Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe

Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe is the fourth studio album by American rock band Fishbone. It was the last album to feature all six original members, as guitarist Kendall Jones left the band a few months after the album's release, and keyboardist/trombonist Chris Dowd would leave the next year.

It is Fishbone's heaviest album, with the band focusing on heavy metal without any trace of their trademark horn section until the fourth song, the ska-infused "Unyielding Conditioning". Saxophonist Branford Marsalis makes an appearance on the manic "Drunk Skitzo", and the ending of "Swim" includes excerpts of a Damon Wayans stand-up routine about his experience at a Fishbone concert.

Shortly after the release of the album, the band toured as part of the third annual Lollapalooza festival, before being dropped by Sony Records the following year.

The title is a quotation from the Discordian religious text Principia Discordia.

Content In a 1993 interview with Billboard, Angelo Moore described the album:

It is an angry record. Angry at the evil out there - in law enforcement, in the government, in all the people that run the world. That's what the title of the album applies to. These people have gotten so hooked on the power, they're like monkeys - monkeys on our backs. We're pissed - we're saying 'no more niggers.'

Track listing

Personnel Fishbone Angelo Moore – saxophone, vocals Walter A. Kibby II – trumpet, vocals Kendall Jones – lead guitar, vocals Chris Dowd – keyboards, trombone, vocals John Bigham – guitar, keyboards John Norwood Fisher – bass, vocals Philip "Fish" Fisher – drums

Additional personnel Kristen Vigard – background vocals Branford Marsalis – saxophone on "Drunk Skitzo"

Accolades YearPublicationCountryAccoladeRank1996 Visions Germany "The Best Albums 1991–96" * "*" denotes an unordered list.

Charts Album - Billboard (North America) YearChartPosition1993Billboard 20099

References