Mystik Spiral

Mystik Spiral is the band fronted and led by Trent Lane, Daria's friend Jane's brother. It is an alternative-rock grunge band, with elements of heavy metal. Most of their songs aim for screeds on the tortured human condition, to a ludicrous degree.

They often introduce themselves as, "We're Mystik Spiral, but we're thinking of changing the name." Some of the alternate names have included "Helpful Corn" and "Something-Something Explosion". They also wondered aloud if it would help if they "spelled Mystik with 2 Ys".

The band's history

The MTV website Reburb filled in the background of the band - Trent and Jesse Moreno has already met at age 12, using borrowed guitars, and decided to form a band while they were at Lawndale High School.

"In high school, they teamed up with drummer Max Tyler after he answered a notice placed in a local paper. Attracted by the pared-down, zen-like simplicity of the ad ('They charge by the word,' Trent notes), Max blew everyone away with his energy, drive, and ownership of a drum kit. The threesome played numerous basements throughout their teen years, developing their signature style of pioneering 'trance punk.' They changed their name to Mystik Spiral and immediately began reconsidering it. But the name stuck, since Jesse had already written it in metallic marker on his guitar case.

"The lineup became complete when the threesome spotted Nicholas Campbell hitchhiking along the side of the road in 1996, and the rest is history (including a five-hour wait for a tow truck when The Tank broke down a few yards later.)"

The band's "career"

They are generally portrayed in a negative light - in their very first mention in "Road Worrier", Daria said the name sounded like a Doors tribute band and Jane laughed that they wish they were that good - and the few of their songs we get to hear are rubbish. Even Trent once said the songs in the second set were so lame, he'd leave the gig if he wasn't in the band ("Jane's Addition").

Despite all this, they keep getting gigs, both in Lawndale and elsewhere. They've performed at Brittany Taylor's birthday party, a kids party in Fremont, the Club Glamour Lounge near Ashfield, various dives across Carter County, and regularly in Lawndale at both McGrundy's Brew Pub and The Zon. Their website states "We are available for weddings, sweet sixteens, bar mitzvahs, acquittal parties, keggers. Not too early in the day, please... Cash, check, or barter accepted." A genre magazine named Smudge Magazine gave them a (ludicrously purple prosed) favourable review, calling them a "convincingly tormented quartet", while Muck & Rage gave them a bad review because the reviewer was a surly douche and thought Trent looked like the type of boy his ex-girlfriend liked.

They have a website, fronted by Trent, where you can book them, join their fan club ("Make a stand against corporate rock (until we sign a record deal)"), and see their lyrics. Max set it up, while Trent had grand (and unrealised) ideas of making a RPG about the band for it. The website makes it clear they really need money.

They have never released a CD. The IIFY Post-Movie Chat had Trent state they have a 15-track CD in the works "and we only have 14 left to go"; in 2001, their website said they needed to agree on the cover art and get the drum kit "out of hock". They have released a vinyl single of "Behind My Eyelids" under Plush Records (Daria Diaries) but on their website they admit many shops refuse to order it.

"Is It College Yet?" gave them a "Future Ego": being members of a church choir (while Trent was a US Senator).

Members

Trent Lane: vocals and guitar

Jesse Moreno: rhythm guitar

Max Tyler: drums

Nicholas Campbell: bass guitar

In "The Daria Database" (circa season 2), Jesse's younger brother Danny was the self-proclaimed "recording secretary" for their fan club - meaning he does all the writing for it - and was desperate to become their fifth member, thinking it would happen "next year". A year later, on the website's Fan Club section, Danny goes unmentioned.

"Reburb" says Jane used to be "director of band graphics until she got fed up with the whole spiral direction controversy and quit".

Songs

Behind My Eyelids
Every Dog Has His Day
Freaking Friends
Icebox Woman
Ow! My Face
Little Sister
Mr. Normal
From the Futon
Been Workin' on the Railroad (cover version)
Paingasm

Spin-off show

After the end of Daria, a pilot script was written for a spin-off starring the band. Mystik Spiral was originally reported to be in production in at least one article about "Is It College Yet?", but then the closure of MTV Animation was announced. The script wasn't seen until it was included on the Daria DVD boxset.

The pilot involved the band being conned by Max's brother into moving into a rundown house in the "cool town" Mirage, where they might hit the big time. The style of humour shown was different to Daria, lacking a sarcastic 'straight man' character and with some more surreal gags (Jesse managing to turn his new room into the exact same tip as his old one). It featured no Daria characters (outside of Spiral) and instead introduced new ones; whether it would have later shown any older ones (or at least Jane) at some point is unknown. Trent's voice actor Alvaro J. Gonzalez, in an interview with the Sheep's Fluff, said the show would have had the band "embark on a cross-country tour shedding riffs and experiencing all that life on the road has to offer".

Some new running gags and facets were introduced for the band members, such as Jesse turning out to be somehow capable of attracting girls with ease. Gonzalez also thought the spin-off would show whether Trent and the others really did just need a chance to be successful.

Glenn Eichler said in 2010 that "my only regret is that I never got to hear 'Incontinent Love' set to music".

For a specific synopsis, see Mystik Spiral pilot episode.

Fanon Songs

"Before too long" from Wouter's "Art-I-fact" story is a song about Jane's departure from lawndale in which Trent describes the anticipation of seeing her leave.
"Rescue came too late" from Wouter's "I trust you", made up on the spot by Trent after Jane came in with a facial injury sustained during a one night stand with Max. Daria asked for "Full writer's credit" when her remark about crashing at Castle Combe racing track inspired the lyrics.
"The bugs on my windshield spell out your name" a song made up on the PPMB during a fanon iron chef.

Gigs

Lawndale