various artists - Tromeo & Juliet (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

When I saw the other day that James Gunn had yet another movie open #1 at the box office, I was reminded, yet again, that he made his bones writing "Tromeo & Juliet", Troma's beloved take on Shakespeare. So it led me to bust out this shiny slab of aluminum. I bought it b/c Troma and Unsane, I kept it b/c Motörhead and Superchunk and Meatmen and Wesley Willis. Hell, they even managed to wedge a song from Gunn's band, the Icons, on here.

This is not going to show up on a listical of iconic 90s soundtracks. But I'd suggest that it should be recognized as part of the canon. While there's little here that is exclusive to the soundtrack, it does offer a wide swath of "alternative" rock from the late 90s, from a deep cut from Sublime to music from the Ass Ponys and Supernova. Plus: Brujeria!

Discogs

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Killer Pussy - Bikini Wax

Lucy La Mode of Killer Pussy

By now, regular readers of the blog should know that the ol' Ape Mummy loves some raunch. It's what happens when you grow up watching John Waters movies and finding Tijuana Bibles in your grandad's footlocker. I still get a kick out sleazy, stylized music, whether it's the Cramps, Dwarves, Andre Williams, or Turbonegro. Does it still play as well in 2020 as it did even five years ago? I really don't know anymore; there's a disconnect in my mind between being drawn to smutty art and remaining sensitive to the sensibilities of people who I care about. I'm working on it. That's what I can do.

So...Killer Pussy. Not the most SEO-friendly name (or is it?). They came out of Phoenix, playing punky, porny new wave alongside bands like JFA, Sun City Girls, and the Meat Puppets. Over their initial five-year existence, they put out two 7"s and an LP, had a song on the "Valley Girl" soundtrack, and made their rep as funny and fun to watch. Their first 7", 1982's "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage" got tons of airplay on KROQ and "New Wave Theater". Then they ended, not necessarily a one-hit wonder, but definitely a bit of a novelty. They would reunite over 10 years later, and would continue to gig locally until they called it a day in 2015.

So I'm digging through the crates at Bargain CDs Records & Tapes in Everett, and I find this reissue in their dollar bin. I'm kind of shocked it's there; it's not particularly rare, but I hadn't seen one since Oglio put together a collection of Killer Pussy's recordings in 1994. Of course I snag it, along with some Criterion laserdiscs and a trucker-themed country compilation cassette. It definitely has a real "fake punk" vibe to it. Of course I'm in love. It's like a poppier, female-fronted Feederz. Could you make this today? Probably, but not nearly enough people would get the joke.

Discogs

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