Dead Milkmen are reincarnated

Big news: The Dead Milkmen are back! At least for one gig.

The Philly punk pranksters are scheduled to play at the Fun Fun Fun Festival in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 8-9, according to antimusic.com.

The band retired in 1995. When the band's bassist, Dave Schulthise (aka "Dave Blood"), committed suicide in 2004, the remaining Milkmen returned for a few memorial shows. The Austin gig will be the first reunion since 2004. Sadly, there is no talk of an extending the get-together to a fuller tour.

The Milkmen are one of those hard-to-peg acts that either made you love or hate the 80s. Notoriously -- or perhaps just purposely -- a bunch of malcontents for the press to interview, the band members seemed to always be on the short end of the stick when it came to understanding their audiences or getting respect from their record companies. Even late into their career, rumors have it that they had to get part-time jobs to pay the bills.

But you can't debate the infectious fun and brilliant simplicity of the music. Or the inappropriate and sometimes downright offensive song titles. You just don't get that brand of mischief today.

TOP 5 WORST NAMES OF DEAD MILKMEN SONGS:

5. WATCHING SCOTTY DIE: "One day my dog went out to play. Instead of gray he came back colored yellow."

4. LIFE IS SH*T: "This is life as I know it."

3. SRI LANKA SEX HOTEL: "Let's have sex without birth control, sell our offspring to some dirty old men."

2. AIR CRASH MUSEUM: "Betty Lou will bring the sawdust. And I've got the formaldehyde."

1. IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE, SET THEM ON FIRE: "Life can really burn you up when you're a pyromaniac."

Comments

[NickRineholt]

I'm 17, and The Dead Milkmen are my favorite band, and have been since I was 14. It pains me that people don't show enough love for these guys, there is certainly more to them than Bitchin Camaro, and Punk Rock Girl...
PS: How did Air Crash Museum make it in there, and no Let's Get The Baby High, or I Dream of Jesus?

[Rob Bass from Chicago]

Wow! How weird is this? I was just checking out some of their old live gigs on youtube. (not much to choose from), but I still maintain that "Big Lizard in my Backyard" was one of the best punk albums of the 80's.

It is really sad that their bassist ended up committing suicide a few years ago. He ended up with a lot of drug problems and was working as a Janitor before he offed himself. Very sad to read about that.

[David Jenkins]

How "Takin' Retards to the Zoo" didn't make your Top 5 list, I'll never know ...

[DenverMatt]

The Dead Milkmen were a personal favorite of mine. I also saw them in 1993.

I proudly wore my "Smiling Cow" shirt in high school. I still have the shirt (and it fits). However, it is so worn, it is practically clear.

[jim w.]

don't you want to hang out with the bleach boys baby? in a world where ministers murder golf pros?

the internal soundtrack for my day is set.

[Jeff from Vegas]

Nice "Adventures in Babysitting" reference, Steve. That's actually one of my favorite scenes in the movie, and the guy who says that line is Albert Collins, "The Master of the Telecaster" and one of my favorite blues guitarists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Collins).

[Spears]

Nobody leaves the 80s blog without singing the blues.

[Lori]

Jeff in Cuba, get out of the 80's and read the message I left for you at SD's!

[Spears]

I've got a wish-list of podcast interviews, and Mojo Nixon is close to the top.

[Douglas Arthur]

I was always partial to Blood Orgy Of The Atomic Fern and Surfin' Cow. Or how about the comic send up Anderson, Buttholes, Walkmans, and How??

You know what Steve-o? I'm think a podcast devoted to the "snot-rock" of the 80's might be in order here. Dead Milkmen, Pajama Slave Dancers, Mojo Noxon to an extent, though he was a on the folky end of the branch, MDC, Fearless Iranians From Hell, Butthole Surfers...there are more, but a good start...

Even though it is not a "disgustingly titled song" how 'bout some love for Instant Club Hit aka You'll Dance To Anything??

I saw Dead Milkmen live, only once, which was back in '93 during my days in Buffalo. They were touring for the Not Richard, But Dick cd anPossum Dixon opened up. Good show, but I was surprised at how much technology they used. The one guy kept loading floppy discs into his Midi keyboard to get the right sounds I guess. There was a lot of moshing, and i lost my fairly new Swiss Army Watch in the process. I even stayed after to look for it on the dance floor, but to no avail. I am sur it was deeply embedded into the sole of some spiky haired skin-head punkers Doc Martens.

One of the more memorable moments that night was Possum Dixon doing a rousing punk Rock medley of Madonna hits! Pretty funny!

[Sherrie]

That 10:15 quote is me, clearly I have problems with premature posting.

I love this heartwarming quote from the Dead Milkmen interview link:

"All I got to say is that I've been all over the world and the one thing that ties all of the different places together is that people are scum."

[Jeff in Cuba]

Take it from me:

A Dead Milkmen concert is a TERRIBLE first date. I took a very pleasant young woman to their show in Hawaii, and she was visibly confused and troubled by the show. Needless to say, there was no second date.

To be fair to the Milkmen, "visibly confused and troubled" could be applied to any number of my first dates, so it may not have been entirely their fault.

[Spears]

"Bitchin' Camaro" is great, but with so many insider jokes, it goes over the head of so many fans.

[%]

BEST DEAD MILKMEN SONG:

BITCHIN CAMARO

[Walter Cox]

I've only ever heard "Punk Rock Girl"

[Sherrie]

Ah, the cranky joy that IS the Dead Milkmen. I was a tremendous fan of the DM in high school and college, subjecting my coworkers to "Beelzebubba" nearly every night at my college McJob at a Clearwater bookstore. Along with "Rastabilly" and "I Walk the Thinnest Line", "Sri Lanka Sex Motel" is my favorite of their songs. Other really bad DM song titles:
Takin' Retards to the Zoo
When Ringo Gets a Rifle
Life is Sh*t
My Many Smells