I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2024] The Dead Milkmen

I don’t know exactly when I first heard The Dead Milkmen.  It was obviously in college, probably when I was working on the radio station.  I think it was Instant Club Hit, which hated on all kinds of other bands that I liked.  By the time they released Beelzebubba, I was a die-hard fan.

And yet in 35 years I’d never seen them live.  True they were broken up for a chunk of that time, but still…

So, I’ve tried to see them a few times over the last few years and things always fell through.  But this time I was determined to go.  And what a great show it was.  I admit that I haven’t listened all that much to their newer records.  Although their latest album, Quaker City Quiet Pills is really good.

I thought they’d play a bunch of new stuff and a few oldies, but holy cow it was like a greatest hits night for me (although I like a lot of their songs, so I guess that would be true for any old songs, but they played songs I really like).

Opening with “Dean’s Dream,” a classic from their debut, it featured Joe Jack Talcum singing and Rodney Anonymous hiding out behind the curtain.

I had deliberately placed myself to the side of the stage as I assumed there would be a massive pit for this show.  And I was 100% wrong.  There was no pit.  Maybe some pushing, but mostly it was just everyone wanting to sing along.  But this meant that I never saw bassist Dan Stevens or drummer Dean Clean.

Oh and Kurt Vile (and his brothers) was standing right in front of me.

One of the fantastic new songs is “Grandpa’s Not a Racist (He Just Voted for One)” and that got Rodney out on the stage doing his thing.  Despite not being the young bratty punk any more, he still has a ton of charisma and knows how to get a crowd going.  And his young bratty voice hasn’t changed all that much.

Then it was back to the Big Lizard album for a bunch of classic Milkmen songs: “Tiny Town” a great song about racists in small towns.  “V.F.W.” which stands for Veterans of a Fucked Up World,” and “Serrated Edge” one of at least tow songs that I know of that glorify Charles Nelson Reilly.

For reasons that only my mind knows, I often have the lyrics to “Methodist Coloring Book” running through my head (mostly whenever I see a Methodist church).  So it was awesome to hear it live.

And then they played the first of seven (SEVEN!) songs from Beelzebubba.  I love this album unconditionally, so even if I didn’t especially want to hear “I Walk The Thinnest Line” I practically jumped in excitement when they started it.  And when they followed t hat with “Brat in the Frat,” a fantastic anti-bro song, it was super exciting.

Of course they played new songs too.  I didn’t know “Now I Wanna Hold Your Dog” but I quickly got the point along with ‘Meaningless Upbeat Happy Song” with the chorus:

Don’t trust the happy, the happy are insane
If you see someone smiling, run, get away!

I Thought that I didn’t really know Metaphysical Graffiti, but it was clear from “Methodist” and “If You Love Somebody, Set them on Fire” that I listened to that record just as much.

After “Gorilla Girl” another song from the debut, they started “Punk Rock Girl.”  I had recently seen Joe Jack solo and he played this song and it was wonderful.  But it was even better with the whole band playing (and Joe Jack playing a genuinely terrible guitar solo).  And they blew my mind by playing the bass intro to “Bitchin Camaro” a song I just assumed they’d never play.

The intro to the song is apparently different every time.  Rodney had made some jokes about Stevie Nicks a few times during the night and so this whole improv intro was all about how they were hanging out with Stevie at the Grammys and there was cocaine and everything else.  It was stupid and hilarious.  And when he threw the vocals to Jack, Jack said, “what, I was paying attention, Stevie Nicks.”  It cracks me up that the bulk of the song is about a minute long but the rambling intro is nearly 5.

What could be better than that?  “Stuart.”  I’ve always loved this story that mocks people who believe any conspiracy theory.  And it was great to see Rodney really get into the screaming.

They returned to Lizard for Nutrition.  I couldn’t remember which song mentioned F.O.D.. but it was this one.  And I love that they played it after F.O.D. opened for them.

They didn’t play much from Bucky Fellini (I mean, there’s only so many songs you can play), but I enjoyed hearing “Tacoland” (and beautiful San Antonio Texas!) and “Big  Time Operator.”  I was hoping that Rodney would do the weird humming solo from the record, but he had some kind of weird keyboard setup and as he soloed on it both Joe Jack and Dan just stared at him in curiosity.

My friend Paula and I used to listen to early Dead Milkmen all the time and there are some songs that I will always associate with her.  One of them is “Beach Party Vietnam,.”  I was all set for him to scream, “because I don’t have any arms!” but he made a joke about Joe Jack making a mistake about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle the night before, which was equally as amusing.

When they played Right Wing Pigeon I realized that it has broad strokes but it is even scarily more appropriate now than it was in 1983.  Rodney even included a new verse about Matt Gaetz which showed how the song was apt and easily updatable.

They ended the main set with “Life is Shit” which was just crazy and wonderful to hear the room sing along to.  They ended the song early and blew threw a cover of Agent Orange’s “Bloodstains.”

They came back for an encore and told us that they were contractually obligated to finish every song, so they finished up “Life is Shit.”

Rodney hit a button on his sampler and the “burrow owl” line repeated over and over to signal “Smoking Banana Peels.”  I couldn’t believe it. The music in that song is pretty out there and it was pretty cool to hear it live.

They had one more new song in their arsenal and played the fascinating “Philadelphia Femdom.”  They played one more song from Eat Your Paisley, the hilariously nasty “Moron.”  And then ended with “Big Lizard.”

Rodney left the stage for Joe Jack to sing “Stupid Mary Anne,” an old song that I didn’t know.  It turns out it’s from an early demo cassette.  I wondered if anyone new it.

It was a great show, a ton of fun and I 100% will have to see them again.

1. Dean’s Dream Õλ
2. Grandpa’s Not a Racist (He Just Voted for One) ♣
3. Tiny Town λ
4. V.F.W. λ
5. Serrated Edge Õλ
6. Methodist Coloring Book φ
7. I Walk the Thinnest Line Þ
8. Now I Wanna Hold Your Dog ♦
9. Brat in the Frat Þ
10. Meaningless Upbeat Happy Song ∇
11. If You Love Somebody, Set Them on Fire φ
12. Gorilla Girl λ
13. Punk Rock Girl Þ
14. Bitchin’ Camaro λ
15. Stuart Þ
16. Nutrition Õλ
17. The King of Sick ♣
18. Tacoland ‰
19. Only the Dead Get Off at Kymlinge ⊕
20. Beach Party Vietnam §
21. Right Wing Pigeons ♥λ
22. Life Is Shit (no ending) Þ
23. Bloodstains [Agent Orange cover]
    encore
24. Life Is Shit (conclusion) Þ
25. Big Time Operator ‰
26. Smokin’ Banana Peels Þ
27. Philidalphia Femdom ♣
28. Moron §
29. Big Lizard λ
30. Stupid Mary Anne ∞