This is a paper I presented for my Master’s in
Media Ecology at New York University, for the class Communications Revolution
and Culture in America II, led by Neil Postman and assisted by Janet Sternberg.
The footnotes will be in brackets where applicable. Information about CP Snow
and his treatise can be found HERE, thanks to Wikipedia.
An Open Letter
to C.P. Snow About The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution
“Closing the gap between our cultures is
necessary in the most abstract intellectual sense, as well as in the most
practical.” – C.P. Snow, The Two Cultures
Mr. Snow:
Having read your 1959 Rede lecture, I would like
to share some of my thoughts on your theory of the existence of two distinct
cultures among scholars and examine how that theory relates to the present time
[1990s].
I acknowledge the fact that your lecture
presented a viewpoint regarding the intellectual community of England at the
time. I will explore your ideas in relation to the contemporary American intelligentsia.
You state that you believe the “intellectual life
of … Western society … is split into two polar groups” [C.P. Snow (1959). The
Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge University
Press; p. 3], with one pole representing scientists (i.e., physical) and those
in literary studies at the other [Ibid., p. 4]. You add that not only are these
groups polarized, but “the separation between scientists and non-scientists is
much less bridgeable among the young than even thirty years ago” [Ibid., p. 17].
Although that may have ben the situation in the United Kingdom up to the late
1950s, it appears to have become less true over the years in the United States.
You posit that the separation between science
and literary studies, which arises in part through education, is less severe in
the States [Ibid., pp. 16-17], and that the American system in “hoping to take
the problems in hand within 10 years” [Ibid., p. 18]. This trend in American
education in the late 1950s may explain the reduced polarity of these two intellectual
changes within the American scientific and literary cultures, as I will discuss
below.
Your belief that the “industrial society of electronics,
atomic energy, automation … will change the world much more” [Ibid., p. 18],
appears to have been prophetic. Due in part to an occurrence that seems to be a
by-product of the atomic age, one outgrowth that I believe has helped fade the
self-imposed line of segregation between science and literature is a genre of publication
known as science fiction.
As the power, possibilities, and potential
harm of the atomic age have become known over the decades following the end of
World War II, the imagination of both scientists and non-scientists alike have
been captured by the phenomenon of fission. Writers such as Arthur Clarke and
Theodore Sturgeon turn to science for their source of inspiration and use
technical scientific information and phraseology to help spread this
technological information to both poles. Despite the definite “pop culture” of
the genre, scientists were intrigued by the information and the forum in which it
was presented, and the literary community learned the metaphors and processes
of the scientific rationale. The scientist was also exposed to a form of
writing that was fictional, yet presented a literary world with which they
could make some association.
One of the leaders of the field of science
fiction, for example, was Isaac Asimov. As you point out yourself [Ibid., p.
1], Asimov was trained in both the scientific and literary realms, capable of moving
freely between the two. He wrote fiction and nonfiction, and analyses of both science
(i.e., physical and social) and classic fiction (e.g., Shakespeare) – as well
as writing original fiction. With credibility in both cultures, he could be a bridge
that was needed to reach both shores.
As this fiction began to be accepted by both
cultures, the influence became as a pebble in a pond, rippling outward and
affecting society as a whole, thereby connecting the cultures on some levels.
In the early 1960s, the space program captured
the imagination of both poles in America. This science fiction-made-real had
both non-scientists and scientists alike observing the technological
advancement, helping to further disseminate technological language to the lay
scientist and literary audience.
Through the late 1960s, collegiate curriculum
underwent a drastic change. Previously, educational systems in the United Kingdom
had “set ourselves the task of producing a tiny elite … educated in one
academic skill” [Ibid, p. 19]. This was also true for the United States. As
riots over the Vietnam War and the narrow choice of subjects allowed in core
programs exploded on campus after campus in America, the narrow views presented
to the students were broken down, and the choice of topics available became
more flexible. This situation helped open a door to educational elasticity.
With this opening up within some of the divisions
of culture, each of these previously polarized groups began taking ventures into
the other’s area of expertise.
Social scientists were among the first to
venture out by publishing mostly nonfictional works that were read by both cultures,
including Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock (1970) and Neil Postman’s Amusing
Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985). The
physical scientists tended to write more fiction, such as physician Robin Cook’s
Coma (1977) and scientist Michael Crichton'sThe
Andromeda Strain (1969). All these
excursions were being accepted and read by both sides of the intelligentsia.
It does appear that even at present,
literary-based thinkers still use science fiction as an outlet for
technological meanderings. A reason for this occurrence may be referenced to
the comment in which you suggest that you believe writers must learn and
develop their craft, whereas scientific learning is more innate, coming
naturally [Ibid., pp. 10-11].
A further step along the path of joining the
two intellectual cultures you posit in Western society has been the spread of
the global-village mentality. As non-Western cultures influence the West, they
bring other philosophies and ways of study with them, sometimes subtly changing
the overall method a society uses to view itself and others, thus generating
new ideologies. Innovative ideas have merged into the Western mindset, helping
to further melt the barriers that were once a solid element in the West.
Therefore, I believe that in the United
States, whereas there may be some separation between the cultures of the intellectual
communities, the black and white borders you fear becoming further stratified
have changed and continue to gray under the very Second Law of Thermodynamics,
with which you referred [Ibid., p. 15].
C.P. Snow's full lecture in PDF form can be found HERE
The Sunset Strip in
California is known for a lot of things, from the stars that line the streets
with entertainers’ names, druggies, hippies, and a film concerning a riot there
(1967) During
the 1980s, what was most prominent for the Strip was glam hair metal bands,
such as Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P, the L.A. Guns, and Ampage.
During this time, I was
listening to the First Wave of punk, British punk, hardcore, and was getting
into the garage revival in New York. Hair bands relied on long guitar solos,
which were anathema to me, but they were still omnipresent thanks to the likes
of MTV, and local stations like V66, V68, etc. But of all the bands mentioned
about the Sunset Strip above, I did not know of Ampage. This documentary mainly
focuses on the lead singer and driving force of the band, Mark Mason (commonly
known as Mase). I may not be the only one who is unaware, as there is not even
a Wikipedia page for the band or Mason (this needs to be corrected). That is
just one of the reasons why I feel that this film is important, as a testament
to the band’s trajectory.
Like many bands, the core
is the lead singer and songwriter, in this case Mase, and whomever is playing
behind him may change, but it Is technically the same band. It is rare for find
a band that has been playing (on and off) for forty years and keeping the same
members (the only one I can think of off the top of my head is ? and the
Mysterians).
Over the years, the whole
sound of the band has been morphing as well, starting off as hair metal
(without the screeching), and eventually turning into a rock band over the course
of their nine albums. The history of the band, and especially Mase, ranges from
drug and alcohol-fuel debauchery, to married life on a ranch. I also found it
fascinating that Mase is a major triathlon athlete and has competed nationally
in his middle age.
The film is narrated by
actor Jake Busey (recently in 2019’s Ghost in the Graveyard), as Mase was friends with his dad, actor Gary, who sang on one of their records.
Also shown in archival footage, is Jeff Conaway (Grease; “Taxi”; d. 2011),
who went on tour with the band as a co-singer.
Among those also
interviewed, we are presented with Bill Stokem (bassist since 2016), Mark
Pearce (guitarist since 2016), Jason Fish (drummer since 2017), Happenin’ Harry
(1988 road manager), Mark London (drummer, 1986-88), Punky Peru (drummer in
1981), Loren Molinare (guitarist 1997, and in the punk band the Dogs), Frank
Scimeca (bassist for 5 years), Billy Vaughn (bassist 1986-88), Rick Allen (Def
Leopard drummer in archival footage), Cameron Cutler (president, Higher Source
Records), and family members. One person absent is the original drummer, Mike
Kroeger, who passed away from Leukemia in 2016, for whom there is a touching section
dedicated to him in the film.
While I still do not think
I would go out and buy their music, I find their later years’ material more
appealing. There are lots of archival clips of them throughout the entire career
of the band. Wisely, they had someone videotape (obviously VHS of some form by
the visual noise factor), giving a more complete picture of what it was like to
record and tour with the band, and I enjoyed watching them being interviewed on
several radio shows (visual, not just the sound).
The clips of them playing
music on the stage, or just on the soundtrack, is often short, making it a
little harder to get a greater picture of their sound (obviously, this was
dedicated to their fans who could sing along with them, word for word, as is
stated in the documentary), but with that much of a catalog, if they played
whole songs, this would be hours long. Luckily, if you are interested, there is
a link to buy the soundtrack above.
I must say, as they are
presented in the video, Mase and the various members of the band seem to get
along (though some had left to form other groups), and they come across as amenable.
No trash talking, though Mase has a self-depreciation moment.
Many band documentaries
have a similar pattern, including this one, of the group starting out, getting
big, becoming small, being a cult idol, and striving to achieve fame again into
middle age. And yet, each band’s story is different, as well.
One thing I noticed, that
has nothin’ to do with nothin’, is the tee-shirts worn. Two people wear
Soundgarden and Misfits tees, for example, where Mase seems to wear the band’s
Ampage shirt frequently.
The story of the rise and
fall to/from fame, and the desire to get it back reminded me of the also single-named
band from Canada, Anvil, who similarly had a documentary made of their story.
This release will be
available to rent and own via global digital HD Internet and satellite
platforms on January 24, 2023, through Freestyle Digital Media.
While hardcore
was digging its claws into a Third Wave of Punk in the early 1980s, there was a
concurrent movement of proto-punk influenced sounds called the garage revival
that was also exploding. While hardcore became a Next Big Thing, the garage and
psychedelic strands kind of petered out by the late ‘80s, and disappeared into
the newer grunge sound out of Seattle. While it was in its prime, one of the
major players in the New York garage/= scene was The Fuzztones.
This was originally
published in FFanzeen No. 13, dated
1985. – RBF, 2023
The Fuzztones: Leave Your Mind at Home (1985)
It’s hard to classify The
Fuzztones into a niche. Yes, I know that statement is a cliché, but for this
band, it fits. The elements of the recipe that makes up The Fuzzone sound is a
bizarre mixture of their tastes. Foremost is garage, with a wild psychedelic
sound following close behind. Then there’s the tabs of surf, bubblegum, British
Invasion, heavy metal (just a smidgen, really), and tied together with a string
of humor.
I caught up with the band
at soundcheck time at the Peppermint Lounge, the first weekend of December of
1984. Even there, with no one else around but girlfriends, friends, members of
another fun band, The Cheepskates (and nice guys, too) who were opening for them, and Pep staff, and The Fuzztones,
who were dressed mostly in black and surrounded by Vox equipment.
Though the whole band was
present (including Elan Portnoy (lead guitar), Ira Elliot (drums), and they’re
all neat guys, I decided to pick out lead singer Rudi Protrudi, and keyboardist
and sometimes vocalist (not enough, though) Deb O’Nair to speak for this piece because
(a) they formed the band, (b) they are the so-called leaders of the band, and
(c) transcribing a tape with more than one voice of the same sex can drive one
crazy!
So there we huddled in the
lower dungeons of the dressing room, and began by talking about their previous
band, Tina Peel. An argument can be started on why so many questions about this previous incarnation,
as The Fuzztones are what’s now and Tina Peel is what’s was, but it’s time all the
questions about TP were asked and done with.
So armed with a bunch of
written questions by Nancy Foster (aka Nancy Neon) as well as a number of my
own, I set out into the beginning…
Tina Peel at CBGB (ffoto by Robert Barry Francos)
FFanzeen:You’re both from Pennsylvania? Deb O’Nair:
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
FFanzeen: When did you
move up here? Rudi Protrudi: ’76? No. ’79? I don’t remember.
Deb: Six years ago. Almost seven years ago.
FFanzeen: How did Tina
Peel form?
Deb: Out of sheer frustration and boredom in Harrisburg.
Rudi: Harrisburg is, like, the most boring place you could ever imagine. And at
that time there wasn’t even anything resembling rock’n’roll, let alone what we
were doing. I mean, there wasn’t even any bands covering Bad Company. There was
nothing.
Deb: Everything there was very disco-funk. The Commodores. And there was an
off-shoot of all those people who were into, like, Pure Prairie League and The
Eagles. There was no real rock’n’roll except for the occasional oldies nights.
Rudi: We were into the ’76 punk scene in New York. We used to come up in a car [170
miles between Harrisburg and CBGBs – RBF, 2023] and get totally fucked up
out of our minds. We’d just run straight into CBGB’s and just tear it up all
night. CBGB’s was really wild. You would never know that by going there now. We
would never have any inkling of what an incredible rock’n’roll club it was. We
must have seen every band that was cool.
Deb: We just wanted so bad to be part of that. My God!
FFanzeen: Was that before
they move the stage (from the left side to the right)?
Rudi: I’d been there before that. But by the time we were really hanging out…we
were coming up here about once a month. We’d just hang out and I got to know
the people up here. I played with the Dead Boys at that time. I was this close
to being their bass player before they got Jeff (Magnum). And when I got this
close, I realized I just had to come up here. So we moved the whole band up
here and played together for 4 years – before it slowly choked to death, I guess.
Deb: We were so excited in Pennsylvania; we had this band together that was
unlike anything anyone there had ever encountered. We fashioned ourselves after,
like, The Ramones, The Archies, some surf, and The Sex Pistols.
Rudi: Just kind of a conglomeration. It was kind of a statement people never
really understood. Especially in New York, people never really understood what
Tina Peel was about. Most of the people didn’t even understand the name. They’d
always come up to Deb and say, “Are you Tina?” and “Are you related to David
Peel?” And if they couldn’t get the name, they’d never understand the meaning
behind the band. The last thing we put out, after we broke up, was a cassette
of, like, X-rated songs [Extra Kicks – RBF, 1985] that immediately
the press said, “Oh, this is about the singer’s organs!” It was just a
compilation of stuff that we hadn’t released that happened to be dirty. We
thought it would be funny. But no one ever understood the whole meaning behind
the songs and why we did it. It was a statement as much about, basically, how
everyone was cool. In New York, everybody was cool, so they had a leather
jacket and a spike haircut. In Pennsylvania, everybody wore flannel shirts and
had hair down to their asses. And they were really cool. Our thing was that we
could take a punk beat, put in a bubblegum melody, sing about sex in three-part
harmony, and have as much to do with The Archies as we did The Sex Pistols. We thought
it was just a tongue-in-cheek way to tell everybody, “Nothing is cool!
Everything is cool!”
FFanzeen: You put (a
cover of) the Miamis’ “Wang It”
Rudi: Yeah. I saw them do that when they opened for the Dolls at Max’s. And a couple
of years later I ran into Jimmy (Wynbrandt) and asked him if I could have it. I
went over to his house and he showed it to me, and I taught it to the band.
Deb: The whole thing is that we were very much like the Sic F*cks. But in a
very homogenized pop way. All between-the-lines.
Rudi: See, another thing was that it was also about outrageousness. When
someone looks like Sid Vicious and yells, “Chop, chop/Chop up your mother,” that pretty much what’s expected out of someone that looks like that. But when
you Look like the Bay City Rollers and sing “Penis Between Us,” that’s outrage. And if you want to talk about real outrage, when we did “Exceptionto the Ruler” at Hurrahs, people really took offense. You can hear one guy on the tape, he
came on stage to beat me up. What people don’t realize is that “Exception to
the Ruler” was also a statement. It was written as an anti-macho rock star
song. There were songs like “Big Ten Inch” by Aerosmith or “Squeeze My Lemon”
by Led Zeppelin. Rock stars were always singing about how their cocks were so
big. So, I thought, wouldn’t it be funny to write a song about a singer having
a small one? And, of course, no one would ever do that because wouldn’t that
blow their image? So I did. To add insult to injury, I put it to the tune of “Peter
Gunn,” which I thought Was really clever. No one ever got any of this stuff.
Eventually, the main reason we broke up was that it was so frustrating. The
whole idea was we were supposed to have so much fun with it and everyone took
it so seriously.
FFanzeen: The whole
underground scene started as a backlash to the corporate seriousness of the established
music situation.
Rudi: We had a hard time with that, too, because we got a manager and he tried
to make us professional. And the more professional he made us, the less fun it
was. That’s the whole reason we formed The Fuzztones, because we were no longer
having fun with Tina Peel. The Fuzztones became sort of a side project. We
started the band in 1980, and me and Deb were getting really tired of all the crap
we were going through. People tried to make us into a New Wave band.
Deb: At the same time, we saw too many commercial bands getting too close to
what we were doing in Tina Peel, and we thought, let’s stop because we don’t
want to get commercial.
FFanzeen: The Fast?
Deb: Not the Fast. The Fast weren’t very much like us at all.
Rudi: Bands like the B-52s, and later on Toni Basil. Man, those people ripped
us off left and right. We were before any of them. You listen to their music
and, like, they were so close to us, except they didn’t sing about penises and
blowing up poodles in microwaves [“Fifi Goes Pop, my favorite TP song” – RBF
1985/2023]. They sang about stuff that could go on the radio. Up until the time when we got
a manager, we weren’t thinking of a record contract. We were just thinking, wouldn’t
it be fun to get out and do this outrageous stuff. That’s why we got the
Fuzztones together. And if you listen to the things we did release, it’s pretty
evident that we were ‘60s inspired. Even “Fabian Lips” in ’76, when (Tina Peel)
put that out.
Deb: In ’76, we did a 4-song EP in Harrisburg, that had “Fabian Lips” on it,
that was psychedelic.
Rudi: That was very psychedelic. Even back then we were doing it. Even
the covers we covered: “Too Much to Dream (Electric Prunes), “Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White” (Standells), “Hard Times” by the Centuries. We still do some of these songs in this
band. We just like good rock’n’roll.
FFanzeen: You do
mostly ‘60s-oriented stuff, but Rudi, I know that you really like some ‘50s
stuff, like Jerry Lee Lewis.
Rudi: I like to do what I’m good at. It has to do with personality and taste. The
rest of the band has pretty much of a varied taste. We all have one thing in common,
and that’s the garage sound that we all like; love.
Deb: That’s true. Michael (Jay) is really into English R’n’B. He loves people
like The Pretty Things. And Elan’s (Portnoy) really into Link Wray (d. 2005) and
Dick Dale (d. 2019). Ira’s (Elliot)
Into the Beatles. I really dig the surf stuff and lots
of ‘60s stuff. But this is one thing we have in common that works with all our
musical styles. It makes us really unique. Because of all our styles, we don’t
sound like we’re straight out of a garage single released in ’66. Some of our
stuff does, but some of our stuff doesn’t, like “Ward 81” on the Rebel King
compilation [on Sounds Interesting Records – RBF, 1985].
Rudi: I think that even when we do ‘60s covers, that we add something to them
that’s different. And there’s a lot of press people who don’t feel that way. But
there are a lot of people who are, like, 19 and 20, who weren’t around back
then, and they don’t know what it really sounded like. I was there. And bands
didn’t look like us or sound like us in the ‘60s. If anyone tells you they did,
well, take it from me ‘cause I was playing back then and they didn’t.
Deb: Rudi had garage bands together when he was 15.
Rudi: In fact, I wrote “Penis Between Us” when I was 15. I have tapes of my
first band, Rigor Mortis, doing it. “Fabian Lips” Was a different song when I
was 15, when I wrote it. And a song we do now called “Brand New Man in a Brand
New Suit” used to be a song from Rigor Mortis called “Crotch Rot.” And so it all turns
around. And it all comes back because it’s rock’n’roll and rock’n’roll won’t
die. There’s always gonna be hardcore fanatics, like us. It doesn’t matter if
we were playing psychedelic/garage or bubblegum pop in Tina Peel, it’s still
rock’n’roll. We’ll always be playing that, no matter what’s in style.
FFanzeen: Even the newer
covers you did were by ‘60s garage-oriented bands, like the (Afrika) Korps and
the Slickee Boys.
Rudi: Well, it’s rock’n’roll. We did “Jailbait Janet” (the Afrika Korps), “Gotta Tell Me Why” ,
“Heart On” (both by the Slickee Boys), and we did another that I don’t remember. We were
inspired a lot by the Slickee Boys back then.
Deb: They’ve got quite a track record. Ken (Kim Kane, rhythm guitar of Slickee
Boys – RBF, 1985) put out our first records on Daicoit Records. One side of the
record is one label, Limp Records, and the other is Daicoit.
Rudi: That must be a first. I never heard of anybody else doing that.
Deb: They were a big influence on us. They’re real die-hards.
Fuzztones, Rudi, Irving Plaza (ffoto by Robert Barry Francos)
FFanzeen: At what
point did Tina Peel become The Fuzztones?
Rudi: At the same time Tina Peel was together in 1980, The Fuzztones formed.
Originally it was just a fun project. It was all the same time as Tina Peel. We
used to open for Tina Peel as The Fuzztones. Originally, we were called The
Fabulous Fuzztones, ‘cause it was just a joke. But the thing is, we had so much
fun with it, there was no reason to do Tina Peel anymore. As Deb and I got
serious, the other guys weren’t. “Oh, who wants to do ‘60s stuff? We want to
play in a band that does new music with synthesizers.” We kicked them all out.
We must have gone through a million people before we got the guys we’re playing
with now.
Deb: We did play a gig down in Washington D.C. doing Fuzztones material as Tina
Peel ‘cause we weren’t that well known down there. But as The Fuzztones, the
first time we ever played was at small Club 57 (on St. Mark’s Place). We had a
party there. That was before the Cavern. Then we played the first psychedelic
weekend at the Cavern. We played CB’s a couple of times.
Rudi: We spent the first two years of The Fuzztones playing little clubs and
getting no money and no recognition whatsoever. No one wanted to hear about
what we were doing. Then, after the Cavern, people started listening a little.
But what really seemed to open people up was the Pep has a psychedelic show
here. They had The Slickees, The Vipers, The Chesterfield Kings,, and Plan 9.
Then people realized that there was something going on and they would listen to
us. We were together longer than all of the bands that were in that thing, and
no one heard of us, still. We went through paying our dues.
FFanzeen: How did you
find the other Fuzztones?
Deb: Elan and Michael came from a band called The Monitors. They did a lot of R’n’B.
They had seen us at the Cavern and remembered us. Then they saw an ad we put in
The (Village) Voice, and Michael came to an audition.
Rudi: We thought he was really weird. This guy came down and he was dressed
like a Flamin’ Groovie. Only weirder. He had a mod hat on. He was wearing a mod
three-piece suit and granny-glasses. He looked like a Byrd. I couldn’t believe
it. We started playing and he really fit. At that time, I had already broken up
The Fuzztones after two years of total frustration. It wasn’t fun, we weren’t
getting any money. We made about six bucks every time we played. I hung it up
and I got into what I thought was going to be a rockabilly band, The Drive-Ins –
‘cause I used to see them and they were rockabilly, and then when I joined
them, they started playing bullshit – which is how I met Ira, our current
drummer. All of a sudden, Michael got a hold of us and The Fuzztones sounded greet.
I had thought that maybe I should get another guitar player and he brought Elan
down. It was like a dream come true. What I always wanted The Fuzztones to
sound like. Meanwhile, I had made a commitment to the Drive-Ins. So, the Fuzztones
perfumed and I continued to play with The Drive-Ins. Me and Ira got pretty
tight. I love the way he plays the drums. I stole him from The Drive-Ins; broke
that band up. They made a pitiful attempt to get back together without us, but
that was it – so we broke up The Drive-Ins and now we’re The Fuzztones.
FFanzeen: How much influence
did Music Machine have on you?
Rudi: Not nearly as much as you would think, just because I wear a black glove.
Visually, I thought they were just the coolest looking band I’ve ever seen. Except
possibly the Dolls.
Deb: They had a bigger effect on me. It’s just my style of playing. A lot of that
stuff is similar to what I’m used to playing.
Rudi: Oh, they’re starting the guitar soundcheck. Talk to you later. [He
leaves]
Fuzztones, Deb O'Nail, Irving Plaza (ffoto by Robert Barry Francos)
FFanzeen: Nancy wanted
to know, where do you get your mini-skirts?
Deb: That’s my secret. I do a lot of thrift shopping out of town, and then I
just convert them. Sew them to fit me.
FFanzeen: What are
some of your pre-Tina Peel bands?
Deb: Not too many. The original Tina Peel, I joined when I just turned 19. I
sang lead in a band when I was 16 that did, like, David Bowie (d. 2016) covers,
along with Lou Reed (d. 2013) and Roxy Music, too. Just a bunch of high school
kids. I can’t even remember what the name was. Then I sang lead for another
band when I got out of high school. We did a lot of Patti Smith and Who. We played
only two gigs, so we never really had a name. We played a wedding and a show in
a huge warehouse that someone rented out for a party. That’s pretty much it.
Deb: Will you be doing more singing in The Fuzztones?
Deb: Yeah, we’re looking for some songs for me right now. Our material is kind
of heavy. And I don’t have a raspy voice. I sang lead in a country band, The Dognapers.
But it wasn’t strict country; it was old country swing, like Patsy Cline (d. 1963)
and Hank Williams (d. 1953). I love old country music. I was brought up in the
sticks. I’m looking forward to singing. I always wanted to sing in the band.
FFanzeen: Who are some
of your other influences?
Deb: Nancy Sinatra in her (The)Wild Angels(1966) period, definitely. Cher. I’m thinking of dying my hair black. I
think it’s time to make the change. A lot of guys influenced me. I was brought
up with all men around me. The very first rock’n’roll record song I ever heard
was a 45 called “Bop-a-Lina” (Ronnie Self). When I was a kid I was into Alice Cooper. I do like a lot of gore and shock.
FFanzeen: I really
like the way you dress now, but I also really liked the dots and stripes of
Tina Peel, which was sort of gore and shock.
Deb: We were into, like, Op-art. We wanted to come across as some crazed ‘60s
Op-art freak-out show.
FFanzeen: And now you
dress basically in black.
Deb: Yeah, I’m trying to get away from that. I’d like to combine some black
with something triptych. Triptych and tripped out.
FFanzeen: Whom do you
consider the coolest dressers of the ‘60s?
Deb: Nancy Sinatra, definitely. I think Cher. I dug the way Cher could be so casual
in corduroys and go-go boots. Her beginning period was very cool. Sean
Bonniwell (of the Music Machine). That’s why I’m into black now.
FFanzeen: But no
leather glove
Deb: No leather glove. Just cool medallions.
FFanzeen: Do you ever
get any mash notes?
Deb: No. One time I got a really cool little poem from some guy. He actually
jumped up on the stage and put a little poem on my organ. And it had something
to do with “flowers and love” and “sending me on to future highs, and “pushing
too hard.” He had all these different short things in it. That’s the closest I’ve
gotten, as far as mash notes go. Oh, they’re calling me for my soundcheck.
[After the soundcheck
with Rudi]
FFanzeen: When you put
out Extra Kicks, was it sold, or just given to critics?
Rudi: Actually, we did it as a Christmas present for our friends.
FFanzeen: Why did you
spell the name as Teen Appeal on it?
Rudi: This guy, a fan, gave us 300 tee-shirts with it spelled that way. And I
thought, since the band has already broken up and we already have these
tee-shirts to promote the Extra Kicks cassette, why not spell it that
way? Maybe people would get it then. We sold it through the mail. It got reviewed
in about four or five places. I don’t have any more. Actually, if The Fuzztones
get really big and there was some interest in Tina Peel, I’d like to put out an
album. Midnight Records, who put out our new album (Leave Your Mind at Home),
I’m going to try and see if I can get them to release a Tina Peel album. We
have enough material, and no one’s ever going to hear it because you can’t get
the 45s anymore. I’m proud of it. I thought we were one of the most clever
bands that ever was. And definitely one of the most hated. You have to be doing
something right to be that hated.
FFanzeen: You do all
the band’s art. Which do you prefer, music or art?
Rudi: Music, probably. I had always anticipated an art career. I went to art school.
I got into a band at the same time and had to stop art school in the middle
because we got six hours of homework a night, and I couldn’t do it because I
spent all night working with the band. I didn’t do my homework, so they kicked
me out of art school. The York Academy of Art, in York, Pennsylvania. I’ll go
back. I never dropped it. I do the art for the band and for other people. I’m
doing the Garage Sale cassette cover for Jeff Tamarkin (for ROIR Tapes).
FFanzeen: Do you do
all the jacket designs?
Rudi: I do most of them. One of our roadies does some. I did the ones with the
drums. That’s my logo. He’s more into EC Comics. He likes dripping skulls and
maggoty brains. You’d be surprised how many people are coming to shows that I
see walking around in our jackets. I
see logos and I didn’t do them. They do their own.
FFanzeen: What about
your heavy metal band, Vulcan Death Grip? Are you still doing that?
Rudi: Yeah. That’s me, Ira, Ann Magnuson, and Randy Pratt [bassist of Cactus
– RBF, 2023]. Randy used to be our bass player in the early days, then he
went into heavy metal. Ann was actually on the Extra Kicks tapes. She
and Wendy Wild [of Pulsallama, and The Mad Violets; d. 1996 – RBF, 2023]
sang back-up on “Exception to the Ruler.” We’ve worked out this thing that is a
parody of heavy metal. It’s just for fun – and a lot of money. We usually make
more than The Fuzztones. But it’s just for fun and we’ll continue doing it as long
as it doesn’t interfere with this band.
Fuzztones, Irving Plaza (ffoto by Robert Barry Francos)
FFanzeen: It’s real
hard to categorize The Fuzztones. Where do you think you fit in?
Rudi: I think we have a ‘50s rock’n’roll attitude, a ‘60s garage band influence
in dress and in general minimalism; we use entirely authentic instrument
because I think the coolest guitar sound is a Vox or a riff through an old
Fender or an old Vox. And then from the ‘70s, really trashing rock’n’roll bands
like the Dolls, Stooges, and the MC5, and that’s where our energy comes from.
And all this comes out in our music. Music is always going to be an extension
of what you are, unless you’re some plastic jerk like in a techno-synth band
and you’re just doing it for a living.
FFanzeen: What about a
Fuzztones tour?
Rudi: We’re working on a tour of California and possibly England. This is it for
me. This is the last band I’ll ever form, ‘cause this is the music I want to
play. After that, like, maybe I’ll move to New Orleans and play Blues in
somebody else’s band or something, ‘cause I’m into that, too. This is my dream come
true, what I’ve been waiting for since I was 15 and Rigor Mortis was playing. I’m
really proud of it. I think I’m playing with the best rock’n’roll musicians in
New York. Everybody’s like a gang, sticking together and hanging tough. We
still have a long way to go.
Some of what Rudi said
at the end, about The Fuzztones being his last band, has somewhat held true,
though I’m willing to guess not how he imagined it back then. In 1987, Deb
would acrimoniously leave the band, and Rudi would move first to Los Angeles
and then to Germany to reform the band as its only original member. The Fuzztones
still record from there, its latest being the ironically named NYC in 2020, and
keeps a wide fan base as one of the few remaining garage revival bands of notoriety.
Currently living in Saskatoon (email at RBF55@msn.com for address). From 1977-88, I used to publish a print version of a music magazine in New York called FFanzeen, which dealt with the wide-ranging independent music scene. I also photographed many bands from the period (and since). Now I write this blog. And the beat goes on.
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