the Jesus Lizard’s “Westside” Was at Least Partially Inspired by Leonard Bernstein and David Lynch
A new song from the Jesus Lizard was released this morning and as expected, it’s steeped in their unique style. You either love it or you can’t get it, really. The song’s the band’s second post-Rack single released solely online.
Having recently finished their sold-out tours of the eastern U.S. and the U.K., the band sought to drop the new song ahead of their upcoming West Coast tour in a couple months.
Speaking of the song itself, Duane Denison said it’s largely inspired by great American composer Leonard Bernstein.
“’Westside’ goes along with the previous single, ‘Cost of Living,’ which was subconsciously influenced by Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and hence the name. Really.”
Similarly, vocalist David Yow added that at least part of the new track was inspired by the late filmmaker David Lynch.
“There is a part in ‘Westside’ where the lyrics say, ‘… give him back his arm.’ That was inspired by David Lynch’s ‘Lost Highway,’ when Robert Blake’s character says, ‘Give me back my phone.’”
You can check out the track for yourself and see what other artist you think inspired the thing from beyond the grave. If you’re so inclined and living on the west coast of the U.S., you can also check out the full list of tour dates below and get yourself some tickets today.
the Jesus Lizard tour dates:
May 2 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern [Tickets]
May 3 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda Theatre [Tickets]
May 5 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore [Tickets]
May 8 Portland, OR Revolution Hall [Tickets]
May 9 Portland, OR Revolution Hall [Tickets]
May 10 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre [Tickets]
May 11 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre [Tickets]
May 17 Paris, FR Elysée Montmartre [Tickets]
May 18 Brussels, BE Les Nuits Botaniques [Tickets]
May 20 Amsterdam, NL Melkweg [Tickets]
May 22 Copenhagen, DK Den Grå Hal [Tickets]
May 23 Oslo, NO John Dee [Tickets]
May 24 Stockholm, SE Debaser [Tickets]
May 27 Berlin, DE SO36 [Tickets]
May 28 Köln, DE Gebäude 9 [Tickets]
May 30 Lausanne, CH Les Docks [Tickets]
May 31 Bologna, IT Link [Tickets]
June 1 Rome, IT Monk [Tickets]
June 2 Milan, IT Magnolia [Tickets]
June 5 – 7 Barcelona, ES Primavera Festival [Tickets]
June 12 – 15 Porto, PT Primavera Festival [Tickets]
