The Manic Street Preachers have always been prone to scatter-shot soundbite tendencies, enriching their music with ad-libs and confusing intros. Here are a selection, song by song. Newest additions are at the bottom!
Each quotation is linked to an mp* of the quip, and the source linked to an extremely informative page detailing where they came from (culled from my previous Manics site!). If the mp* sounds tinny or scrambled then you'll need Uncook.exe.
NEW! Cardiff Coal Exchange - Anne Robinson NEW!
As reported by ITN and the BBC, here is the complete clip of Nicky Wire slating Anne Robinson in retaliation for her remarks about Wales on a BBC Two comedy programme.
T in the Park
T in the Park 1999 was were the Manics were reborn, it seems. The gig started with a no-nonsense intro to 'Faster', and by the end of "You Stole the Sun From My Heart", Nicky starting spouting off - "There's a guy looking at his watch down at the front, he wants to f*** off home. GO ON! f*** OFF HOME YA PRICK! GET OUT OF MY f***ING SIGHT! GET BACK TO YOUR f***ING HORLICKS!.. This one's for Billy Bragg, the biggest nosed twat in the world (pronunciation is wonderful here, BTW) I wouldn't want his dick pissing on my toilet for all the money in the fff***in' world. His voice is so bad... get back in the army you f***ing dickwit.. and stop stealing Woody Guthrie's songs!"
Then it was the turn of the Beta Band. Nicky - "Do you know, there's like... if you look very far away there's a special tent, and there's like only four people allowed in because that's all the fans they've got. It's the Beta Band. So if everybody wants to go f*** OFF and see that PILE OF SHIT BUNCH OF DRUGGED-UP ARSEHOLES playing in a tent to one person, f*** off now!". As the intro to "Yes" played, James added "Yes. A true bunch of c*nts".
The gear shifted down for a tribute. "This one's for Glasgow, King Tuts.. for giving us the first hot meal we ever had on tour". A mysterious bit about a shop in Edinburgh and a mention of McCarthy during a cosmetics confession, during which an audience member gets top bonus points for a clearly audible shout of "f*** off!".
"You Love Us" began with the 'Lust for Life' intro, during which James literally screams "DIIIEEEE!", in a terrifying moment of impromptu fury. Then comes the band intro.. "f*** you too!" indeed!. The set ends with a very noisy trashing of instruments and, over the sqeauling feedback, James admitting "I'm such a f***ing wimp, I can't break it" and Nicky screaming instructions on where the Stereophonics should place their guitars.
A Design For Life
ADFL had it's premiere live performance broadcast on "TFI Friday", on which James Dean Bradfield declared "OOO! WOT A SONG!" before going into a surreal dialogue about cars. On a similar theme, he introduced ADFL with a foriegn sounding phrase, possibly a car ad slogan, as an introduction at London Shepherds Bush. Best of all was his impromptu ramble during a live acoustic take on San Fransico radio, which went "So, Mr.James Bradfield, tell me why do you think that artists don't sing about the blue-collar classes in America? Well, Mr.American Rock Journalist, I think it's just another urban myth that people don't have money here, and then the sun set and the (?) and Dylan Thomas said..."
Australia
Viewers tuning into the early showing of "TFI Friday" were annoyed to see the performance of Australia cut short. Crap editing was blamed by most, but the full late showing revealed the real reason - James adlibbing "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you" into the ending.
Bad Guns 'N Roses impressions
The Manics are at their best when you don't realise Nicky's drunkenly messed up a GN'R impression. Nicky's impression and the the original. Jame's attempt and the original.
Band Intro
From London Shepherds Bush - "Basking in his superior sporting knowledge, I invite any other popstar pleb to challenge my boy on sporting questions and answers, iconoclast, immaculate bone-structure, Mr.Nicholas Wire. And we have here a genius consumer, a man whose spending power is so gargantuan that you will all want to be his girlfriend, the multi-talented be-bop spirit of Mr.Seanus (something that sounds like "cham-pa-magne superno..").
Crucifix Kiss
Introducing the track at The Marquee, Nicky yelled "Well, that's a bit better, but this isn't a Blur concert so just let yourself go. Agnostics, Catholics.." James followed with "Everyone's Protestant, everyone's Catholic, everyone's into Buddha, so this one's for ya wankers".
Drug drug druggy
Performing this track live at the Phoenix Festival '93 seemed especially apt, and James ad-libbed "Drug drug druggy... OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! Need sensation... LIKE MY SNOT!"
Elvis Impersonator/Blackpool Pier
This song is often preceeded or followed by a rendition of the traditional "Dixie". This mp* taken from a sterling performance at London Shepherds Bush.
Everything Must Go
Nicky capped a performance of EMG on "Saturday Live", a live (duh) variety show on ITV, by shouting "WATCH THE BBC!". Cheeky monkey! At a triumphant concert in Cardiff, 1999, James changed the title of the track "For tonight this one is called 'Bobby Gould Must Go'.".
Faster
An incoherent foreign introduction signalled the beginning of this song at London Shepherds Bush, and James adlibbed "If you keep fucking staring, I will kill everything" on the "Butt Naked" broadcast.
From Despair to Where
Performing on "Naked City", James let rip with a spine-tingling "From despair to where-e-yeah-ha-ha a-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.." (which sounds a hell of a lot better than it reads).
General Gobshite Moments
Nicky Wire has always had an uncontrollable gob, which is all part of the Manic's allure. At Glastonbury '94 he said "I say build some more fucking bypasses over this shithole". Most infamous was his comment at the Kilburn National, on the 11th of December 1992, that "In the season of goodwill... let's pray that Micheal Stipe goes the same way as Freddie Mercury pretty soon."
The Girl Who Wanted to Be God
Slight self-deprecation tinged the intro to this track at London Shepherds Bush.
Kevin Carter
Introduced by James with "Oh thank God for Kodak... ze man in black and white is not as vain as the Kodak king, Kevin Carter"
Motorcycle Emptiness
Seen by many as the Manic's finest hour, James sang "From fuedal serf to festival goer.." at Phoenix '93 before adding "We can't live on your side forever, ever, ever.. DROP YOUR ? FOR A SUNDAY DINNER!".
Motown Junk
The "Baby Love" intro seen on the Nynex vid evolved from an earlier incantation, heard here from a concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl - "This one's called Motown Junk. Sidney, Sidney, where did your love go? Did you give it to a bitch in New York, or did you take it to your grave?". At Phoenix '93 he even managed to get a line from The Who's "Substitute" in - "I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth..".
Mystery Bit
From Leeds Sound City. Any guesses to what Nicky is saying? James follows with either "Ease off" or "He's off".
New Art Riot
The Manics first gig was at the Horse and Groom in London, on September 22nd 1989, and was reviewed by Bob Stanley in the Melody Maker. In the review, Stanley notes that James 'shyly stammered' "Th-thanks that's the most applause we've ever had!".
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
Introduced by James as "I've always had this thing where, it's a bit of a sub-Tarantinoesque thing really, I knew that if someone wanted to be like Paul Newman they were cool.
Repeat
At the drink-fuelled frenzy of hate that was The Marquee, Nicky baited the audience with "All right, boys and girls, mums and dads, I think you're at the wrong night. This ain't Slowdive or Chapterhouse or any of those nothing bands. You lazy, lazy people." James : "? The age of 21. It's a sign of life, you sad, sad person. ? hate somebody in your life. You can never love me 'cos you're too fuckin' ugly. Nicky : "For our gracious Queenie!".
Roses In the Hospital
Always one of the best live songs, Roses was often introduced with "All aboard the soul-train.." and "One new single from the Manic Street Preachers, 'Roses in the Hospital', dedicated to Mr.Ray Gange". On "Butt Naked", James sang "Roses in the Hospital, to make my voice a fucking squawk, Roses in the Hospital flowers can not express the (? mystery bit), Roses in the Hospital torn reflections of a burnt-out Clash.... Best of all, and my personal favourite Manics ad-lib of all time, was the one at the Phoenix Festival '93, where, eyeing the fields of hippies, James sang "Roses in the Hospital, to enable me to play in front of a crowd that I despise, Roses in the Hos... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha BURN!!!" Fecking brilliant. Quite what James meant by "David Bowie, go on, sue me! however, I don't know. A mysterious adlib starting with "You've got ginger hair.." occurred at the "Butt Naked" broadcast.
Slash 'n Burn
"For all you that came to Stratford Town tonight, this one's called "Shakespeares burning", yaka yaka!" mouthed James before launching into Slash 'N Burn at Phoenix '93, changing one line to "Chained to economy now fashion has been" and another to "God is safer sex, responsible, do it, walk on (walking?) land-mines", topping it off with another fine rant of Nickys - "Don't miss getting wrecked, sex is more fun when it's not your own...". It was Nicky who introduced the song at the Milton Keynes Bowl with "For victims of American aggression everywhere, from Somalia to Vietnam".
Sorrow 16
Spotting a fight, James stopped the performance at Reading, 8th October 1991, in the middle of "Sorrow 16" to vent his anger - "STOP IT! DON'T HIT HIM, RIGHT? IF YOU WANT TO HIT ANYONE, HIT ME, 'COS I'M LIKELY TO HIT BACK, RIGHT? FUCKING HELL! YOU'RE DEAD!".
Stay Beautiful
The Milton Keynes Bowl yielded a kick-ass "Stay Beatiful", with an extra line - "Don't wanna see your face, don't wanna hear your words, guess-what-the-next-line-is?".
Strip It Down
Back at The Marquee, and James introduces the song by declaring "I don't want a new political agenda, I want year zero..".
Theme from MASH (Suicide is Painless)
"This one's for Sunderland, for stuffing Chelsea again and making us all really happy! - Nicky, London Shepherds Bush
Tsunami
An abysmal "Tsunami" at Cardiff '99 prompted James to add the disclaimer "That was an example of what we used to play like in 1991. Sorry about that. We haven't played it many time yet, you can't expect fucking miracles!"
Yes
"Yes" recieved odd treatment when recorded for Radio One. Lines were changed to make it acceptable for broadcast, such as "For sale, dumb humps same dumb questions" and "Tie his hair in bunches, suck him, call him Rita if you want".
You Love Us
This track is frequently a closer, and the bitter audience-baiting of the earlier years gave way to "Goodnight. Happy Christmas, Happy New Year... if you want. This is called 'You Love Us', goodnight at the London Shepherds Bush gig. Compare this to the feedback, destruction and shout of "Oggi oggi oggi, oi oi FUCK!" at Glastonbury '94. What James is saying here is up for debate, although it sounds like "Narcissistic ? fuck You Love Us!". At Phoenix '93, the Manics sang "You've gone off us" whereas Glastonbury saw "You are scum, you are scum, you're scum, you're scum, you're scum, you're fucking scum!" and what he says here is anyone's guess!
Stay Beautiful
The outro from Milton Keynes Bowl mystifies. Starts with a new line in place of "Anxiety is freedom" and ends with "Gen-er-a-tion has a responsibility to slash our wrists..", a variant on which was an equally mystifying take ending in "Gen-er-a-tion unaccountability at Nynex.