Root Boy Slim, Vastly Mental Harbinger of Who Knows What
Tiny Human Ferret
Believe it or not, I actually hung out with this guy a few times. He was a
housemate of a longtime friend of mine for a few months when she moved in
with a bunch of musicians down on the borderline of Silver Spring and Takoma
Park MD.
Root Boy Slim is not really describable, and his music ran the gamut from
the nearly not quite funky "You Broke My Mood Ring" through his endlessly
depressing "Xmas at K-Mart" to the awesomely sad lament of "Hey Mr
President"[1].
Invariably backed by some of DC's hottest talent all through the late 1970s
and 1980s, nobody knew quite what to make of him but everyone knew that
whatever it was that he was selling, they were afraid to buy. Yet quite a
lot of people had his albums and tapes, and whether or not he actually
appeared at any of his shows, they frequently sold out the smallish venues
he could command. Bumpers around town frequently were adorned with a sticker
guaranteed to mystify those not hip to the clue: "Root Boy Slim Owes Me Money".
Root Boy Slim's main anthem, "Boogie Till You Puke"[2], became a widespread
party favorite, especially at the University of Maryland[3] -- from which he
and the Sex Change Band were banned from the city of College Park after
causing a riot -- and other nearby schools. This might not sound like the
DKs or Iggy Pop, but in terms of authenticity, it's hard to be more
authentic than Root Boy Slim singing about one of the activities for which
he was most widely known.
The 1980s DC music scene was a viciously decadent[4, 5] influence on those
who survived it -- in whatever condition or circumstance -- but
unfortunately, Root Boy Slim did not long survive it. Medicated for
schizophrenia throughout his short adult life, Root Boy Slim passed away in
his sleep at the age of 47 on June 8, 1993.
A tribute from a personal friend of his is at
http://www.rootboyslimmovie.com/
and this will give you some insight into "Root" and the world through which
he drifted:
<quote in-part>
Mark my words: in three years, Van Halen is going to be fat and
self-indulgent and disgusting, and they'll follow Deep Purple and Led
Zeppelin right into the toilet. [ ... ] Van Halen's secret is not doing
anything that's original while having the hormones to do it better than all
those bands who have become fat and self-indulgent and disgusting [ ... ]
These guys also have the good sense not to cut their hair or sing about
destroying a hopelessly corrupt society on their first album. That way,
hopelessly corrupt radio programmers will play their music.
Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band with the Rootettes, , on the other
hand, are already fat and self-indulgent and disgusting. This is a good
thing because, in bypassing artistic maturity for immediate decadence, they
have the distinction of being the first rock band in history to complain
that their trusses are slipping ("My Wig Fell Off"). Oddly enough, they are
also a good rock band. You would expect they'd be just clowns with a
repertoire like "Heartbreak of Psoriasis" and "Too Sick to Reggae," but this
outfit can play blues-based rock with anybody. Gary Katz, of Steely Dan
fame, has produced a clean and eminently listenable instrumental sound while
retaining the uniqueness of the Root's voice, which resonates like an
emphysema victim vomiting inside the Goodyear blimp (check out "Boogie 'til
You Puke").
(Charles M. Young, _Rolling Stone_)
</quote>
Contrast and compare with such eminences as the Slickee Boys's "When I Go to
the Beach"[6], which gives you a fairly good snapshot of the DC/Maryland
party scene and what might be getting airplay on the alternative stations,
though it was clearly retro to the 60s beach tunes if a trifle more
dissipated. See also "Life of the Party"[7] and "Here to Stay"[8] which are
a bit more punk-rawk.
Sadly I cannot find you a video of Tru Fax and the Insaniacs's
"Washingtron". But I used to be a waitron at the lounge of the Hiltron, but
now I work for my Senatron and I live in Arlingtron, and I commute to
Washingtron.
Fix your hearing, here. http://www.947theglobe.com/
Ref:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KSLJm7psEs
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j7sAOZr3GQ&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfZe5Udkfl0 [MUST SEE!]
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJHb1smXwo
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDuMoDL59CE WTF. No kidding.
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tguZGd41fLA
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRqA7UIRQtk
8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEQRVI_LDD8
--
nam primi in omnibus proeliis oculi vincuntur.
John Kuthe
John Kuthe...
PS: keep this crap off alt.punk!!!
John Kuthe
And stop posting this diarrhetic crap on alt.punk!!
John Kuthe...
Tiny Human Ferret
> Last episode Tiny Human Ferret <ixnayamsp...@earthops.net> said:
>> Believe it or not, I actually hung out with this guy a few times.
>
You even do UseNet, now and then, it would seem!
>
>> Root Boy Slim is not really describable,
>
> Unless he was pre Fat Boy Slim, 8ball he is behind.
>
> /don't do youtube.
Ah, Root Boy was a big deal here in the DC Metro area in maybe 1980 or so.
His seminal "X-mas at K-Mart" and "You Broke My Mood Ring" were
alternative/college station classics. IIRC he passed away in the mid-1990s.
Imagine Root Boy Slim as, well, the smelly bum you've been sitting next to
down at the park, he turns out to have a masters in anthropology from Yale
and everything he sees while in this disguise, almost certainly including
you, will appear as satire on his next album, which will never be played on
the radio but will be treasured by some fraternity house for the next 30 years.
Eevrytime I hear "Fat Boy Slim" announced, I keep wondering if maybe they
are trying to rip off Root Boy's name or style or something. Actually,
they're not. It's still a bit disconcerting.