Manitoba's Wild Kingdom were an American heavy metal and

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band based in New York City. They were formed in 1986 and most recently performed in 2008. The band included members of the New York punk band

The Dictators The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Known for their acerbic and provocative approach in their music, the Dictators underwent several changes in their lineups. Its founding members included musicians Andy " ...

and was one of the few musical groups

Sandy Pearlman Samuel Clarke "Sandy" Pearlman (August 5, 1943 – July 26, 2016) was an American music producer, artist manager, music journalist and critic, professor, poet, songwriter, and record company executive. He was best known for founding, writing for, ...

ever signed to his short-lived record label,

Popular Metaphysics Popular Metaphysics was a record label created by Sandy Pearlman in Studio C of the Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco in 1989. The label was short lived, but it signed a few solid acts and released their records on the MCA label, including ...

History

In late 1986, former members of The Dictators, vocalist

Richard Manitoba Richard Blum (born January 29, 1954), known by his stage name Handsome Dick Manitoba, is an American punk rock musician and radio personality. He was the singer of New York City-based band The Dictators from 1974 to 2008. With The Dictators, ...

, bassist and songwriter

Andy Shernoff Andy Shernoff (born April 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of The Dictators, one of the original New York punk bands, in which he wrote nearly all of the songs, played bass guitar and k ...

, and guitarist

Daniel Rey Daniel Rey (born Daniel Rabinowitz) is an American musician, record producer and songwriter from New York City, best known for his work with the punk rock band Ramones. As a teenager Rey played in punk band Shrapnel, which also featured Dave Wy ...

(Rabinowitz), producer for

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

, organized to form the band Wild Kingdom. The Dictators had disbanded in late 1978. The three released a cover version of the song, "New York, New York" on the 1988 soundtrack to the film ''

Mondo New York ''Mondo New York'' is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith. The documentary film was inspired by the 1963 movie ''Mondo Cane''. Overview ''Mondo New York'' examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and fea ...

''. They signed with Sandy Pearlman (best known for his work with

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Stony Brook, in 1967. They have sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. ...

), who had also produced albums for The Dictators, on his Pearlman's new label, Popular Metaphysics, which was formerly the San Francisco punk label

415 Records 415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, The Units, Romeo Void, and Wire Tra ...

. Soon after they began recording, Rey left the band and was replaced in 1989 by guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman, also formerly of The Dictators. The band began billing itself as Manitoba's Wild Kingdom in 1989 after Rey's departure, in shows around the New York City and New Jersey region. Drummer J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson, who would later become a member of The Dictators, and guitarist Ron Hanley also joined Manitoba's Wild Kingdom. Pearlman released the band's debut album, ''...And You?'', in 1990 on Popular Metaphysics, co-branded with MCA. It is 25 minutes long, contains ten songs, and was released in Germany, the UK, and the US on CD, LP, and cassette. All the songs were written by bass player

who also produced the album. The cover of the album was controversial in that it depicted an image from a Nazi recruiting poster from World War II. The Dictators had experienced similar provocation around their first album, ''

Go Girl Crazy! ''The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!'' is the debut album by American punk rock band The Dictators. It was released in March 1975 and is considered one of the first examples of punk rock. Response Critical reception ''The Dictators Go Girl Craz ...

'', which contained the songs "Master Race Rock" and "Back to Africa". Perhaps ironic was the fact that most bandmembers, of both bands, were and are Jewish. The album itself was well received. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' called it "the first great punk rock album of the '90s", and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Geoff Ginsberg called the album "amazing", and also said of it, "Twenty-five minutes of blazing, cleanly recorded punk/metal, the disc is close to perfect, if a bit short." They filmed a video for the song "The Party Starts Now!!", featuring the future Mrs.

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...

Camille Donatacci Camille Meyer ( Donatacci, formerly Grammer, born September 12, 1968) is an American actress, dancer, model, and television personality. She is known for appearing on several seasons of the reality television show, ''The Real Housewives of Bever ...

, that received regular airplay on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and rose to No. 8 on its Video Countdown in the summer of 1990."The Party Starts Now!!" also appeared in the film of that year ''

Kindergarten Cop ''Kindergarten Cop'' is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and distributed by Universal Pictures. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as John Kimble, a tough Los Angeles police detective working undercover as a kindergarten teac ...

'', near the beginning of the film when Arnold Schwarzenegger's character walks into a club. The band did a club tour that year and then in 1991, rhythm guitarist

Scott Kempner Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos. Background and car ...

, formerly of both The Dictators original lineup and the Del Lords, joined the band, whereupon they became The Dictators again. They reunited for their most recent performance having been at the 2008 Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, with a lineup that featured Manitoba, Shernoff, Friedman, and Patterson. Their album ''...And You?'' was re-released in 2009 on LP and CD on American Beat Records in the US. The Dictators still play songs from Manitoba's Wild Kingdom's album, and frequently open their shows with either "New York, New York" or "The Party Starts Now!!" Daniel Rey currently plays with The Martinets.

Former members

Handsome Dick Manitoba Richard Blum (born January 29, 1954), known by his stage name Handsome Dick Manitoba, is an American punk rock musician and radio personality. He was the singer of New York City-based band The Dictators from 1974 to 2008. With The Dictators, M ...

– lead vocals (1986–1991, 2008) *

– bass, backing vocals (1986–1991, 2008) * Ross "the Boss" Friedman – guitars (1989–1991, 2008) * J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson – drums, backing vocals (1989–1991, 2008) *

– guitars (1986–1989) *

– guitars (1991) * Ron Hanley – guitars (1989)

Discography

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control 1986 establishments in New York City Punk rock groups from New York (state) Hard rock musical groups from New York (state) Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups from New York City Musical groups established in 1986 Musical quartets from New York (state)