Track This: Nightbird's "Maimed for the Masses"


Mick Foley is a cultural icon in some circles. New York's Night Birds know this, and have delivered a mean paean to another New York boy who found fame through professional wrestling. "Maimed for the Masses" chronicles Foley's massive success through a series of choice quotes from the man himself, backed with the kind of punky/surfy music that only Night Birds can deliver. A modern update of the Dead Kennedys guitar sound is married to the basic tenets of an east coast wrestling sensibility.  Brian Gorsegner’s snotty, speed fire vocals intermingle with vocal harmonies that create a monster of a song. The chorus and verses are damn catchy and the bridge demonstrates their guitar virtuosity; they seem to get tighter and more efficient every album, even though this song is on the longer side for the band, clocking in at more than three minutes.

The song first appeared on the "Maimed for the Masses" EP, but easily remains a standout track on Born To Die in Suburbia, their stellar 2013 LP. It first came to my attention on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast (he plays a wrestling related song every week), but once I got the album, I couldn't help but thinking that it got better on every listen. The chorus alone makes the song a killer: "Now I'm a monster. My body's been destroyed, and here I stand still gainfully employed, ready to maim myself for the masses to destroy.It's all in a hard day's work for Mrs. Foley's baby boy." The story of a man who has gone to any length as a professional wrestler, despite the fact that Ric Flair and others have claimed that he is more of a stunt man, couldn't be told any better than this.

This raging music perfectly illustrates Foley's stint in the ring, as well as his self-deprecating, intelligent personality -- all of these qualities made him the icon he is today. Forget his best-selling books, his persona is what really matters. Night Birds have released another tumultuous song that enlarges and betters the small canon of truly excellent songs about wrestling.

Watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6bHhVlz5Ww

Visit Night Birds on Bandcamp:  http://night-birds.bandcamp.com/album/maimed-for-the-masses


Track This is a recurring feature of Snobbin' that turns the music appreciation dial up and rips it off of your stereo. It attempts to introduce a new track, allow readers to rediscover an underappreciated track, or just serve as a forum to flat out discuss a track that falls into the ear candy category and should be listened to unabashedly for years to come.

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