Kennedy assassination marked by Destroy All Monsters show
Kennedy assassination marked by Destroy All Monsters show
By BILL BROWN
News Special Writer
The Monsters' song which addresses itself to the Kennedy assassination, "November 22,1963," isn't nearly as vile or perverse as similar songs recorded by the Misfits or Elvis Costello
People have very different ways of commemorating important dates. Take the Ann Arbor based rock ’n’ roll band Destroy All Monsters, for example. This Tuesday night, when many other Americans will mark the passing of the 20th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy by staying at home and recalling exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news, Destroy All Monsters will be onstage at the Second Chance, singing songs about how cool it would be to have been in the Presidential motorcade.
You say you've never heard of Destroy All Monsters? Well, take heart. Very few people have.
Even though the band has been together for more than six years, has released three singles and includes former members of such seminal 1960s bands as the MC5 and Iggy & the Stooges, Destroy All Monsters doesn't rate a mention in either “The New Rolling Stone Record Guide" or “The Trouser Press Guide to New Wave Records.”
The only source which even mentions the Monsters, “The International Discography of the New Wave (Vol. 1),” only goes so far as to reproduce the cover of the band’s debut release.
You say you’d like to continue to live in blissful ignorance of Destroy All Monsters? Don’t be so rash. The Monsters’ song which addresses itself to the Kennedy assassination, “November 22, 1963,” isn’t nearly as vile or perverse as similar songs recorded by the Misfits (“Bullet”) or Elvis Costello (the alternative version of “Less Than Zero”). Besides, such things as political assassinations are not among the Monsters’ recurring obsessions.
Japan, on the other hand, is. The members of Destroy All Monsters are fascinated by Japan. The band's name was taken from the title of a trashy Japanese sci fi movie. When the band performs live, drummer Bill Frank’s kit is often adorned by the Japanese flag. And the name of one of the band’s best known songs is “Make Mine Japanese.”
Recently, the Monsters, in conjunction with Bob Whitall’s CIA, an Ann Arbor-based video production company, completed a promotional clip for “Make Mine Japanese.” Close to eight months in the making, the video clip goes a long way towards capturing the sound, sense and style of Destroy All Monsters. Though it’s way below the technical standards of MTV: Music Television, “Make Mine Japanese” should prove quite rewarding for viewers with less strict technical demands.
Among other highlights, the clip includes live footage of the Monsters onstage at the Chance this past summer, several off-stage shots of the band, a well-recorded soundtrack and a cameo appearance by Mitch Ryder. It will have its first public airing at 12:30 am on Dec. 10, as part of Channel 20’s “The Ghoul Show.” According to Whitall, the show's producers want him to continue to supply videos by local bands. Next in line are the Cult Heroes.
(Tickets for the Nov. 22 performance of Destroy All Monsters at the Second Chance are $3.50 and can be purchased at the door on the night of the show. At the time of this writing, it was not known who the opening acts will be.)