Eat the Animals

You can listen to an mp3 of Eat the Animals on my Songs page.

Songwriting

• Music: Ttïmm Roy.
• Words: Ttïmm Roy and Dale Emery.

Performance

• Vocals: Ttïmm Roy (verses 1 and 3, choruses); Dale Emery (verse 2, choruses); Ginger (coda).
• Guitar: Maybe Ttïmm, maybe Dale.

The Story. Ttïmm wrote the first verse and the chorus, and played the song for me one day when I was visiting, in late 1981. I think we wrote the second and third verses together.

We were repeatedly interrupted during the recording. At one point, one of Ttïmm's four-year-old nephews interrupted us to announce that "Aunt Cindy got some poop on her pants." We continued recording, holding up stoically in the face of that tragic news.

Ginger—aka "Stegmutt, the wonder beast"—was unclear about the timing of her crucial part. She started singing enthusiastically, but early, any number of times. Finally (at take nine), Ttïmm and I finished our parts without Ginger's embellishments. Alas, by the time we cued Ginger to sing, her enthusiasm had flagged. Ttïmm and I pleaded and encouraged for 30 minutes, and Ginger stepped up to the microphone and, in one take, belted out a beautiful, improvised, song-ending aria.

Warning. We've known children, upon hearing Eat the Animals one time, to sing it to their parents for hours on end. You don't want that. Take appropriate precautions.

Instruments. Guitar: Probably Ttïmm's Applause.

Recording. Recorded on some kind of four track stereo reel-to-reel; probably Ttïmm's Akai.