Bukowski

It's very straightforward.

He's talking to religious people and how they get so much into their religion they are unable to listen to other point of views.

He also attacks God on how it's a hypocrite.

In some traditions, if you are not of Christian faith, you cannot attend the wedding of a Christian couple getting married. The narrator asserts that even though he's not invited to the wedding, he'll be at the wake, when they're dead and nothing matters.

On Bukowski: This is why the song is named so:

"For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can’t readily accept the God formula, the big answers don’t remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us." - Charles Bukowski

He said that and that's why the song is named so. Note that Modest Mouse isn't calling Bukowski an asshole, he's calling God one because of it being a control freak. When he says "I am my own God," I think this bothered Isaac, and he wrote about it.

Charles Bukowski is a famous author who wrote poetry and mostly autobiographical fiction and is notorious for being a down and out drunkard. His life was that of a dazed drifter who lived in the bottom of the barrell as far as societal standing went. I think this song illustrates the narrators descent into a similar lifestyle, pondering exactly why God is so controlling, bringing the image of God down a peg by asking why he'd want to be a "control freak," a very human trait.

just a crossreference, bukowski is, as surname said, a notorious drifter, and in "the world at large" Brock ssys "I like songs about drifter-books about the same" I love how this album has so many resounding themes and crossreferences.

I've believed in God my since I was young and this is one of my favorite Modest Mouse songs. The questioning spirit is important present in these lyrics are really important as a person grows with belief. This song forces every believer question what they've been told about God and to remember that God isn't neccessarily a bully and a control freak. That is a message that some Christians have forced on society. God allows our lives to be what we make them. In fact, he is the oposite of a control freak...Just a thought that doesn't force us to throw out everything when it gets complicated.

The usage of "evil home stereo" means exactly this= the house you grew up in= The parents on the radio. What else has that much audio effect on ones life, ANYONE life. Your parents are your main "home" stereo (for how many years). He use stereo to mean a sort of indoctrination of sorts because that s your main feed. One could take this line further to mean one of two things; one the Main Street Radio all day everyday bullshit ((when ("one") good ones repeats it self over (the "ten") and over))is the means of a source of indoctrination it self; two switch radio into religion.

one of the best modest mouse songs i have ever heard.

The song isn't really about Bukowski as such but, rather, more a relation of Bukowski's writings to convey something about atheism. I'm not claiming to know exactly what the connection is there, but I'm certain it's not about Bukowski himself but, rather, his recurring fictional character, Henry Chinaski, who was more or less Bukowski, so I guess it could be said that this is directly in reference to Bukowski. Bukowski's novels mostly centered on the depressing holes that many of us find ourselves in in life that we will never escape from. Maybe Brock is attempting to relate that to say, "If God is really dictating my day to day life, and it sucks this much, then why is God such an asshole to put me in this place?" That's my theory, at this point, at least. I didn't realize that Modest Mouse was such a pariah group to Christians until I met one who had good music tastes but absolutely refused to listen to them because of what someone in their church had said about the band (says something right there, right?). Geez, there's nothing wrong with hearing out people questioning your beliefs. Get over yourself, ya know? If you like the music, then why let the lyrics spoil it for you? And, at the least, you have to admit that this (as well as his other religion-oriented songs) is, at the least, a humorous look at monotheism.

there's a difference between not believing in organized religion & not believing in God. great song nonetheless

Even though i fully believe in God, i really love this is song, and many others on the new album that really question Christian beliefs. So many christians these days are just along for the ride and dont truely know or believe what they claim to. Just like christians will call you a hypocrite from being democrat, even though it is much closer to the bible than the damn alternative. Anyway, the song really is interesting, but through my thinking the only justification of God being a control freak is that we are his creations and just like your own arts you strive to work at them and sometimes are very close to other opinions, however we do have freewill and God never changes, but you are all believers and probibly dont give a shit.

Great song, the banjo is really a nice addition and for those who have no reference to bukowski he also wrote barfly. (the movie)

attn: chaswick l tronkman Figuring out ways to pay the rent isn't really a tough decision. Around the time we did the beer commercial and the shoe commercial, I thought, "Am I compromising my music by doing this?" And I think not. I like keeping the lights on in my house. People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole. Principles are something that people are a lot better at checking in other people than keeping their own. My rationale behind the beer commercial was, "I like drinking MGD! I like beer probably more than I should, probably more than is healthy." I was hoping I could get a lifetime supply out of the deal, but I guess I'll have to buy it with that big ol' check. [Laughs.] -Isaac Brock-