Anti-Music Song

The Mountain Goats

i saw you on tv
doing a bad imitation of van morrison
and i saw you on tv
doing a bad imitation of a second rate songwriter from the eighties named morissey
i never liked morrisey
and i don't like you.

i saw you tv,
doing an imitation of an imitation of jimi hendrix
that's really pathetic
and i saw you on tv
trying to figure out what brian jones would be like if he'd have lived 'til today
i can tell you myself
he'd be like brian wilson
i don't like brian wilson
and i don't like you
i don't like you.


Lyrics submitted by sendthestars

Anti-Music Song song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • +2
    General CommentI was at a concert once and yelled this out as a request. This was John's response more or less:

    "I won't play anti-music song because the song was written about some people I didn't like at the time but am now on good terms with/friends with."


    So.. thought that was interesting..
    FolkingSwagon December 19, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General CommentThis, as all of this songs, are sung by characters in the song, not by himself. It's not a first person about his feelings towards mucis.
    SasquatchAttackon May 22, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General CommentNo, I'm pretty sure this is a good conveyance of John Darnielle's feelings towards music.
    fahriiidayon March 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI'd enjoy this song way more if it didn't irk me so much the way he mispronounces morrissey.
    Sam-Vimeson September 06, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentSasquatchAttack was right. Anti-Music is another character song, wherein the first person compares his dislike of someone to his least favourite musicians.
    Zopilote Steelon July 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Commentleave it there then
    verysimilaron July 23, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThat Brian Jones-Brian Wilson connection is perfect.
    mattgeeon January 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General CommentFrom what I know all of his songs were character songs until "We shall all be healed" and "the sunset tree"...and even we shall all be healed isn't entirely autobiographical.
    baboon420on February 03, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General CommentWHO is the "you" he's talking about?? I love this song, but I've never been able to figure out who it was on tv, who he's talking to, that he doesn't like.
    paisleyblueon April 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI was at a concert once and yelled this out as a request. This was John's response more or less:

    "I won't play anti-music song because the song was written about some people I didn't like at the time but am now on good terms with/friends with."


    So.. thought that was interesting..
    FolkingSwagon December 19, 2011   Link

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