The Dandy Warhols (thing)

Hey La, See Saw
Hey Ra, Hee Ha
Hey La, See Ra
Hey Ra, See Saw Hey
Hey La, See Saw
Hey La, Dee Da

The Dandy Warhols
"The Dandy Warhols T.V. Theme Song Lyrics"
Dandys Rule, Ok?

The Dandy Warhols are absolutely incredible, if only for the clever wordplay. Their sound was once trippy, solid guitar rock, and is now a mix of 80's New Wave, Pink Floyd psychedelia, and awesomeness. A steady stream of astounding lyrical anomalies, along with an always-present Velvet Underground sound/philosophy, connects their work. There are times when The Dandys are not all that they can be, but those times are few and far between.

Originally called Andy Warhol's Wet Dream, the band consists of Courtney Taylor-Taylor on vocals and guitar, Zia McCabe on keyboards, Peter Loew (formerly Peter Holmstrom) on guitar, and Brent DeBoer on drums. Lead singer Taylor-Taylor - who is, in fact, male - was born Courtney Taylor, but changed his name due to an interviewer's mispronunciation. All four members grew up in Portland. Taylor-Taylor and Loew were high school friends, McCabe worked at a local coffee shop, and recent addition DeBoer is Taylor-Taylor's cousin.

Their first album, Dandys Rule, Ok? (1995) gained them little commercial success, athough it got them plenty of attention in Europe. Their second album, Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997), received critical acclaim in the U.K., and also made it possible for the Dandys to acquire cold, hard cash. However, the album hardly made waves in the U.S. During the lull after Dandy Warhols Come Down, though the band was at a high, then-drummer Eric Hedford left the band to become a DJ in his hometown, and was replaced by Bret DeBoer.

The Dandy Warhols' third album was their breakthrough. Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000) was the first Dandys album to have any success in the U.S. Bohemian Like You, my personal favorite, was a chart topper on college radio. The cleaner production was definitely an improvement; and it made way for the Dandys future production work with Duran Duran members. Their fourth album, (2003), expands upon the Andy Warhol theme with Warhol inspired cover art: A banana with a zipper. Fans of Lou Reed will recognize the concept; it mimics the peelable banana sticker off of the cover of The Velvet Underground's first album The Velvet Underground and Nico. As if that homage were not enough, the title of the album refers to a book of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut.

More recently (2004), The Dandy Warhols released The Black Album/Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols. The collection includes songs that were never made into their first Capitol Records album and other songs that were recorded but, for some reason or another, were not used between 1995 and 2003.

In 2004, The Dandy Warhols appeared in the documentary film DIG!. The film, which won the Grand Jury Prize for a documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, is about the friendship/rivalry between Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe, leader of the band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. For a full synopsis, the movie's website - www.digthemovie.com - is a good source. The basic idea is that DIG!, shot over seven years, documents the different paths taken by each band to reach the same goal: to express their creativity and originality in a profit-driven industry while not "selling out". The Dandys are much more financially successful than their counterparts and are apparently constantly feuding with the BJM over this.