Mindless Self Indulgence

The eclectic electronic American music act Mindless Self Indulgence began in New York City in 1995 when Jimmy Urine, who had spent the last few years mixing punk, industrial, and electronic together in a series of indie singles, collaborated with guitarist Steve, Righ? On “Bed of Roses”, a track that appeared on his solo album Mindless Self-Indulgence. After a humorous, clever take on “Bring the Pain” by Method Man that employed a half-dozen different musical genres, Urine knew he had stumbled on the approach he wanted the band to take. He brought on his brother, Markus Euringer, as another guitarist and his cousin Kitty to play drums. Bassist Vanessa Y.T. replaced Markus Euringer and that line-up recorded their debut LP Tight in 1999, an album that captured their purposefully abrasive, humorous lyrics and their eclectic musical approach that owed a debt to acts such as Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. After 2000’s Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy, Y.T. was replaced on the bass by Lyn-Z. That foursome recorded 2005’s You’ll Rebel to Anything, which went top 5 on the indie album chart and spun off a pair of number 1 hits on the Dance chart, “Shut Me Up” and “Straight to Video”. That success laid the groundwork for 2008’s If, an album that reached number 27 on the main album chart, and number 2 on the indie album chart the included five top 5 dance hits including the chart-toppers “Never Wanted to Dance”, “Pay for It”, and “Evening Wear/Mark David Chapman”. There was a five year gap before the next LP, 2013’s How I learned to Stop Giving a Shit and Love Mindless Self Indulgence. In 2021, sexual assault allegations leveled against Jimmy Urine led to a look back at such controversial band tracks like “Panty Shot”.