.com/

Listen: The Sour Grapes Of Wrath

Download Mp3 7.2 MB

Turn Me On, Dead Man

2008-05-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Was it a hoax? The sensationalist media run amuck? Or did it really happen? In the late '60s rumors began to circulate that paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash and replaced by a double. A plethora of "evidence" and "proof" was offered up by various pundits to support this thesis; Paul was the only Beatle not wearing shoes on the cover of Abbey Road; Paul was dressed in a walrus costume on The Magical Mystery Tour cover; a number of Beatles songs contained "backwards" messages that suggested paul was, indeed, dead. The Beatles themselves were never very forthcoming; even Paul himself never stated for certain whether he had died or not. If that's not proof then the Sloptops don't know what is (or isn't)!

The samples for this piece came from a recording posted at the original "365 Days" project (see link at right, under "Sites You Should Visit), as well as a recording of a 1969 broadcast of the "Uncle Russ Gibb radio show on WKNR, Cleveland.

Here are some links if you would like to read more.

Listen: Paul Is Dead Hoax - Putting the rumor to rest

AUDIO: Beatles In Detroit and Paul is Dead "I read the news today: All Beatles news

Listen: Turn Me On, Dead Man 7.5 Mb

Download Mp3 7.5 Mb

Just Say Know

2008-05-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Not to long ago, The Meat Beetles were paid a visit by a member or members of We're Late For Class, a jam band from somewhere in America. The Sloptops immediately spotted WLFC as kindred spirits on a myriad of levels. It was decided that these two bands should join forces.

The ensuing sessions were quite fun and a good time was had by all. Except for some neighbors, who called the police. Seven officers responded to the call, but only three returned to the station. The other four could not resist and were drawn into the festivities. After drinking several cups of coffee (with plenty of sugar cubes), the officers in question traded their badges for bongos, their tasers for trumpets, their guns for glockenspiels, and joined the hootenanny.

This piece is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Albert Hoffman, who left this world on April 29, 2008, at the age of 102(!). If you have to ask who he was, you're not ready for the answer.
Listen: Just Say Know

Download Mp3 4MB

Blue Boy

2008-04-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

It starts with LSD and Preparation H, and before you know it you're "hooked" on "Mary Jane" and "pot". Just say know!
The samples on this one are from the legendary '60s police show, Dragnet.
Listen: Blue Boy

Download Mp3 (5.5 MB)

Meat Your Mete

2008-03-04T18:23:00.001-08:00

The Meat Beetles are vegetarian. The cow in the foreground in the above image was still alive when the picture was taken.

Listen: Meat Your Mete

Download Mp3 (6 Mb)

To Keep And Bear

2008-02-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

Usually, when the Meat Beetles use samples of media and political personalities, the intent is to ridicule and insult those people. On this one, however, the voice used is someone for whom the Sloptops have enormous respect: Air America radios host, Rachel Maddow. This was taken from her broadcast the day after a gun owner murdered 5 people on the campus of Northern Illinois University.

The more history we live through the more often it repeats itself.
Listen: To Keep And Bear

Download Mp3 (6 MB)

Paul's Big Score

2008-02-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here is another bit featuring the genius of '70s pick up guru, Eric Weber (Weber also played a prominent role in "The Mating Call of the Male Uglo-American"). For this one the Sloptops simply took an entire track from his classic album, How To Pick Up Girls, and superimposed beats and squiggles on top of it. Interesting how things just serendipitously fell together into something approaching a structure.

As for the subject matter, there may be or have been women in the world who would fall for a routine like Paul's, but none of the Meat Beetles ever met one.
Listen: Paul's Big Score

Download Mp3 (8MB)

Dragsville Cats

2008-01-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

Don your beret and shades, tune up your bongos, and pour another cup of espresso. The Meat Beetles have invited you to a beatnik hootenanny. The samples in this one are from the classic 1958 film, High School Confidential . Click here to see the original source material, posted at You Tube.

The Meat Beetles have passed you the shovel--now dig!
Listen: Dragsville Cats

Download Mp3 (3 MB)

This is My Happening and it Freaks Me Out!

2008-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

Wowie zowie, let's do your thing! This 1992 recording is the Meat Beetles' salute to the '60s in. It features a cast of, literally, thousands, including JFK, LBJ, MLK, Walter Cronkite, Allen Ginsberg, Mario Savio, Abbie Hoffman, and more hippies, yippies, dippies, commies, and mothers than you can shake a stick at. An improvised two-guitar rave-up provides the backdrop for a barrage of samples, most of which were lifted from a PBS documentary series on the '60s, and from the documentary film, Berkeley in the 60s.

By the way, at least one of the Meat Beetles is 99% certain that the young woman holding the sign in the above photo is none other than Melanie Safka, who had a hit with "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)" in 1970.

Oops, almost forgot. This one has F-words in it. Listen at your own risk.
Listen: This is My Happening and it Freaks Me Out!

Download Mp3 (20 Mb)

Junior

2008-01-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

Very early in their career the Meat Beetles made it a rule that they would not add vocal tracks to their work. But then one day one of them said, "Hey, we're the Meat Beetles. We don't need any stinkin' rules!" It just so happens that this Meat Beetle had written some words that she (he?) just had to use. Besides, it was George Bush's first time in the studio with the Sloptops and he was a bit nervous. It was decided that having one of the Meat Beetles sing a duet with him might help put the "president" at ease.

This piece demonstrates how, through the creative and judicious use of an AIFF editor, you can actually get George Bush to tell the truth.
Listen: Junior (6 MB)

Download Mp3 (6 MB)

23%

2008-01-02T11:16:00.001-08:00

Let's face it; every day more and more people are coming to the realization that George Bush, the "leader" of the "free" world, is a living, breathing joke. But in this go-go world of the 21st century, maybe you just don't have the time to laugh. Maybe you are too busy trying to earn a living; maybe concerns of family and community don't leave you with enough time to laugh; maybe you're saying to yourself, "I'm too busy to laugh today; I'll find time tomorrow." And tomorrow is forever another day away.

Well, if this describes you, don't worry. The Meat Beetles have you covered. We have nothing but time on our hands and will be happy to laugh at Bush for you. And should you ever find yourself with a few free minutes and would like to join the Sloptops and billions of others around the world in laughing at the little twerp, just click the "Play" button below and let yourself go.

Listen: 23%

Download Mp3 (4 MB)

World War 345

2008-01-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

The Democratic Party had a lot of low moments in 2007, but the Meat Beetles unanimously agree that the party leadership was at its most despicable in the wake of Representative Pete Stark's floor speech in October. A rare person among the Democrats, Stark actually stood on the floor of the House and did what so few have the spine or integrity to do: he told the truth about our "president". For this he was slapped down and forced to apologize by the Democratic leadership. The Meat Beetles, en masse, went to the nearest post office, picked up voter registration forms, and changed their affiliation from Democrat to Independent.

Anyway, part of Stark's speech was used in this piece. To provide a context, audio recordings of inane blather by George Bush and various cable "news" creeps have also been used.

Happy New Year! Same as the old year?

Listen: World War 345

Download Mp3 (6 MB)

Michael, Queen of the Savages

2007-10-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Meat Beetles are not sure how,but this song has disappeared from the place where we store our files online. Also, due to a massive computer failure a while back we do not currently have a copy of the song. We are working on retrieving it, and if anyone out there has a downloaded version please contact us at: pope.george.ringo.X@gmail.com.

We're not sure how we're going to do it, but we hope to make this song available again in the near future.

For those fortunate enough to not know who Michael Weiner Savage is, he is one of the most virulently hateful of all hate radio jocks. He's a lot like Ann Coulter, but much more feminine. His contempt for women and his obsession with manhood and masculinity have led the Sloptops to one inevitable conclusion: This guy is a closeted gay man. Come out, Michael, come out. Celebrate who you really are. You'll be better off for it and so will America.

Acknowledgement: The Meat Beetles found the above picture of Savage at Pride Depot.
Listen: Michael, Queen of the Savages (6 MB)

Download Mp3 (6 MB)

Battle Hymn

2007-08-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

The samples here came from a PBS documentary about the battle of Iwo Jima in World War 2. The accompanying photo is "Spanish Loyalist at the Instant of Death" taken by Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil war. Two different wars, but really they're all the same--stupid, power-mad scum like George Bush and Francisco Franco start them and ordinary people fight and suffer in them. Maybe someday the human race will evolve beyond this, but probably not. Recorded ca. 1994.
Listen: Battle Hymn

Download Mp3 (5 MB)

Poor Elvis

2007-08-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mid-90s mayhem featuring "The King of Cholesterol". John Lennon once said that Elvis died the day he got on the bus that took him to the army. The Meat Beetles agree.The strained, rumbling sound throughout this one is a short excerpt from the song "Hound Dog" tweaked and processed to the point of being unrecognizable.
Listen: Poor Elvis

Download Mp3 (3 MB)

Oath

2007-08-02T10:22:00.001-07:00

The Meat Beetles are on hiatus this summer, but we'll be back with new material soon, including our tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Summer Of Love. Meanwhile, here is something from the early 90s. The samples used in this one came from the 1975 film, Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?, a documentary about the Republican-caused depression of the 1930s. Listening to this, the Sloptops are reminded of the loyalty oath that one has to take to attend a speech by "President" Bush (OUR EMPLOYEE AND WE HAVE TO TAKE AN OATH TO SEE HIM BLATHER!!!). The voice at the end of this one is Herbert Hoover, the Republican president whose economic policies were a key factor in causing the Republican depression.
Listen: Oath (4 MB)

Download Mp3 (4 MB)

A New World Odor

2007-07-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder where George W. Bush gets that streak of amorality? The answer is it's in the family genes. This piece was built around his father's "victory" speech after HIS war against the people of Iraq in 1990-91. It's hard to imagine who has more innocent blood on his hands, Junior or Senior. And let's not forget Grandpa Prescott Bush, who did business with his Nazi pals for several years AFTER the US went to war with Hitler's Germany. And of course there's Mother Barbara, who showed her true colors when she remarked in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that, if people are "underprivileged" squatting in their own filth in a crowded, sweltering sports arena is good enough for them. Shouldn't there be a law against people like this reproducing?
If anyone has ever had the suspicion that The Meat Beetles have too much time on their hands, this piece should confirm that suspicion. At least such was the case when this was recorded in one long weekend session in 1991. This one is different from most of the other things posted here--no beats or music of any sort, just edited samples. As with all the work they did during this period, it was all done with tape--no aiff editors, no graphic readouts, just hit or miss and a lot of hiss. However, they did rerecord it into a computer recently and apply some very judicious editing--a little cut here, a bit of EQ there, an amplitude boost/cut from time to time.
Also used here are samples from TV news and George Romero's classic film, Night of the Living Dead.
Listen: A New World Odor

Download Mp3 (15 MB)

Pickles

2007-06-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

When The Meat Beetles found out about Laura Bush's claim that no one has suffered more than she and W have over the Iraq war, they were apoplectic. The nerve of this sorry excuse for a human being to say such a thing. What has she sacrificed? What does she even know about suffering (besides, what she has learned about suffering from being married into the Bush family)?
Once the Sloptops got over their hissy fit, they realized that there was plenty of fodder for audio collage in the insane rantings of The First "Lady". And is she on drugs or just naturally out of touch with reality?
The picture below was added as a mere suggestion that there may be--just may be--some who have suffered more than she and W have as a result of his choice to go to war.
Listen: Pickles

Download Mp3 (6 MB)

Smoked Children

2007-06-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

In 1994 The Meat Beetles got their first computer, an Apple LC475. It wasn't much by today's stadards--a whopping 160 Meg hard drive, 32 Mb of memory, and 8-bit sound. But nothing would ever again be the same for the Sloptops. This was one of the first pieces they created with their new digital tool. The samples used include a caller to a radio talk show, incensed by the bombing of Iraq, Carroll O'Connor (aka Archie Bunker), and Hollywood director, Cecil B. DeMille. Also putting in a guest appearance at the end is none other than Franklin Roosevelt. Grilled millionaires indeed!
meanwhile, the smoking of Iraqi children continues!
Listen: Smoked Children

Download Mp3 (4 MB)

Death And Hell In A Yellow Submarine

2007-06-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Once again The Meat Beetles explore social views on rock music. This time the vocal chores are handled by Elizabeth Claire Prophet, doomsday cult leader, and Ronald Reagan, the object of worship for the Republican hate/death/fear cult. It was a match made in Purgatory! Also featured are other members of Prophet's cult, a network news interviewer (don't know who), and a cute but naïve hippy with a cute but naïve view of a future that would never come.

Listen: Death And Hell In A Yellow Submarine

Download Mp3 (5 MB)

HelloHaloHairdoHell

2007-06-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

Another "turn on the TV and record whatever is on" piece from 1987. This time what was on was a sermon from Jimmy Swaggart. These were dark days for the christianist extremist movement. Only weeks after this was recorded Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker had their fall from grace (or whatever it was they fell from), and only a year or so later Swaggart himself would be caught with a prostitute.
Lots of harsh noises in this one and two out-of-sync cheapo keyboard drum patterns. Those were interesting times!
Listen: HelloHaloHairdoHell

Download Mp3 (11 MB)

Fear Up

2007-06-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Of all the "guest vocalists" who have collaborated with The Meat Beetles, the Sloptops all agree on one favorite: George W. Bush. There are two reasons for this, both having to do with Bush's monumental stupidity. First, every time the guy opens his mouth in public something choice is bound to come out; phrase after phrase that just screams "Sample me!" Second, because Bush is utterly incapable of uttering more than five or six words in one go without pausing to think what the next five or six are going to be, there are lots of pauses in his speeches. This is particularly handy when clipping samples out of a large .aiff file.
All of the snippets used here came from two different appearances--his address to the graduating class of the Coast Guard Academy (May 23, 2007) and a press conference (May 24, 2007). The Meat Beetles got into a friendly debate over which incident represented an all-time low in presidential appearances--using a graduation ceremony to make lame excuses for a failed, amoral foreign policy, or threatening the children of reporters. However, The Meat Beetles quickly came to realize that with well over a year left of this "presidency" Bush is bound to sink even lower.
By the way, lest you feel TOO sorry for the reporters whose children were threatened, it should be pointed out that "David" is none other than Dave Gregory of NBC. Yes, the same Dave Gregory who prostituted himself by dancing with Karl Rove (the most despicable blob of protoplasm currently oozing across the surface of the planet) at the recent White House Press Corps dinner. Hopefully Gregory now sees that, even when you suck up to these creeps, they will turn on you like vipers if it suits their purpose. Wait until you see what they will do to David Petraeus when "his" plan for the troop surge in Iraq goes belly up!

Listen: Fear Up

Download Mp3 (4 MB)

Black Ringo

2007-05-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, The Meat Beetles' stream-of-semi-consciousness approach yields unexpected, unpredictable results. This one started out with a sample of Billy Graham blathering about "why The Beatles stay on top" and evolved into a treatise on bigotry and ignorance. Actually it is kind of fitting given that Billy's son, Franklin, (who was sent to Iraq by the Bush administration to promote the christianist lifestyle as "normal") has, like a true bigot, referred to Islam as an "evil and wicked religion". The filthy little puke must have gone over big in the Islamic world!
For the record, while The Meat Beetles find the very idea of worshiping an invisible guy in the sky rather peculiar, they are absolutely opposed to bigotry and intolerance against people simply because they may subscribe to a different superstition than someone else.
Listen: Black Ringo

Download Mp3 (7 MB)

Blood, Brother

2007-05-24T16:25:00.001-07:00

Although recent Meat Beetles material belies a fairly high degree of planning and structure, there was a time when the Slop-Tops took a more serendipitous approach. For this 1987 recording they simply patched the earphone output of a portable television into a tape recorder and turned on the set. It turned out that there was a Burt Reynolds movie on at the time (they never found out the title). They then added some rather dense, noisy tracks of their own and, voila, the result was this bit of audio swamp gas. By the way, The Meat Beetles found a MySpace page claiming to be that of Reynolds. Maybe, maybe not. Click here to see for yourself.
Listen: Blood, Brother

Download Mp3 (4 MB)

Ann, The Queen of Men

2007-05-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

So you think being a Meat Beetle is glamorous, right? Millions of fans; thousands of admirers wanting to have sex with you; accolades from the press. But it isn't all skittles and beer (well, no skittles anyway). Take this piece, for example. In order to assemble the samples used on this one The Meat Beetles had to spend several hours listening to the shrill, grating voice of Ann (The Man?) Coulter and the venomous, hateful spew that emanates from Coulter's dirty mouth.
And as if that weren't enough, The Meat Beetles are confronted with a particularly vexing problem when dealing with Coulter: What pronoun to use? Yes, Coulter appears to be somewhat woman-like (there are lumps in Coulter's shirt, although they could just be grapefruit or something), but those gargantuan hands and feet (and speaking of lumps, check out that adam's apple!), suggest that Coulter may be a man.

The Meat Beetles, however, are sensitive and compassionate people who don't wish to show disrespect toward any living thing that doesn't deserve it. To use the pronoun "she" to talk about Coulter would be offensive to every woman in the world. Similarly, the use of the pronoun "he" would be an affront to every man in the world. And if you call Coulter "it" you have insulted everything that exists in the entire universe. So The Meat Beetles have simply decided to refrain form using any pronouns at all when talking about this pus-colored biped.
One more thing: There are words in this piece that some may find offensive. Please remember that all of these words originated from Coulter's filthy pie-hole, perhaps the most disgusting orifice in the world. Consider the source!
Listen: Ann, The Queen of Men

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The Mating Call of the Male Uglo-American

2007-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

S-E-X! Everyone likes it, even those who claim not to. Even The Meat Beetles like it. In fact, one of them has actually had sex and hopes to do "it" again someday.
Once again, the samples in this one were acquired at the "365 Days Project" (see the May 16 post of "Ree Baba 1999" for a link to the archive of this wonderful endeavor at UBU Web). The main vocals are by Eric Weber, the "How-To-Pick-Up-Girls Guru" of the '70s. There are also bits from Joe Aufricht and a public service hotline recording.
This is one of a series of explorations by The Meat Beetles of the traditional music of Uglo-America. See the May 3 post of "The King Of Uglo-America" for more Uglo-American music.
Listen: The Mating Call of the Male Uglo-American

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Ree Baba 1999

2007-05-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of good ol' fun! No politics, not even any intelligible words (at least not for English-speakers). Just sonic weirdness to put a smile on your face. The vocals here are by India's Sonik Omi, with additional contributions from John Wells & Jill House, and Merv & Merla. The Meat Beetles took all of this audio mayhem and added their own beats and squiggles.
All of the samples in this one were acquired through the legendary "365 Days Project" (archived at Ubu Web--click here to visit).
By the way, there is a "365 Days 2" going on all this year at the WFMU site. Click here to visit.
Listen: Ree Baba 1999

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Global War (Now In Progress)

2007-05-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jerry Falwell died today. While the Meat Beetles would not wish death on anyone, and while we feel for his friends and family, let's face one fact: The world is a slightly less hateful place this evening. Falwell was a leading exponent of bigotry and intolerance in this society. He was an ardent supporter of the apartheid government in South Africa. His contempt for the liberal/secular principles on which America was founded ran so deep that he even went so far as to say that the we Americans got what was coming to us on September 11, 2001. Despicable!
About this song: This was The Meat Beetles' first sample-based piece, recorded in 1986. They thought it would be fun to record a Falwell sermon off TV and play it backwards to see if there were back-masked Satanic messages. Are there? Decide for yourself. In 1986 The Meat Beetles did not have access to the computer technology that they use today--just a 4-track cassette recorder and a portable (Radio Shack) cassette recorder. You can hear the tape stopping and starting in places. And what the heck is a "tomosexual"? As with other early Meat Beetles recordings, this one has a lot of rough edges, but we thought it would make a fitting farewell to Falwell. Bye, Jerry, and lots of luck trying to push that camel through a needle's eye!
Listen: Global War (Now In Progress) (6 MB)

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Mr. Airstream

2007-05-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

The sound quality on this one is not very good--lots of unintentional distortion and tape noises--but it was included here because it is one of the earliest Meat Beetles compositions in existence. In 1987, one of the Meat Beetles was on "vacation" in Florida (The Meat Beetles do not find any enjoyment in visiting Florida, and they live in Georgia, which should tell you a lot!). He (she?) was listening to talk radio (a favorite pastime of all the Meat Beetles) and heard this call on the Bob Lasssiter show, in Tampa. She (he?) was fortunate enough to already be taping the show (at least one Meat Beetle has a recording device going at almost any minute of any day). He (she?) took the tape back to the other Meat Beetles and they immediately set about editing and adding other sounds.

This is pre-digital Meat Beetles--no computers, no sophisticated processing facilities, just two tape recorders with "pause " buttons.

In case you can't make it out, what you are listening to is a guy calling a talk show host and threatening to call the police on him because he spoke disrespectfully of Ronald Reagan and Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker. Perhaps the gentleman had a propane leak in his Airstream?
Listen: Mr. Airstream

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Backwards Devil Music, Part 666

2007-05-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

More music about music. The Meat Beetles were so pleased with the contribution Mike Mills made to "F-Word # 9" (see May 2 post) that they invited him back to do the vocal track for another piece. This is pure Mills, doing what he does best--making stuff up and hearing things in rock music that only he can hear. As the guy in the above picture (© 1989 Chick Tracts) says, "Rock, rock, rock, rock with the rock!"
Listen: Backwards Devil Music, Part 666 (15 MB)

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A Different Kind Of Fun With Sound

2007-05-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Except this isn't fun at all. It's deadly fucking serious! Courageous vocals: Several British and American World War 2 veterans (from BBC series "The World At War"). Cowardly vocals: George W. Bush (couldn't even fulfill his commitment to a champagne National Guard unit that was created to keep rich kids out of the draft!).
Listen: A Different Kind Of Fun With Sound

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Stink Beat

2007-05-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here's one The Meat Beetles did just for fun. No message here...or is there? Vocals are by former NFL referee, Art Holst, and by Del Close and John Brent from their legendary album Learn Basic Hip, which The Meat Beetles acquired from the web site, Basic Hip Digital Audio. There's also a quick cameo by Ed "Kookie" Burns.
Listen: Stink Beat

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The King Of Uglo-America

2007-05-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

One day, a year or two ago, one of the Meat Beetles was "surfing" the "net" when he (she?) stumbled upon a site featuring audio clips of hate-radio personality, Rush Limbaugh (or, as The Meat Beetles call him, Rush Limp Cock). Among these clips was a whole section of Limbaugh stammering and stuttering on the air. The Meat Beetle was immediately struck by the rhythmic quality of these utterances. She (he?) downloaded some clips and played them for the other Meat Beetles. They all agreed that these clips were just too good to NOT use in a sound collage. This is the result.

As you listen you should keep in mind that these sounds are exactly as Rush made them on the air. Other than slight treatments to make them match the rhythm of the piece, no editing was performed on these clips.

The Meat Beetles are left with two questions about Limp Cock: (1) How can someone so wrong, so full of hate and bigotry continue to maintain an audience of more than six or eight sociopathic malcontents? (2) How did someone so utterly incapable of speaking coherently land a radio show in the first place?
Listen: The King Of Uglo-America

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F-Word Number 9

2007-05-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Meat Beetles are fascinated by the strange belief that listening to rock music will turn kids into devil worshipers. This is one of several songs we have recorded as a result of this fascination. The vocals on this one are by James Dobson, Susan Baker (wife of James "The Election-Stealing Scumbag" Baker), Mike Mills, and Bob Larson. For the record, it is the unanimous opinion of The Meat Beetles that, when a child commits horrible acts after listening to a song, then that child has already been damaged by one or more of the adults in his/her life. You can't blame your failure as a parent on Judas Priest.

Listen: F-Word Number 9

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Backwards Devil Music, Part 13

2007-05-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

This recording, from about 1992, represents one of the first attempts by the Meat Beetles to create music without actually using any musical instruments. All sounds used here were either from cassette recordings of radio and TV broadcasts, or from vinyl records spun by hand on a turntable, all augmented by judicious use of electronic processing devices. This is a big hunk of noise, clocking in at just under 23 minutes. Don't listen to this in the dark! And be warned: There is some language (f-words and such) in this one that some may find offensive. Also, the sound quality on this one is a bit sketchy--lots of hiss--but that's the nature of the cassette beast.

Listen: Backwards Devil Music, Part 13

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Holy You-Know-What!

2007-05-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Bill O'Reilly saved Sponge Bob? That he threatens to "whack" women "around"? That after al Qaeda operatives hit you with poison darts they will make their escape (into the Amazon!) in ethanol vehicles? Well all of that and more is true, according to O'Reilly, who did the lead vocals for this song. Enjoy, but listen at low volume, lest you wish to be paid a visit by Fox Security!
Listen: Holy You-Know-What!

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The Decider Gets To Decide The Decidings That Get Decisioned

2007-04-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

This one features lead vocals by George "The Mad Butcher of Crawford" Bush and backing vocals by Hilary "The Enabler" Clinton. If you like either or both of these people you will probably hate this song. Enjoy!
Listen: The Decider Gets To Decide The Decidings That Get Decisioned

Download Mp3 (8 MB)