Back in 1991, while Jello Biafra sang the best track from this e.p.'s refrain (Tumor Circus was a short lived collaboration between Biafra, Steel Pole Bath Tub and Grong Grong [wonder what happened to them?]), we all sang along. Now the lyrics to 'Swine Flu' seem a little more poignant.But the culprit behind the outbreak of Tumor Circus's 'Swine Flu' is a cat, and despite all the conspiracies that we have all no doubt been reading and hearing about both in and out of the media, cats have not been seriously discussed in connection to the recent outbreak of an apparent deadly disease that is winging its way to your very neighbourhood.
But hey, don't fear.
For as Biafra goes on to assure us, everything in the news is exaggerated and mediated to the point where all is sensationalised ('Take Me Back or I'll Drown Our Dog'). The fear is ratcheted up, attempting to make us all scared shitless - scared to go outside, scared of each other, scared of the unknown and scared of the unseen - so we all sit eagerly around the propaganda machines waiting for someone (Brown, Obama, Bono, Moby...) to save us from that nasty, horrible, spiteful world.
'Fireball' is an existential response to such a seemingly corrupt and unfriendly place - I mean, if everyone's out to get you, why should you give a shit about anybody else, right...? 'So it goes.'
Tumor Circus e.p. (1991)
Take Me Back or I'll Kill Our Dog
Swine Flu
Fireball
Excellent vinyl rip @320kbs
Inoculate yourself here
