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Epitaph Records -- Millencolin

Guttermouth

Friendly People
1994
Nitro

Guttermouth - Friendly People (Cover Artwork)


Review by: Phantom_Maggot
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Published on February 24th 2006

Guttermouth are one of the most polarizing modern day punk bands. Any time any news is posted about them on this site, the topic inevitably blows up with plenty of “witty” banter being exchanged back and forth between, on one side fans of the band, and on the other side, pretty much everyone else. People either want to have this band erased from musical memory, or they continue to find their anti-P.C. lyrics and crass stage show entertaining. I am not going to say where I stand on this spectrum, but instead, review what many consider to be their finest album, Friendly People.

Friendly People is not a musical masterpiece, nor is anything Guttermouth has ever produced. When people say that they sound like a less talented (though when Ty was in the band he was a great drummer) rip-off of the Vandals or NOFX, they are 100% correct. Guttermouth plays straight up Southern California skatepunk, and that’s about pretty much all that they do. This does not mean that the music is horrible, but some songs (like the instrumental “Summer's Over”) sound like the band stumbled upon some chords in a dumpster that NOFX had thrown out while recording Punk in Drublic and decided to make them their own. Where the band separates itself from its skate punkbrethren are in their lyrics.

The album starts off with one of the band's staples, “End on 9.” The song pulls no punches as it mocks punk culture relentlessly. On the song, the always entertaining (or douche bag, depending on your point of view) singer Mark Adkins sings “Single-handedly I’ll wage my war on a personal level/ Everyday I will attack the establishment / Fishing without a license / And I’ll drink wine way before its time.” The next song, “Derek” attacks straight-edge as something that is outdated and only for kids who are under 21. The rest of the album follows this formula of taking jabs at all aspects of society with a brash, uncompromising, and snotty attitude, that for better or worse, has come to define Guttermouth.

The highlights of the album are the ska-toned (featuring the then horn section of the Voodoo Glow Skulls), “Veggicide,” which mocks vegetarians for brutally harming defenseless vegetables, and “P.C.,” which contains my favorite line of the album, “How dare you call them dogs / They’re Siberian-American Huskies!” The album ends with the song “Asshole”, in which Adkins and crew proudly proclaim, “I’m a goddamn asshole!

To summarize Friendly People in one sentence, it is the kind of CD you put in your car when you’re driving a carpool of people to school or work and you want to see who gets uncomfortable or mad, and who laughs along. Though many say that Guttermouth are just bitter old men now, it is apparent from the lyrical content on Friendly People they have always been mocking everything and everyone, and therein is the inherent problem with this band. If you do not have a problem poking fun at P.C. and traditionally off-limit topics like homosexuality or race, then you’ll find Guttermouth very much to your liking. If you don’t find any humor in poking fun at these sensitive topics, then Guttermouth sounds like a talented high-school band, fronted by a bratty and quasi-homophobic, chauvinistic, frat boy. The odds are though, that if you fall into that second category, Guttermouth wouldn’t care what you thought because they’d be too busy laughing at you.



People who liked this also liked:
7 Seconds - The CrewBad Religion - Live at the Palladium DVDD.I. - Horse Bites Dog CriesSloppy Seconds - Destroyed [reissue]Murderland - Lights Out



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    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 19, 2006 at 11:00 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Guttermouth fucking rules!!! New school punk usually sucks and Warped Tour is for pansy-ass losers. This is more for fans of early 80s punk sense of humour than boring Anti-Flag sheep mentallity. Guttermouth is fun, fast, catchy, and this album is one of their best. Musical Monkey and Eat Your Face are the best, though. "Bullshit", "Derek", and "Asshole" are the best tunes. This a must have for any true punkers.

    Posted by Otter on 2006-02-28 17:35:28

    This is a great punk record. They dont give a shit what anybody thinks. The pro war thing is some funny shit.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 1:11 PM (EST)

    This score is for Mark starting a huge snowball fight at Boreal in '97. After Pennywise played a perfect but boring show and everyone had enough "shopping" the Vans booths, Guttermouth saves the day and actually does something fun.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 10:35 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Guttermouth is total shit.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 9:07 AM (EST)

    You are all a bunch of fucks! I was listening to this album back in 96, when most of you were 10 years old. All of the Inbred Rat Fuckers that think they are super COOL punks were still sucking your daddies cocks! This album is totally a staple, i agree with the man below.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 10:31 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    this score is for mark practicly starting a riot at punk show '95, if you werent there it was great.

    Posted by BillyBadScene on 2006-02-27 21:23:13

    This album is fucking great! These guys have so much fun on stage and the way this album sounds is perfect cuz they don't take themselves seriously.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 9:15 PM (EST)

    you use retard in a derogatory way, while you stick up for the homosexuals. what, you like the homo's better than the retards? how do you think they feel? what would ami lawless do? she would be pissed. i bet she sticks up for retards just as much as the homosexuals. after all she is the justifier of humankind.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 9:09 PM (EST)

    i call things that are gay,gay, because they are gay. my gay freinds don't care and neither do i. the synonomous nature is life. give back the rainbow and will stop calling lame shit gay. if you give such power to words than here, "faggot lesbian gay twink dyke biitch", i hope your now fully enraged and ready to "kill".

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 8:13 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    If you guys and girls dont realize that Guttermouth is just a bunch of dudes having fun then you are probly not a dude that has fun.

    Faggots....yeah....as in ass reaming faggots.

    Score is for dudes having fun.

    P.S
    Shut up

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 4:55 PM (EST)

    "Although Guttermouth use the words homo and faggot, they are not used in a homophobic manner."

    That is probably the stupidest sentence I have ever read. Wanna know how "faggot" and "lame" became synonymous? Its called homophobia ya Fucking retard. Try saying that shit around someone like Ami Lawless. She'll kill your gay-bashing asses.

    Posted by AcidPolice on 2006-02-27 16:18:47
    My Score:

    Awsome album, Guttermouth doesn't put them out like this anymore but at any rate, this Album fucking rips.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 1:09 PM (EST)

    GET OUT OF THAT CUBICLE before it is too late!

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 1:07 PM (EST)

    Dude in the cubicle, ditch work today, walk into the first sk8 shop you see and buy yourself a skateboard (look for bigger softer wheels) then go out and ride it all over the place. keep a low profile and stay away from the malls, old ladies and any cops. Don't glare at anyone, just have fun. take your life back. If you live near the beach, buy a surfboard and do the same.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 12:59 PM (EST)

    I blame nofx for creating the gay (as in lame not homosexual) sound of today. they were the first to play the over harmonized, high pitched, nasal, too melodic, girlie, whining shit that spawned generations of the horrible annoying "punk" music we hear today. Then to top it off nofx sing about carpet and shit.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 12:52 PM (EST)

    The vandals, that is like Ringo getting 3 guys together and calling it the Beatles while he sings.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 12:46 PM (EST)

    cubicle

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 12:24 PM (EST)

    I like this album because slamming your face on the burning pavement skateboarding while listening to this CD blaring at old ladies and mall cops was what being a 14 year old was all about.

    10 years and a million beers later the skatepunk party is over and here we are sitting in our cubicles posting about how great/lame this album was like pathetic old douchebags.

    There's no debate whether this CD was good or bad or funny or clever: fun was the message. And if you're going to bitch and moan about how shitty this band is, you've missed it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 12:13 PM (EST)

    Ohhhhh they don't like George Bush. How edgy.
    They're almost as edgy as Susan Sarandon and fucking Nancy Pelosi.


    This could be a lyric on the album

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 4:37 AM (EST)

    All i know is lucky the luckiest donkey is the funniest song ever written. The donkey show in Tiajuanna is an urban legend that every male in southern Cal has heard about growing up so close to T.J.. Somebody had to sing about and it best be Guttermouth. O'LEY!!!

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 4:29 AM (EST)

    I see Adkins more as a satirest than a homophobe.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 4:23 AM (EST)

    Although Guttermouth use the words homo and faggot, they are not used in a homophobic manner. They were used in way that pushes on the hypersensitivity of people who take themselves way to serious. Guttermouth has never said "they hate fags", at least not that I know of.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 12:51 AM (EST)

    Spazz and Stikky were like a million times funnier than this band ever was. Oh, and they didn't have to resort to the cheap heat generated by being homophobic.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 6:51 PM (EST)

    They didn't get kicked off the the tour. They left. There's a newish blog about it on their webpage.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 4:00 PM (EST)

    Did Guttermouth not mention the concept that mabey both partys suck in "party of two"? The only true punk idea during the warp tour. So they get get kicked off the tour for not following the heard of idiots voting for Kerry because Bush sucks. They are both corupt and Guttermouth was the only ones who mentioned it. Nobody got it though. No wonder they sing silly songs, why bother.

    Posted by feeeding5000 on 2006-02-26 14:42:55
    My Score:

    Score is for lefty, PC , "I'm gonna change the world" punk. Fight War, Not Wars!

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 10:41 AM (EST)

    jesus motherfucking christ a giant ball of yarn

    Posted by badmouth on 2006-02-26 10:28:22

    the only thing worse than guttermouth is the dwarves

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 6:02 AM (EST)

    [i]Score is for Mark Adkins getting arrested in hawaii for dealing pills recently. Idiot.[/i]

    Was he busted by Dog?

    Posted by Phantom_Maggot on 2006-02-25 17:45:56

    I think Gorgeous is my favorite Guttermouth album, and Musical Monkey and Friendly People have some of my favortie Guttermouth songs.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 25, 2006 at 5:33 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Score is for Mark Adkins getting arrested in hawaii for dealing pills recently. Idiot.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 25, 2006 at 5:29 PM (EST)

    no likes Musical Monkey? By far the best musically and the funniest.

    Posted by cantsitstill on 2006-02-24 20:56:11
    My Score:

    This band gets a 10 as being on one of my "Best Shows Ever" list:

    Offspring w/ Rancid
    with The Goops and Guttermouth

    1994 fucking ruled.

    The Offspring sucked/sucks.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 6:34 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    One of the best Punk Rock albums of all time.

    But god damn do they suck now.

    Posted by Phantom_Maggot on 2006-02-24 18:21:04

    I really like Guttermouth a lot (I am not afraid to admit it). I was just trying to write a fair review of the album.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 4:01 PM (EST)

    the album is funny
    i dont think it was meant to be taken seriously.
    adkins has been around a loooong time and i know when he started out he did not want to go down the "im going to change the world path" that was so popular at the time.(early 80's). he never put on the mohawk and got the tattoo's or tried to fit in the uniform of how to rebel. instead he went against the grain of the subculture itself .
    too bad a previous band adkins fronted, "lost dog" never lasted, they played the best "punk" music i ever heard. no nofx overtones from that band, there was no nofx yet and the only true vandals period was when stevo was blowing up toilets at partys in hb. infact i would compare adkins to stevo (minus the cherry bombs) more than any of the other limp dick hero's you love.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 3:36 PM (EST)

    1st off, punk has been bad joke for a long time now.
    2nd, go watch guttermouth blow the vandals or nofx away live anyday.
    3rd if you sk8 and are not on an ego intellectual head trip about how important you are, this record while make your grinds even gnarlyer or your kickflips if your 12.

    Posted by lushj on 2006-02-24 15:08:21
    My Score:

    This record is their best, I really like the song about foods of the world- cracks me up every time. If you're gonna go for juvenile punk, you could do a lot worse than this record. Their other records are a lot more uneven- all of the songs here are really good, and a few rise to the level of classic.

    Posted by Dante3000 on 2006-02-24 13:50:06

    Do people actually find Guttermouth offensive? I like the dudes who are like, “This what punk is all about, offending people and bands still play this music.”
    A) No one with any sort of intelligence should ever be offended by Guttermouth. They’re not intelligent enough, popular enough or persuasive enough to be offensive.
    Though I get the joke, to call them offensive would be similar to calling an old, blind, crippled, homeless, schizophrenic racist offensive. Sure he says mean spirited things but who cares?
    I think a handful of their songs are interesting enough, or funny enough to care about.
    B) Yeah people are still playing this kind of music, it’s called The Vandals and they got a few years jump on Guttermouth.

    Now I can’t explain why I don’t really like Guttermouth but like similar groups (some Dwarves, The Clifton’s) but I do. But really to act like this album (or any Guttermouth work) is a big middle finger to the overly leftist, PC faction of punk is basically like assuming sitting around smoking pot and playing Tony Hawk is going to improve your living situations. Fucking retards.
    -Dante

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 12:34 PM (EST)

    There's not enough thought behind Guttermouth for their songs to actually offend anyone. It's just kind of mundane and banal in its crassness. Meh.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 12:27 PM (EST)

    Not only the best G-mouth album, but an all time top-10 staple of so-cal punk.

    13 songs in 22 minutes, pissing off every worthy faction of the establishment. Rarely does punk get more to the point than this.

    Posted by joeg on 2006-02-24 12:20:43

    wow, so guttermouth is edgy and "offensive" because they use the word faggot and make jokes about having sex with animals? ladies and gentleman, we have the logic of your typical guttermouth fan, forever a 14 year old, with an IQ bordering dangerously close to mentally retarded due to repeated falls off his skateboard. i bet guttermouth is also "dangerous" too!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 10:51 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    classic

    Posted by fistchode on 2006-02-24 10:48:01

    To the two fucking morons: you're both fucking morons. If you weren't aware, you can reach me on AIM, and we can go through it point by point.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 10:34 AM (EST)

    Umm... to the last two comments... I don't know what you're talking about when it comes to Guttermouth. The lyrics aren't particularly offensive and they're definitely not clever. It's just kind of potty humor that young men like. Don't kid yourselves saying this is dangerous anti-PC punk rock. It's making the easy joke and the music is generally tedious, though there are some good moments.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 9:25 AM (EST)

    To the guy below: right on.

    Punk rock isn't about fucking sitting around in a circle singing kumbaya. That's what hippies do. It's not about impressing people with your amazingly intricate songs about nothing. That's for prog-rock assholes. Punk rock should be loud, fast and offensive. Fuck social consciousness and fuck political correctness. When's the last time you saw a punk band on Fat offend anyone? Ohhhhh they don't like George Bush. How edgy. They're almost as edgy as Susan Sarandon and fucking Nancy Pelosi.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 9:14 AM (EST)

    I would have to say that i've just lost all faith in this shitty non-punk website. I will never return. You should change this website to ihatepunk.com or maybe farfrompunknews.org. I got one, how about onlyshittymeaninglessmusicgetsgoodreviews.org. Fuckin jerks. This album is a musical masterpeice. Its a fuckin staple and if you were around in the scene when it came out you would understand that. Its not fuckin Dave Matthew asshole. Its supposed to be everything that it is. Nothing more or less. and there are bands still playing this style of punk and they will be taking back the scene from people like this dickhead. So be fuckin ready for the change.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 9:14 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Score is for this album, Guttermouth and any band that sings about killing an obnoxious crying baby with a lethal injection of heroin.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 9:04 AM (EST)

    ah when guttermouth were good... :)

    Posted by almostpunkenough on 2006-02-24 06:53:48
    My Score:

    classic in my mind.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 3:18 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I have this album. It sucks.

    ...evildeadalive

    Posted by Mute98 on 2006-02-24 02:31:54
    My Score:

    all of gmouths albums rule

    yes, even Gusto

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 2:26 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This is my favourite Guttermouth album. Unpolished and snotty as hell. This is really the only G-mouth album I'd be sad about loosing if my record collection was stolen.

    Posted by rkl on 2006-02-24 01:26:57
    My Score:

    score is for "veggicide"

    Posted by TheNightProwler on 2006-02-24 01:06:39
    My Score:

    Gorgeous will always be my absolute favorite...

    Guttermouth need to tour more often, lazy bastards!

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-02-24 00:44:54

    mantom phaggot

    Posted by the_other_scott on 2006-02-24 00:37:42

    any time any news is posted about them on this site, the topic inevitably blows up with plenty of “witty” banter being exchanged back and forth between, on one side fans of the band, and on the other side, pretty much everyone else

    um i'm pretty sure that happens with every band on this site unless they somehow involve members of lifetime, kid dynamite, paint it black, none more black, the lawrence arms, hot water music or the bouncing souls.

    Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2006-02-24 00:32:33

    I wish bands still made albums like this. Seriously, what the hell hapened to good old fashioned skate punk? Oh well, at least we still have Guttermouth. My faith in them was totaly restored with Eat Your Face.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 12:20 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This is the best snotty skate-punk album ever recorded. By anyone. Ever.

    All their later stuff was trying to recapture the magic, and their earlier stuff was just too coked up.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 12:15 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Uhhhhhhh.....First?