My Favorite Albums: Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy

Let me tell you about one of my less obvious desert island discs.

Today I want to discuss the oddly named Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy by The Refreshments. It's the first major label release from another one of those Tempe, Arizona bands and, as the title above suggests, one of my favorite albums. Some folks may remember The Refreshments as the band that had sort of a novelty hit with a song called "Banditos"in 1996. The song is known for referencing Star Trek: The Next Generation character Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the United Federation of Planets, and it has a memorable chorus:

Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people

So meet me at the mission at midnight and we'll divvy up there.

Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people

But  I got the pistol, so I'll keep the pesos. Yeah and that seems fair.

But there's so much more to FFB&B than this song about planning a holdup, and I'm here to tell you that this album is great from start to finish. I picked this one up in 1996 on the strength of the quirkiness of the lyrics and "singability" of the songs "Banditos" and follow-up hit "Down Together," and was delighted to unearth the even more valuable treasures hidden throughout the entirety of the album.

There is both darkness and light throughout the record, which kicks off with "Blue Collar Suicide," an upbeat and uptempo song about being trapped in a relationship and finding the only way out to be a bottle of pills. Front man Roger Clyne's vocals at times have a bit of a harsh quality that will put some listeners off when he rocks out a bit, but I think they fit the music well and his lyrics are simultaneously tragic and funny.

I can't sleep cause she snores like a chain saw

And I can't eat cause she can't cook

I can't write cause she's got all my inspiration

And she can't count all the pills I took 

While I find "Blue Collar Suicide" to be one of the lesser songs on the album, it's a good, energetic opening track and feeds well into "European Swallow," which is a step down in tempo but continues to expose the listener to Clyne's wry humor and the possibility that he either had or at least observed a lot of bad interactions with other human beings. 

So this big old guy comes up to me
And says hey skinny white boy
I don't like the way you look at my girlfriend
What an ugly thing to say
I say don't you flatter yourself
I don't think that much of your girlfriend

So that big old guy socks me in the nose
I falls on my back and gets blood on my clothes
He says hey skinny white boy
What do you think about that?
I says it doesn't change much
I still don't think much of your girlfriend

The song really showcases Brian David Blush's unique guitar tone and playing style, which is full of tasty licks and flourishes that seem effortless and fit seamlessly into the songs. 

Next up comes "Down Together," the second single from the album. It was chosen by Mercury as the second single, while the band preferred to release "Mekong" as the follow-up to "Banditos." I have to agree with the record company that "Down Together" sounds more like a single, but "Mekong" is a vastly superior song, so it's easy to see why Clyne and his bandmates wanted the latter to get the marketing push. I'm not sure it would have catapulted the band to greater heights but "Mekong" is a song that deserves to be delivered to more people's ears. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I find "Down Together" to be enigmatic. The lyrics are brilliant at times but I have no idea what they mean. That's fine with me, because they're a great example of fitting words together in a fun way that fit the construction of the song without having to rhyme.

I could give you a star

You could give me one too

And that way we'd be even

And I could sing this song way out of tune

And not care a bit about it

The song also pays homage to a band they shared the stage with in Tempe, by name checking them in the lyrics (We could all wear ripped up clothes and pretend that we are Dead Hot Workshop). 

"Down Together" is catchy as hell and it ends perfectly with one of my favorite lyrics of all time, which coincidentally currently graces my home page:

We could find a speck of dust and scribble down our life story.

The album's first true hidden treasure comes next as the band kicks into "Mekong," a bit of a story song told from the perspective of someone I interpret as a world-weary traveler. The lyrics seem mostly upbeat and positive but it also refers to being far from his girl and it's sung in a way that makes the narrator seem sad or at least expresses resignation. Putting the bitter and sweet together is a gift Clyne has in spades and for me is one of the things I love most about The Refreshments' music and especially this album. Blush's guitar helps provide the mood and tone and even if you only listen for the guitar in this song there is plenty to like.

I came all the way
From Taipei today
Now Bangkok's pouring rain
And I'm going blind again
And I haven't seen my girl
For fifteen thousand miles 

Is it true
It's always happy hour here
If it is I'd like to stay a while
And as cliché as it may sound
I'd like to raise another round
And if your bottle's empty
Help yourself to mine
Thank you for your time
And here's to life  

The song is named after the cheapest spirit Clyne could find to drink (actually spelled Mekhong) during a trip to Asia, which speaks to the status of the song's narrator. Clyne paints a clear picture of a dimly lit local watering hole and the kinds of people who might be there drinking (Barkeep, we need to go around again, one for me and what's-his-name, my new best friend). My own interpretation is that they're drinking in the middle of the day, but nothing in the song really makes that explicit. The "Here's to life" signature toast at the end of the chorus is the line to really pay attention to with this song. It starts out basically in normal voice, becomes an excited exclamatory in mid-song, just before a scorching Blush solo, and then sounds sad and beaten down at the end. It's brilliant.

Track 5 slows things down a bit with the more reflective "Don't Wanna Know." This is one that used to speak directly to me when I was in college (eight years after I should have graduated). Once again the narrator is in a bar — this time on a midweek night. 

Ghost town on a Tuesday night
That's OK I'm feelin' all right
It's easier to grab a beer
Without a thousand people here 

There are two passages that really spoke to me back in those days: 

Well we've been saying we're going to go somewhere
For a long, long time
But it never happens
Why's it never happen?

The sentiment and inherent sadness in that section really speak to me on a deep level. And then there's the chorus...

I wonder where I'll be in a year
I'll probably be sittin' right here
But if you know the answer
Don't tell me anyone
'Cause I don't want to know 

It's a devastating thought of futility and stagnation, combined with the fear that no change is imminent. It crushes me and it's the kind of depth that makes me love the band all the more. Blush's unique guitar work really shines this simple song up and makes it sparkle.

The mood on FFB&B changes instantly afterwards with "Girly," a bouncy and infectious song with more wry lyrics from Clyne. I'm not sure I can fully explain the meaning of this song and do it any justice, so I'll just hit you with the opening lyrics: 

Well I'm going to the hardware store

I'm gonna buy you a really big hammer

Girly won't you pull these nails out of my heart

And I'm goin' to the sporting goods store

I'm gonna buy you a really heavy baseball bat

Girly won't you knock these thoughts out of my head

Beat me 'til I'm black and blue

And I'm hangin' by a thread

Then I can get back up

And we can do it all over again

Once again, there's the sort of silly combined with darkness, along with a jaunty pace and lighter tone. Clyne does it well and Blush's guitar helps him pull it off. I think most people can relate to the feeling of being a glutton for punishment when it comes to relationships.

The big hit "Banditos," which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, follows "Girly," and it's one of those songs most people have heard. If not, go watch the video on YouTube. The song is pure fun and I like the thought of the narrator pulling the double-cross at the end and keeping the pesos because he's got the pistol.

The album then ends with five more songs and four of those (all but "Carefree," which I think is just OK) are really what make this a desert island disc for me, along with "Mekong" and "Don't Wanna Know." 

The first of those 'final four' gems is "Mexico." If you didn't already know this band was from the U.S. Southwest, this song certainly reveals that. Construction-wise it's pretty simple and it's got the typical sad humor at which Clyne excels. It has one of my favorite choruses, which is also quite simple.

Now the good guys and the bad guys
Well they never work past noon around here
They sit side by side in the cantinas
Talk to senoritas
And drink warm beer 

Track 9 is "Interstate" and it might be my favorite song on the album, depending on what day you ask me. Within it is a mention of "lost horizons" which I take to be a reference to The Refreshments' fellow Tempe band Gin Blossoms and their late former band member Doug Hopkins. A song by the name "Lost Horizons" (written by Hopkins) appears on the Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience album, which came out in 1992. It's really the lyrics of "Interstate" that keep me coming back and I'm constantly re-evaluating what I think they mean, but The Refreshments sure can paint a picture of the Arizona desert.

Well out here on the border

Ants drag bones 'cross the hot dry ground

They told me there at the trailer park

They got a million souls in the lost and found

Although I love the lyrics throughout this song it's really the mood and the tone that make this song for me. Clyne sings it in a way that's tinged with despair and the narrator comes off as someone looking for a reason to keep going on (No I don't need a miracle but I could use a push in the right direction). This is one of the better vocal performances on the album for me, and this is one of the few songs in existence that I could listen to on repeat for an hour and not get tired of it.

Up next is another rocky relationship song, "Suckerpunch." The song itself is fairly simple (it even literally dives into "See Dick, see Jane" territory lyrically) and it's not as catchy as some of the other songs on the album but I love the way the lyrics fit together and it includes another passage I wish I'd written:

Baby I was never cool enough

To get a job at a record store

And if I had I wouldn't want you anymore

Track 11 is "Carefree," which is good enough that I don't skip it but it's not my favorite. It's just catchy enough to make you sing along to it while not really standing out. Sometimes I forget it's on the album and when it plays I usually feel a pleasant surprise, which is a good sign, I guess.

The album closer is "Nada," another one of the band's best ever songs, in my opinion. To me, the song is about someone at the end of their rope, crossing the Arizona desert toward Mexico in a hallucinatory haze of tequila and despair. There doesn't seem to be a reason for the journey or even a destination, aside from Mexico in general, and that fact doesn't really seem important to the song's narrator. Each time the chorus rolls around, Clyne adds another adjective to describe the darkness within the narrator. He starts out by saying:

I'm just waiting for that cold, black soul of mine to come alive

By the end of the song, the words "cold, black" are followed by "sun-cracked, numb-inside soul of mine." 

Clyne again uses words to create images and Blush's guitar sets the mood. It's a dangerous song to hear while drinking alone as it can take one's thoughts down into a dark hole if you let it. I have, on several occasions, allowed it to do just that. But despite that, it's just a really great song and the chorus is both dark and beautiful.

There ain't no moral to this story at all
Anything I tell you very well could be a lie
I've been away from the living, I don't need to be forgiven
I'm just waiting for that cold black soul of mine to come alive

I can't say enough about this album and how special it is. I connected with it on a deep level and even though I had gone through some rough times, I don't really associate those with this record the way I do with New Miserable Experience. Maybe the lyrical injection of Clyne's wit prevents that from happening.

I've spoken a lot about Clyne and Blush but I don't want to omit bassist Buddy Edwards and drummer P.H. Naffah, who are fine musicians in their own right and bring a lot of themselves to the songs. Naffah co-wrote many of the songs with Clyne.

The Refreshments might have become my all-time favorite band had they just been left to their own devices. Mercury experienced a change at the top while they were touring Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy and the new regime ordered them to cancel an impending Australian tour and immediately record the follow-up. The band went with a producer who helped make one of their favorite records and he turned out to be a stoner who didn't do them many favors, making for a chaotic recording experience. Blush was starting to sink into drug addiction and even ended up stealing from the band to fund his growing habit. 

The band's second record for the label, The Bottle & Fresh Horses, isn't a bad sophomore effort, but again the label ignored the band's suggestion for a single and when their choice didn't become a hit, the band was dropped from the label and fell apart.

The Refreshments booted Blush for becoming less and less dependable due to his drug use. Edwards didn't want to go on with the touring rock musician lifestyle and went on to write books. Clyne and Naffah rebranded with some new musicians as Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers. I was only vaguely aware of that at the time and have just recently begun pouring through the Peacemakers' albums. While I haven't found one that speaks to me on the same level as FFB&B, there are good songs on all of them and I'd love to go check them out their annual appearance at Circus Mexicus, where they play Refreshments songs and were joined on stage by a clean and sober Blush a few years back. 

If you want to know more about the band, I highly recommend their documentary, Here's to Life - The Story of the Refreshments, which is available to stream on Amazon video for a small rental fee. (Spoiler: it's worth it.)