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Disturbing) That the Cunts (who I believe are spelling the band's name out rather than writing C*nts or Cnuts for the first time in over 25 years) do not sequence this retrospective (their third) chronologically is not only not a problem, it's a revelation. Considered the first Chicago punk band, the Cunts qualify on naughty name and absurd d.i.y. semi-existance far more than they do sonically, as they remain the odd man out in Chicago punk history (odder even than Skafish) precisely because they never sounded like cookie cutter punk/hardcore/trash rock. That tracks recorded in 1978 don't feel much different than tracks recorded in 2002 is made more amazing in that the Cunts don't really care what they sound like -- they somehow maintain their sonic aesthetic while jumping from garage rock to Doors-sounding stuff to noise to novelty rock to
whatthehellisthat rock. Any south sider can tell you what it's like to feel a certain pride about being from the "real" Chicago while also knowing that all the cultural action/good venues/happenings/places cabbies are willing to drive are north of us, and the Cunts kind of make the best of that, soldiering on in blissful, working class semi-invisibility, not giving too much of a fuck about being ignored for 35 years. This collection (limited to 1000 copies) is simply Cunt-tastic!
...I heard The Cunts just played , recently , but , on the SOUTH side , and I was on the Near North side when I got the news , that they'd be playing in about an hour. Their other claim to fame (Or obscurity) is not promoting their gigs , except to friends. I met a member of the band , when I first moved here. I'd already read about loft gigs to 10 people in Forced Exposure , but , he said he'd call if a show came up.....It would'nt have been fair , though , to ask him to hang on to my number for 25 years. While perhaps more elusive , even , than The Mentally Ill , the general snubbing of this band by the Chicago Punk cognescenti (Tho' certainly not by Roctober.) ranks right down there with the only very recent recognition of J.Henry Timmis or the almost complete disinterest in The Misfits/Victims , ONE OF Chicago's first Punk bands.
ReplyDeleteJohn Battles, Friend of Waymon.
I played with the cunts for two years early nineties co wrote the album look out this band has never got the recognition it deserved great live band with an exceptional drummer al scum we are now he and I putting a great 60s sounding garage band together The Savage Nuns stay tuned
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