We’ve all read about how Curt Cobain was a self-imposed badass. From his love of firearms to his penchant for roaring, mega-hits and smashing guitars on tour, he didn’t shy away from much when it came to taking chances. However, there was one thing, one band actually, that allegedly scared Cobain so badly that he wouldn’t ever go see them. That band was The Murder Junkies. Now I can completely understand Cobain’s fear when it comes to this band. The band was started by the late GG Allin, probably one of the scariest guys on the planet when it came to what he considered art and entertainment.
I remember GG Allin playing the Fast Lane in the ‘90s and watching him come off the stage and chase a bunch of us up the carpeted bleachers. He was naked and covered in his own excrement. I tossed him a few smaller individuals, grabbing their collars as I passed them, pushing them behind me as sacrificial lambs in my panic to escape his insane clutches. When I finally pushed my way out of the club and onto the safety of the street, I could still hear the sounds of the crowd running from one side of the club to the other as he chased them. So, I could relate to Cobain’s hesitation at seeing this guy in any live band setting.
Formed in 1991 by bassist/band leader Merle Allin and his brother, songwriter/vocalist GG Allin, The Murder Junkies have carried real rock and roll’s battered body through the underground for two decades. The Murder Junkies have persevered, and despite the death of GG in 1993, they are apparently stronger, and more different than ever. Consisting of surviving brother, Merle Allin, Dino Sex (a drummer that usually plays naked), FC Murder and PP Duvay, they have released their first album in almost two decades.
Coinciding with the band’s 20th Anniversary, the disc, Road Killer, features 11 newly recorded tunes, and one previously unrecorded GG Allin classic. The record itself is a boisterous cacophony of the most snarling, three-chord punk rock known to mankind. This has always been a band that lived on the dirty edge of what they sang about. The tunes dish out horrific and often-hilarious snapshots of life on the road, betrayal, murder, revenge, sex and some well-deserved vitriol aimed at ignorant net-shrouded critics (hopefully not me) as well as a few tributes to the group’s late founding vocalist.
Songs like “Once A Whore (Always A Whore)” tell the true story of that wonderful subject matter and the inevitable outcome that, like evil monkeys, some girls swing from one vine to the next in their quest for personal entertainment. The song starts off with an answering machine message from a girl saying, “My boyfriend won’t be home for a couple of hours so, why don’t you come over here and eat my pussy?” That message was supposedly received by a friend of a band member from the band member’s girlfriend (ex girlfriend now), and the song was written immediately after. Some girls get love songs written about them but this just takes the cake. Apparently, the friend was genuine and didn’t “bite” on that offer. Chainsaw rough guitars blast ballsy discontent and exasperation as singer PP Duvay bemoans the harassment, pain and dirty code of the cheater on a workingman’s back.
The hilarious “Two D*cks In Your Mouth,” says it all when it comes to breaking daddy’s heart. Gristling guitar riffs clash against thunderous bass and drums as Duvay croaks out the seedy pleasures of a gal and the “gang bang in her underoos.” Over the top and full of politically incorrect subject matter, Road Killer isn’t some PG-rated disc, and the same goes for the live show.
Other songs that keep the ball rolling are the full-tilt barrage of “Mass American Suicide,” a song which aims at opening more real estate in our terminally crowded country as well as eliminating our overpaid politicians who do nothing but cause more problems. “My Little F*ck Doll” spins a delirious yarn about a blow-up sex partner who doesn’t spend all the money, burns the dinner or argues about the late-night jaunts. Sure to raise a few eyebrows among feminists, it’s still funny as hell.
While the Murder Junkies PR guy promises that there isn’t any feces throwing, my guess is that the live show will still offer plenty of “Lightening in the bottle.”
The Murder Junkies always had the unfortunate stigma of living in the shadow of GG Allin, but with Road Killer, they step out into their own as a capable, if somewhat left-fielded sex-gore punk outfit. Past area shows have turned into near riots, so Greg from the Brighton Bar needs to be credited here as he was the only one who was willing to take a chance with The Murder Junkies and their special brand of “audience interaction.”
After years of serious touring, the band has distanced itself from the GG connection as a focal point, going far as to tell fans looking for some kind of GG cover band that he’s dead and not to bother showing up. They want you to know that they are to deliver what they are doing now, not so much as what was done in the past. This is a real band with some powerful songs culled from years of bizarre living experience, and while I’m sure some GG classics will rear their ugly heads during the course of the show, if you’re looking for pure nostalgia, this isn’t the show for you. The band goes as far as telling people that they have turned all their aggression to the music, not the show antics. If you’re looking for trouble, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
As the band states in their press release, “There are two types of Murder Junkies fans: Those who watch the show and those who listen to the music. The 20th Anniversary tour and Road Killer will murder the former and slay the latter, respectively.” In any case, this should be a night that will be talked about for months and hardcore fans shouldn’t miss it for the world.
Having done multiple dates with diverse acts such as CKY and Hank Williams III, the Murder Junkie’s grueling, sometimes 48-day straight touring schedule, has taken them through Europe, the continental United States and Australia. These tours have earned the band a place among rock and roll’s hardest working, and most exciting, live acts. The Murder Junkies future plans include more tours and another new release, scheduled to hit the streets in 2013, marking the 20th anniversary of GG Allin’s death.
The Murder Junkies will be playing their first Jersey shore area show in a decade as part of their anniversary tour and in conjunction with the new release of Road Killer at The Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ, on Oct. 7. Doors $10, advanced tickets are $8. You have to be18 to enter with a valid ID. Doors are at 8 p.m.
Opening Acts include: Bildo And The Reacharounds, The legendary Sex Zombies and SRDV. For more information, go to brightonbar.com.
