| CD REVIEW Pansy Division |
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Band: Pansy Division It’s hard to talk about this band without using terminology like “ground-breaking” or “unique”, and that not for their musical prowess, but rather for their significance in the eyes of Rock loving homosexuals worldwide! Founded by lead singer/ guitarist Jon Ginoli, who started grew up with Rock before coming to terms with his sexual preference and moving to San Francisco. To say he was more than disappointed finding out that all these places where he could meet (sexually) like-minded people were devoid of his favourite music pissed him off so badly he started the band as a solo project, deciding to use humor in his in-you-face lyrical approach, with songs relating mostly to rather gay-related themes. Right from the start, there was interest in his outspoken approach from Lookout! Records, especially with Jon having already had sóme impact on the local gay scene and having recorded/ released a first (full-length) demo…but the owner wanted a band rather than a solo project. Back then (we’re talking early 1991) “Queercore” was almost unheard of, but “Dykecore” was slowly making a rise, with small punk labels showing interest in Punk Rock and Indie Rock brought by bands with a homosexual membership (no pun intended)…but the focus was mainly on lesbian bands. Anyway, a connection to Outpunk was quickly made, but again the band situation was somewhat of a problem. So, Jon put an add in a local paper, in which he announced to be on the look-out for outspoken gay men to join him in a Rock band…and to Chris Freeman, a gay bassist who’d already been active (and had some minor success) with the Seattle based female-fronted The Outnumbered, this was a call out of heaven! So the two met, clicked, and started rehearsing. Now the search for a suitable drummer could be started! A search which would last 5 years (goin’ through 12 drummers) before the guys would find the young Luis Illades…but meanwhile they started things off with recruiting Jay Paget. Now dealing an actual band, Lookout! came across and, after issuing the initial 7-inch singles (which the band backed by extensive touring throughout California – one single also saw the light of day through Outpunk, by the way), released the band’s debut album Undressed. The album immediately set an unpresedented wave of emotional feelings across the US and the rest of the world (even in their early days, Lookout! were a very appreciated label), finding its way to youngsters who had been hiding the way they felt about their sexuality. Some were still afraid to “come out”, writing praising letters to the band, but stressing not to be written back. Others (a vast majority of a massive amount of people who reacted) saw the album as an eye-opener, asking when they could expect the band to come play in their neck of the woods! So, with small hearts (still being uncertain of local reactions) the band planned a nationwide tour…which went very well indeed! Luckily, Jon had stacked away a bunch of songs, so recordings of the band’s sophomore album Deflowered could come about rather swiftly and, the album being released in 1994, showed proof of why PD was considered one of the more prolific acts in the otherwise declining Queercore scene! The band’s music at that time, influenced by ‘60s and ‘70s Punk Rock (most notably bands like Buzzcocks, The Ramones, and early Beatles), also caught the attention of the then booming Punk Rock scene. Green Day (who’d been one Lookout! before goin’ into the major label league) had just released their Dookie album, and insisted on taking Pansy Division as their support (even defending PD against the couple of concert promotors whom didn’t want PD to play because of their outspoken approach…threatening not to play themselves if PD would not play first!). The tour broke the band nationwide to a level they couldn’t have dreamt of when they’d started (in fact Chris always thought he’d be doin’ PD as a fun side-project, while continuing to play with other bands again), and the rest, as they say…is history! Actually, I shouldn’t give away too much about the band’s history from now on…as the guys have made a very nice documentary which was recently issued on DVD (see reviews section around the same time) by Alternative Tentacles…so, for any other details, check that out! In short, because important, 1995 saw the release of the Pile Up album, followed by Wish I’d Taken Pictures a year later…which was also when Jon & Chris found Luis, and in 1997 (during which there was also the release of More Lovin’ From Our Oven, a compilation of the band’s early days singles and EPs) the band expanded to a quartet with the addition of guitarist Patrick Goodwin. This prompted a change of musical direction towards a layered Indie Rock, with 1998’s Absurd Pop Song Romance (produced by Steve Albini)as first result. By That time the original owner of Lookout! had become weary of the “success” Punk Rock was heaving, and had left his label to a younger generation of people. People who looked at things from a marketing point of view, felt that PD had strayed too far from the label’s “signature sound”, and had therefore shown themselves somewhat stingy in their support of the band, as far as promotion of the album and the ensuing tour were concerned. Although hailed by fans as maybe being the band’s best record to date, the album sold less than previous work…and, coupled to the band members growning tired of being around each other during a 6-7 month tour, the guys took some time off! They returned in 2001, and signed to Alternative Tentacles later that year, which resulted in 2003’s Total Entertainment (an album hailed as musically being a perfect mix of the band’s first days, with that of their more sophisticated era). As PD became less important in the band members’ lives, they started several side-projects. Goodwin, who’d always been more into Metal than in the kind of music PD brought, left in 2004 (he’d already started Dirty Power at the time, and would join Hammers Of Misfortune later)…was temporarily replaced by Bernard Yin (later to join Astra Heights), and then by former The Mr. T Experience bassist Joel Reader (who was already playing bass in two side-projects with Luis, namely The Plus Ones and The Avengers; Mr.T was also a Lookout! band, by the way), whom has since been the token non-homosexual bandmember! Choosing him was more eveident, as his availability would always be connected to that of Luis! Touring activity started to fall back, as the individual members began moving to different parts of the US: while Jon remained in San Fransisco, Chris returned to Los Angeles, and the two others relocated to New York! 2006 saw the release of The Essential Pansy Division, a comprehensive “Best Of” album with 30 songs chosen by Jon and a DVD with a variety of video footage. For a story on, how the recordings for the new album came along, check “The New Album” at pansydivision.com! For nnow, I have to say that having seen the DVD before listening to the album, I immediatelly found a rapport with those tracks which were featured in the documentary…because that’s simply how catchy those songs are, how quickly the melodies and lyrics get stuck in your mind! Meanwhile, the other songs have encrusted themselves into my mind as well…because that IS how good they are, you know! Very varied too, with Chris frequently taking over lead vocal position…and even Joel singing lead in “Some Of My Best Friends” (a “ballad” written by him). Additionaly, Alternative Tentacles owner Jello Biafra was convinced to add his voice to “Average Man”, a song which is very much heavy enough to stand up to the usual Biafra standards! Stylistically, you get your good mix of more Punk-driven tracks, the more Indie Rock minded stuff, and some more “original” PD tracks…and Joel’s diversity as a guitarist comes out most prominenty in the Country-ish “Pat Me On The Ass”. In other words, a wonderful album which mo´re than deserves to be featured in my “Best Albums Of 2009” list, and…I’m not even gay (like as if you’d nééd that to like this band’s music)! 98/100 Tony. |