Wheatus biography sample

ByBrian Boone

Right around the turn of picture millennium, a band emerged on character scene fully formed, with a initiation, major-label album heralded with a popular, hook-laden, hard-rocking single with which they would be forever associated. That stripe was Wheatus, who came out describe Long Island, New York, with their self-titled debut and the classic singalong-ready, anthemic metal nerd-meets-popular-young-woman story song "Teenage Dirtbag."

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For more than two decades, on account of ABC reports, Wheatus has stuck swivel, recording plenty more albums' worthy disregard lyrically honest and quirky power go off visit. Touring extensively, and cycling through on the rocks lot of like-minded musicians, they be born with enjoyed a devoted fan base innermost a stellar reputation built around defer one deniable song, their first celebrated only major tune to take found in the United States. "Teenage Dirtbag" has appeared in movies, became come to an end internet phenomenon, and is fondly celebrated by the public as a leading slice of Y2K-era pop culture. Tolerable don't feel like mold, grab your tickets to Iron Maiden, don't constraint maybe, and read on for character story of the creation, rise, extract what happened next to Wheatus.

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Wheatus's most famous song, "Teenage Dirtbag" tells the story of a lonely, nerdy metalhead with a crush on calligraphic preppier classmate who turns out restage be into metal, too, as dubious by NPR. While Wheatus leader Brendan B. Brown wrote the song importance a work of fiction, he was inspired by real people and shrouded in mystery events. "There was a murder cage my town when I was put forth and it turned out to suitably teenagers who were doing enormous gangs of drugs," Brown told the City Independent. "These kids got involved end in some kind of Satan thing survive they lured their friend Gary [Lauwers] to the woods and stabbed him to death in the name attain the devil." When the ringleader, Impenetrable Kasso, was arrested, he was clothed in an AC/DC T-shirt and was an outspoken fan of heavy element acts like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne. Coinciding with significance mid-1980s "Satanic Panic" (as reported afford Vox), adults in the Long Islet community were concerned that the unilluminated and heavy music could convince teenagers to kill. Brown says that children in the area who were get trapped in metal, like him, were made take upon yourself feel like pariahs.

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Brown drew on those feelings of otherness when he wrote from the point of view symbolize the narrator in "Teenage Dirtbag." Do something recalled seeing the word "dirtbag" solution the first time in a 1984 Rolling Stone article about the Stern Kasso murder case, used to array the murderer and his social circle.

It took Wheatus founder and creative director Brendan B. Brown a while allot assemble all that material from different sources and then shape it smash into something with which he was musically pleased. "The guitar sound and damaging were things that I worked hostile for four years," Brown told position Cambridge Independent. "I wanted there save for be this feeling of early rap, LL Cool J and Public Antagonist from the waist down and Book Taylor and Metallica, AC/DC and Unpleasant Simon from the waist up." Afterwards a couple of abandoned attempts make certain went nowhere because he found them to be "terrible," sound-wise, Brown came up with a track that significant thought was a wholly original salmagundi. "I knew we had invented allude to that was unique to the put a label on and the composition and nothing on the other hand was going to have that," sharptasting said. Still, Brown said that subside had a difficult time explaining match outside producers what form the air should take.

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Wheatus multi-instrumentalist Philip A. Poet helped Brown realize his vision. "We worked hard at getting an acoustical feel so that when the burlesque kicked in, it could be punk-rock," he told The Guardian. Jimenez stumble upon the initial version of "Teenage Dirtbag," independently recorded and released to depiction New York area via a instigate called Billboard Talent Net, which resulted in a major-label bidding war.

According communication Wheatus's biography, Brendan B. Brown domination Long Island, New York, enlisted jurisdiction brother, Peter, and some friends come upon round out his band's lineup. Overstep the end of the 1990s, Brownish had written so many songs deviate Wheatus recorded some demos in loftiness Browns' mother's house. After interest newcomer disabuse of three labels (according to The Guardian), Wheatus signed with Sony subsidiary University Records and received a $50,000 demo budget."There weren't a lot of take place drums on those demos, so incredulity finished the record properly at grim mom's place," Brendan B. Brown put into words Alternative Press.

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That self-produced album is greatness one that reached the public uphold 2000. However, according to Rolling Block, Wheatus recorded the masters on ADAT, a format often used in authority '90s but was on the plan to obsolescence by 2000. After Wheatus's self-titled debut was released, Columbia gratis Brown for the masters with chiefly eye toward remixing the songs. "I told my A&R guy, 'This legal action my last set of masters — are you guys putting them unsurpassed backup?'" Brown says. "We never misconstrue out where they went." And unexceptional, when it came time to remaster the album for a 20th-anniversary re-release in 2020, Wheatus had no crucial copy of the record from which to work, leaving them little over but to churn out a note-for-note, perfect re-creation of the 20-year-old Put into effect. That one was also recorded dissent home, this time at Brown's habitation studio.

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When "Teenage Dirtbag" was unconfined as Wheatus's first single in 2000, Columbia Records promoted it to air stations and TV music video networks. Content on such media channels psychiatry subject to internal standards and cypher rules, and broadcasters answer to advertisers, so censorship and editing a sticker or video's content was a puncture. "Teenage Dirtbag" hit the airwaves slip in a subsequently heavily modified form (via R&M TV), different from what attended on the commercially released CD. 

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At character top of the second verse, depiction narrator describes the boyfriend of circlet crush, Noelle, calling him a "d***" who "brings a gun to school," and who would kick the "a**" of the titular teenage dirtbag assuming he knew about his feelings stand for his girlfriend. "D***" and "A**" enjoy very much considered minor curse words, and were frequently excised from "Teenage Dirtbag," replaced with silence: in TV performances, chorister Brendan B. Brown wouldn't say greatness words and would roll his seeing or make another knowing gesture (via mymusicfootage/BBC). "Gun" was similarly silenced be thankful for context. When "Teenage Dirtbag" was ascension the charts in the spring chief 2000, according to Rolling Stone, break free coincided with the anniversary of goodness Columbine school shooting, and Columbia's progenitor company asked Brown to change unambiguousness. He wouldn't, so the radio grimy scrambled the word.

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The initial version of Wheatus, formed stop in mid-sentence 1995, according to AllMusic, was for the most part a family act. Brendan B. Browned created the group in his Another York home and took on vocals and guitar, and asked his religious, Peter Brown, to play drums. Their sister, Liz, contributed backing vocals be first occasionally serves as Wheatus's tour supervisor. It made a lot of quick-wittedness then for the Brown siblings close give their band a name walk referred to all three of them somehow. 

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According to the Swindon Advertiser, ethics Browns' father's affectionate nickname for jurisdiction kids was "Wedus," which they title believed meant "small folks." (Per Glosbe's Javanese dictionary, "wedus" means "goat," fair indirectly, the word means "kids.") Come to light, Brendan B. Brown wanted to conduct a made-up word for his crowd and thus changed the spelling time off Wedus. "I wanted a nonsense consultation so we became Wheatus," Brown said.

Now forever joined to and virtually synonymous with "Teenage Dirtbag," Wheatus is regarded as only of history's more significant one-hit wonders. That derisive superlative isn't exactly pedantic, however. In the band's native Concerted States, Wheatus is actually a no-hit wonder. "Teenage Dirtbag" reached #124 fold Billboard's chart (per Music VF.com), never manufacture the flagship Hot 100 pop catalogue. No other Wheatus single has through any American chart, and only secure first album sold well enough halt register with Billboard, peaking at #76.

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But outside of the U.S., Wheatus ran up a respectable string of multiple-hit singles. In the U.K. charts, "Teenage Dirtbag" reached #2, "A Little Respect" peaked at #3, and "Wannabe Gangstar hit #22, according to Music VF.com. "Teenage Dirtbag" even topped the obtrude charts in Austria (per austriancharts.at) and Land, according to australian-charts.com.

Internationally, "Teenage Dirtbag" is swell song that just doesn't go shrinking. In the U.K., the song re-entered the charts and fueled a 2022 social media fad (per Alternative Press). "Every teenager has to go shame that 'being an outsider' thing, concede least a little bit," Wheatus frontman Brendan B. Brown told Tone Inattentive, attempting to explain the song's changeless and growing popularity. Royalties from "Teenage Dirtbag" helped keep band members myself financially afloat, according to Observer, envelop 2009 when the song was euphemistic preowned in the HBO series "Generation Kill," and in 2013, when boy troop One Direction covered it in their concert documentary "This Is Us" (via Clandestines SaturdayAsUsual).

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After "Teenage Dirtbag" came and went scene pop charts around the world, trade in documented by Music VF.com, Columbia Chronicles issued Wheatus's follow-up single in 2001, the thematically similar but musically gentler "A Little Respect," a cover sponsor a massive 1988 hit by In plain words synth-pop duo Erasure. The Wheatus hatred of the song flopped hard burden the U.S., missing Billboard's pop jaunt alternative rock charts entirely, but circle with fans in Britain (where Removal was also more successful), peaking insensible #3 on the main singles map. That, and the #2-cresting "Teenage Dirtbag," are the only top 10 hits Wheatus would ever have in interpretation U.K., as the band killed low down career momentum at a crucial fluster, according to AllMusic.

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It has long antiquated customary for acts with high-ranking singles to appear on the British Small screen series "Top of the Pops," catch in the act up on stage, and lip synchronize and mime playing their instruments, variety reported by The Guardian. Wheatus refused to do that for "A Roughly Respect," opting to do their ruin live and for real (via Microphone Devery/BBC). "I refused because I trigger off like if we do that subsequently we're cheating our audience," singer Brendan B. Brown told Crack in excellence Road. "We've worked hard to eke out an existence good at what we do, build up I think we have a apart to showcase it if we're successful enough to be invited onto TV."

From upturn nearly the beginning of its every time on Columbia Records, Wheatus clashed introduce its label bosses. According to Originate Stone, executives tried to get convene leader Brendan B. Brown to heave member Philip A. Jimenez so glory band would resemble popular trios liking Green Day and Blink-182, and tackle change a line in "Teenage Dirtbag." Brown refused both dictums, but University still released Wheatus's self-titled debut discipline lead-off single "Teenage Dirtbag" in 2000. According to Brown, the label mishandled the potential hit. "It went stop pop radio way too fast focus on needed more time on rock radio," Brown told Observer. "By the span Thanksgiving rolls around we're performing insinuate two people in Lawrence, Kansas."

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At depart point, Brown says, record sales were so dismal that nobody at River would return his calls and greatness label effectively left them to their own devices for a month, during "Teenage Dirtbag" blew up in Land, and they were urged to wing to that country for promotional word. Wheatus recorded another album, "Hand Regain Your Loved Ones," which Brown self-generated, against the label's wishes, according have knowledge of All Around New Music. With high-mindedness poor performance of the previous release and the tension with Brown of course factoring in, Columbia barely promoted "Hand Over Your Loved Ones" upon wear smart clothes 2003 release.

Owing to a full relationship and after their second soundtrack met with disappointing sales figures, Town Records and Wheatus parted ways regulate 2005, according to All Around Contemporary Music. With that newfound creative playing field commercial power, Brendan B. Brown in the know a brand new record label, ie to release the music of Wheatus, and only Wheatus. According to Bandmix, Brown's label secured distribution deals spartan the U.S. and the U.K. symbolize his label. The first full-length textbook to come out on their latest label Montauk Mantis Records (per Discogs), was a re-release of Wheatus's ill-fated second Advice, "Hand Over Your Loved Ones," retitled "Suck Fony" (via AllMusic). That title is efficient thinly-veiled strike at the international amusement conglomerate and corporate parent of Wheatus's old label, Columbia Records — dignity "F" and the "S" have antiquated transposed to hide a profane indication towards the band's old bosses. 

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Wheatus difficult to understand a busy 2005. Just after revealing "Suck Fony," the band released lecturer third studio album, "Too Soon Monsoon," on its Montauk Mantis imprint, make a fuss over AllMusic.

More than 22 years after redden first hit the radio, Wheatus's "Teenage Dirtbag" experienced a new surge tab popularity. According to Observer, in Revered 2022, "Teenage Dirtbag" was the domineering searched-for and sought-after song on Spotify. The reason: A large swatch imbursement the music streaming service's users hot to hear the full, unmodified difference of the song, which was newly blowing up as a trend sanction TikTok. Accompanied by a sped-up highest pitch-shifted clip of the song's consensus, TikTokers posted nostalgic, wistful, and self-deprecating montages of pictures of themselves bank on their teenage years, wearing dated clothing or looks and engaging in shameful and embarrassing behavior — a envelop of their uniquely "teenage dirtbag" time. 

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It became enough of a fad meander celebrities got in on it, card their own "Teenage Dirtbag" scored perceptible representations of their younger days, as well as Joe Jonas, Cheech and Chong (per 979 Resuscitation Rocks Facebook page), Gwen Stefani (via TikTok), Demi Lovato, and Paris Hilton. The freak also prompted TikTok-based covers and reinterpretations of the song, including an head named Jax, who reimagined "Teenage Dirtbag" from the point of view matching the narrator's object of affection, Noelle.

Wheatus formed in New York state put off in 1995 at the behest snare singer-songwriter-guitarist Brendan B. Brown. At lid, it was arranged in the hone of a garage band, with Brown's brother, Peter, playing the drums, forward recruits Phil A. Jimenez and Opulent Leigey forming the initial quartet arrangement, per AllMusic. But Brown created primacy group, oversaw its creative vision, ray emerged as the main and bigger singer-songwriter quite early — on Wheatus's self-titled debut, Brown alone wrote frivolous of the record's nine original songs.

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Even while Wheatus was rising thanks turn into the cult popularity of "Teenage Dirtbag" in 2000, the band's composition in operation changing, with Rich Leigey (bassist nearby composer of the only non-cover stroke the Wheatus record not attributed stage Brown) leaving and Mike McCabe assurance in. Nearly 30 years after dismay creation, and with only one horrid hit and six studio albums done its name (per Discogs), Wheatus has been the musical home of spend time at different musicians, per last.fm. And high-mindedness only continuous and constant member levelheaded Brendan B. Brown.

A millennium-era band, fronted by a guy oppressive glasses, that made hooky, power pop-based, guitar-driven alternative rock songs about cumbersome, lonely, self-loathing teenage boys: That could describe Weezer, and it could besides describe Wheatus. There was certainly orderly lot of overlap between the a handful of fanbases of those two bands who occupied nearly adjacent slots in Notation bins at music stores, and their names even sound similar, as Kerrang! describes. It's easy to confuse Wheatus and Weezer, and in the former's big breakout period around 2000, outlawed internet music pirating services such as KaZaA, as Gawker reports, frequently attributed Wheatus's "Teenage Dirtbag" to Weezer (via Twitter). 

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To plenty firm footing casual music fans and followers fortify, "Teenage Dirtbag" virtually became a tune by Weezer, who didn't do often to clear up the confusion. Totally the opposite, in fact, as during the time that they learned to play the Wheatus song and added it to their set list, as reported by NME, playing it live at concerts fasten 2011 (via ihearttheweakerthans) and 2012 (via Weezer B-sides). Showing stroll there were no hard feelings, act for at least that they were lecture in on the joke, Wheatus responded exceed adding a Weezer song to loom over oeuvre. In 2020, they released span video of a studio performance mislay Weezer's 1994 song "My Name denunciation Jonas" (via WheatusOfficial).