Haunted Garage was a

horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered b ...

and heavy metal band formed in

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in 1985. Fronted by singer and B-movie actor

Dukey Flyswatter Michael David Sonye (; born April 22, 1954), best known by his stage and screen name Dukey Flyswatter, is an American actor, screenwriter, and musician, recognized for his work on numerous low-budget B movies and as singer for the Los Angeles h ...

, the band were recognized for their

campy Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting ae ...

horror and science fiction-inspired songs and outrageous shock rock live shows featuring macabre props and costumes, go-go dancers and copious amounts of stage blood. The original incarnation of Haunted Garage lasted from 1985 to 1993, becoming a popular draw in the Los Angeles metal scene and recording one studio album for

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distr ...

in 1991. Following several one-off reunions with varying line-ups, a new version of Haunted Garage featuring Flyswatter as its only original member formed in 2013, returning to touring and recording before officially retiring in late 2021.

Biography

Formation and original line-up (1985–1993)

Haunted Garage was formed in 1985 by singer

, bassist Ace McCoomba and guitarist Nyck Varoom. Originally, the band began playing music in a psychedelic rock and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

style, playing covers of songs from vintage B-movies such the title theme from '' The Blob'' and "The South is Gonna Rise Again" from ''

Two Thousand Maniacs! ''Two Thousand Maniacs!'' is a 1964 American horror film written and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis and starring 1963 ''Playboy'' Playmate Connie Mason. It follows a group of Northern tourists who are savagely tortured and murdered during a ...

'' before eventually writing original material in a similarly tongue-in-cheek horror film-inspired vein. Following the addition of

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...

lead guitarist Gaby Godhead and drummer Stiff Slug, Haunted Garage's sound evolved into a more aggressive fusion of

and heavy metal, a mix which the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' described as "

The Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

doing

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

" but which Flyswatter often referred to as "splatter punk". DukeyFlyswatter2013

Haunted Garage was most recognized, however, for their over-the-top shock rock stage shows, featuring violent and surrealist theatrics which '' LA Weekly'' wrote made them "local horror-punk legends". Similar to bands such as

Gwar Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...

, their shows regularly showcased an array of elaborate horror-themed costumes and props, with copious amounts of fake blood and slime sprayed into the audience while a collection of scantily-clad female dancers - dubbed " The Gore Gore Girls" - maintained a permanent stage presence beside the band. Dukey Flyswatter would often use

hatpin A hatpin is a decorative and functional pin for holding a hat to the head, usually by the hair. In Western culture, hatpins are almost solely used by women and are often worn in a pair. They are typically around in length, with the pinhead be ...

s to pierce various parts of his body onstage before settling on his trademark schtick, sticking mousetraps on his face. These flamboyant antics helped the band maintain a visible presence in the Los Angeles scene, performing with such high-profile bands such as

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...

, the Butthole Surfers, Gwar,

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

, White Zombie and Screamin' Jay Hawkins and regularly playing and headlining such famous nightclubs as the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...

The Roxy Theatre The Roxy Theatre (often just the Roxy) is a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, owned by Lou Adler and his son, Nic. History The Roxy was opened on September 23, 1973, by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along wi ...

and Raji's. In a 2013 interview,

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

drummer

Danny Carey Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the American rock band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Ca ...

reminisced about a late '80s concert with Haunted Garage,

Green Jellÿ Green Jellÿ (, ''green Jell-O'') is an American comedy rock band formed in 1981. Originally named Green Jellö, the band changed its name due to legal pressure from Kraft Foods Inc., the owners of the Jell-O brand, who claimed that it was an i ...

and Pygmy Love Circus - "the three kind of big psycho bands of L.A." - as one of his most memorable shows. In addition to the band's horror movie-inspired aesthetic, frontman Dukey Flyswatter worked on many low-budget B movies during his tenure with Haunted Garage, acting in numerous films including the cult classics '' Surf Nazis Must Die'', '' Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama'' and ''

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers ''Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers'' (also known as simply ''Hollywood Hookers'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1988 American black comedy slasher film directed by Fred Olen Ray, and starring Gunnar Hansen, Linnea Quigley, Jay Richardson and Michelle Bau ...

'', as well as writing the screenplays for ''

Blood Diner ''Blood Diner'' is a 1987 American horror comedy directed by Jackie Kong and starring Rick Burks, Carl Crew, Roger Dauer, LaNette LaFrance, and Lisa Guggenheim. It was written by Michael Sonye. The plot follows two brothers setting up a resta ...

'' and

Fred Olen Ray Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-budget feature films in many genres, including horror, science fiction, action/adventure, erotic thrillers, crime d ...

s ''Prison Ship'' and ''Commando Squad'', among others. In 1987, Haunted Garage contributed several exclusive songs for the soundtrack to the film ''

Nightmare Sisters ''Nightmare Sisters'' (also released as ''Sorority Succubus Sisters'') is a 1988 direct-to-video, Low budget film, low-budget, horror comedy. It is notable as one of only two films in which 1980s scream queens Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and ...

'', which also featured Flyswatter in an acting role, and appeared onscreen as a band in 1987's '' Cyclone'' and 1989's ''Breakfast of Aliens''. In 1992, the band appeared on an episode of ''

The Montel Williams Show ''The Montel Williams Show'' (also known as ''Montel'') is an American syndicated tabloid talk show, hosted by Montel Williams, which ran from 1991 to 2008. On January 30, 2008, the end of production of new episodes of ''The Montel Williams S ...

'' alongside Sean Brennan of London After Midnight and Vlad of Dark Theater in a special about gothic rock and the vampire subculture. In 1989, after independently releasing the demo tape ''Songs About Satan & Other Stuff to Piss Your Parents Off'', Haunted Garage released the four-song 7-inch EP ''Mothers Day'' on

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by Long Gone John. The first Sympathy release was the Lazy Cowgirls' ''Radio Cowgirl'' ...

before signing to

, releasing their first and only full-length album ''Possession Park'' in August 1991. ''Possession Park'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

calling the album "extremely fun and outrageously entertaining", writing that the band "should have been a lot more well-known", while the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', though deriding the band as "Gwar Junior", admitted of the album's macabre sense of humor, " cheesy as it is, it's good for a laugh". Following the album's release, Haunted Garage carried out a tour of the United States and Europe supporting

before ultimately breaking up, playing their "final" show at the

Coconut Teaszer The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or t ...

on November 25, 1992.

Subsequent reunions and retirement (1995–2021)

In the years following their disbandment, Flyswatter attempted several times to revive Haunted Garage with varying line-ups of old and new members, the first reunion taking place at the

in 1995. In 2001, after contributing music to the Full Moon Features zombie film '' The Dead Hate the Living!'', Flyswatter and Godhead reformed the band again for a reunion show, appearing on an episode of actor

Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...

s short-lived web series ''The Clint Howard Variety Show'' to announce their intentions of returning to touring and recording, though these plans ultimately never came to fruition. Haunted Garage's last one-off reunion show was held at Safari Sam's in Los Angeles on June 16, 2008, marking the final time Godhead performed with the band. In 2013, Flyswatter formed a new version of Haunted Garage with himself as the sole original member, performing the first of a series of shows at Los Angeles' California Institute of Abnormalarts on October 5, 2013, followed by a co-headlining appearance alongside The Dickies at the

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Zombie Walk. This incarnation of the band continued performing regularly throughout the Los Angeles area, and in August 2015, began recording an EP under the production of Paul Roessler, Haunted Garage's first recorded material in twelve years and first studio release since 1991. The EP, entitled ''Slenderman and Other Strange Tales'', was released digitally on major streaming and download sites on January 13, 2016, with a physical CD release the following April. The album's title song, based on the

creepypasta Creepypastas are horror-related legends that have been shared around the Internet. Creepypasta has since become a catch-all term for any horror content posted onto the Internet. These Internet entries are often brief, user-generated, paranormal ...

legend

Slender Man Slender Man (also spelled Slenderman) is a fictional supernatural character that originated as a creepypasta Internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen (also known as "Victor Surge") in 2009. He is depicted as a thin, unna ...

and its associated 2012 stabbing case, received some minor media attention in the wake of the 2016 HBO documentary '' Beware the Slenderman''. In 2020, an expanded version of ''Slenderman'' featuring newly recorded songs was issued on vinyl by Metal Assault Records. On December 10, 2018, Dukey Flyswatter underwent

brain surgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

to remove a tumor near his

visual cortex The visual cortex of the brain is the area of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information. It is located in the occipital lobe. Sensory input originating from the eyes travels through the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus and ...

, for which Haunted Garage—including Flyswatter—performed a benefit show only several days prior on December 1. As detailed on the band's official Facebook page, though Flyswatter's tumor was successfully removed and declared benign by doctors, band activity would slow significantly as he remained in recovery. Flyswatter eventually returned to performing live with Haunted Garage the following spring, headlining two shows in Los Angeles on May 18, 2019, and Tarzana on August 31, 2019. In the summer of 2021, Haunted Garage's social media revealed that a documentary film about Flyswatter and the band tentatively titled ''The Life and Slimes of Dukey Flyswatter and Haunted Garage'' was in production, which would feature interviews with many people involved in Flyswatter's film and music career, including Haunted Garage's original members. On August 21, 2021, Haunted Garage performed what was advertised as their final public show, playing a mini-set of four songs following punk rock band the Dwarves at Green Jellÿ's Hollywood studio.

Discography

;Studio albums ;EPs and Demos ;Singles ;Compilation appearances ;Soundtrack appearances *'' Cyclone'' (1987) *''

'' (1987) *''Breakfast of Aliens'' (1989) *'' The Dead Hate the Living!'' (2000) *'' Night of the Demons'' (2009)

Members

;Classic line-up (1989-1993) *

- lead vocals *Gaby Godhead - lead guitar *Johnny Ho - rhythm guitar *King Dinosaur - bass guitar, backing vocals *Stiff Slug - drums ;Final line-up (2013–2021) *Dukey Flyswatter - lead vocals *Satan (Andy Chavez) - lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals *Erik E. Wrath (Eric Erath) - lead and rhythm guitar *The Beaver (Brian Beaver) - drums *Deathro Tull (Pat Rowan) - bass guitar, backing vocals ;Former members *Danny Dorman *Nyck Varoom *Joe Ramirez *Jonnie Hell *Mark Conn *Mikaleno Admuson *Ace McCoomba *Sean Fodor

References

External links

Haunted Garage
at

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Haunted Garage
on Myspace * {{Authority control 1985 establishments in California 1993 disestablishments in California 2013 establishments in California 2021 disestablishments in California Garage rock groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from California Horror punk groups Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1993 Musical groups reestablished in 2013 Musical groups disestablished in 2021 Punk rock groups from California