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| This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen Magazine #97 (December 2001/January 2002). The magazine is available on newsstands and by subscription. |
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The Arrogant Worms
 Speed Bumps on the Idiot Road by Annette C. Eshleman
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It happened by accident, really. None of the members of Canadian folk-comedy trio The Arrogant Worms, upon entering Queen's University in Ontario, ever intended to leave there a Worm. Still, it happened. The group's initial success came on late-night campus radio where they first performed skits, and eventually songs. While still attending Queen's, in the fall of 1991, The Worms made their first appearance on CBC Radio One. A year later, their self-titled debut album was released. Parody was, and still is, the mainstay of the group's material. The Arrogant Worms' current lineup of Trevor Strong (small), Chris Patterson (medium), and Mike McCormick (large), while not the original, is its longest standing. To the delight of their parents, all three graduated Queen's University, though none is working in their chosen field of study. This interview with all three Arrogant Worms presented a challenge, albeit a welcome one. Their conversation flowed seamlessly from one to another and back again, occasionally changing direction without warning. Often, in answer to a question, Patterson would begin, Strong commented next, and then McCormick, before finally bouncing back to Patterson to complete the thought. The experience was both deliriously fun and mind boggling, causing one to wonder at times, "Are they pulling my leg?" The fact that they claimed to have been watching a "Britney Spears: Behind the Music" TV special prior to the interview only served to fuel the hilarity, as it became a running gag throughout. Strong completed a degree in psychology. He appears the least talkative and outgoing of the three but is often the reason their conversations erupt into laughter. His quick wit and dead-pan delivery sends the other two spiraling into convulsions, occasionally causing them to forget what they were talking about. Patterson secured his degree in drama, and has come closest to fulfilling his intended career by performing on stage. He is the most extroverted member of the group. Confident and sure, Patterson often acts as spokesman for the other two, although he is "the new guy," having spent just six years as bassist for the trio. Were it not for The Worms, guitarist McCormick would surely have immersed himself in a promising career as a research scientist in the aerospace industry. He holds a masters degree in metallurgical engineering. However, McCormick is quick to point out that, with current market trends, he'd likely be depressed over the state of his stock options anyway. So he's quite happy leading the simple life of a Worm. The innocuous way in which The Arrogant Worms came to name the group is just another bump along the road that has become their accidental career path. "Our career path seems to come more from what happens, rather than what we're trying to achieve," confessed McCormick. According to Strong, the group received its name in a bar. Several appearances on campus radio created the need for the trio to call themselves something. Strong duly produced a list of adjectives and a list of nouns. Words were alternately crossed from each list until The Arrogant Worms was born. "It was never intended for long-term use, but once you have a name, it sticks... When we started off, some people thought we were a punk band," Patterson said of the group's moniker. McCormick added, "It wasn't until we started touring when we realized that the name was better than we thought. People don't remember the adjective, necessarily, but they remember the worms part." While Strong attributes the trio's compatibility onstage to "Mutual apathy and fear of the unknown," Patterson takes a more practical view. "It's nice to know that if one person is having an off day, there's two other people who can maybe pick up the slack. Or, at the very least, make fun of the person having the bad day." He continued, "We counter and complement [one another]." "Unlike some per formers who have a voice and a style, we kinda make our living by parodying other styles," McCormick observed, adding that, "in a given show, we'll have a country song, a rock song, and a hymn."
A major breakthrough for The Arrogant Worms came in 1995 when their tongue-in-cheek call for vegetable rights, "Carrot Juice Is Murder," was featured on the syndicated radio show "Dr. Demento" and became a number one hit. Bearing in mind This is the same radio program that launched Weird Al Yankovic provides one with a clear idea of the kind of company in which The Worms find themselves. |
