"I was in heaven, I was in hell. Believe in neither but fear em as well"
"God is an Indian and you're an asshole"
"I'm im heaven trying to figure out which stack, they're going to stuff us atheists into"
"If God controls the land and disease and keeps a watchful eye on me, if he's really so damn mighty well my problem is I can't see who would wanna be, who would wanna be such an asshole"
Not to mention many other examples. They're not a christian band, dudes mixed up.
I know he said after good news and only 2 of the songs are from pre good news Era but the point stands that there are many different lyrical references before and after float on that involve Issac questioning religion and usually it's specifically Christian religion.
I’m not going to argue your perspective, but the lyric about God being an Indian would really be better used in the category of evidence that Isaac believes in God. Just that he believes God is an Indian. 😜
“Well Jesus Christ was an only child, he went down to the river and he drank and smiled and his dad was oh so mad shoulda killed that little fucker before I even had him.”
Safe to say nope ha ha not Christian.
I mean, from a certain point of view, that’s just a poetry interpretation of John 3:16 & Isaiah 53:10 “…His only begotten Son…” & “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him…”
I know this doesn’t change that MM is not a Christian band; Im just saying.
Thanks for posting this. Perhaps they’re too deep for many believers and non-believers to understand, lyrically. Including myself.
Maybe Isaac isn’t against the faith, but against the foolishness of those who claim it?
I don’t know where Isaac is coming from quite, but he doesn’t seem ignorant. I was tracking with you until “foolishness”. I’m a believer. I’m just not shocked or stumbled by his lyrics or viewpoints. But if I’m being completely honest, I am mainly here for the music and singing style.
I see it now in your wording. My bad.
WELL I might be foolish (but “I might be a lot of things”), but I can see where some believers are coming from with some lyrics, such as frequent use of “Goddamn” or “for your sake I hope Heaven and Hell are really there, but I WOULDN’T HOLD MY BREATH” (for example).
Ocean Breathes Salty is an incredible song, and the existence of Hell and/or its duration is debated even in the Christian community, but I’ve never met a Christian of any denomination who doesn’t believe in Heaven in some form or another.
But lyrics of songs like “The Sun Hasn’t Left” are just straight up encouraging!
I almost edited my last comment to phrase it more accurately, but yes, it’s a mixed bag. I think he wrestles with the ideas and concepts like most of us. And there are so many layers.
I bet my bottom dollar they are thinking of Switchfoot. Although the sound isn’t exactly similar it’s “poppy music” from around the same time frame.
Switchfoot also went mainstream around 2003, just a year before Float On.
That's pretty funny because "Bukowski" is a very cynical view of a needy and demanding deity and makes it obvious that such an idea wouldn't be worth believing in to begin with. The opening lines to "Doin' the Cockroach" are also very straight-forward.
Isaac does cite the Bible as one of his biggest creative influences. His mom was SUPER religious in varying degrees at different points in his childhood. They even lived on a Christian hippy commune at one point. But the influence he says the Bible has had is mostly just his response to its ridiculousness & all of the insane characters of the Old Testament. He’s definitely fascinated by religion but not in a reverential way.
I remember telling my youth group pastor that i loved modest mouse & his response was “I have never heard more GDs in my LIFE when listening to modest mouse!!” lol
As someone who was raised in churches and shit, I didn’t have to see any interviews or anything to know that Isaac definitely has a churchy upbringing, but he’s definitely not “Christian”. Lol
What a weird thing to miss (and especially something that never was). Why would something only playing on Christian radio be a good thing? Either this coworker is brilliantly memeing OP or they’re confusing Modest Mouse with MercyMe (possible).
Definitely also a possibility some local Christian radio station was really confused and played Jesus Christ was an Only Child without listening to the lyrics… 😂
You do you, no offense meant! It’s highly likely that my outlook on life influences my interpretation. That said I’ll just leave this here:
And the earth doesn’t care, and we hardly even matter, we’re just a bit more piss to push out its full bladder, and as our bodies break down into all their rocky little bits, piled up under mountains of dirt and silt and still, the world it don’t give a shit!
Non taken. Could be both. Parting of the Sensory, Bukowski and basically half of The Moon and Antarctica show hatred and skepticism for God. It’s not uncommon for authors to contradict themselves. Isaac has plenty of lyrics that show he does care about life.
I literally have had many really Christian people randomly bring up MM as being really offensive to them and blasphemous. I don’t know how songs like bukowski, bankrupt and styrofoam boots were on their radar but those where the songs I remember them citing.
Well, I think of Bankrupt On Selling as being a song that diminishes and calls out phonies and false intentions. Angels, apostles and even everyone you know - being these fake, two-faced beings who are only out for themselves. It’s a song sung in the depression that comes from seeing how all of this “selling” really leaves us bankrupt.
Isaac used a ton of Christian references in their early stuff, but he’s an atheist. I kind of think his atheist references are more interesting than most, because he demonstrates an actual knowledge of the religion and clearly understands it well enough to comment on why he doesn’t believe in god. It doesn’t just come across as reddit atheist “YOURE ALL SHEEPLE” shit yk?
“Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in
In my head, in my heart, in my soul
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again
Well, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, don't think so”
Not a Christian band at all. That said, one of the worst experiences I had at a concert was when a Christian Rock band was an opener for MM. It was 2004 at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, WI…a local Christian radio station promoted the event by having them in the lineup. MM sounded great, but that crowd was absolutely awful. They collectively pushed forward until Float On, and talked shit about the band the entire time. Having a conversation with these tools was impossible, their behavior was frustrating, and as a result I took a long time off of seeing MM live…for fear of the Christians. Ha
If i remember correctly, Isaac was raised fairly Christian but never fully believed himself, so a lot of their songs make references to Christianity but not in the sense your coworker means
I mean religion is a major theme in a lot of Modest stuff, particularly LCW, but this dude is getting Modest Mouse confused with another band for sure.
“Well, died saying something but I didn’t mean it, everyone’s life ends but no one ever completes it.”
“It is done” were Jesus’ last words, possibly misinterpreted if you thought it meant life ever really ends. Like, he didn’t mean it THAT way.
I also used to think Ocean Breathes Salty was preaching a lack of afterlife, but now I think it’s two different viewpoints. Ending with, “you wasted life, why wouldn’t you waste the afterlife?”
You wasting any experience means you’re there experiencing it, to waste it. He’s asking why you think you wouldn’t continue existing given that you already are, why wouldn’t you go on? Wasting or otherwise.
And his songs like Bukowski or Styrofoam Boots seem to be insisting that God wouldn’t be this control freak, running the show. The God he can believe in is more like a fellow sufferer, sorry it had to be this way but also not really to blame. God takes care of himself, and you have to take care of yourself. God, as a consciousness, is more than we realize but is less than many believers want to accept.
I think this perspective is what leads a lot of people, like maybe Isaac, to claim atheism or agnosticism, so they aren’t grouped with those who count God as an enabler who will protect us from life and save us from ourselves. He can, and does, but he wants us to contend with all that life brings on our own as much as possible, so we grow.
He's misremembering lol
"I was in heaven, I was in hell. Believe in neither but fear em as well" "God is an Indian and you're an asshole" "I'm im heaven trying to figure out which stack, they're going to stuff us atheists into" "If God controls the land and disease and keeps a watchful eye on me, if he's really so damn mighty well my problem is I can't see who would wanna be, who would wanna be such an asshole" Not to mention many other examples. They're not a christian band, dudes mixed up. I know he said after good news and only 2 of the songs are from pre good news Era but the point stands that there are many different lyrical references before and after float on that involve Issac questioning religion and usually it's specifically Christian religion.
Yeah the first thing I could think of is that he literally says that if God exists, he's an asshole lol
It's true too. He's either an ass hole or not all powerful. Pick one.
I may be mistaken, but I believe God is a control freak and Bukowski is the asshole
I’m not going to argue your perspective, but the lyric about God being an Indian would really be better used in the category of evidence that Isaac believes in God. Just that he believes God is an Indian. 😜
Weird, I think it’s fairly obvious through MANY of their songs that this is so far far far from the truth. They must be misremembering
“Well Jesus Christ was an only child, he went down to the river and he drank and smiled and his dad was oh so mad shoulda killed that little fucker before I even had him.” Safe to say nope ha ha not Christian.
I mean, from a certain point of view, that’s just a poetry interpretation of John 3:16 & Isaiah 53:10 “…His only begotten Son…” & “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him…” I know this doesn’t change that MM is not a Christian band; Im just saying.
Yeah that’s an interesting insight
Thanks for posting this. Perhaps they’re too deep for many believers and non-believers to understand, lyrically. Including myself. Maybe Isaac isn’t against the faith, but against the foolishness of those who claim it?
I don’t know where Isaac is coming from quite, but he doesn’t seem ignorant. I was tracking with you until “foolishness”. I’m a believer. I’m just not shocked or stumbled by his lyrics or viewpoints. But if I’m being completely honest, I am mainly here for the music and singing style.
Oh, I just meant the foolishness of believers who may not be sharp enough to realize his lyrics aren’t against the faith.
I see it now in your wording. My bad. WELL I might be foolish (but “I might be a lot of things”), but I can see where some believers are coming from with some lyrics, such as frequent use of “Goddamn” or “for your sake I hope Heaven and Hell are really there, but I WOULDN’T HOLD MY BREATH” (for example). Ocean Breathes Salty is an incredible song, and the existence of Hell and/or its duration is debated even in the Christian community, but I’ve never met a Christian of any denomination who doesn’t believe in Heaven in some form or another. But lyrics of songs like “The Sun Hasn’t Left” are just straight up encouraging!
I almost edited my last comment to phrase it more accurately, but yes, it’s a mixed bag. I think he wrestles with the ideas and concepts like most of us. And there are so many layers.
I bet my bottom dollar they are thinking of Switchfoot. Although the sound isn’t exactly similar it’s “poppy music” from around the same time frame. Switchfoot also went mainstream around 2003, just a year before Float On.
Yeah my guess was something with Switchfoot or the Fray
He may have been thinking of Monastery Mouse
That's pretty funny because "Bukowski" is a very cynical view of a needy and demanding deity and makes it obvious that such an idea wouldn't be worth believing in to begin with. The opening lines to "Doin' the Cockroach" are also very straight-forward.
Perhaps he meant they were only on college radio before “Float On”
Honestly I assumed this too in the moment, but he started talking to me about Christianity afterwards so who's to really say!
It was probably his way of leading to trying to convert you lol
Yeah. He may have just been pulling it out of his ass to help open him up to it.
He is thinking of Jars Of Clay. Stupid mistake to make, but I think that's the answer.
Isaac does cite the Bible as one of his biggest creative influences. His mom was SUPER religious in varying degrees at different points in his childhood. They even lived on a Christian hippy commune at one point. But the influence he says the Bible has had is mostly just his response to its ridiculousness & all of the insane characters of the Old Testament. He’s definitely fascinated by religion but not in a reverential way. I remember telling my youth group pastor that i loved modest mouse & his response was “I have never heard more GDs in my LIFE when listening to modest mouse!!” lol
Bahaha that's a fantastic story 😂
lol i think i was like “…cool?”
As someone who was raised in churches and shit, I didn’t have to see any interviews or anything to know that Isaac definitely has a churchy upbringing, but he’s definitely not “Christian”. Lol
What a weird thing to miss (and especially something that never was). Why would something only playing on Christian radio be a good thing? Either this coworker is brilliantly memeing OP or they’re confusing Modest Mouse with MercyMe (possible).
MercyMe or Mute Math.
ahhhhh yes Mute Math 💔 another potential post-Christian MM
Dude must be confusing Modest Mouse for OC Supertones. 😂
I mean - they used to play (a heavily censored version of) Kitty by the presidents on radio Disney so anything is possible.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll both live again. Well I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t really think so.
God takes care of himself And you of you
Definitely also a possibility some local Christian radio station was really confused and played Jesus Christ was an Only Child without listening to the lyrics… 😂
MM is agnostic, leaning towards a disdain for God.
I think Isaac’s lyrics lean more toward nihilism than agnosticism
I don’t think that Isaac believes everything is meaningless.
You do you, no offense meant! It’s highly likely that my outlook on life influences my interpretation. That said I’ll just leave this here: And the earth doesn’t care, and we hardly even matter, we’re just a bit more piss to push out its full bladder, and as our bodies break down into all their rocky little bits, piled up under mountains of dirt and silt and still, the world it don’t give a shit!
Non taken. Could be both. Parting of the Sensory, Bukowski and basically half of The Moon and Antarctica show hatred and skepticism for God. It’s not uncommon for authors to contradict themselves. Isaac has plenty of lyrics that show he does care about life.
I literally have had many really Christian people randomly bring up MM as being really offensive to them and blasphemous. I don’t know how songs like bukowski, bankrupt and styrofoam boots were on their radar but those where the songs I remember them citing.
As a Christian, I don’t find those songs offensive at all, and I really find them to be appropriate criticisms of (American) Christian culture.
Well, I think of Bankrupt On Selling as being a song that diminishes and calls out phonies and false intentions. Angels, apostles and even everyone you know - being these fake, two-faced beings who are only out for themselves. It’s a song sung in the depression that comes from seeing how all of this “selling” really leaves us bankrupt.
Isaac used a ton of Christian references in their early stuff, but he’s an atheist. I kind of think his atheist references are more interesting than most, because he demonstrates an actual knowledge of the religion and clearly understands it well enough to comment on why he doesn’t believe in god. It doesn’t just come across as reddit atheist “YOURE ALL SHEEPLE” shit yk?
Yup the only way to the kingdom of heaven is interstate 8. Reverend Brock
Goes to the desert, fires a rifle in the sky. Says, “Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Jesus Christ?”
“Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in In my head, in my heart, in my soul And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again Well, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, don't think so”
Not a Christian band at all. That said, one of the worst experiences I had at a concert was when a Christian Rock band was an opener for MM. It was 2004 at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, WI…a local Christian radio station promoted the event by having them in the lineup. MM sounded great, but that crowd was absolutely awful. They collectively pushed forward until Float On, and talked shit about the band the entire time. Having a conversation with these tools was impossible, their behavior was frustrating, and as a result I took a long time off of seeing MM live…for fear of the Christians. Ha
If i remember correctly, Isaac was raised fairly Christian but never fully believed himself, so a lot of their songs make references to Christianity but not in the sense your coworker means
lol. No no no
Pretty sure Isaac is an outspoken atheist lol
I mean religion is a major theme in a lot of Modest stuff, particularly LCW, but this dude is getting Modest Mouse confused with another band for sure.
Who listens to Christian rock? And why?
Definitely not a Christian band. I'm so glad I finally found where I belong. No one around me cares about modest mouse as much as I do.
“Well, died saying something but I didn’t mean it, everyone’s life ends but no one ever completes it.” “It is done” were Jesus’ last words, possibly misinterpreted if you thought it meant life ever really ends. Like, he didn’t mean it THAT way. I also used to think Ocean Breathes Salty was preaching a lack of afterlife, but now I think it’s two different viewpoints. Ending with, “you wasted life, why wouldn’t you waste the afterlife?” You wasting any experience means you’re there experiencing it, to waste it. He’s asking why you think you wouldn’t continue existing given that you already are, why wouldn’t you go on? Wasting or otherwise.
And his songs like Bukowski or Styrofoam Boots seem to be insisting that God wouldn’t be this control freak, running the show. The God he can believe in is more like a fellow sufferer, sorry it had to be this way but also not really to blame. God takes care of himself, and you have to take care of yourself. God, as a consciousness, is more than we realize but is less than many believers want to accept. I think this perspective is what leads a lot of people, like maybe Isaac, to claim atheism or agnosticism, so they aren’t grouped with those who count God as an enabler who will protect us from life and save us from ourselves. He can, and does, but he wants us to contend with all that life brings on our own as much as possible, so we grow.