Wheatus is an American rock group from Northport, New York. They are known largely for their 2000 hit single "Teenage Dirtbag" which was featured in the movie Loser.
Wheatus was formed by Brendan B. Brown in 1995. Brown wrote a few songs, enlisted the help of his brother Peter on drums and Rich Liegey on bass (he was replaced by Mike McCabe after the release of their self-titled debut Wheatus). In 1999, they hired New York attorney Ray Maiello to shop their self produced debut album and signed with Kevin Patrick at Columbia Records; shortly thereafter, Maiello was hired as band manager. Brown's favorite song to play is "From Listening To Lightning"
Wheatus' first and largest hit was "Teenage Dirtbag," which charted at #2 in the UK. Their second single "A Little Respect" (an Erasure cover) also reached high chart positions, and was another top-3 hit for the band on the UK singles chart. Their third single, a double A-side of "Leroy" and "Wannabe Gangstar" (the single version of the latter featuring Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden), was recorded at Abbey Road in the famed studio 2 and was immediately at the center of a large dispute through which a Sony UK A and R representative named Ollie tried to turn them into a multi genre act like the Gorillaz, because he liked the Gorillaz. The single consequently didn't perform as well as the first 2, reaching twenty-third in the UK singles chart.