Outlaw Scumfuc

You guys ever hear of GG Allin?

Believe it or not, this legendary performer was completely off my musical radar until about a year ago. It was just a few months ago when I got hold of his Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies album, the disk GG liked to call one of his “definitive” albums.

When I first heard about GG Allin, his name was mentioned in connection with someone else; someone who pretended to do what GG had actually done. That got me curious: What the hell had he done? Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, I learned that GG lived a punk rock life that was virtually unparalleled before or after. His story is so bizarre – from his birth as Jesus Christ Allin, to the insanity that was his funeral – there’s no way I could cram it all in this space. Start with his Wiki page, then go from there.

But it was a video I watched this weekend that brings us to this post. I watched “GG Allin: Terror in America,” which captures three shows near the end of GG’s illustrious career. (He died in 1993). After all the build up, I wasn’t sure what to expect from these shows. Would I see a shit-slinging lunatic? Would I see heads bitten off of bats?

The first show, recorded in April 1993 at the Fastlane in New Jersey, was one of GG’s first live appearances after an 18-month jail sentence for felony assault (a charge reduced from rape and torture). He performed in a jockstrap and boots, almost immediately taking what looked like a crushed can to his head and chest until blood mixed with the sweat dripping off of him.

For the second performance, recorded in Austin a month later, GG appeared onstage wearing nothing but a plastic American flag tied in place over his crotch. He and the crowd taunted each other physically and verbally and GG stuck a female audience member’s head under the flag.

The final show on “Terror” was one of GG’s last. This one was recorded May 15, 1993, in Atlanta. He died June 28. From the start, GG came out ready to fight with the small crowd. He immediately swung a microphone stand at the front row. Several times he went into the crowd to brawl with someone who had pissed him off. You swear at GG, he’ll take a swing at you; you spit at him, he’s coming after you. Male or female – it doesn’t matter.

Again wearing the flag loincloth, but this time with ladies panties underneath, GG attempted at one point to set the plastic flag on fire, first spraying lighter fluid in a circle around him on the stage. When the plastic refused to burn and someone in the audience heckled him, GG sprayed lighter fluid on the guy.

Whether you like his music or hate it, and no matter what you might think of GG Allin, he was truly one of a kind. He lived life on his own terms and gave no sort of a shit what anyone thought about him. GG idolized Hank Williams, and in an example of life coming full circle, you’ll often see Hank III make mention of GG and perform his music live.

Tonight’s post comes from Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies. I got this disk from emusic, (where there is a large collection of GG’s music), so it came without the infamous liner notes: “I don’t fuckin’ care if people know I had sex with my brother or my dog ... If parts of this record sound fucked up, it’s because we were. If you want perfection, go buy someone else’s record.”

Anti Social Masterbator.mp3
Caroline & Sue.mp3
Dope Money.mp3
Outlaw Scumfuc.mp3

Labels: punk

posted by aikin @ 9:52 PM