The Meatmen
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| The Meatmen | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Lansing, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Punk rock, Hardcore punk, Heavy metal |
| Years active | 1980–1997, 2008–present |
| Labels | Touch and Go Homestead Caroline Pravda Go-Kart Meat King |
| Associated acts | The Fix Blight Minor Threat |
| Members | Tesco Vee Kevin Roberts Daniel Gillies John Lehl |
| Past members | Rich Ramsey Gregg Ramsey David Howse Brian Baker Lyle Preslar See below |
The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee, originally existing from 1981 to 1997. They reformed in 2008[1] and continue to tour and record.
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History [edit]
The Meatmen formed in Lansing, Michigan in 1981.[1] The band, originally comprising Tesco Vee, Rich Ramsey, Gregg Ramsey and David Howse, was known for their outrageous stage antics and offensive lyrics. After releasing two EPs, Tesco relocated from Michigan to Washington D.C., releasing solo EP Dutch Hercules before reforming The Meatmen with a rotating cast of members, including Brian Baker and Lyle Preslar of Minor Threat, amongst others. In this period, the band changed their sound dramatically to heavy metal with their first two albums, War of the Superbikes and Rock & Roll Juggernaut. In the 90s, Tesco initially released a solo album under the moniker Tesco Vee's Hate Police, entitled Gonzo-Hate-Vibe, before releasing three albums with The Meatmen in a metal-influenced punk style, Toilet Slave, Pope on a Rope, and War of the Superbikes, Vol. 2.
Members [edit]
The original band that existed for two years was formed by Rich and Gregg Ramsey, David Howse and Tesco Vee. After making their name, the Meatmen later had a revolving door cast when Tesco moved to D.C. Other members of the band after Tesco's move to D.C. included Brian Baker and Lyle Preslar of Minor Threat, Todd Swalla of Necros, Jim Forgey, Eliot Rachman, Mike Achtenbourg, Graham McCulloch, Eric Zelzdorf, Stuart Casson, James Cooper, Mark "Gooly" Kermanj,Tommy "Dog" Cohen also TVHP days, Norman Voss, Mark Davis, Mark Glass, and Rob San Pietro.[2]
Reunion [edit]
Reuniting in 2008, new members included, Ian "The Pit Viper" Sugierski on drums, Dave Malosh on guitar, and Andy "Lord Vapid" Lucas on bass. This lineup went on to tour the U.S. through 2009 and performed on the "Cover The Earth" album.
In 2010, Vee recruited 3 members of Detroit-based rock band, CHAPSTIK, not long after touring the U.S. together the previous year. The lineup quickly became the newest iteration of "Tesco Vee's Hate Police," and transformed into "The Meatmen" shortly after. The updated lineup included guitarist Leighton Mann (aka Hal Seitan), bassist Dan Gillies (aka Biff Baloney, aka Danny Dirtbag), and John Lehl (aka Swarthy "Bun-Length" Franklin) on drums.
In 2012, Hal Seitan was replaced by Detroiter, Kevin Roberts (aka Hindu Kush).
Lyrical content [edit]
Several of the band's songs include lyrics which target gays and minorities for ridicule and harassment. While not disowning the songs, Tesco Vee currently expresses disappointment that one of them, "Blow Me Jah", a virulently anti-Rastafarian song, still receives airplay today.[3] Vee claims he is not racist or homophobic.[3]
Vee states that his racist and homophobic rhetoric is just part of a stage persona and an act.[4] In an interview with Robert "Bo" White, Tesco Vee stated, "I won't play the race card overtly – OK, I may have used a few ethnic slurs along the road to punk rock infamy but only out of necessity."[5]
Nevertheless, the words to Tooling for Anus and Lesbian Death Dirge openly express violently anti-gay perspectives,[6][7] and the song Camel Jockeys Suck graphically describes violence against Arabs.[8]
Discography [edit]
Studio albums [edit]
- 1985 – War of the Superbikes (Homestead)
- 1986 – Rock & Roll Juggernaut (Caroline)
- 1990 – Crippled Children Suck (Touch and Go)
- 1994 – Toilet Slave (Meat King)
- 1995 – Pope on a Rope (Meat King)
- 1996 – War of the Superbikes, Vol. 2 (Go-Kart)
- 2009 – Cover The Earth (Meat King)
Singles and EPs [edit]
- 1982 – Blüd Sausage 7" EP (Touch and Go)
- 1983 – Crippled Children Suck 7" EP (Touch and Go)
- 1984 – Dutch Hercules 12" EP (Touch and Go)
- 1985 – "The Making of War of the Superbikes" 7" flexidisc single (Caroline)
- 1986 – "Rock 'N' Roll Juggernaut... The True Story" 7" flexidisc single (Caroline)
- 1987 – Vintage Meat 7" single (Touch and Go)
- 1995 – College Radio Loser 7" EP (self-released)
- 1996 – 3/3/95 (Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL) live 7" EP (V.M.L.)
- 1996 – Evil in a League With Satan CD EP (Go-Kart)
- 2011 – Happy Fucking Easter, Asshole 7" EP (TKO)
Live [edit]
- 1983 – We're The Meatmen...and You Suck!! (also contains tracks from the Blüd Sausage EP) (Touch and Go)
- 1988 – We're the Meatmen...And You Still Suck!!! (Caroline)
Compilations [edit]
- 1991 – Stud Powercock: The Touch And Go Years 1981-1984 (Touch & Go)
- 2000 - We're Not The Meatmen, But We Still Suck! (Crazy Bastard Records) [A compilation of covers of Meatmen songs by various punk artists]
Other releases [edit]
- 1981 – Demo
- 1981 - "Meatmen Stomp" on Process of Elimination 7" compilation EP (Touch and Go)
Video [edit]
- 2008 – The Devil's in the Details, Vol. 1
References [edit]
- ^ a b http://www.tgrec.com/bands/band.php?id=80
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Biography" Allmusic. Retrieved on April 30, 2007.
- ^ a b Michael Jackman (March 19, 2008). "True Grit: Legendary Meatmen frontman Tesco Vee returns to Detroit". Metro Times.
- ^ Mark Prindle. "Tesco Vee Interview 2007". Mark's Record Reviews.
- ^ Robert "Bo" White (August 11, 2011). "Tesco Vee: Cascading Episodes of Punked Up Instability & The Psychology of Suck". The Review.
- ^ http://www.lyricsmania.com/tooling_for_anus_lyrics_meatmen_the.html
- ^ http://www.musicmademe.com/song/lyrics/26475
- ^ http://www.musicmademe.com/song/lyrics/26543
External links [edit]
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