FAQ’S
Got a question about BNL? Then send me an
email at pktez@hotmail.com and I'll get you the answer.
Where did they come up with the name Barenaked Ladies?
In Steve's words...
“When we were teens, Ed and I were at a Bob Dylan concert bored out of our minds and we started making fun of bands that did not exist. One was Barenaked Ladies. It made us laugh and reminded us of when we were eight years old, and would look at the women's underwear section of the Sears catalog. When Ed got us our first gig he told them we were called Barenaked Ladies, and after that there was no backing out. Because if we changed our name, how would the seven people that were there find us again?”
Why do people throw Kraft Dinner at the shows?
It comes from a line in the song If I Had $1,000,000, which says 'We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner... but we would' Some early fans, in Canada decided since BNL loves KD they would give them some. What was once thought to be the cool thing to do at the shows soon became a donation to local food banks as boxes of KD were confiscated, and now due to injuries and broken instruments BNL now say 'Those in the know, don't throw!'
According to the band the first time KD was thrown on stage was in November 1991 at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto.
What’s Ed singing in the last verse of Enid?
"I could teach you how to dance, how to sing, how to knit, how to make things that you never ever made before.
Enid I could teach you how to use cookie cutters to make crazy things out of Play-doh.
Little houses, little farms, little accessories for your Mom, for your Barbie set, for your friends, and your family.
Enid I could teach you to snowmobile, cross-country ski, snowshoe but I don't want to!"
Also, Andy Creegen sings the following line twice: "Take you to dances, pay for your nightschool."
What's a hair shirt?
A garment of rough cloth made from goats' hair and worn in the form of a shirt or as a girdle around the loins, by way of mortification and penance. The Latin name is said to be derived from Cilicia, where this cloth was made, but the thing itself was probably known and used long before this name was given to it. The sackcloth, for instance, so often mentioned in Holy Scripture as a symbol of mourning and penance, was probably the same thing; and the garment of camels' hair worn by St. John the Baptist was no doubt somewhat similar. The earliest Scriptural use of the word in its Latin form occurs in the Vulgate version of Psalm 34:13, "Ego autem, cum mihi molesti essent, induebar cilicio." This is translated hair-cloth in the Douay Bible, and sackcloth in the Anglican Authorized Version and the Book of Common Prayer.
During the early ages of Christianity the use of hair-cloth, as a means of bodily mortification and as an aid to the wearer in resisting temptations of the flesh, became very common, not only amongst the ascetics and those who aspired to the life of perfection, but even amongst ordinary lay people in the world, who made it serve as an unostentatious antidote for the outward luxury and comfort of their lives. St. Jerome, for instance, mentions the hairshirt as being frequently worn under the rich and splendid robes of men in high worldly positions. St. Athanasius, St. John Damascene, Theodoret, and many others also bear testimony to its use in their times. Cassian, however, disapproved of it being used by monks, as if worn outside it was too conspicuous and savoured of vanity and if underneath it hindered the freedom of the body in performing manual labour. St. Benedict does not mention it specifically in his rule, but van Haeften maintains that it was worn by many of the early Benedictines, though not prescribed universally throughout the order.
Later on, it was adopted by most of the religious orders of the Middle Ages, in imitation of the early ascetics, and in order to increase the discomfort caused by its use it was sometimes even made of fine wire. It was not confined to the monks, but continued to be fairly common amongst lay people also. Charlemagne, for instance, was buried in the hairshirt he had worn during life (Martene, "De Ant. Eccl. Rit."). The same is recorded of St. Thomas of Canterbury. There was also a symbolic use made of hair-cloth. St. Augustine says that in his time candidates for baptism stood with bare feet on hair-cloth during a portion the ceremony (De Symb. ad Catech., ii, 1). Penitents wore it on Ash Wednesday, and in the Sarum Rite a hair-cloth banner was carried in procession at their reconciliation on Maundy Thursday. The altar, too, was sometimes covered with the same material at penitential seasons.
In modern times the use of the hairshirt has been generally confined to the members of certain religious orders. At the present day only the Carthusians and Carmelites wear it by rule; with others it is merely a matter of custom or voluntary mortification. Objections have been raised against its use on sanitary grounds, but it must be remembered that ideas as to personal cleanliness have changed with the advance of civilization, and that what was considered a sign of, or aid to, piety in past ages need not necessarily be regarded in the same light now, and vice versa, but the ideas and practices of the ancients must not for that reason be condemned by us, because we happen to think differently.
What is the Chickity China the Chinese chicken reference?
It refers to Chickity Chaco, the Chocolate chicken from the Tribe Called Quest song "Scenario", sung by Busta Rhymes.
What city are they talking about in Hello City?
Halifax, Nova Scotia. (The Palace and The Warehouse are bars in Halifax; Barrington Street is one of the main downtown streets.) According to Ed, BNL had a really bad concert experience the first time they played in Halifax. Hello City was written to express their disgust.
Who is Enid?
"Enid" is a former waitress(Enid Leger) at Spanky's Pub in Moncton, NB. While visiting the pub, BNL thought it interesting that "Enid" spelled backwards was "dine".
Who is Jane St.Claire?
According to Andy Creegen she’s Gordon's wife. Steve sys the real story is Stephen Duffy (co-writer of Jane) once remarked, while looking at a map of Toronto, that the corner of Jane and St.Clair must be the most beautiful street corner in the city. Hence the name "Jane St. Clair".
Who is Brian Wilson?
One of the Beach Boys. Fun, Fun, Fun is a Beach Boys song, and Smiley Smile was one of their albums.
Who is Gordon?
Nobody. BNL wanted the CD to have a name, like a person to make it personal. Steve once said, as a joke, it was a mixup, due to a printing error and was really supposed to be a tribute album to Charles Grodin.
Is Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank about Anne Murray?
Yes the song includes lyrics based on Anne Murray's songs You Needed Me and Snowbird. And yes, the song is about a man stalking a singer, told from the stalker's point of view. BNL did say that the song was inspired by a similar event that happened to Canadian singer Anne Murray, though the song is not specifically about her.
What are the "secret noises" in Crazy?
The liner notes for Gordon credit several band members with performing "secret noises" on Crazy but doesn’t actually say what the noises are. From what has been said over the years via the internet conclusions are as follows:
1. In the instrumental portion near the end of the song, a variety of sounds and vocals can be heard in the background.
2. On some versions of Gordon (possibly just the CD version), following the end of Crazy, there are a number of short snippets of singing, improvising, and other barenaked silliness.
Doesn't Hello City contain lyrics by the Housemartins?
Yes. They come from the song Happy Hour, by the Housemartins:
"What a good place to be, / Don't believe them, / 'Cause they speak a different language / And it's never been happy for me. / It's Happy Hour again"
This was done because the members of BNL are big big fans of the Housemartins.
What is Mr. Roboto( quoted in The King of Bedside Manor)?
It’s a song by the 70’s/80’s band Styx. BNL just thought it would be funny to include it in one of there songs as it was very popular when they were growing up.
Is that Depeche Mode at the beginning of Enid?
No. It was intentionally performed to sound like Depeche Mode. The actual vocalist is producer Michael-Phillip Wojewoda. It was done by him placing a phone call which was recorded, then that recording was transmitted via radio and rerecorded.
Why is a green dress cruel?
It's just a parody on the earlier line in If I Had $1000000 about a fur coat being cruel.
What is The Ballad of Gordon? (also known as then there was me)
BNL recorded the song as a FOX public service announcement. It aired Saturday mornings between cartoons and it dealt with racial harmony. It is the story of an alien who comes to Earth and wants to be accepted even though he is different. It was never released by BNL but it is on the Rarities tape that floats around the internet and is available on various sites as an MP3.
Who wrote McDonald's Girl ?
McDonald's Girl was written by Dean Friedman. BNL rarely ever performs the song due to the fact that they don’t own rights to the song and were unable to come to an agreement with Mr. Friedman, hence the reason it is not on any of their major releases.
Which BNL songs are actually cover songs?
Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Bruce Cockburn) and Fight the Power (Public Enemy).
What is "Don't Talk, Dance"?
Tyler Stewart's other band.
What is CFNY?
CFNY,now known as The Edge, 102.1 FM, is the Toronto radio station, which gave BNL their first big break.
What is Massey Hall?
Massey Hall is a theater in Toronto that was the site of a taped-for-radio BNL concert.
What is MuchMusic?
Canada’s equivalent to MTV. BNL gets heavy airplay and has done the Intimate and Interactive live show as well as various other programs
What is On Gordon Pond?
On Gordon Pond was a special about BNL that aired on MuchMusic.
Who are the people on the album covers for MYSD and BOAPS?
Actors hired for the photos.(no the kid is not an old photo of Jim Creegan). The two guys on MYSD both appeared in Star Trek.
What's with the red, white, and blue ball?
It was mentioned in a BNL song at a Massey Hall concert during Ed's Lame Joke rap. It contained a line about "playing street hockey... with a red, white, and blue ball". From that they decided to put it on Gordon and the rest is history.
What's Kraft Dinner? Why is it important?
It's Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
Steven Page said:
"We all know it's the cheesiest, so you can call it Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or Kraft Cheese and Macaroni, or just shut up and call it Kraft Dinner like we do up in Canada."
Kraft Dinner is important because it is cheap, and easy to prepare and is what most college students live on(BNL broke out in the U.S. on college radio stations).
Why is Sting Tantric?
Sting actually performs the tantra which is related to being able to have sex for hours and have one continuous orgasm.
Why is Harrison Ford getting Frantic?
He was in the movie frantic. Hence he is getting frantic.
Who is Kurasawa?
He is the Spielberg of film in Japan. He actually passed away shortly after One Week was released.
Who is Leann Rhymes?
Country Singer.
What is sailor moon and why does Ed like it so much?
It is japanamation. A lot of japanamation has sexual undertones that supposively make it porn like to people in japan. Even though Sailor Moon is more geered to kids it still fits in this Japanamation category.
Who is Aquaman?
DC comic book hero. Part of the original Justice league.
What is Chalet Swiss ?
Restaurant famous for their chicken.
Who is Bert Kaempfert?
Hit song writer of the 70’s
What’s the X-Files?
Sci Fi TV series on fox.
What is dans la maison?
While the French phrase "dans la maison" translates to "in the house," it has a deeper meaning for Robertson and his fellow musicians, singer and guitarist Steven Page, bass player Jim Creeggan, drummer Tyler Stewart and keyboard and accordion player Kevin Hearn.
"The phrase 'in the house' is a funny, stupid phrase. And so we started saying it in French instead. We were going, 'Dans la maison?' and that became universal for 'Are you in the house and do you want to watch some X-Files?' Robertson explains.
Who is the Smoking Man?
One of BNL’s favorite characters on the X-Files.
What is Birchmount Stadium and why is it the home of the Robbie ?
It is a stadium near Toronto that Steve use to drive by all the time. The sign outside of it says”home of the Robbie”. The Robbie is a soccer tournament for little leaguers every year.
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