This Evening: Eh, Duy, Lizard
>>> Who could have known, after all of these years, that I would still be the one person in the world that just totally fucking HATES The Jesus Lizard? You could say that neither have aged well. But here’s the ol’ “crazy” Liz, David Yow in tow, being all “wild” and “edgy” on a reunion tour that stops at the Starlight Ballroom tonight. This is band is like someone did literally years worth of market research on all of the worst things about being male, and then distilled it into one band. I know, I know, I should just get over it. But you know, it just sticks in my craw that after all of the fine work we’ve done together in admitting just what sucked in the 1990s, here we are, and I’m still having to fucking smile politely when people tell me that they saw the Jesus Lizard and how awesome and crazy it all was. Man, fuck these guys.
>>> Elswhere: The freshly scrubbed and quite thoughtful Bishop Allen, whom you could say are like the anti-Jesus Lizard, play Johnny Brenda’s; Dave P spins at Rock Tits at The P.O.P.E; and Elevator Parade, The Rarebirds and Josh & Pete Band play The Blockley out in West Philly. I hope someone burns a live goat or something at any of these events and totally upstages the goddamn ridiculous Jesus Lizard. Wah.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
metro sexuality is still creepy
November 18th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
re: Jesus Lizard
and there it is.
sometimes a band is about the ensemble playing amongst the actual musicians. this is what the Jesus Lizard is about (along with one of the greatest post-Iggy frontmen)
but some people prefer the art of songwriting to playing, right? just say it
I never thought that their content was strictly “male” either, nor “macho” either. more like rueful and exasperated . . .
anyway they were great in NYC this monday evening and tonight should be as good.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
@mBeck: I totally appreciate a great ensemble, and even more so, a great ensemble that can blend the kind of playing you’re talking about with great songs as well. But this argument doesn’t wash for the Jesus Lizard. It’s the old “Dude, but they shred” argument. But in this case, these guys don’t even shred. You wanna talk about some truly GREAT ensemble playing? Let’s talk about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14njUwJUg1I
November 18th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Appreciate you stickin to yr guns and all, but damn are you way off the mark here.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
These are my choices? Christ. Someone wake me up when Baby Dee’s back in town.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
@bmurray: Fair enough. Please report back tomorrow on the male-to-female ratio at this show.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Dreaded dood-factor duly noted, but unfair to the band, which while not your cup of tea (B&S is certainly not mine)deserve credit for its merits. R5 mustered as fine a description as I’ve heard: “Drunk and disorderly singer David Yow turned perverse rage into an art form. His grisly lyrics, transmitted via muffled grunts and distant wails that never overshadowed his peerless backing band, depicted with wit a surreal universe of killer pygmies, phantom limbs and odious sodomites. While the id-driven vocalist bounced off the walls, flashed his scrotum, shoved your girlfriend or massaged your beau’s nipples, guitarist Duane Denison played spacious riffs and arpeggios that surgically implanted surf, jazz and rockabilly cool into trebly noise-punk bluster. Bassist David Wm. Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly adroitly reined in the ruckus with hostile but swinging thunder, pitched midway between Led Zep muscle and Birthday Party dementia.”
November 19th, 2009 at 11:16 am
male to female ratio seemed to be about 60:40 but i could be wrong. crowd surfing males to crowd surfing females ratio 3:1.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:22 am
P.S. was this posted by the same individual who was excited about the Cranberries reunion a couple nights back? just curious.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I don’t think it was excitement, Zachsan; it was more like surprised.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Ratio was quite healthy, pleased to report, and the ladies rocked out as much as the fellers. Happily saw plenty of folks I hadn’t seen in a while- proof that you did in fact miss out on what was a genuinely great time during that bygone era, and last night was a blast. Even if it could have been some kind of macho thing (nonsense, of course, it’s not like they’re fucking Metallica), even doodz have women who love them. It’s a beautiful thing, really. Oh, and their prolonged encore showed they’re not just in it for the ducats- they apparently were enjoying themselves.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I’m pretty sure you’re dead-on here. Jesus Lizard might as well be synonymous with used-CD. there’s no place for cds in today’s world, let alone an ate-up Jesus Lizard. There’s a ton of other actual good bands from the era that dilevered some pretty great albums while still exuding a firm anti-pussy-mentality. All those Albini-heads are probably just over-compensating that their really giant pooses.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
It’s not a surprise that Jesus Lizard is not your thing, given your dislike of Clockcleaner. The Pigfuck Movement of the 80s/90s definitely drew lines in the sand by folks who were otherwise punk or indie types. Back in the day, I was equally fascinated and horrified by them. (At the same, I was listening to riot grrrl and indie pop and many seemingly incongruous things. Still do). They were definitely a band that I went and saw rather than really listened to at home. Unlike their big influence, The Stooges, one can argue that they don’t really have “tunes.”
Initially, I saw them as hostile to women (even wrote a hamfisted piece about it in PW) and the over time began to see David Yow as sort of making fun of stereotypical masculine behavior and way more of a spectacle, and their crowds being a fairly even split male-female. I guess it was the one of the indie world’s many rejoinders against the macho men of pop metal and mainstream 80s culture’s idea of what being male was all about.
My fave Jesus Lizard moment was when I saw then open for Rage Against the Machine at Electric Factory, reviewing for the Inky, around 96 or 97? And watching the looks of horror and discomfort on the backwards baseball cap wearing, male dominated crowd was pretty precious as they could not handle the sight of a grown man playing with his wee-wee but they were all for yelling Revolution with Rage. It was like witnessing an indie rock Bruno.
Thanks for making it to the end of this if you bothered.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Right on, Sugar Town. The key to the band, or Yow, is the confrontational effing with you sense of humor. Same goes for Iggy, or Nick Cave for that matter.
What is “pooses?” Or “firm anti-pussy-mentality?”
November 19th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Jesus Lizard absolutely slayed last night. I am extremely glad to have participated last night’s brand of 90s nostalgia.