The Tubes - White Punks On Dope (REACTION)

[@DannyD714]

fee waybill is one of the best front men ever. he does a dozen or more costume changes during a show,becoming the variety of characters in their songs. for white punks on dope he becomes "quay lude" wearing 10 inch platform shoes and a multi colored fright wig. what a performer! i believe they are on tour with cheap trick this summer. see them if you can!

[@gabrieleflannery6504]

They were absolutely phenomenal live, saw them at Stoneybrook in the 80's. Gotta love a band with a sense of humor especially when they have such exceptional musical chops. Thanks for the awesome review Daniel. ❤ the eclectic mix.

[@vieella389]

Saw them in Santa Cruz in 1981 or so. Great show!

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Great live band.

[@tinicum54]

Saw them in 78, had no idea who they were. Fantastic.

[@bobcarn]

I saw them in the late 70s, and my friends and I fell in love with them and would see them every chance we could. What a great show!

[@laurakali6522]

Saw them at a dive near Hartford Connecticut circa 82. Crazy show. Crazy night.

[@pegasus5287]

Wow! This is an oldie for sure. At parties the guys loved to say that line, more like yelling it. Sure brings me back

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

Omg this is my fav … was it me that requested it ? I’m agog start seeing you dissect this phenomena !! 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@EvanWeber1234]

that's rock and roll there buddy

[@EvanWeber1234]

the live show in the 70s is epic

[@fenderchamp8241]

Loved the Tubes. When they first broke, they were outrageous. We loved it.

[@annewoodard6803]

The Tubes are a blast live!

[@steveowens2505]

Their take on 50s teen motorcycle songs “Don’t Touch Me There” is hilarious. You still need to check Warren Zevon’s “Excitable Boy”.

[@EdwardGregoryNYC]

...and I'd suggest a live performance for the stage show with the motorcycle on stage.

[@IMeMineWho]

Finally! Tied for the No. 1 group in the world!

[@jeffmartin1026]

Yes, you will find yourself walking around and singing/humming the chorus, and enjoying yourself. Or singing White Dopes On Punk.

[@dixiechatty958]

I was lucky to see The Tubes at a dive bar in Berkeley in 1972, well before they had a record contact. It was the craziest night of music I've ever experienced. They did this with Fee Waybill dressed as the character Quay Lewd. He had glasses with light bulbs spelling out Quay in an obvious send up of Elton John. He also had 6" platform heel shoes made of clear plexiglass with live goldfish in them. I was hooked. I saw them many times over the years and they were always an absolute blast. For another fun one, check out Don't Touch Me There.

[@AP-gb3eh]

They were fun . Just ridiculously fun

[@billyt7081]

Ha ha ha - `at's wot I'm talkin' aboot!

[@foxandscout]

Please react to the cover of White Punks on Dope by Nina Hagen (Tv Glotzer-it’s in German). She’s a highly acclaimed punk singer songwriter born in East Germany. Known for her theatrical vocals. Check out other songs too, including New York, New York. There’s an English version as well as one in German.

[@foxandscout]

@David Bradley ❤️❤️

[@ethelynchristopher6995]

I haven't heard this song since I was in college in the late 70's/early 80's. This was a song for those with mind enhancement.

[@charlesbukowski9836]

The drum break 4:56 is amazing.... great drumming.. its the highlight of the song

[@donthomasdunigan7004]

I saw The Tubes twice, 29 October 1975 and 29 April 1976, both times in Detroit. Their shows were very theatrical, especially this particular number, and the audience always got their money's worth. Peace.

[@glennthompson1173]

I see him in concert three times and they always put on a great show. One of the best live acts out there. I suggest Mondo bondage.

[@IMeMineWho]

Met Fee in 2019. He played a famous venue I performed at a few years prior. One of the things I was afraid of performing there was the ability to walk down the very steep stairs to the stage. I did so in low wedge shoes..purposely low due to this fear. However, Fee performed in platforms that he performs as Quay Lewd that are over a foot tall and managed to do so (and slight dancing) and he is in his 70s! The Tubes did a 3 hr. show in this small club and after the show Fee signed autographs, chatted with us and hugged me and others. Recently I bragged to my cousin that at least I got to meet and talk to Fee prior to the pandemic (the club has poor ventillation and has had many covid outbreaks since). My cousin proceeded to tell me he has been friends with Fee for years! 💜

[@progperljungman8218]

My first encounter with this was actually through Nina Hagen Band doing a cover to start up their debute s/t album. Lyrics in German and also different lyrics (even if you translate them) It's called TV-Glotzer (translates TV-gazer or something like that I believe). Btw, Nina Hagen Band's s/t debute is really spectacular with amazing utilisations of her extraordinary voice but also some great prog-punk-rock 'n' roll music. Became a fan of The Tubes in the 2000's and even caught them live. What an experience m! Can only imagine how it was to experience them back in the 70's.

[@a.k.1740]

Like you, I first knew the cover of "White Punks On Dope" by the Nina Hagen Band, which respects the structure of the piece while transfiguring it at the same time by Nina Hagen's extraordinary interpretation. It would be interesting for Daniel to compare with this cover (recorded late '77-early '78).

[@progperljungman8218]

@@a.k.1740 Word!

[@norcoauctions]

Fee Waybill is an underated sonwriter. The song about the girl on the other side of the glass was incredible "She's a Beauty"

[@ivansavoie3190]

I've seen too many concerts to count, remember the Tubes having the best stage show. That was Mid to later 70s

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

Should say … it’s even more amazing seeing them perform live , there’s a vid done in uk late night music show from 70’s and 80’s called the old grey whistle test , I remember watching them do this live and I was transfixed , never seen anything like them before or since .. try and check that out just for your satisfaction 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

SNAP! Do you recall the video album shown on tv? Think it was Completion Backward Principle. I know I didn't imagine it.

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

@@DawnSuttonfabfour no sorry Dawn , that hasn’t registered in the memory banks sadly, but that’s not unusual these days 🤦‍♂️

[@VaughnBrown1965]

Remember when the NY Dolls we’re on the old gay whistle test. Dude called them Shock rock

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

@@VaughnBrown1965 I thought whispering Bob called the “ Mock Rock” tbh … but hey I’m a drooling old Wanker now so maybe times playing tricks on me 😆 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@SheelaghArmour]

It was the Tube. Brilliant.

[@geneharvey7]

Delighted by the choice. Not a typical song for reaction. Sawthem first on their third album tour and the character Fee plays, Quay Lude, was so over-the-top. Certainly a band with a signature sound and, as you mentioned, humorous. Great reaction Daniel!

[@fatovamingus]

Okay so I'm in love with this channel right now. Only the tubes could make a hilarious joke out of a serious topic like this. I'm glad you're choosing all these great tunes

[@garyspeed8961]

More like a serious topic out of a hilarious song

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

Oh yes. Yes indeed.

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

Omg Daniel… was listening to this last night … it’s a classic . So much going on musically and dramatically. You nailed this one bro !! 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@markadolph8715]

When I attended an elite college not far from the setting of this song at the beginning of the 80s, and the marching band would play this song, it became a call and response: "White punks on dope!" "Rich punks on coke!"

[@EvanWeber1234]

haha this is a legendary song bro.

[@kenhewitt7357]

What a song and what a band.

[@modmary3527]

My favorite Tubes song! Yay! 😀

[@bobangell1679]

The stage show was astounding. I saw them at Knebworth in '78 (along with Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Boomtown Rat's and many others) and all their stage props were super-sized. "Don't Touch Me There" especially but Fee as Quay Lude was hysterical. My favorite Tubes album is Remote Control, produced by Todd Rundgren. "TV is King"..I love the whole album, can't think of the titles at the moment. Anyway that repetitive bit at the end is mainly for the stage show but on the album...back in the day, people actually sat around smoking herb listening to the radio for hours on end. A lot of people. So imagine sitting in your living room smoking a doobie and this song comes on the radio. There was all kinds of programming that utilized stereo fx and stoner humor. That was the 70s and early 80s for you. So maybe that makes it dated. I still dig it.

[@TONE11111]

Knebworth Festival 1978 the tubes and frank zappa headlined, and frank wasn't happy with being a support act, and had long discussions at the concert.

[@francesw.6774]

Love your reaction to this completely unique band. Nothing else like them. I got to see them live in the late 70's in a fairly small venue in Portland ME and the show was bonkers - they had a whole stage show to accompany the music and the very high crowd went pretty wild and things got nearly out of control. Crazy, but the most fun I've ever had at a concert. I saw them again about 10 years ago, and though the show was pared down from what they did in their younger days, the performance and sound was still spot on. They still tour on a limited basis (see their website) - go see them if you ever get a chance. Would love for you to react to their song "Telecide" - it's a great send-up of mass media addiction, has hilarious lyrics, and is a searing and soaring rocker to boot. Anyway, appreciate your openness to off-the-beaten-track music.

[@Jonni1027]

When I saw them in 1974 at a small club in San Francisco (The Boarding House) they threw us all little tubes of toothpaste hahaha

[@stevecurtis9886]

Saw The Tubes with Cheap Trick. Both bands put on a solid show!

[@davidmaholchic6146]

A tubes classic! Wonderful stuff have fun love you

[@edfoodie2364]

Love your reaction to this song . Great piano ! WPOD!

[@jenniferlenfestey5335]

Way to go Daniel, a band from my neck of the woods. Saw them once in the early 80's and it was a great show.

[@johncollier9280]

First saw The Tubes at the Santa Cruz Civic. Mid show the tv screens on stage flashed LEAVE THE BUILDING! The lights came on as terrorists with machine guns strolled down the aisles. A voice directed everyone to "calmly leave the building right now...this is not a joke...". Of course it did turn out to be a joke when the lights went down 'n they broke into the next song...but the stoned crowd was scared 'n confused...rock 'n roll theater...

[@FernandoGarcia-bj8tt]

Checkout 'Don't Touch Me There'. Killer song.

[@stevejaspar9872]

Awesome - The Tubes was the first rock concert I went to when I got my license. Their songs "Sushi Girl" and "She's a Beauty" were all over early MTV.

[@falcongal63]

For some reason my best friend and I became obsessed with this song in high school which is when it was released. And we were the two most straight-edged square kids which makes it even odder. 😂Now my friend is battling cancer for the second time so I was happy to send her this video to give her a reason to laugh. And yes this song is now going to be stuck in your head...and mine too.

[@paulsouthern1604]

BEST DRUMMER EVER!

[@sjfvet519us]

I like this song and the cover of it done by the German punk singer Nina Hagen. It is in German and the title is "TV Glotzer".

[@dougdrake6637]

My apologies if someone has already mentioned this in a comment that I haven't yet had time to read. I did not see the tubes play this song but I did see the USC marching band play it at an away game against the Arizona State University Sun devils in Tempe Arizona in the late seventies or early 80s. The USC band is renowned for their choice of music to play during halftime and also notorious for being the marching band in the song tusk by Fleetwood Mac on the album of the same name

[@jimled50jl49]

Brilliant band ! So many great albums. One of my favourites is " The Completion Backward Principle " which is an album you never need to skip a track. Considering the controversy of their many stage appearances it's hysterical to see on the back of the album everyone in the band in suits looking like Lawyers. Their live shows are just that ... shows ! with many changes, and even the audience sometimes gets to see them change on stage. Lol There is a great u.tube clip for "She's A Beauty" live.....with a female manikin stood up in a box, high up above the stage....Just watch ! Brilliant song too !!! ....There is a movie called "Modern Problems" starring Chevey Chase and the end credits is a track by the Tubes called "Gonna Get It Next Time" It was not on any album and I searched for it for over 40 years. It's that good !!! I finally got it as a bonus track on their remastered cd "The Completion Backwards Principle" which I had on vinyl all these years. The end movie credits track is on u.tube....as is the track in better quality from that bonus disc.

[@edalisauskas7313]

First concert ever was the Tubes 1978 8th Grade What an intro to concerts!! This one is a satire of the rich spoiled Beverly Hills kids (pretty obvious) Great creative band with a sense of humor Their concerts (particularly in the early days) are legandary Funny and a bit risqué

[@electricwizard3000]

Just stumbled across this - great react + stuff. I did not know Dominic Frontiere had anything to do with this; one of my favorite tracks. Hope you've heard Mahavishnu by now.

[@iaingardener9268]

I’d forgotten just how great The Tubes were

[@stephentmarksberry4484]

I know the lady that was there manger. Very nice and they have a song called night people Though I could be mistaken this guy singing is a Fee Wible .there’s a video of this and it is a great video.

[@tedpetry2028]

Saw them back in the 80's

[@Richard_Jones]

Been years since I heard this. Definitely Bowie influenced, can't believ I never noticed that before.

[@sicko_the_ew]

Try the video with the stage show. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKScqKiXi7tmaas

[@Yosef1952]

The Tubes! Blast from the past. I first heard them on SCTV in the 80s. I don't remember this one, but it's way cool. Thanks for doing this, my man.

[@OronOfMontreal]

You MUST watch the live performance video. It is kind of a video-within-a-video and so enhances the psychedelic effect of the song. It's all very theatrical and hysterical and funny. And kinky. My first exposure to The Tubes was at age 11, in a 1975 issue of Playboy Magazine. The same issue also had a story about The Runaways, one of the first all-female Rock (Punk) bands.

[@aretelivingarts]

Although they wrote humorous songs, there was also a melancholy sadness under it, and an interesting social commentary. Also rope had a 2nd connotation in that rope is often made of hemp.

[@garyspeed8961]

Best live album ever recorded

[@tonys2899]

Great tune. I used to see a great local band called fayerwhether that was very theatrical cover this song (the did alot of 70s Genesis too.). When the singer would perform this song, he would tie his arm with a bandana and act like he was shooting up during the song, then later when he should be singing "white punks on dope" he would intentionally sing "white dopes on punk instead as if to get the words wrong because he was messed up....

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

I love when he sang W P O D instead of the normal chorus. This was one of the songs we would chant at work whenever the boss walked by.

[@IMeMineWho]

Hi Hartlor! Gday to ya!

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@IMeMineWho thank you. gday to you too Suzanne.

[@frugalseverin2282]

My favorite version is the one on their compilation album "T.R.A.S.H." which starts with a live version and finishes with a more succinct studio bit. For me the best line is "Where did you get it?" answered by "You gave it to us!"

[@dynodon9182]

What an interesting band. Did some great songs in a variety of styles. Songs were too good to be novelty. Try Mondo Bondage and Prime Time. And speak with reverence about John McLaughlin. One of the best guitarists in the world for 50 years.

[@OronOfMontreal]

Imagine the parents of the members of The Tubes. Their kids are so very talented, and THIS is what they choose to do with that talent. In the early 1970s, this would have meant something.

[@tumunu]

I still donʻt know what that last line means, but you should know, not only is it the last thing you hear on the album, but it bookends with the first thing you hear on the album, the first track on side 1. (White Punks On Dope, commonly known as WPOD, is the last track on side 2.) "Give him enough rope to hang himself" is a common expression, here theyʻve turned the old expression upside down! Great reaction!

[@beeramebroham9210]

People don't forget to add "Proud to be an American" to your 4th of July Play list çÔ¿Ôp

[@gergsar]

you need to watch them do this live - it' hilarious!

[@mikephalen3162]

If the Tubes never did anything else, at least they did this.

[@Lwize]

Great track.

[@beeramebroham9210]

"WPOD" = a night club cry of the Mid 70's çÔ¿Ôp

[@bigneon_glitter]

👉 "Haloes" off _The Tubes_ (1975) - "White Punks" is the famous anthem but the rest of the debut album is even better. "Haloes" is 🔥.

[@rydelldownward7808]

One of my dream concerts would have been The Tubes and Meat Loaf.

[@danielemlet7885]

Put show in a small place in squaw valley lake Tahoe, these guys show was rated x , they were very different before the hit shes a beauty

[@kaz282]

Believe it or not, but last century many bands were more concerned with being original than selling units or even sounding good.

[@commentathor1997]

I forgot how good this song really sounds or I wasn't really aware I don't know... anyways maybe worth mentioning the Peter and the Test Tube Babies's album Mating Sounds of South American Frogs I've just remembered it while listening to this

[@shade51]

Yes, the tune gets stuck in your head. I used to hum and sing this all the time. And now, I wonder what happened to the sense of humor we "boomers" used to have. The irreverence. With few exceptions, it's gone. Sadly, my generation will be remembered for the dregs we produced over the past couple decades. And I don't mean in music. Anyway, if you want to be entertained, you really have to check out this LIVE performance from 1977. You don't have to react to it - just check it out for yourself. You'll love it, and you'll laugh your butt off. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKScqKiXi7tmaas

[@Pho_King_A]

Singer Fee Waybill dressed up as Quay Lude with the white fright wig and 8" silver platform boots. That is the image I get everytime I hear this song.

[@tedpetry2028]

The live video gives much more meaning

[@davidheiser2225]

Often mistaken for a punk band, the Tubes were anything but. Contrary to punk's minimalism, the Tubes' 8/9 person band was complicated and expansive. Through their first 3 or 4 albums (the band's creative high point) their songs were almost always satirical. And their stage show was a theatrical production, with just about every song getting its own stage set and costume change. I was lucky to get to see that extravaganza twice, in '78 and '80. Later on they went in a more pop direction and had a couple of hit singles.

[@kevinlese633]

I used to be a white punk on dope while listening to this song

[@theplanetruth]

All I know is She’s A Beauty.

[@IMeMineWho]

You are missing out. Suggestions from the Completion Backwards album which that is from is Talk to Ya Later, Mr. Hate, Sushi Girl. But their early albums are my fave.

[@JAMPOS1]

Find the video of this and they'll doing it live so you can get the whole atmosphere and theater of the music there are theater music band and they don't waste no time on BS they go full fledge on everything they do and say on stage LOL

[@hotblackdesiato3022]

The Nina Hagen cover is really good as well.

[@droopyofthenorthwestmounted]

Can somebody please tell me what the Japanese at the end says? It's been driving me nuts for decades.

[@droopyofthenorthwestmounted]

I know. Same here. My daughter is now working in Japan and even she can't tell me!

[@cherylreichardt]

I'd be a dope not to love this!

[@garyspeed8961]

First 4 albums are fucking classics.... PS you have to see the on stage performance to undrstand the musical structure.. you are only experiencing half the performance if you only listen to the sound track

[@eltonjah5669]

Saw a local band in 8th grade, backyard party, and they dumped a bowl of joints into the crowd at the end. This represented SoCal youth party scene.

[@Ibipixar]

Try the german version of Nina Hagen...... Guess you will love it😎😎😎😎👍

[@sicko_the_ew]

Sorry, picked up something in the commentary: *Mahavishnu Orchestra* one of the greatest bands ever. Maybe ask for recommendations from people you trust to give good advice on this. Expect plenty of complexity and top level musicianship (but ask around; don't take my word for it.) You might find it difficult to name their genre if no-one offers one, and you just listen first.

[@rustybstuff3082]

Elton Duck does a very different cover of this song

[@wtrs261]

F utube. More Tubes.

[@tedpetry2028]

Progressive punk

[@sixthickthistlestix5605]

watch the vid...