Sugar In My Hog

I hope you all are ready for some fun.

1996.  The B52's are on an indefinite hiatus.  I'm in Andy Yuhas's basement with, I think, Tyler and Kell.  We're watching 120 Minutes (this was a show on MTV that showed music videos by "edgy, alternative" bands.  I know, amazing, right?).  The "Video Jockey" (ugh) announces that they're about to play the new one from Fred Schneider.

And then Rick Sims from The Didjits is on TV.

"Well," thinks twenty-year-old me, "This is weird for two reasons.  One, someone at MTV has clearly been drinking, as they have just announced Fred Schneider before playing a new Didjits video.  Two, MTV is for some goddamn reason playing a Didjits video. Oh, and I guess this is weird for three reasons, because The Didjits have been broken up for two years.  Anyway, AWESOME."


Cue Fred Schneider.  It turns out that MTV were right all along, but somehow Rick Didjit is playing in the same surreal trailer park (it was 1996, alright?) as him from the B52's.  And there's the drummer from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion!  And the bass player from Tar (full disclosure:  I could not identify anyone from Tar in 1996, and I cannot do so today.  Neither can you, so shut up.)!  Anyway, AWESOME.


I'd post the video, but it seems like only MTV has it, and that's... more attention than I'd like to have at the moment, if you see what I'm getting at.  Anyway, here's a fistful of tracks from Fred Schneider's critically-despised solo album Just Fred.  This is the kind of thing that really reinforces my dim view of the critical establishment, 'cos this record is PURE FIRE.  Backing musicians include not just the luminaries mentioned above (under the dismal moniker "Deadly Cupcake") but also surf legends Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet (meh) as well as SIX FINGER SATELLITE.  Damn right, that got yr attention.
 
The rap on this record is that dude's voice was too... I dunno, SOMEthing to carry a bunch of fierce rockers of the sort on offer here, but I say BOO TO THAT.  Sure, Just Fred isn't an instant classic or anything, but any album that's one part Tom of Finland, one part drag racer, and one part killer cyborg has got MY vote.  Plus, Fred gets a decent enough snarl out of his admittedly limited pipes.  Shit, he sounds about a thousand times better than him from the Dead Kennedys, and the lyrics are better, too!

Contained within: three Rick Sims-led rockers (including a hee-larious cover of Harry Nilsson's "Coconut") and one from th' Satellite.  Do yrself a favor and google the "Bulldozer" video, so you can check out Fred's ill-advised facial hair and the coked-up antics of one Rick Sims (seriously, between him and the Six Finger Satellite boys, I'd wager that most of the advance on this record got inhaled.  I bet Schneider ain't no slouch, either.).  And swing by iTunes (feh) and drop 8 bucks on the whole album.  It's worth yr while (I purposefully left "Sugar In My Hog" and "Helicopter" out of the download so you'd be motivated) and Fred donates a lot of time and money to Atlanta-based animal charities, so... y'know... good cause.  Good guy.  Good album.