Copyright 2001 by Edward Willett

I was introduced to the Arrogant Worms by a teenage boy in a friend's living room in Saskatoon a few years back.

I expected to be subjected to something loud, obnoxious and grungy, especially when I looked at the cover art for the CD, which featured worms emerging from the skull of an agonized man.

Instead, I found myself laughing out loud to musically and lyrically clever tunes with titles like Let's Go Bowling, Car Full of Pain and The Last Saskatchewan Pirate--the latter probably the best-known Worms tune in these parts, since its chorus runs, "And it's a heave-ho, hive-ho, comin' down the plains, stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains, and it's a ho-hey, hi-hey, farmers bar your doors when you see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores." (There's something about the image of the skull and crossbones fluttering above the Legislative Building that tickles my fancy.)

It was a few years later when I finally had a chance to hear the Worms live, at the Blarney Stone (a night I remember well because, a) we left a symphony concert to hear them and b) the waitress spilled Guinness down my coat).

Since then, my wife and I have gone to every appearance of the Worms in Regina we possibly could, and whenever we start a road-trip, it’s the Worms whose dulcet tones waft us out of the city and on our way in a sparklingly good mood.

If you haven't heard the Worms before, or even if you have, you'll be thrilled to know that they're back in Regina this weekend, on Sunday, October 21, 8 p.m., at the Canadian Bible College's education auditorium.

The Arrogant Worms got their start in Kingston, Ontario, where they started writing songs for Queens University's radio station in the fall of 1990. A year later they made their debut on CBC Radio One, on Basic Black, where they were such a hit that they released their first CD, the one I heard in Saskatoon all those years ago, in 1992.

Since then, they've released five other albums (I have them all): Russell's Shorts, C'est Cheese, LIVE BAIT, Christmas Turkey and DIRT!, all distributed by Festival Distribution of Vancouver. This year's tour is in support of their sixth album, Idiot Road, which I'll run out and buy as soon as I can find it.

The Worms are tireless tourers, who in addition to such outstanding venues as the Blarney Stone, Darke Hall and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum have also played the Lincoln Center's Out of Doors Festival in New York, the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida, and the national Canada Day festivities in Ottawa.

There were originally four Worms, but the current batch (nest?) consists of three performers, described as follows on the band's Web site (using their own words is the best way I can think of to give you a taste of the Worms' sense of humor):

"Trevor Strong (small, BA) sings and plays any instrument smaller than three inches long. Despite his prodigious mane of curly blonde locks he is not a crazed Muppet as earlier reported on The Fifth Estate. "Trevor is embarrassed to possess a psychology degree from Queen's. He spent his formative years in Belleville, ON, and will shake noticeably when you mention that fact. Give it a try! It's fun!

"Chris Patterson (medium, BA) plays bass, sings and never stops moving ... in both senses of the word. Chris used to live in every town The Worms have ever played in. He may not be the best bowler, but man can he dance! Before becoming an entertainer, he enjoyed success as a paperboy, grocery bagger, gas jockey and blacksmith. He loves his pal Lumpy and hates his pancreas.

"Mike McCormick (large, M.Sc) plays guitar, sings and rants a lot. He is colour blind and is losing his hearing; explaining both his fashion sense and his taste in music. Mike is the tallest, oldest, most educated and is the best bowler in The Worms. He only watches T.V. if it's CFL, hockey or Star Trek and thinks that Voyager would be better if either James Kirk or Shania Twain were captain."

That's the Worms. The Worms are good. Go hear the Worms. I want you to hear the Worms.

Why? Because the more people who hear the Worms, the fewer uninitiated I will have to preach the Gospel of Worminess to in the future.

Frankly, I'm exhausted.

Posted September 22, 2004