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Gunk Punk

April 6, 2011 by A.S. Van Dorston

In the 80s there was no shortage of bands that referenced 60s Nuggets type bangers and 70s MC5/Stooges/New York Dolls, like The Scientists, The Cramps, DMZ, Hoodoo Gurus, The Lime Spiders, The Godfathers and The Lyres. There wasn’t really any genre name for them, because they seemed too disparate in sound and style to be considered a movement. Perhaps it’s why it took so long for a handful of bands to get half the attention as some bands associated with grunge did. Or maybe it’s just the generally raw and sloppy nature of their recordings that kept them mostly off the college charts. Starting in the late 80s, I heard and enjoyed some records by The Lazy Cowgirls, Didjits, Cosmic Psychos, Dwarves, The Oblivians and New Bomb Turks, but mostly enjoyed their live shows, and considered their recordings no more significant than mementos. But 15-20 years later when they’re not around anymore, it’s a blast to revisit the music of these trashy, funny, most often drunk bands. What made them an antidote to self-important post-grunge mainstream rockers, mall punk and mook rock also makes them sound kind of timeless today.

Before The Hives and The White Stripes blew up, there were a few bands that had some success and fleeting major label support, such as Rocket From The Crypt, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Supersuckers, The Muffs and The Donnas. But mainly the scene with no name remained underground. Terms like trash rock and garage punk were thrown about some, and who knows what might have happened with some Malcolm McClaren/Sub Pop style marketing. Better late than never, we have Eric Davidson of the New Bomb Turks to playfully coin the term “gunk punk” for his 2010 book, We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001.

We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001 (2010)

“We Never Learn: The Gunk
Punk Undergut

1988-2001” (2010)

Coming from Columbus, Ohio, Davidson could have easily tipped the balance to focus on bands from Ohio, and his own band. Over a decade of touring with the New Bomb Turks certainly gave him plenty of stories to use, which he does inject in nearly every chapter. But he also manages to get a lot of good interviews from key participants, but presented in fanzine-style Q&A format rather than an integrated oral history like Please Kill Me. He also interviews pretty much all they key people behind important labels like Crypt, Sympathy for the Record Industry and In The Red. Much like the music he covers, Davidson churns out gleefully bad metaphors like recycled riffs, and while it makes for some frequently awkward phrasing, it’s a fun read.

“[Andre] Williams was backslapped into making Silky, which was not only a fine comeback of sweaty-sack, juke-joint foot-stomp and gut-busting innuendo (if a song called “Let Me Put It In” qualifies as innuendo), but simultaneously yanked many a garage purist’s ear back further into the R&B base of the genre. Silky was a steamy musical muff dive as history lesson.”

It’s a tricky job deciding what bands to include and what to leave out. Davidson was pretty thorough. Some might complain about a few he’d leave out, or others they feel don’t belong or have much to do with the other bands. The only omission I’ve noticed so far is the Cows. Davidson did use a criteria to rule out bands from certain labels. “By the mid-’90s, all indie rock labels were foreged from the DIY (“do it yourself”) spirit of the ’80s (so well documented in Michael Azerrad’s book, Our Band Could Be Your Life). Originators like SST, Touch and Go, Homestead, and Amphetamine Reptile were great templates of how to avoid major-label traps of bad contracts, wasted dough, and overextended rosters. But their sounds were mostly of a more angular, serious post-hardcore punk.” But he does make exceptions, like listing Naked Raygun’s Jettison in his list of 100 albums without really mentioning them in the rest of the book. And Halo Of Flies with Tom Hazelmeyer, the owner of Amphetamine Reptile records. I personally think the Am Rep band the Cows would be more appropriate than Naked Raygun. At first it also seems strange that Pussy Galore, Boss Hog and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion would be included, but not Royal Trux. But I can see how some of their early forays into somewhat avant-fuckery would distance them from the gunk punk pack.

Definitely a must for those who were there and loved any of the bands covered, hopefully the book is pulling in more people only familiar with more recent work from the likes of The White Stripes, Jay Reatard, King Khan & the Shrines, The Black Keys and The Kills. Give it as a gift to anyone who complains that rock ‘n’ roll stopped being fun in the 80s.

Top Gunk Punk Albums

While Davidson did list 100 gunk punk albums, he did it alphabetically. I ranked the ones I’ve heard (he limited it to one per artist, I didn’t). He also included a list of 50 singles, and a 20 track mix as a free download to those who bought the book. Considering the fact that over 80% of this stuff is out of print, it’s a little skimpy.

  1. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (Sympathy for the Record Industry)01
  2. Blacktop – I’ve Got A Baaad Feeling About This (In The Red) 94
  3. Dwarves – Blood Guts & Pussy (Sub Pop) 90
  4. Halo Of Flies – Music For Insect Minds (Amphetamine Reptile) 91
  5. The Lazy Cowgirls – Ragged Soul (Crypt) 95
  6. Turbonegro – Apcocalypse Dudes (Epitaph/Burning Heart) 98
  7. The Hellacopters – High Visibility (Gearhead) 00
  8. Rocket From the Crypt – Scream, Dracula Scream! (Interscope) 95
  9. The Oblivians – Popular Favorites (Crypt) 96
  10. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Orange (Matador) 94
  11. Union Carbide Productions – In The Air Tonight (Radium) 88
  12. The White Stripes – De Stijl (Sympathy For the Record Industry) 00
  13. The Screws – 12 New Hate-Filled Classics (In The Red) 99
  14. Turbonegro – Ass Cobra (Sympathy for the Record Industry) 96
  15. The Hellacopters – Supershitty To The Max (White Jazz) 96
  16. The White Stripes (Sympathy for the Record Industry) 99
  17. The Lazy Cowgirls – How It Looks How It Is (Sympathy For The Record Industry) 90
  18. The Oblivians – Soul Food (Crypt) 95
  19. The Hellacopters – Payin’ the Dues (Sub Pop) 97
  20. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Acme (Matador/Capitol)98
  21. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Now I Got Worry (Matador) 96
  22. New Bomb Turks – !!Destroy-Oh-Boy!! (Crypt) 92
  23. Cosmic Psychos – Go The Hack (Sub Pop) 90
  24. The Lazy Cowgirls – Tapping The Source (Bomp) 87
  25. Rocket From The Crypt – Group Sounds (TVT/Vagrant) 01
  26. Gaunt – I Can See Your Mom From Here (Thrill Jockey/Crypt) 95
  27. Crunt (Trance Syndicate) 94
  28. Zeke – Death Alley (Aces & Eights) 01
  29. The Gories – House Rockin’ (Crypt) 89
  30. Zeke – Flat Tracker (Snooch Pooch) 96
  31. The Gories – I Know You Fine, But How You Doin’ (Crypt) 90
  32. Cheater Slicks – Don’t Like You (In The Red) 95
  33. Union Carbide Productions – Financially Dissatisfied, Philosophically Trying (Radium) 89
  34. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Extra Width (Matador) 93
  35. Clone Defects – Blood On Jupiter (Tom Perkins) 01
  36. The X-Rays – Speed Kills (Lowlife) 95
  37. The Devil Dogs – Saturday Night Fever (Crypt) 94
  38. The Cynics – Rock ‘n’ Roll (Get Hip) 89
  39. Rocket From the Crypt – Hot Charity (Swami) 95
  40. Rocket From the Crypt – The State of Art Is On Fire (Sympathy for the Record Industry) 95
  41. The No-Talents – 100% No Talent (Wild Child) 96
  42. Rocket From the Crypt – Circa: Now! (Interscope) 93
  43. Dwarves – The Dwarves Are Young And Good Looking (Theologian/Epitaph) 97
  44. The BellRays – Let It Blast (Vital Gesture) 99
  45. Supersuckers – La Mano Cornuda (Sub Pop) 94
  46. Dwarves – Toolin’ For A Warm Teabag (Recess) 88
  47. Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments – Bait And Switch (Onion//American) 95
  48. The Rip Offs – Got A Record (Rip Off) 94
  49. Cosmic Psychos – Self Totaled (Amphetamine Reptile) 95
  50. Rocket From the Crypt – RFTC (Interscope) 98
  51. Dwarves – Come Clean (Epitaph) 00
  52. Dead Moon – Unknown Passage (Tombstone) 89
  53. Cows – Cunning Stunts (Amphetamine Reptile) 91
  54. The Mummies – Never Been Caught (Telstar) 92
  55. Teengenerate – Get Action! (Crypt) 94
  56. Dwarves – Sugarfix (Sub Pop) 93
  57. The Hellacopters – Grande Rock (Sub Pop) 99
  58. Supercharger – Goes Way Out! (Estrus) 93
  59. The Detroit Cobras – Mink Rat Or Rabbit (Sympathy For The Record Industry) 98
  60. Cows – Sexy Pee Story (Amphetamine Reptile) 93
  61. The Donnas – American Teenage Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine (Lookout!) 98
  62. Death Of Samantha – Where The Women Wear The Glory And The Men Wear The Pants (Homestead) 88
  63. The Donnas – Get Skintight (Lookout!) 99
  64. The Muffs – Blonder And Blonder (WB) 95
  65. The Donnas (Super*Teem!/Lookout!) 97
  66. New Bomb Turks – Nightmare Scenario (Epitaph) 00
  67. Gaunt – Yeah, Me Too (Amphetamine Reptile) 95
  68. The Infections – Kill (Rip Off) 97
  69. New Bomb Turks – At Rope’s End (Epitaph) 98
  70. Pussy Galore – Dial M For Motherfucker (Matador) 89
  71. Nashville Pussy – Let Them Eat Pussy (Amphetamine Reptile) 98
  72. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Crypt Style (Caroline/1+2) 92
  73. Gaunt – Kryptonite (Thrill Jockey) 96
  74. Gaunt – Sob Story EP (Crypt) 94
  75. New Bomb Turks – Scared Straight (Epitaph) 96
  76. New Bomb Turks – Information Highway Revisited (Crypt) 94
  77. The Gibson Bros. – Big Pine Boogie (Okra) 88
  78. Didjits – Hornet Pinata (Touch & Go) 90
  79. The Hives – Veni Vidi, Vicious (Burning Heart) 00
  80. The Fluid – Glue EP (Sub Pop) 90
  81. Bantam Rooster – Deal Me In (Crypt) 97
  82. Dead Moon – Thirteen Off My Hook (Music Maniac) 90
  83. Thee Headcoats – Heavens to Murgatroyd Even! It’s Thee Headcoats (Sub Pop) 91
  84. Dwarves – Thank Heaven For Little Girls (Sub Pop) 91
  85. The Cynics – Twelve Flights Up (Get Hip) 88
  86. Gaunt – Bricks And Blackouts (WB) 98
  87. Didjits – Full Nelson Reilly (Touch & Go) 91
  88. The Fluid – Purplemetalflakemusic (Sub Pop) 92
  89. Pussy Galore – Right Now (Matador) 87
  90. Thee Mighty Caesars – Beware The Ides Of March (Big Beat) 85
  91. The Devil Dogs – Big Beef Bonanza (Crypt) 90
  92. Guitar Wolf – Wolf Rock! (Goner) 95
  93. Country Teasers – Satan Is Real Again Or Feeling Good About Bad Thoughts (Crypt) 96
  94. The Candy Snatchers (Safe House) 96
  95. Boss Hog – Drinkin’ Lechin’ & Lyin’ EP (Amphetamine Reptile) 89
  96. The Raunch Hands – Learn to Whap-A-Dang With The Raunch Hands (Relativity) 86
  97. Didjits – Hey Judester (Touch & Go) 88
  98. Boss Hog – Cold Hands (Amphetamine Reptile) 90
  99. Country Teasers – Destroy All Human Life (Crypt) 99
  100. Death Of Samantha – Come All Ye Faithless (Homestead) 89

In Blurt, Fred Mills cornered Davidson and got him to at least rank some of his favorite bands.

Eegads! Well, if I must, but I’m making it longer, in relative chronological order…

Various Billy Childish groups – consistent, unrelentingly trashy recording and honesty.

Lazy Cowgirls – Whipping up all raw American roots music fast-like before most did, before hardcore even.

Pussy Galore – Template-setting garbage noise leap forward for garage punk.

Dwarves – They made the perfect rock ‘n’ roll record, Blood, Guts & Pussy, and had probably the best overall live evocation of the We Never Learn icky ethos.

Gories – Mick Collins says it best in the book – essentially, when he heard all those lame post-Nuggets comps’ ads say “Wild, primitive garage rock!” then he bought them and they were jangly folk, he said they decided to make records as wild and primitive as those comps claimed. And did!

 Supersuckers – No one really sounded like the Ramones, the Saints, and Motorhead in 1990. Burped out a great sense of humor while living and playing within the often self-serious grunge central, Seattle.

Mummies – Along with the Gories, truly reiterating the “anyone can do it” stance. The disgusting stained mummy outfits as a retort to the dress-up surf revival going on around them was a nice touch.

Devil Dogs – Being one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands ever, playing every show with sweaty urgency, and having Andy G hilariously spout off at all the jerks in the audience, yet winning them over, all make up the general savoir faire of gunk punk.

New Bomb Turks, natch  – Mike Lavella said to me, “I don’t know how you’re going to write this book without saying what a big deal your band and that first album was on the scene.” So there, I said it here. Ha!

Oblivians – Their informed roots and extremely well-written songs – blasted sloppy through a revived sense of trash after early side-projects – made them a kind of garage punk 7″ tidal wave era cresting point, that washes down on bands to this day, where their reunion gigs are selling out in a few days.

Teengenerate – Ditto, only WAY trashier even; maybe the most explosive live act of this whole thing.

HivesVeni, Vidi, Vicious was a truly great, catchy-approachable album that yanked a lot of this book’s aesthetic chutzpah into the charts, which has never been easy. The Ramones couldn’t even do it!

Clone Defects – The Defects – whom I used to help sneak into Detroit area shows and watch piss people off around town before they formed – knew their garage-punk shit, and then ate it again, shitting it out as a cosmic mind-bending meal for another generation, I suppose.

Black Lips – Similar job as the Clone Defects, only more Replacements drunk-winkers than Crime acid-eaters.

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