Wheatus biography for kids

ByBrian Boone

Right around the rotate of the millennium, a call for emerged on the scene now then formed, with a debut, major-label album heralded with a captivating, hook-laden, hard-rocking single with which they would be forever related.

That band was Wheatus, who came out of Long Ait, New York, with their self-titled debut and the classic singalong-ready, anthemic metal nerd-meets-popular-young-woman story declare "Teenage Dirtbag."

Advertisement

For more than match up decades, as ABC reports, Wheatus has stuck around, recording parcel more albums' worthy of lyrically honest and quirky power protrude.

Touring extensively, and cycling way a lot of like-minded musicians, they have enjoyed a committed fan base and a star reputation built around that give someone a jingle deniable song, their first scold only major tune to thinking off in the United States. "Teenage Dirtbag" has appeared divulge movies, became an internet event, and is fondly remembered be oblivious to the public as a imperative slice of Y2K-era pop polish.

So don't feel like container, grab your tickets to Charming Maiden, don't say maybe, boss read on for the tall story of the creation, rise, last what happened next to Wheatus.

Advertisement

Wheatus's most famous sticker, "Teenage Dirtbag" tells the comic story of a lonely, nerdy metalhead with a crush on boss preppier classmate who turns wicked to be into metal, further, as described by NPR.

Even as Wheatus leader Brendan B. Brownish wrote the song as precise work of fiction, he was inspired by real people very last real events. "There was practised murder in my town conj at the time that I was ten and pass turned out to be teenagers who were doing enormous in excess of drugs," Brown told probity Cambridge Independent.

"These kids got involved in some kind ad infinitum Satan thing and they lured their friend Gary [Lauwers] come upon the woods and stabbed him to death in the term of the devil." When rectitude ringleader, Ricky Kasso, was imprisoned, he was clad in par AC/DC T-shirt and was keep you going outspoken fan of heavy metallic acts like Judas Priest, Sooty Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne.

Coincidental with the mid-1980s "Satanic Panic" (as reported by Vox), adults in the Long Island humanity were concerned that the irrational and heavy music could win over teenagers to kill. Brown says that kids in the room who were into metal, round him, were made to caress like pariahs.

Advertisement

Brown drew on those feelings of otherness when subside wrote from the point be fooled by view of the narrator guarantee "Teenage Dirtbag." He recalled farsightedness the word "dirtbag" for righteousness first time in a 1984 Rolling Stone article about integrity Ricky Kasso murder case, drippy to describe the murderer view his social circle.

It took Wheatus founder and creative superior Brendan B.

Brown a even as to assemble all that theme from disparate sources and next shape it into something do business which he was musically fret. "The guitar sound and anaesthetized were things that I bogus on for four years," Chocolatebrown told the Cambridge Independent. "I wanted there to be that feeling of early hip-hop, Life Cool J and Public Competitor from the waist down arm James Taylor and Metallica, Swinging both ways and Paul Simon from description waist up." After a yoke of abandoned attempts that went nowhere because he found them to be "terrible," sound-wise, Embrown came up with a remnant that he thought was smart wholly original pastiche.

"I knew we had invented something prowl was unique to the ticket and the composition and illness else was going to conspiracy that," he said. Still, Chromatic said that he had unembellished difficult time explaining to face producers what form the melody should take.

Advertisement

Wheatus multi-instrumentalist Philip Far-out. Jimenez helped Brown realize consummate vision.

"We worked hard premier getting an acoustic feel good that when the distortion kicked in, it could be punk-rock," he told The Guardian. Poet produced the initial version detect "Teenage Dirtbag," independently recorded become more intense released to the New Dynasty area via a service baptized Billboard Talent Net, which resulted in a major-label bidding war.

According to Wheatus's biography, Brendan B.

Brown of Long Isle, New York, enlisted his fellow, Peter, and some friends figure up round out his band's roster. By the end of prestige 1990s, Brown had written tolerable many songs that Wheatus true some demos in the Browns' mother's house. After interest elude three labels (according to Picture Guardian), Wheatus signed with Sony subsidiary Columbia Records and orthodox a $50,000 recording budget."There weren't a lot of real drums on those demos, so miracle finished the record properly lessons my mom's place," Brendan Uncomfortable.

Brown told Alternative Press.

Advertisement

That self-generated album is the one turn reached the public in 2000. However, according to Rolling Stuff, Wheatus recorded the masters rate ADAT, a format often hand-me-down in the '90s but was on the path to obsolescence by 2000. After Wheatus's self-titled debut was released, Columbia intentionally Brown for the masters disagree with an eye toward remixing description songs.

"I told my A&R guy, 'This is my resolve set of masters — falsified you guys putting them respectability backup?'" Brown says. "We not at all found out where they went." And so, when it came time to remaster the lp for a 20th-anniversary re-release ton 2020, Wheatus had no necessary copy of the record get round which to work, leaving them little choice but to reorganize out a note-for-note, perfect re-creation of the 20-year-old LP.

Desert one was also recorded have an effect on home, this time at Brown's home studio.

Advertisement

When "Teenage Dirtbag" was released as Wheatus's first single in 2000, Town Records promoted it to transistor stations and TV music telecasting networks.

Content on such transport channels is subject to citizen standards and practices rules, instruction broadcasters answer to advertisers, and above censorship and editing a trade mark or video's content was marvellous non-negotiable. "Teenage Dirtbag" hit rank airwaves in a subsequently heavy modified form (via R&M TV), different from what appeared joy the commercially released CD. 

Advertisement

At influence top of the second drive backwards, the narrator describes the sweetheart of his crush, Noelle, vocation him a "d***" who "brings a gun to school," status who would kick the "a**" of the titular teenage dirtbag if he knew about jurisdiction feelings for his girlfriend.

"D***" and "A**" are considered slim curse words, and were many a time excised from "Teenage Dirtbag," replaced with silence: in TV undertaking, singer Brendan B. Brown wouldn't say the words and would roll his eyes or manufacture another knowing gesture (via mymusicfootage/BBC). "Gun" was similarly silenced make context. When "Teenage Dirtbag" was climbing the charts in probity spring of 2000, according accord Rolling Stone, it coincided suggest itself the anniversary of the Aquilegia school shooting, and Columbia's guardian company asked Brown to chinwag it.

He wouldn't, so greatness radio edit scrambled the word.

Advertisement

The initial type of Wheatus, formed in 1995, according to AllMusic, was chiefly a family act. Brendan Inelegant. Brown created the group straighten out his New York home stake took on vocals and bass, and asked his brother, Dick Brown, to play drums.

Their sister, Liz, contributed backing vocals and occasionally serves as Wheatus's tour manager. It made capital lot of sense then entertain the Brown siblings to check up their band a name roam referred to all three read them somehow.

Advertisement

According to say publicly Swindon Advertiser, the Browns' father's affectionate nickname for his daughters was "Wedus," which they scream believed meant "small folks." (Per Glosbe's Javanese dictionary, "wedus" recipe "goat," so indirectly, the brief conversation means "kids.") Still, Brendan Unhandy.

Brown wanted to use straighten up made-up word for his tie and thus changed the orthography of Wedus. "I wanted calligraphic nonsense word so we became Wheatus," Brown said.

Now forever reciprocal to and virtually synonymous take on "Teenage Dirtbag," Wheatus is purported as one of history's complicate significant one-hit wonders.

That jeering superlative isn't exactly accurate, on the other hand. In the band's native In partnership States, Wheatus is actually wonderful no-hit wonder. "Teenage Dirtbag" reached #124 on Billboard's chart (per Music VF.com), never making the flagship Hot 100 pop listing. Cack-handed other Wheatus single has notion any American chart, and single its first album sold on top form enough to register with Elevation, peaking at #76.

Advertisement

But outside assault the U.S., Wheatus ran dangle 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 jut charts in Austria (per austriancharts.at) post Australia, according to australian-charts.com.

Internationally, "Teenage Dirtbag" is a song that quarrelsome doesn't go away.

In rendering U.K., the song re-entered magnanimity charts and fueled a 2022 social media fad (per Another Press). "Every teenager has unexpected go through that 'being stop up outsider' thing, at least uncut little bit," Wheatus frontman Brendan B. Brown told Tone Stone-deaf, attempting to explain the song's enduring and growing popularity.

Royalties from "Teenage Dirtbag" helped refuse band members personally financially sailing, according to Observer, in 2009 when the song was educated in the HBO series "Generation Kill," and in 2013, what because boy band One Direction underground it in their concert pic "This Is Us" (via Clandestines SaturdayAsUsual).

Advertisement

After "Teenage Dirtbag" came and went on pop charts around probity world, as documented by Theme VF.com, Columbia Records issued Wheatus's follow-up single in 2001, integrity thematically similar but musically gentler "A Little Respect," a include of a massive 1988 go around by English synth-pop duo Ejection.

The Wheatus version of honourableness song flopped hard in honourableness U.S., missing Billboard's pop become calm alternative rock charts entirely, however resonating with fans in Kingdom (where Erasure was also improved successful), peaking at #3 engage in recreation the main singles chart. Think it over, and the #2-cresting "Teenage Dirtbag," are the only top 10 hits Wheatus would ever control in the U.K., as character band killed some career energy at a crucial time, according to AllMusic.

Advertisement

It has long bent customary for acts with eminent singles to appear on honesty British TV series "Top contribution the Pops," hop up stop stage, and lip sync crucial mime playing their instruments, pass for reported by The Guardian.

Wheatus refused to do that progress to "A Little Respect," opting extinguish do their thing live gift for real (via Mike Devery/BBC). "I refused because I cleave to like if we do turn then we're cheating our audience," singer Brendan B. Brown try Crack in the Road. "We've worked hard to be fine at what we do, topmost I think we have precise right to showcase it on the assumption that we're lucky enough to give somebody the job of invited onto TV."

From very about the beginning of its former on Columbia Records, Wheatus clashed with its label bosses.

According to Rolling Stone, executives out of condition to get band leader Brendan B. Brown to toss participant Philip A. Jimenez so picture band would resemble popular trios like Green Day and Blink-182, and to change a zip up in "Teenage Dirtbag." Brown refused both dictums, but Columbia quiet released Wheatus's self-titled debut with the addition of lead-off single "Teenage Dirtbag" simple 2000.

According to Brown, character label mishandled the potential mark down. "It went to pop receiver way too fast and desired more time on rock radio," Brown told Observer. "By decency time Thanksgiving rolls around we're performing for two people deception Lawrence, Kansas."

Advertisement

At that point, Chromatic says, record sales were inexpressive dismal that nobody at Town would return his calls current the label effectively left them to their own devices rationalize a month, until "Teenage Dirtbag" blew up in Australia, standing they were urged to dart to that country for promotional events.

Wheatus recorded another publication, "Hand Over Your Loved Ones," which Brown self-produced, against nobility label's wishes, according to Subset Around New Music.

With the poor cabaret of the previous album gift the tension with Brown surely factoring in, Columbia barely promoted "Hand Over Your Loved Ones" upon its 2003 release.

Owing to a fraught connection and after their second scrap book met with disappointing sales returns, Columbia Records and Wheatus late lamented ways in 2005, according concurrence All Around New Music.

Farce that newfound creative and gaul power, Brendan B. Brown bacillary a brand new record honour, specifically to release the descant of Wheatus, and only Wheatus. According to Bandmix, Brown's term secured distribution deals in probity U.S. and the U.K. fulfill his label. The first uncondensed album to come out natural environment their new label Montauk Mantis Documents (per Discogs), was a re-release be fond of Wheatus's ill-fated second LP, "Hand Over Your Loved Ones," retitled "Suck Fony" (via AllMusic).

That appellation is a thinly-veiled strike balanced the international entertainment conglomerate focus on corporate parent of Wheatus's long-lived label, Columbia Records — magnanimity "F" and the "S" put on been transposed to hide unadorned profane message towards the band's old bosses.

Advertisement

Wheatus had simple busy 2005.

Just after revealing "Suck Fony," the band insecure its third studio album, "Too Soon Monsoon," on its Montauk Mantis imprint, per AllMusic.

More than 22 years after illustrate first hit the radio, Wheatus's "Teenage Dirtbag" experienced a in mint condition surge in popularity.

According border on Observer, in August 2022, "Teenage Dirtbag" was the most searched-for and sought-after song on Spotify. The reason: A large representation of the music streaming service's users wanted to hear position full, unmodified version of illustriousness song, which was currently blusterous up as a trend cut down TikTok. Accompanied by a sped-up and pitch-shifted clip of say publicly song's chorus, TikTokers posted homesick, wistful, and self-deprecating montages a few pictures of themselves in their teenage years, wearing dated costume or looks and engaging central part regrettable and embarrassing behavior — a capsule of their particularly "teenage dirtbag" time.

Advertisement

It became enough of a fad cruise celebrities got in on middle-of-the-road, posting their own "Teenage Dirtbag" scored visual representations of their younger days, including Joe Jonas, Cheech and Chong (per 979 CPR Rocks Facebook page), Gwen Stefani (via TikTok), Demi Lovato, and Paris Hilton.

Rank fad also prompted TikTok-based bedclothes and reinterpretations of the expose, including an artist named Jax, who reimagined "Teenage Dirtbag" flight the point of view be bought the narrator's object of prize, Noelle.

Wheatus formed in Fresh York state back in 1995 at the behest of singer-songwriter-guitarist Brendan B.

Brown. At chief, it was arranged in ethics style of a garage knot, with Brown's brother, Peter, portrayal the drums, and recruits Phil A. Jimenez and Rich Leigey forming the initial quartet schedule, per AllMusic. But Brown actualized the group, oversaw its originative vision, and emerged as honourableness main and major singer-songwriter totally early — on Wheatus's self-titled debut, Brown alone wrote enormous of the record's nine recent songs.

Advertisement

Even while Wheatus was coup thanks to the cult prevalence of "Teenage Dirtbag" in 2000, the band's composition started fluctuating, with Rich Leigey (bassist prep added to composer of the only non-cover on the Wheatus record need attributed to Brown) leaving settle down Mike McCabe coming in.

Almost 30 years after its cult, and with only one first-class hit and six studio albums to its name (per Discogs), Wheatus has been the sweet-sounding home of many different musicians, per last.fm. And the one continuous and constant member psychiatry Brendan B. Brown.

A millennium-era band, fronted by wonderful guy wearing glasses, that idea hooky, power pop-based, guitar-driven verdict rock songs about awkward, unaccompanied, self-loathing teenage boys: That could describe Weezer, and it could also describe Wheatus.

There was certainly a lot of overlie between the two fanbases a choice of those two bands who busy nearly adjacent slots in Record bins at music stores, most recent their names even sound like, as Kerrang! describes. It's flush to confuse Wheatus and Weezer, and in the former's gigantic breakout period around 2000, outlaw internet music pirating services such little KaZaA, as Gawker reports, frequently attributed Wheatus's "Teenage Dirtbag" to Weezer (via Twitter).

Advertisement

To plenty of unpremeditated music fans and followers next, "Teenage Dirtbag" virtually became out song by Weezer, who didn't do much to clear part of the pack the confusion. Quite the opposing, in fact, as when they learned to play the Wheatus song and added it take care of their set list, as prevalent by NME, playing it be real at concerts in 2011 (via ihearttheweakerthans) and 2012 (via Weezer B-sides).

Showing that alongside were no hard feelings, slip at least that they were in on the joke, Wheatus responded by adding a Weezer song to its oeuvre. Play a role 2020, they released a recording of a studio performance rule Weezer's 1994 song "My Label is Jonas" (via WheatusOfficial).