Dial P for Pussy Galore: Part Three

Click here for part two

***** ***** ***** *****
Worst rock 'n' roll
band ever. I love it.
--YouTube commenter
***** ***** ***** *****

"It seems to me that the people who find your stuff the least offensive are those who find the most humor in it," I noted.

"Yes," Jon agreed, "but we aren't a joke band. We're serious about
our music." That doesn't surprise me much. Pussy Galore's lyrics
can be pretty amusing, but in a more darkly comic way than the
Dead Milkmen or Mojo Nixon. You know, subversive. In the
same breath, he added, "We're not a real band, though..."

For a "fake" band, Pussy Galore has garnered a great deal of
attention, especially considering they're still relatively new on
the scene. They've put out several different releases since 19-
85 on a variety of labels and have gone through several line-
up changes. They currently consist of Jon, Neil Hagerty,
and Kurt Wolff on guitar, and Bob Bert on percussion.

In 1987, Neil left to devote his energies full-time to his ex-
perimental duo Royal Trux with girlfriend Jennifer Herre-
ma. He's back now, but who's to say whether he'll stay put.

As for Bob Bert, he originally drummed for Sonic Youth and
features prominently on their live record Sonic Death. Found-
ing member Julia Cafritz (vocals, guitar) left the group midway
through Dial 'M', and later formed Free Kitten with Kim Gordon.

Jon's wife, guitarist Cristina Martinez, went on to play with
Wolf in the Honeymoon Killers before forming Boss Hog with
her husband. When Julia and Cristina were in Pussy Gal-
ore, there were as many as five guitarists at one time.


"Fuck You, Man" (Right Now!, 1987)

I asked Jon if dropping bass and adding metal to their percus-
sive arsenal were planned or accidental developments. Jon says
he planned it to be like that from the start. As for the sheet metal
that Bob incorporates into his attack, Jon admits that he does like
industrial music, such as Neubauten, the originators behind "Yu-
Gung," so maybe that appreciation factored into the unique set-
up. (Could be that he admires Savage Republic, too, since those
guys have been banging on oil drums for a few years now.)

Though they operate without bass and conventional drums,
Pussy Galore are still as funky as hell, which is particularly
impressive for a combo without a "complete" rhythm section.

As for the kind of attention they've been garnering, well, people
either hate Pussy Galore or they love 'em. I told Jon I thought
that was pretty cool, because few other band these days have been
able to generate the same sort of controversy. (Hard to believe the
Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together" was once banned from the
airwaves. Times have changed a lot since then, and it's harder to
get a rise out of all but the most conservative listeners.)

I asked if he's read any of the many reviews and articles that
he and his band mates have inspired. "Yes," he said. "Does the
negative press bother you?" "No." (Clearly, he's also a man of few
syllables.) I got the impression that Jon likes to know what mus-
ic writers think about Pussy Galore, but that he doesn't let
any of it bother—or change—him and his group in any way.

Click here for part four

Pussy Galore image from I Heart Noise.