the violent femmes and the video bookends of their career

Instead of blogging tonight, I’m cleaning house and listening to the Violent Femmes. I just got online to search and see if there was any video footage of the Carnegie Hall show I saw back in high school. I couldn’t find anything, but I did find this live version of “Add it Up” from 1984, which is pretty cool. I also, found some incredibly troubling footage of them on the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I’m completely speachless. It’s going to take me a hell of a long time to process this.

My guess is that they agreed to do the show in return for having their song, “I Hate the TV” played on national primetime television. There’s no other way I can reconcile it in my mind.

[Now, it’s an hour or so later and I’m wanting to search for the band Television, but I’m scared that I might find footage of Tom Verlaine on an episode of Small Wonder. I’m completely paralyzed with fear.]

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10 Comments

  1. Ol' E Cross
    Posted June 14, 2007 at 11:18 pm | Permalink

    Now that I’m married, I’ve figured out how to get “just one fuck.”

    My guess is that the Violent Femmes finally figured it out, too.

    (Sorry Gordon, you know I love you.)

  2. Robert
    Posted June 15, 2007 at 9:04 am | Permalink

    I felt embarrassed watching it.

  3. Posted June 15, 2007 at 9:21 am | Permalink

    I had to pipe in on this one. Hallowed Ground is my favorite VF album. A very haunting religious bluegrass sound. An excellent choice for cleaning the house, but for some reason my all time favorite for doing chores is early Temptations.

  4. dr. teddy glass
    Posted June 15, 2007 at 9:26 am | Permalink

    I’ll never forget the first time I saw my favorite band, The Mosquitos, on Gilligan’s Island. I got drunk and smashed all their records with a rolling pin while yelling “SELL OUTS” until my lungs bled.

  5. edweird
    Posted June 15, 2007 at 10:15 am | Permalink

    I remember my friend Grant doing the same thing with a Mother Love Bone cassette. He was screaming “Cock rock trash!” at the top of his lungs, though. This was in 90 or 91.

  6. Robert
    Posted June 15, 2007 at 10:27 am | Permalink

    “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” – Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare

    I never trusted Gordon. He’s squirelly, and all over the place. The way those guys mixed sexually degrading language with devout religious expression was funny but also pretty creepy. But their musical talent was extraordinary. I still believe “Good Feeling” is one of the best ballads of the 80s. I loved their willingness to experiment with all sorts of instruments and styles, while keeping true to their primal sound. Don’t feel too bad, Mark. We were all seduced. I would have felt better if their performances on Sabrina were antagonistic and completely lacking in enthusiasm, but not much.

  7. dr. teddy glass
    Posted June 21, 2007 at 10:48 am | Permalink

    When did Gordon Gano become Bobcat Goldthwait?

  8. chris
    Posted June 21, 2007 at 8:29 pm | Permalink

    I come back after so many months gone and this is what you show me?!?!?!?!??! BLASPHEMY!

    On a cooler note, I have been searching for the kill mosquito tennis racket for the last 48 hrs and well…its a sign.

    I want to get mosquito nets too but worry they are a fire hazard.

  9. mark
    Posted June 21, 2007 at 8:56 pm | Permalink

    Bobcat Goldthwait and Gordon Gano became the same entity during a civil ceremony in Hawaii. Jim Neighbors sang. It was beautiful.

    And, Chris, I’m glad to hear that they’ve given back your internet privileges.

  10. mark
    Posted June 21, 2007 at 9:00 pm | Permalink

    And did you watch the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” episode, Chris? I didn’t make it up. It’s right there. If you want to yell at someone, yell at the Femmes. I may be guilty of blasphemy, but not in this post.

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