Killer Pussy was a satirical
punk rock/
new wave group from
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
. They are best known for their 1982 song "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage".
History
Lucy LaMode, who eventually became Killer Pussy's lead singer, became a fan of
punk rock following high school and found herself moonlighting in a Phoenix punk band called "The Roll-Ons" with Les a Go Go singing about pantyhose and feminine hygiene.
[Killer Pussy: Old-School Phoenix Punk Parodists Gather For 30th Anniversary Reunion Phoenix New Times May 27, 2010]
/ref> The Roll-Ons" were backed by Feederz
The Feederz are a punk rock band, originally from Arizona. They are known for their controversial song "Jesus" (aka "Jesus Entering from the Rear"), which was featured on Alternative Tentacles' infamous '' Let Them Eat Jellybeans'' compilation, ...
drummer John E. Precious.[ LaMode met musician Robert X. Planet and began bonding over singer and actress Edith Massey who was part of the ]John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
ensemble.[ Their first EP "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage" was produced by and recorded by Bruce Liddil at Behemoth Studio.
The group became fixtures of the early-80s Phoenix punk scene, where the group became noted for its ]kitsch
Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste.
The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...
.[ They sang "off-the-wall, "wacky", "smutty" joke songs such as "Pocket Pool", "Dildo Desire" and "Herpes".][allmusic Bikini Wax review]
/ref> The group's attire and stage background parodied punk acts.[
In May 1982, a hastily recorded four song EP was released. "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage" from the EP was soon the second most played song on Los Angeles radio station ]KROQ
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The st ...
.[ Their popularity continued to grow during a California tour.][ The band then made a television appearance on ]USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
's '' New Wave Theatre'' via their manager at the time, Scott Hatch. Actor Dennis Hopper, a fan of the group, painted a portrait of Lucy LaMode that was prominently displayed on the sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
''Square Pegs
''Square Pegs'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson ( Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High S ...
''.[ A full-length album ''Bikini Wax''][ along with a single "Moist Towelette", which was a parody of Grace Jones' cover of "]Warm Leatherette
"Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller's project the Normal, released in 1978.
The Normal original
Overview
The lyrics of "Warm Leatherette" reference J. G. Ballard's controversial 1973 novel ''Crash'', which had heavily influenced Dani ...
", was then released.[
John E. Precious died in 1985.][ During the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s the group occasionally toured and worked on reissues of their back catalog.][
In 2010, they played their 30th anniversary concert in Phoenix.]
Personal lives
Despite Lucy LaMode's self-described "whore" public persona, she remained a virgin during the height of the group's popularity. She was not a drug user, did not have her first beer until the age of 26, and is now a mother.[
Gary Russell currently lives in the San Diego area. Robert X. Planet and Dale B. Sari both currently live in Scottsdale, AZ.
]
See also
*''The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records
''The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records'' is a compilation album released by Rhino Records in 1983. It purports to compile the worst music ever recorded and features mostly novelty songs, parodies and cover versions of popular son ...
'', album which includes "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage"
References
{{Authority control
American new wave musical groups
Musical groups from Phoenix, Arizona
Punk rock groups from Arizona