The QueersUSA
The Jerry Hormone Ego Trip
It’s quite a good story, the story of The Queers. Still here, when most eighties punkbands have long quit, these punk veterans are still touring and releasing albums as if the passing of time hasn’t happened.
The band has been around since 1981 with singer/ guitarist Joe King fiercely at the wheel. They’re a bunch of happy chaps, they love playing and with King’s lyrical skills have a long list of records out, most of them released on Lookout! Records. The ultimate poppunk label that housed bands like Green Day, Screeching Weasel, Rancid and The Groovy Ghoulies. The Queers made their vinyl debut with their epic EP “Love Me”, but it wasn’t until 1990 that their first full-length was released. “Grow Up” is a fun compilation of catchy snotty punksongs, all delivered with the up beat tempo of The Ramones and the enthusiasm of a bunch of bewildered schoolboys playing hookey.
Successor “Love Songs For The Retarded” (1993), produced by Ben Weasel, rips through 16 songs in barely 37 minutes with rants against fascism (‘You’re tripping”), adolescent daydreaming (“I hate everything”) and super sweet wet dream love songs (“Ursula finally has tits”). Personal favorite, however, will always be “A Day Late And A Dollar Short”. A collection of raw recordings made between ’82 and ’94 with original drummer and singer Wimpy Rutherford on best form. Hilarious tunes like “love me”, protest anthem “I don’t wanna work” and in-your-face-punkrock classic “this place sucks” are all brilliant with a good old no-nonsense hook.
The Queers are not just your average punkband. After many line-up changes and an impressive outpour of songs they never seem to bore. Like a chameleon changing colours, they adapt with midtempo ballads, angry songs, snotty punk riffs, garagepunk rants, cheeky love songs and happy go lightly popsongs. Always played with a fierce ferocity and a pinch of salt. The Queers are relentless and still here.
Or maybe they are just “Too Dumb Too Quit!”.
Nataly
The Jerry Hormone Ego Trip | Website