Welcome to the Monkey House: A Retrospective of The Dandy Warhols
Click on the streaming service of your choice below to listen to the playlist as your read along.
The Playlist
“The Dandy Warhols' TV Theme "Song”
“Ride”
“The Coffee and Tea Wrecks”
“Boys Better”
“Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth”
“Every Day Should Be A Holiday”
“Godless”
“Get Off”
“Bohemian Like You”
“I Am Over It”
“The Last High”
“I Am Sound”
“Everyone Is Totally Insane”
“Smoke It”
“Talk Radio”
“Now You'll Love Me”
“Sad Vacation”
“The Autumn Carnival”
“Slide”
“Semper Fidelis”
“STYGGO”
“Be Alright”
“Motor City Steel”
“Forever”
“Teutonic Wine”
“Love Thyself”
“I Will Never Stop Loving You”
The 1990s were the last heyday of music stores as compact discs allowed music retailers to stock more product than ever before. The portability and sound quality of CDs spurred a renewed frenzy in music buying. In Toronto, new stores and chains popped up as traditional Canadian retailers like A&As, Music World, Sunrise Records, and Sam the Record Man were challenged by the likes of Britain’s HMV and the American music chain, Tower Records.
In Toronto, Tower opened a flagship store at the southeast end of the Eaton Centre and on the major intersection of Yonge St and Queen St. This location introduced our city to the ‘listening station,’ which were CDs posted around the store in players with headphones, allowing you to hear CDs before buying them. It was a variation on the original listening booths in record stores and took advantage of the ease of playing CDs to spur sales. It was this exact way that I stumbled across a CD by a band of which I’d never heard. Illogically, it was the draw of the super-simple, all white cover that caught my attention and its title, which played on the band’s intriguing name, Dandy’s Rule OK. I listened to bits of a few songs and didn’t hesitate to buy it. It was one of the rare occasions in which I bought an album for an act I didn’t know. It started my enduring fandom with The Dandy Warhols, who are one of the best modern rock bands of the past twenty years.
“The Dandy Warhols’ TV Theme Song”; “Ride”; “The Coffee and Tea Wrecks” \ Dandy’s Rule OK (1995)
The Dandy’s were formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994 by singer-guitarist (and principal songwriter) Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They soon recruited drummer Eric Hedford and Zia McCabe on keyboards. The band grew a following in Portland with their music and performances, which at times included the band stripping their clothes. After signing to an indie label they released their first album the following year, the same one I fatefully discovered in Tower Records. And thank heavens for that, because the release did not get much attention.
Eric Hedford, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Zia McCabe, Peter Holmström
The simple album cover of Dandys Rule OK, which drew my attention in Tower Records
Which is too bad, because Dandy’s Rule OK was really good. Just as the shoegaze movement was dying off and Brit Pop was taking over, this LP seemed to fuse them, layering trippy melodies, echoey vocals, and a wall of guitar into a modern sound that also borrowed from ‘60s psychedelia. It revealed the band’s irreverent side and a penchant for self-reference, such as the opening track (well, second track following a short spoken intro track), “The Dandy Warhols’ TV Theme Song,” which sounded like it could be exactly that, and nicely introduced the listener to the album’s vibe. “Ride” and “Best Friend” got into the shoegaze mood (“Ride” sounded like a song from the band of the same name, which I imagine was purposeful) before the band laid out a lovely, psychedelic mid-tempo song with, “Not Your Bottle.” There was a song called, “Lou Weed”, that was sung in a likeness to, well, Lou Reed. The album finished with an epic three-parter called, “It’s A Fast-Driving Rave-Up with The Dandy Warhols Sixteen Minutes”, which was indeed sixteen minutes long. There was also, “The Coffee and Tea Wrecks,” an impeccable psychedelic-pop song with a luscious melody and infectious guitar riff that sunk deeper into the album’s vibe. And that vibe was undoubtedly to get stoned, to chill, and to groove on the meandering and fuzzy goodness of The Dandy Warhols.
“Boys Better”; “Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth”; “Every Day Should Be A Holiday” \ …The Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997)
The second album, …The Dandy Warhols Come Down, was boosted by the band having signed to Capitol Records, who also not surprisingly squeezed some of the excess and indulgence out of the Dandy’s sound and pushed the catchy melodies to the fore. Was that what the album’s title referred? The band was not as high as before?
Regardless, the result was a phenomenal album of hook-filled, fuzz-laden, psychedelic-electro-pop. There were still a couple long songs, such as the slow-build opener, “Be-In,” and the closer, “The Creep Out,” but otherwise the LP was a solid collection of powerful pop songs. The second track, “Boys Better,” displayed the band’s new power-pop mode, gliding through verses into strong choruses, as the keyboards now rode shotgun to the guitars for a powerful groove. “I Love You”, a few songs later, showed the hypnotic, repetitive approach of the shoegazers wasn’t dead yet.
The highlight of the album came in the middle with the painting of the first two singles. “Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth” broke out with a repeating groove on a propulsive beat, laying the foundation for a Beach Boys-like harmony between Courtney and Zia. It was catchy as hell and made you sit up and think maybe this band was heading for something major. That feeling was solidified by next track and lead single, “Every Day Should Be A Holiday.” This is one of my favourite songs and a consummate example of my favourite electro-rock sound. Again employing harmonies over a solid melody, a danceable beat, an irresistible driving, even-tempo’d pace, some psychedelic guitar, and lots of intriguing sound effects, kept the tune interesting and made it a pop masterpiece.
It was “Junkie” that caught the band its first attention, getting to #13 in the UK and #31 on the US Alternative chart. The album reached #16 in the UK album chart and went gold, but in their native US the Dandys could not break into the charts. But the foundation was set, and people had an eye on this band.
“Godless”; “Get Off”; “Bohemian Like You” \ Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000)
The band changed drummers in 1998, with Brent DeBoer replacing Hedford. The third album continued the Dandy’s trend of tightening up their sound, easing off the fuzz, and allowing a purer pop sound to shine through. Opening with a subtle groove on, “Godless”, the album played through with greater sonic variation and gave the listener more to grab onto, as each song provided a different listen. It lacked the pure pop joy of songs like “Junkie” and “Holiday,” but did offer some moments of elation such as on the first single, “Get Off,” a strumming ride through a Britpop sound with some country music effects.
The album was the band’s breakthrough thanks to the second single, “Bohemian Like You”. Spurred by an appearance in a US Vodaphone commercial and inclusion in the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the song reached #5 in the UK, #5 in Italy, and #28 on the US Alternative chart. The album cracked the top two hundred in the US and reached #16 in the UK, not quite as high as the previous album. It went gold in the UK and Australia. The band also caught the attention of David Bowie, being asked to perform at the Meltdown Festival on his invitation as well as open for him on tour.
Holmström, DeBoer, McCabe, Taylor-Taylor
“I Am Over It”; “The Last High”; “I Am Sound” \ Welcome to the Monkey House (2003)
The lead single on the next album was, “We Used to Be Friends,” which reached #18 in the UK but failed to chart in the US. It was also the theme song to the TV show, Veronica Mars. I am not including it on the playlist because while a good song, it was about the seventh best song on the LP. Same went for, “Plan A”, the third single and about the fifth best track (as long as we’re rating things).
Welcome to the Monkey House, their fourth LP, was their best. There was not a bad song on it. It should also be noted the album's cover was a nod to the legendary Velvet Underground and Nico, which of course was designed by Andy Warhol and thus a nod to their namesake (the zipper was also a nod to the Stones' album, Sticky Fingers).
The album had more disco, bringing in dance elemenets to replace the now abandoned psychedelia of the first LPs. Pop songs like, “Plan A” were smartly written, revealing a new level of composition. “Wonderful You” was an electronic dance song with nary a guitar to be heard. The back half of the album, starting with “I Am Over It,” was just a listening pleasure. This stretch of songs included the loveliest song in their discography, “The Last High.” It was a sublime pop song with ‘80s styled keyboards (perhaps because Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran produced the album?), lovely strumming guitar accents, and an impeccable melody that begged to just close your eyes and ride along. “Heavenly” and “I Am Sound” also carried along the electro-rock sound with more infectious melodies and rhythms. It was an impressive run of songs to place deep in an album, and while “The Last High” was released as the second single, it failed to drive larger attention to the band. The album reached #20 in the UK, #118 in the US, and #5 in Australia. It appeared The Dandy Warhols were unlikely to break it big, given their four good albums had not found a broad audience for their sound, now as refined and developed as it would ever be.
“Everyone Is Totally Insane”; “Smoke It” \ Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005)
Perhaps it was with the realization that they were not going to be a chart-topping sensation that resulted in The Dandy Warhols’ hot streak of brilliant music coming to an end with the fifth album, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars. It was titled after the industrial art space that Courtney Taylor-Taylor had purchased for the band to rehearse in, which they had been dubbed, ‘Odditorium’. The album was decent, relied on their established trippy, electro-rock sound, but lacked any standout tracks or moments that drew you back the way their three prior albums had done so effectively.
The album was not bad, not at all. It was a good listen start to end and songs like, “Everyone Is Totally Insane”, provided examples they were still providing solid, groovy songs. It just wasn’t on a level of their prior work. Such as, “Smoke It,” a fun rock ‘n’ roller and the lead single on the album, but a song that lacked the infectious grooves of their other singles. The album closed with its most interesting song, “A Loan Tonight,” an electro-psychedelic song almost twelve minutes long that blended their early and later sounds. It was a track that sounded like it belonged in the 1980s or early ‘90s. Odditorium and its singles did not chart highly and the band’s place in the music scene ebbed away, never to return other than as an enduring, respected act with a core audience.
It was unlikely the band worried too much about this. Because if there was one thing that shone through with The Dandy Warhols it was their true sense of independence and integrity to their style and vision. They have never fit cleanly into a single genre, needing to be compared to multiple bands to be located in the musical firmament. In the modern music world, it was also not necessary to have charting songs to be a thriving act, it was about filling the halls for the shows, and the Dandys have always managed well in that respect.
“Talk Radio”; “Now You Love Me” \ Earth to the Dandy Warhols (2008)
There were a few singles in the three years before the next album was released. “Horny as A Dandy” was a mash-up of “Bohemian Like You” and the 1998 song, “Horny ’98” by Mousse T., duo Hot ‘n’ Juicy, and Inaya Day. It was the last song with Dandy’s music to reach the charts, reaching #17 in the UK. The band also released the songs “Have a Kick Ass Summer (Me and My Friends)” and “Good Luck Chuck,” which was featured in the film of the same name.
The Dandy’s formed their own label, Beat the World Records, in 2007 and shortly after parted ways with Capitol, returning them to the indie status they’d never spiritually broken with. The next three albums were released on their label. The first of those, Earth to the Dandy Warhols, was their weakest, continuing a lull in their discography. Lacking much in the way of new sounds or direction, the band capably moved through their milieu with a collection of decent, but not outstanding songs. The two songs that did stand up to be noticed were, “Talk Radio”, and “Now You Love Me”. The first had a slightly chaotic element, with the parts not quite fitting together, to make for an interesting listen and perhaps represented the discord that was talk radio. The second was a catchy, edgy pop song that brought forth the best of their sound, though just didn’t quite hit the mark as well as their early work.
“Sad Vacation”; “The Autumn Carnival”; “Slide” \ This Machine (2012)
In 2009, the band issued a version of Welcome to the Monkey House, this time remixed by Russell Elevado and titled, The Dandy Warhols Are Sound. I haven’t given this much of a listen, but it sounded like there were some interesting takes on the original tunes (some of the YouTube playlist uses these versions as the originals cannot be found on that service).
They issued a straight-up cover of The Beatles’, “Blackbird”, that same year, and I also caught them in concert for the first time when they played at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. Their blasé demeanour came through and perhaps it wasn’t the best period to see them, as the show lacked energy and, while played well, did not leave a lasting impression. I think I need to see them again sometime to see if that was a one-off or whether there is better to be gotten from them. Their greatest crime, for me at least, was when Zia had to run off stage for a bathroom break Courtney decided to stick to the setlist and, rather than play a filler or just wait for Zia to return, instead performed a stripped down, solo-acoustic version of, “Every Day Should Be a Holiday”. While it was cool to hear that version, I felt completely robbed of the full-band effect for my favourite song by them.
By the time their next LP, This Machine, came out four years later in 2012, the Dandys had largely faded from view commercially. Which was a shame since it was their best album since Welcome to the Monkey House, nine years prior.
The album was as good a listen as the quartet of LPs that had established them, though now included smarter, well-polished songs and more clever musicianship. It was the Dandy’s 2.0. This was evident from the first song (and first single), “Sad Vacation.” “The Autumn Carnival” may have been the coolest sounding song they’d produced. It was a brilliant, modern, indie rock tune (and co-written and performed on by David J from Bauhaus and Love and Rockets). “Enjoy Yourself” sounded like something Iggy Pop would have done in the 1980s, while “Alternative Power to the People” channeled the ‘90s and the likes of Butthole Surfers. And speaking of the ‘80s, there was a great take on The Violent Femmes’, “Kiss Off”, as a bonus track. The album finished with “Slide,” a mid-tempo rocker that also harkened back to the alt-rock sounds of the ‘90s.
“Semper Fidelis”; “STYGGO” \ Distortland (2016)
I am listening to this album for the first time as I write this, and I have to say I like it. The Dandy Warhols are still going strong and now I’m regretting not seeing them last time through town. It’s a return to their electronic sound and a very modern album, appearing to eschew the retro sounds that marked This Machine. It’s also their first in a while to not be released on their own label, instead issued on indie, Dine Alone. They’re still not getting any love from the charts, but there is lots of great music for fans new and old to sink their teeth into.
“Semper Fidelis” is an intriguing, stark, electro-dance tune, with a hint of industrial and a nifty, creepy and fleeting vocal track. It’s the type of song that needs a few listens to fully appreciate. “Pope Reverend Jim” is an electro-pop track that captures the band’s fun spirit. “Catcher in the Rye” captures the subtle and lovely spirit of their best albums, while STYGGO rides a funky, disco beat and a New Order-ish guitar lick. It’s actually a re-working of a song that backed a pre-album single, “Chauncey P. vs. All the Girls in London,” that was called “Some Things You Got to Get Over,” and thus the album version’s title as an acronym. The A-side also re-appears on the album as “All the Girls in London.” Another single from the album was, “You Are Killing Me”, a straight-ahead pop-rock song in the band’s traditional style.
The Dandy Warhols are a unique and compelling rock act in an era in which there have been few. Following the arc of many bands, they came out strong and developed their sound through four landmark and outstanding albums. They have evolved and experimented with their sound though have never strayed far from the foundation of the psychedelic tinged, electro-rock sound. With a penchant for great melodies, the in-the-mix vocal style of Courtney, and the insouciance of their personality flavouring the music, they have provided a respectable and admirable legacy of music. From that first moment in Tower Records in 1995 to today, listening to their most recent album, they’ve kept me enthralled and loyal to their sound and remain one of the leading acts of their generation, even if their sales success hasn’t mirrored the quality of their music. The Dandy Warhols came down, but remain undaunted.
UPDATE November 2025
Since this profile was originally published in 2018, The Dandy Warhols have continued – still undaunted – releasing three more albums and remaining steadfastly in their own realm, both in sound and career approach. I even got around to seeing them twice more in concert.
“Be Alright”; “Motor City Steel”; “Forever” \ Why You So Crazy (2019)
Why You So Crazy, the Dandy’s next and tenth (or ninth, if The Dandy Warhols Are Sound omitted, since it wasn’t new music) album, arrived three years later in 2019. It was clear the band was at the stage of their career where any pursuit of a core audience and commercial success was gone. The album was varied in style and sound, ranging from country to electro-rock to punk. Some songs missed, but several worked the groove that only the Dandys could explore effectively and with subtle rewards.
“Be Alright” was the lead single and was a solid, steady rocker consistent with the core Dandy’s sound. “Motor City Steel” was the second single, providing a completely difference experience with a catchy, country-rock melody that leaned into The Dandy Warhols distinct mix of irreverence and artistry that few can achieve. It was reminiscent of The Nails from the ‘80s and their tune, “88 Lines About 44 Woman”. “Forever” was an electro-rock tune with symphonic rhythms and a subtle industrial vibe. These tracks revealed the album’s somewhat uneven but intriguing mix of music.
My pic at the 2019 show, with ‘25’ balloons to denote the band’s anniversary since their formation
I saw the band on tour at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, and it was a much better show than my original experience. There was a nice mix of new and old tunes and the band rocked tight to an attentive audience. It renewed my interest in this band after having drifted away for much of the past decade.
However, their next LP, Tafelmuzik Means More When You’re Alone, was released in 2020 and was a collection of ten tracks ranging in duration from seven-and-a-half minutes to over thirty-six minutes – most were in the twenty to thirty minute range. The music was moody instrumentals, mostly electronica, that meandered through beats, synths, and samples. It was not my kind of preferred listening experience – there was no way I could sit through it, even parts of it – and it baffles me why artists put out such releases. I suppose it has an audience and it could work as background music – Brian Eno has built a career on it – but it’s definitely not for me.
“Teutonic Wine”; “Love Thyself”; “I Will Never Stop Loving You” \ Rockmaker (2024)
Thankfully, the band returned to their rock format for the next LP, Rockmaker, released four years later in 2024. Edgier and fuzzier, the LP leaned back into the Dandy’s rock side. Overall, it was a good album but a distance from their early work, which seems the marker of their late career. The band was well in their groove, mixing sounds in their typical slacker modes, and the songs were interesting, but not something that had me scrambling to get back to and listen over and over.
The album featured several collaborations, including Slash on, “I’d Like to Help You with Your Problem,” Frank Black on the cleverly titled, “Danzig with Myself,” and Debbie Harry on, “I Will Never Stop Loving You” (which was released prior to the LP as, “IWNSLY”). The opening track, “Doomsday Bells,” was an electro-industrial track in the Nine Inch Nails vibe. “Danzig with Myself” carried on that feel but with a typically Dandy styled melodic hook. “Teutonic Wine” moved more into the pop style, with a catchier beat mixed with the album’s now established guitar fuzz motif. “Love Thyself” was in their more straightforward, electro-rock mold, quick paced with catchy turns. And with Debbie Harry, they leaned into a more expansive, mid-tempo’d dance-rock composition. Any song with Debbie’s vocal is a can’t miss, for me.
This time, I eagerly set out to see the band, again at the Danforth Music Hall. However, the setlist was uneven, with mostly downtempo and moody selections and the band seemed somewhat disinterested. It was reminiscent of the show I’d seen in 2010 and led me to believe this is a band that can’t be relied on to deliver with their live shows. I’m not sure I’ll make the commitment next time they come around. Musically, though, I hope they continue to explore and expand their repertoire, since they still have me engaged on that front.
