Howdy! We are REDNEX - the band famous for "Cotton Eye Joe". AMA!

So, where did cotton eye Joe really come from? And more importantly, where did he go?

We don't know where from, but he wast last seen in a brothel in Louisiana. /B

This just in.... Cotton Eye Joe has been seen in Coating, Nebraska. He is on his way to buy more credit. Judging by the images, he still looks unmarried

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/mt/2016/10/AP_83613422320/lead_720_405.jpg?mod=1533691855

The latest I heard, he was robbing a phone booth in Iowa. I think he took the bus there.

Y'all are still alive and make music??

Never stopped! Over 80 gigs each year, in 2019 tours in China and Japan. Also, maybe a gig in Zimbabwe, cause we have ONE fan there, who's some kind of shaman and he threatens us with a spell of impotency if we don't come. /B

So not coming would be not coming for eternity?

That's a nice line for a song. But you won't get the credit.

Do you play cotton eye joe when you are doing concerts

Yep, Cotton Eye Joe goes on every show /R

Here is a 3 min idea of what we look like touring in 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x12mIUkayn0

Bones, no one is buying your "shaman-spell" story any more as an explanation to your impotence! Well, except Pervis & Misty of course... and Dagger... and Ace & Joe & Jay. I guess, also Rattler, Crock and Zoe. But Jiggie doesn't (I think). /R

She'll pay for that with her precious anal-virginity./B

Rednex has been constantly touring since 1994 with over 1000+ gigs on all continents except South America. They don't much care for hillbillies down there /R

Well you wer a big hit in Germany and my first CD I bought as a child in elementary school on a flea market.

Nice to see you still rocking!

That's awesome! Did you get to buy any of our band members at the flea market as well, while you were at it? We have had a few disappearing in those /R

Fun Fact: Sean Connery used to have a Rednex cover-band called Redneksch./B

Damn bro, that was funny! /R

Wasn't there a Polish cover-band on Sean Connery's Rednex cover-band Rednecksch, called Redshnecszcz?

/r/shubreddit/

Im gonna be honest its weird seeing someone having a conversation with themselves even though I know its multiple people on the same profile.

Talking to yourself is a seriously underrated occupation. /R

Well put! I couldn't have said it better myself! /R

Is it true you actually sleep with your sister and married your cousin?

Absolutely not and we firmly deny those accusations!

I slept with my cousin and MARRIED my sister./B

Or was it the other way around? Who is keeping tabs? And why is this of significance? When you roll over in bed and it's dark, is THAT the time to start asking questions??!! Nah... /R

I've heard Cotton Eye Joe a large number of times at past weddings.

How does it feel to have created a cultural icon? What have you been drinking?

Bones: We've been drinking mainly kerosene and Jagermeister, which basically derives us from any feelings, but when we're sober - we feel more than privileged. Fun fact: "Cotton Eye Joe" is among the top 50 tracks from the 90s', according to YouTube views.

Cultural icon is awesome. One of my favorite moments recently is to go on Twitter and watch wedding videos with Cotton or boxers singing karaoke to it. Much proud. /R

Don't get me started on drinking.... Quick round-up: home recipe vodka is best with all sorts of crap in it. The opening scene of the video is Dagger drinking Polish Palace vodka with blackberries, my special brew. Otherwise, the band is almost solely on Jägermeister. Whippy & Jiggie is on bubbles. /R

They didn’t create the song. It has been around for over a hundred years.

Yes, Cotton Eye Joe has been around for a long time. A Greek journalist made a very ambitious investigation into the roots of the song - https://web.archive.org/web/20120625145253/http://www.tralala.gr/specials/a-songs-odyssey/item/32461-cotton-eye-joe-rednex-song-history

The earliest notes are from the 1800's, probably from before the US civil war. Then Burt Ives did the song in the 40's, Nina Simone in the 50's. It received and/or was nominated for Grammies both in the 80's & 90's.

As for the Rednex version, the verse is an original composition made by us, not to mention that we deserve credit for making it a world wide hit. So ok, maybe "makers of a cultural icon" is too much of a label on Rednex, but definitely "makers of a pop culture icon". Looking at combined plays on You Tube & Spotify, it is one of the 40 most played songs in the world from the 90's. Cotton Eye Joe has more plays than any song by Madonna, Janet Jackson, Ace of Base etc. That's iconic. /R

Where did you come from, where did you go?

Dagger, our singer, just went to the toilet. He took a screwdriver with him, so fuck knows what's gonna happen./B

Dagger, Dagger, where did you go??!!

We all know where you came from, and NO ONE wants to go back there. Holy cow!!!

Seriously, I really wish you would learn how to read so we could include you in this iAMA. Miss you bro! /R

What did cotton eye joe actually do to keep you from getting married a long time ago?

Interesting question. I personally subscribe to the Umberto Eco analysis of this song, which says that Joe basically came to town and fucked the 'lyrical I's' fiance, hence his growing repulsion towards her. On the other hand, Salman Rushdie had an interesting theory that Joe made the 'lyrical I' gay. Now he's longing for some proper homo-shag and he lost interest in his fiance./B

In fact, none of the three producers and co-owners and co-founders of Rednex (me being one of them) have ever gotten married or have kids. The main reason could be that we hate children, but it could also be something else. Superstitious people would say it is a curse. Tabloid journalists would say that we DO have kids.

it's probably a curse, laid by someone who was tired of hearing cotton eyed joe in their head for days at a time.

Hehe, yeah, we've had plenty of those /R

HELP! I'VE GOT MAYBE 30 SECONDS BEFORE THEY NOTICE I'M USING THEIR LAPTOP (AND IT'S FUCKING HARD TO WRITE WITH YOUR DICK). I AM BEING HELD AGAINST MY WILL AND OCCASIONALLY RAPED. STEPHEN HAWKING.

Do you guys enjoy the fact cotton eyed Joe is such a big song or do you feel like it's the only thing people will know you for?

I guess what I'm trying to ask is do you guys hate the song or love it

I produced the song, so first... hearing it every awaken minute for two weeks during production, makes you wanna puke when you hear it. It happens with every song. Then it became a No.1 all over the world and completely changed everyone's lives, so then it became like something unrealistic and alien and weird. Trying to absorb that you have achieved such a smash, is hard to comprehend. Today, I adore it. I hear it almost every day due to social media throwing it in my face and I shine with it. Much pride, no hate. /R

Thanks, you see I only ask because I always hear about musicians who end up hating their own music all the time and I would hate to become something like that.

It's nice to hear that you ended up adoring the song after hearing it for so long. Kinda gives me solace in knowing that it doesn't always devolve into hating your own music.

Rednex - the bringer of solace. That's a new one. /B

Solace, what does that mean. I am thinking that a lot of artists has to play their hit over and over and sort of force a smile on their faces, and thereby they grow to hate it. This is not quite the case with Rednex since we always put on a party .

As we said before, we've had 4 other platinum-selling singles, so the audiences know other songs and we don't have to rely only on "Cotton". We definitely still love it, especially when the accountant sends us the numbers./B

Howdy! This is Pat Reiniz , sign like this /R

Rat Peiniz

How the fuck did I not think about that before :D /R

What do you think of oatmeal cookies?

I think they're a product of Satan himself. Just like Phil Collins. /B

Oatmeal cookies, is that the ones with oat or wheat in'em? Can't remember! Bones, pass me the Jäger , willl ya? /R

I can't believe this oatmeal cookie thread died out so quickly... was it something I said ? Or is it just not trendy any more? /R

Feel like filling us in on the production itself? Drum machines/Sampler's/synths or otherwise used? Effects? Sequencers? As you may guess Im a producer so this is pretty much interesting to me so it might not be to others but I would love to know. I love so much music but for me I know you guys from an era that is near and dear to me and I love learning about the gear from them... and then that leads to the question what do you guys like to use now to make music? I ask all these questions politely, thanks for answering in advance!

Hey bro, it's cool that you write just as I wrote about the remix competition (post above on my comp), and that I am drunk and heading for the bing (currently in Thailand). Anyway, you can find the remix stems at MetaPop - https://metapop.com/rednex/competitions/rednex-manly-man-remix-competition - and Sound Cloud - https://soundcloud.com/rednex/manly-man-acapella-remix-stems

Let us know if you need more, we'll send it!

The main producer, Janne Ericsson, is not with us tonight so he won't be available for specific questions, mostly because he is a hermit and only talks to plants and rocks.

But I can tell you that he uses no drum machines and almost only samplings, probably from sample CD's. We always used to use the Roland MT-32 for the banjo sound (Cotton Eye Joe etc), that one was surprisingly great for banjo and pretty much only for that. /R

Back in the day, we used AKAI samplers and Atari computer. That was the main rack. We were 6 guys putting together gear for about $25.000 , which was (BARELY!) enough to make a professional record (read = first Rednex album), recorded on a an quarter inch 8 track. It was so primitive that the biggest musicians magazine made an article on us - "Around the world on 8 tracks". It was somewhat unheard of back in the day, that you could make a world wide hit on such small means. It inspired a lot of demo-making guys in Scandinavia, when they found out. /R

catchierlight, buddy, would you find it interesting to get a technical break-down of the Manly Man track? If you think so, we could consider giving it., though it will take us some time, If so, which site would be the best to announce it? /R

Umm I would like that very much but only do it if you feel like it/it's worth your while, I know I personally would find it facinating but I'm just one dude asking!

I would also find it fascinating to get a technical break down of a production. I can do one of Cotton Eye Joe since I produced it, but as it is some time ago, it might not be very accurate.

Do you know of any web sites that are posting this kind of info? Has it happened before? The thing is that, if we would put together such a document, where to release it? There needs to be a hub for these kind of things. /R

Do you feel like your work is overshadowed by having such a huge single? Is it harder for new work to he taken seriously?

Nope, not really, In Europe we have had 4 other platinum-sellers and three other European No.1 singles. We often get called one-hit wonders and it is somewhat true in the US, but not in Europe. Also, Cotton Eye Joe was a superb hit and first single that set a creative guideline that we love to represent. It's very much the Rednex creative soul. /R

In going to have to look into your work now. Its nice to hear that positive reaction to that. Some bands get really upset about certain singles, like Smashmouth with All stars.

Are you more popular in Europe? And where are you guys originally from?

Yes, Rednex is bigger in Europe. It's where we do most of our shows. The original producers & owners and the first band are all Swedish. Though the first biography said that the band was made up of inbred Americans from Idaho. It took the media 6 months to reveal the hoax. In the US, we are most known through Cotton Eye Joe and didn't have show there until last year in Carson City, where the lightning struck the stage.

Taken seriously is something that we have never been, not even close. If we were ever taken serious we would wonder what the hell we did wrong. That said, don't think that we don't love what we do. /R

It's harder to repeat the success, obviously, but thanks to "Cotton" we're still a functioning band. /B

Were you a country band or an electronic act?

Let's call it Countronic./B

I don't much like either. I usually use Dance & American Folk to describe the mix of our music. What do you think? /R

What do you guys think about the the theories that cotton eye joe is about an STD test?

Considering that we have done 1000 shows, and that at least one band member is spreading at least one STD per show, to someone who is then spreading it onwards... are we talking millions here?! From the beginning, when Cotton Eye Joe was made in the 1800's STD's were not even invented. But today, considering our "Sharing with the world" it is definitely about STD. /R

As every deep song, it can be about anything you want. My ex girlfriend thought "Cotton" was about 1622 Indian Uprising. But she was diagnosed with Borderline syndrome. /B

Hey Bones, which STD wasn't it that you didn't have, now again? I keep forgetting the latin name of it.

My doctor called that "funny dick", but he got his degree from Ebay.

Didn't you say that you also got your management degree on eBay? Like, when you came on the team...? I remember distinctly a guy calling me up saying, in a very broad Polish accent, that he was from eBay and strongly recommended you for your inbred qualities.

Can't believe you tattooed that on , well

This fact is probably a newsflash since it hasn't been in media yet: They just named a new STD in Sweden- Daggerea . The name is from Dagger, our horniest band member. He is also lead role in the Manly Man video.

It is a very rednexy STD. As soon as there is a heavy bass pump on more than 120 bpm, the dick goes peekaboo. Pretty fast too. In and out, in and out of the foreskin, like a frightened turtle, but to the beat... You know, like these dolls at the amusement park that you hit with a club, at the stand with that bearded fellow that has hard candy backstage. Yep, it is a weird STD.

Peekaboo /R

We are looking for 100 volunteers with the STD Daggerea for our upcoming video. We will synchronize it in a visual ballet. In and ... out. In and ... out. Of the foreskin that is. Ooh, thou glorious foreskin! Thou precious pearl! The diamond of peekaboo. Peekaboo, daddy's back! /R

This might be my last message tonight before resorting. It's not for nothing I am the master of hanging on to the late hours.

So, you all are Swedish .. are there rednecks (or some Scandinavian analogue) in Sweden?

Totally. Gimme a minute to find a link /R

b t w , aren't they everywhere

These are our people -

https://www.google.com/search?q=raggare&hl=en-TH&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwj0ntT_k_LcAhUSNbwKHVKgB68Q_AUICigB&biw=1326&bih=629

That's the Swedish equivalent of rednecks. They are called raggare, and we love them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/raggare

We are not all Swedish any more. Rednex have devolved (the antonym of evolved). In 2012, we trashed the convention of the permanent band, and introduced the performer pool. Today we are 14 performers from 7 different countries and can play with different constellations from gig to gig. During the last weekend, we had 3 different bands, one in East Germany, one in West Germany and one in Romania & Hungary, with a total of 13 performers and 3 Managers on Tour. Though a handful of those will get fired in the coming week. /R

Since I have nothing better to do than to add another couple of kB to Reddit's drives, while being drunk, here is a current break down of our current performers:

Gals: Misty Mae, Whippy, Abby Hick, Zoe, Jiggie McClagganahan - from 4 different nationalities

Guys: Ace Ratclaw, Joe Cagg, Boneduster Crock, Moe Lester the Limp, Pervis the Palergator, Rattler, Billy Ray, Cash & Spades - from 6 different nationalities.

BB Stiff became a reserve since 2 months ago, he is no longer in the band. Dagger has been on a break for a year and is hopefully soon back in the band, after his major fuck-up in Carson City last year.

A cool thing with the Manly Man video is that all our 24 performers through history are present at some point. 24 years, that is 1 performer per year, and guess what... NO ONE has died yet! As far as I can remember anyway. In this aspect, the video is a bit of a cavalcade of the Rednex history. Fans that know it will take great pleasure in finding all various performers. Even our hero, Göran, is in the video.

If you want to see what Rednex looks like on stage today, and see a bit of history going back to 1994m check out our tour teaser for 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x12mIUkayn0 /R

EVERYBODY! We really want you to give us some feedback on our new release! We worked really fucking long and hard on this thing - both the video, the song, the remixes, all of it... - please send us a line of comment - hate us or laugh at us, all is good anyway, the Rednex party will always continue with uninterrupted force. But please throw us a bone after months of work. It would be very appreciated! There are about 20 creative geniuses who are eagerly awaiting your verdict now...

Read the story about the video here - http://www.cleveland19.com/story/38695303/no1-artist-shot-video-at-crime-scene

Video is here - https://youtu.be/77DeTcQUwHg

And the vid's got tits in it!

Yes, 2 of them! Or maybe you mentioned that... ? /R

First time I've heard it. Good fun.

Ever had someone try to dance the traditional dance to your version?

What music influenced you?

Thanks! I'm very happy about this comment :) Yes, we already got a line dance from a German Choreographer - http://www.linedancemag.com/manly-man/

Then, we asked him to do a belly rubbing version, since that is the catch phrase dance of Manly Man (at 2.44 in the video), so they did - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2i54T3R_cg

But maybe that's not what you were asking about? /R

The songwriter of Manly Man is not with us today. He is a hermit and rarely speaks in other languages than code, so we can't know for sure, but for the inspiration to Manly Man ... I know he listens a lot to old American folk and hiillbilly music. Stuff that is so old that there is rarely any names on the artists, like from the 20/30's, Oh Brother Where Art Thou stuff. /R

I got an email from a guy yesterday suggesting that we cover Man of Constant Sorrow. That's been on the table for a while. /R

Any songs that you think we should cover? /R

Definitely "Good Ol' Mountain Dew" by Grandpa Jones! /B

I might as well add that Rednex is a transparent and open creative community. We welcome songs from any writers around the world. /R

Not exactly what I was asking but that is ok because these videos made my day.

I think the belly rubbing version also has some good opening for an ass slap.

Also, how long have you kept those two guys in your dungeon?

HAHA :)))! They are not in our dungeon, you silly. They are in the community dungeon. Ever heard of neighbor-sharing?!

Anyway, thanks a lot for the ass slap idea. I can't believe we missed that one. You sound like the right man to do the video on it, am I right? /R

I'm old and a smoker. I don't move that much in a year.

What are the monthly fees on a community dungeon? I need to look into this since I recently sold my house and moved to an apartment.

The cost is all dependent on the entertainment. It's with dungeons like with the music business. There is a reason that Robbie Williams get one mill per show, while Rednex only get the free booze and oatmeal cookies that we bring ourselves. Our dungeons are cheap, that's all I want to say really /R

Yeah, man. Make a vid and post it on YouTube! If we like it, we'll send you some reward, like Dagger's (the lead actor from the vid) pubic hair.

He's mainly inspired by Gin and his galloping mental disease. Apart from that, early Radiohead, obviously./B

Newsflash.... this just in... our fan club in Zimbwabwe just got on the bus. He is going to town to buy veggies. (no further info here, as for example what he is to do with said veggies, update is to be expected soon...)

this just in... he is still at the bus station.... we repeat, he is STILL at the bus station.

More updates coming soon

a new update should be merely minutes away. be patient people

Just got the info that his ostomy bag ruptured and he has to get his shit together. Hah, get it?!

Which naturally begs the question - did someone ever fucked somebody in the ostomy hole?

My guess is that somewhere in Germany.

Emergency department Nurse here. Yes it has happened and you really don’t want to know or see the results!

You're probably right. It is one of those things that sounds more yummy than it actually is. Kind of like marshmallow cup cakes. It sounds delicious, but then when you have it, you realize that it is basically just whipped cream with a touch of egg taste.

So, now that you mention it, fucking the ostomy hole would probably be a bit of a disappointment, and no one wants to be disappointed in bed, am I right guys? /R

Bones here. No, I would definitely love to know the results!

You sick fucker 🤪

Yeah, Bones, get a hold of yourself will'ya!? It was tough enough that summer you were dragging around that piglet .

Fucking a constipated ass sounds about the same as an ostomy hole. However, it HAS to be tried out.

Rednex is also the first pop band, with a world wide hit to its name, to live stream ourselves 24/7. The debut was last weekend on Twitch - https://twitch.tv/rednexmusic - when we had 6 gigs with 3 different bands (we are a pool of performers these days, no more permanent band) in 3 different countries. Read the full story here - http://www.greatreporter.com/content/3327/famous-pop-artists-start-247-live-stream

We will live stream us 24/7 around every gig. This weekend it will start on Friday afternoon and go on til Sunday afternoon. Yep /R

Is the band still for sale?

Hey ZippyV! Cool that you're asking. YES IT IS!

We put up the band for sale in 2007, partly as a gag, but also thinking .... why not??!! what if some crazy sheik comes along , lets take the money. We put out the ad and a few people got in touch. You could tell that they had the money to buy it, but it never got serious. Lucky us! Only 2-3 years later came the music business turn-around thanks to Spotify, and now, buying it for $1.5M as we asked in 2007, would be too cheap (we thought the music industry was going to pieces). Today, we would ask at least the double. But, sure, it is more fun to think of it as available for sale, rather than not.

/R

According to a recent reddit post, cotton eye joe is the best song to fuck to. Your opinion?

It's definitely very fuck-friendly, but personally... it mostly works great for me, but when it comes to the banjo part, I don't know... I kinda lose the rhythm ... it's like the dick suddenly wants to do its own dance and be all over the place. So, usually, during that part I stop, then look at the girl with my John Wayne-type smile and say "hey babe, why don't you take it from here". Then I stand by the bedside flexing a bit until it's back to the verse.

I have the same problem with Old Pop in an Oak.

Manly Man is an awesome fuck-song though, you should really try it. It beats Cotton Eye Joe.

How much money have you spent on blow?

Look, when you're a star, you don't have to buy blow. It's in our contract. This, five tap-dancing midgets and a bowl of only yellow M&M's./B

I became a professional producer in 1992. Cotton Eye Joe was a hit in 1994, that's when I got fairly rich... The first time someone asked if I wanted blow was in 2002. The first time I saw it in real life was in Ecuador in Montanita in 2015, I was so thrilled that I forced the guy to line it up with my credit card so I could participate since I was too drunk to dare to try it. It doesn't come my way and I'm sorry to give a boring and honest answer. /R

I got my credit card back b t w. Thanks for asking. /R

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Gold given.

I remember seeing you on Top of the Pops, where you swore blind you were all from Texas apart from the singer who was Swedish. I got in a fight at school about whether you were really rednecks or not (I believed you were). Please tell me, who was correct?

Ooh, u/Cockwombles, you best see the final screen at the end of their Manly Man video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77DeTcQUwHg

You'll clearly see POLISH names (those ending with -wski are the most obvious) and a Polish location, along with NORDIC names (those ending with -sson are most obvious [typically meaning "son of" or "-'s son"]) . . . PAT REINIZ himself is SWEDISH!

Their "schtick" / gimmick is PRECISELY to use -- or, rather, culturally (mis!-)appropriate -- the distinctly American "hick" / "red-neck" stereotype in an "old western" setting (for videos). So, knee-slappin', foot-stompin', corn-cob-pipe-smokin', hay-chewin', grubby-farmer-lookin', fiddle-playin' old-west reject.

For you to believe they "were all from Texas" means that whomever did their Costumes, Stage Setup, etc all managed to FOOL you into thinking that, based on their (successful, as it turns out!) use of a CLASSIC STEREOTYPE, set to catchy upbeat dance music! ;D

What's worse, TX is not the only home of "rednecks" -- that's just another stereotype!! :O

Yep, very true. Thanks for the clarification! Rednecks are all over the place. As another thread here explains, there are plenty of rednecks in Sweden too, I know loads of them.

We in Rednex, mostly love and cherish the American redneck lifestyle and culture. Don't think anything different, but we also enjoy having fun with it and playing with stereotypes and mocking everything we see, including ourselves. If you want to understand Rednex properly, then it is important to realize that it is foremost an art project.

The video was recorded in Poland (read full story here - http://www.cleveland19.com/story/38695303/no1-artist-shot-video-at-crime-scene ) - so the whole film team was Polish. Also, our manager and part of the executive creative team - Bones - is Polish (writing here as /B). But we have no Polish performers. Our performer pool today exists of 14 performers from 7 different countries, but not Poland, and unfortunately no American yet. But we welcome submissions for new performers! /R (I am Pat Reiniz, Swedish)

LOL , oh my oh my :) Did you win the fight? In the first biography we said that I, the Swedish producer, had gone to US to find my distant relatives. Which I did. They were holding up in an isolated village called Brunkeflo in Idaho. The villagers in Brunkeflo had had no contact with the outside world for 150 years. They were all related and inbred and had no clue about modern civilization, but one gene had been perfected... guess which one.... to play music of course :) everyone in the village were virtousi, so I hand picked the 5 most talented musicians and brought them with me to the studio in Sweden, where they slept in a barn, got drunk and occasionally recorded music.

Early on, the band as presented as Swedish-American.

Then, since Cotton Eye Joe became as instant smash hit, we never had to please the media with the real story, but kept claiming that this made-up story was actually the truth. Think Kizz. They tried hard to hunt down the band, but it took them 6 months to find the real people of the band. All of us were Swedish, no one was from Texas. The story is a beautiful piece of show business if you ask me :) but sorry to have you on the wrong side of the fight. /R

Speaking of Texas, did y'all know that there is a town in Texas named Earth?

No, we didn't know :). And, within the town of Earth, is there another smaller neighborhood called Texas?

Speaking of Texas, did y'all know that Austin, Texas is considered the live music capital of the world?

Speaking of Texas, did y'all know that Texas spelled backwards becomes "Sex At", so you know... the state to have "SEX AT"!! Now that's perverse man! Think about it... oh wait, it's actually saxet backwards. Shit, I really screwed up that joke

I live in Texas. We have a gun show every now and then called the Saxet Gun Show. I have only just realized what it meant...

I feel dumb.

Speaking of Texas, did y'all know that Ottine, Texas has its own urban legend similar to Bigfoot, called the Ottine Swamp Thing?

Oh really, what's he got? A big pancreas? Hey, Texasbot, that does NOT have viral potential, I'm tellin ya! Get a real monster, ok? /R

Feedback: fucking loved it! More importantly, I have like $12 , lots of liquor plus all the oatmeal cookies you can eat. Any chance you come and play a set in my backyard?

Dude, would love to :) !!! /R

Sooooo...

One horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?

For dinner, I would definitely say the many horses. Just think about it - a 100 small horses slowly roasting over an open fire. There's beauty in that... In all other circumstances: definitely a horse-sized duck, how cool isn't that??!!

And what about you, Skanky, a one horse-sized dick, or 100 dick-sized horses?

The fuck am I going to do with 100 dick-sized horses?

Honestly, you should have already known the answer to this one. ;)

True, though I am curious to hear what you would do with one horse-size dick... /R

(and if we can get the live streaming rights)

u/TheRednex, hi. :) Knowing you toured EXTENSIVELY around the world, and have China in the upcoming plan, I'm just curious (cuz I'm not Googling) -- did you already go to HONG KONG??

...cuz that's where I FIRST heard "Cotton Eye Joe", on a dance compilation CD, no less, TWO DECADES AGO... :O (Phuq Me..)

OMG, to have found something like knee-slappin' hay-chewin' square-dancin' jig-kinda-music set up as a DANCE track . . . that was NUTS for the mid-90s. I took that shit right back to my midwestern-US University, and played it up in the Dorm Radio (WCCR) during my evening "Dance" hour set! :P It featured each weekend for 5-6 weeks!

Cool that. Thanks for the story. You must have done some pretty deep digging in the record stores in Hong Kong in those days :)

I was in Hong Kong only two weeks ago. It is the current fiscal home for Rednex these days. International world as it is. But the band has never played or being on promo there. To be honest, as a music outpost, Hong Kong is pretty lame, still...

Apologies, I think I got a bit mixed up -- instead of Cotton Eye Joe, it may well have been Old Pop in an Oak..!! :D

But Avex Trax was quite prolific around the time I was acquiring dance compilation CDs, then there were the earlier "Now" compilations (Now that's what I call..), and of course there's always been BMG . . . ;)

Ah, HK... I remember there was a time when concerts were held more often, but you're mostly right -- it's not so hot on the music scene. :(

I mean, there ARE smaller indie bands which manage to find (or create) venues to play, and HK is able to attract occasional musical "mega stars"; and there are many decent DJs across the nightclub scene there, and several highly reputable clubs (like drop, especially, which my friend owns; and Dragon-i) which have had some international DJ LEGENDS in, . . . . . but HK's still limited... :(

Gosh, if you were there 2 weeks ago, being in HK in summer -- the humidity makes the heat less bearable! >_< I grew up there, so I really know what I'm talkin about! :O

Thanks for your reply! :D

(I like "Shock Level 5" as a name, too! Kinda explains the spoken-lyric I think I remember hearing: "The REDnex . . . Shocking!")

Old Pop... even better. In 1998 I was biking around in Beijing and heard Cotton Eye Joe blasting on the street. I stopped and rushed into a hair salon, who had it on speakers standing out on the street, trying to explain that it was my song, screaming over the noise of music and hair dryers. Of course they didn't get a word I said, but it was one of the more exotic encounters I've had with the song.

Oddly with HK, considering the awesome history it has, it should have a rebellious vibe somehow, that should translate into an edgy pop culture, but I have never come across that. Have you?

Thanks for noticing Shock Level 5, it is a reference to the four shock levels of the technological singularity. /R

When you released Cotton Eye Joe in the U.K. did it have a b-side and, if so what was it called?

UK was the country where we released Cotton Eye Joe first, through Zomba UK. It was a flop. Nothing happened. In July 1994. Just a few weeks after that it exploded on the charts of Netherlands & Sweden, shortly thereafter Spain. On the 1st of November 1994 it went to No.1 in Germany. Then UK re-released it and we missed being No.1 on Christmas by one week.

So, at the time of the first release, we hadn't made any other Rednex productions. The b-side was an instrumental.

Ok thanks. New song sounds great. Good old Rednex

Thanks for the feedback! We are good AND OLD ! Yeah :))) /R

I can also add that the first UK release includes an illegal sample that could have put us in big trouble. So it was probably a good thing that it wasn't a hit. We had time to correct it for the releases in other territories.

hi , have you ever been involved with the occult or a cult ?

Some of us have. Our former performer Mary Joe / Annika Ljungberg, a.k.a. The Bitch, a.k.a. The Idiot, was in some sort of cult. When she got married, the priest was celebrity-priest Runar Sogaard - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runar_S%C3%B8gaard - who was/is the leader of some pretty "alternative" god-fearing people. Among other things Runar shot animals from his bedroom, which made him lose his gun license. He also claimed that Mohammed (you know, the prophet guy) was a pedophile.

Then, some say that Rednex is a cult, since there are quite typical and defined frames of attitude. Those are not connected to any religion though.

PS the lawsuit against Annika Ljungberg happens on September 12th, unless another lawyer will get shot.

Actually, within the Rednex realm, Ranis is God and I'm the Pope. I'm thinking we should get more "ritual-istic" with the band, like ordering 'em to always have our pictures backstage before the gig. Like a small altar, with candles, incense and shit. I mean LITERALLY shit. /B

Have you made any other songs that the average person might know, or are you a one hit wonder?

4 other platinum-selling singles. But the "average" person probably knows "Wish You Were Here" (no, not the Pink Floyd tune), probably also "Spirit of the Hawk". /B

Thanks for giving a straight answer to my slightly provocative question!

I've often wondered how it feels to be an artist when a large part of the audience have come to hear one song only. I've been to many such concerts (mostly on festivals), and I must say that I admire the artists who still give 100% on stage. Heck, the most impressive performance I've seen was a Swedish has-been who performed in the local shopping mall in front of 3-4 pre-school children and a bunch of shoppers who just walked by, but he still rocked like he was in front of an audience of 100 000 screaming fans. That can't have been fun, but it's professional as hell.

We play about half of our shows in the German speaking countries and there Rednex have had 4 massive platinum-selling hits. In fact, in the last 40 years Rednex is the artist that has been most total weeks at No.1 on The German singles chart (25 weeks - Cotton 10, Spirit 9, Wish You 6, Old Pop was No.2 for 5 weeks - fucking Andrea Bocelli! - you're the devil! the devil I say!!!). So mostly we play for people who knows more than just the one song.

But in North America we are probably one hit wonders.

The Swedish has-been you mention, you sure that was not a Rednex gig? It sounds like Dagger on the spot. We do those gigs once in a while. I remember one gig at a mall in Graz, Austria. The band was on the floor outside some clock shop that wanted to promote themselves, we played in front of 10-12 frightened pensioners that just wanted to have the lunch stroll in peace. The most pity though always goes to the owner of the clock store. For us, it's just fun, but we feel sorry for him. /R

Nope, not Rednex, it was some guy from one of the Swedish 80s pop bands. Don't remember which (never listened to them, I was into punk and metal at the time (and still am...)).

Qudos for giving it all even at a "failed" gig, though. One can't always have good days at the job, but one can still try to do a good job.

Honestly, at some gigs I've seen, I blame the audience. It's a two way thing, the artist can only get things moving so much, at some point, the audience must do their part. You can't really blame the artist when the ausdience is a hungover, tired festival audience who are there just because there is a gap in their schedule...

Yep. We play a lot of gigs after 2 am. Now, that's an unfocused crowd! They have an attention span of one loud chorus at most. But the toughest crowd is probably at Ballerman 6, the famous German beach in Mallorca. There they crack the first beer before the first morning piss. Everyone is drunk already at noon, literally. It is like everyone is in a constant decadent haze 24/7, so to get a crowd response is like trying to make a toad agitated, it's like as if its inherited design is to roll over and pass out. For you who haven't been to Ballerman 6, I can strongly recommend it, it's one of the most far-out places you can experience on this planet. /R

Here is more shit going on b t w. Rednex remix competition for DJ's and producers who can't get laid. 1st prize $250 and official release.

https://metapop.com/rednex/competitions/rednex-manly-man-remix-competition

We went Top 50 on the German Dance charts last week (ddjc.de), so expect some floor-swag ya Turdesses!

Ass or a pair of monstrous titties?

My cousin's tits were so saggy that I literally could hang them over her shoulders and play with them AND the ass at the same time. Lovely memories. /B

Wasn't it during those sexual escapades that you wrote the drum solo for McKenzie Brothers Part 2? I remember a coherence /R

I think you might be confusing this with the time you were banging MY cousin, whose ass was so saggy that you could literally hang it over her shoulders and play with it at the same time as her tits.

Did I mention that she was also your aunt?

I'm pretty sure that this is related to your making of the drum solo in "Wild'n Free".

"Lovely memories" is the word indeed bro. /R

This is all the loving I need - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ri05sjqlTkfHVZrOnixuKgbQ54HTxqIQ

It is Misty Mae from the new video. There are also some nice shots of her ass in the video, but that was prompted on by others, not me, I could have tits all the way. Bones is mostly into elbows. /R

What would you say is your second best or most popular song?

"Pop in Old Oak" or "Wish You Were Here" - both sold in millions. But give "Manly Man" some time and it will top that. /B

Looking at stats: At Spotify it is Old Pop in an Oak. At You Tube it is Spirit of the Hawk (also considered our creative pollution - read about that in the memoirs). Back in the day, in terms of single sales it is probably Wish You Were Here. My personal favorite is Riding Alone /R

What were your thoughts on the song before you released Cotten Eye Joe, did you expect it to get as popular as it did?

Considering how hard it is to get a hit with an unknown act, which literally receives no support from media and radio etc, the default before a release is always to think that it probably won't be a hit. The entry of social media and viral videos/songs has evened out the odds a bit, but it's still much the case.

In 1994, our production group (Future Crew) had just had our first hit (Dr.Feelgood by Cool James & Black Teacher), we had our own sub-label at one of the better record companies, so we were very up and coming. Personally, I had very "high hopes" about Cotton Eye Joe, I thought it could quite easily go Top 20 in Sweden with the help of Deejay Promotions Scandinavian Dance Charts.

Since we had a quite good label in the Netherlands - Zomba Records - I also thought it could go Top 20 there and other similar countries that were friendly to Eurodance, such as Denmark, Finland and Belgium (Germany was the big dream, but I didn't even dare to wish for it). Those were the heights of my expectations.

First it was released in the UK and flopped. In Netherlands and Sweden it went to No.1 in two weeks which was a record in those days. It literally exploded, and we were in shock and gawk. Same thing happened in Germany three months later. We went No.1 there on November 1st, which was immediately announced a public Future Crew holiday. I still send a "Happy Holiday" to the guys on Nov 1st and remind them that music production on that day is strictly forbidden :) /R

Wow man, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing, love the new single btw!

Thanks! There is always a great deal of anxiety when presenting a new release to the world, so we dearly appreciate hearing from those who like it. /R

Two great news for Rednex today - the new song Manly Man entered at the Top 40 German Dance Charts at No.38. Secondly, Dagger managed to connect the power plug with the power socket, next up is finding the on-button. We're all psyched! /R