Pass The Dust I Think I'm Bowie
OK, I'm gonna assume that you have read "We Got The Neutron Bomb" and "Lexicon Devil". If not, go read them. I'm gonna assume that you know who Black Randy was and that The Metrosquad were a veritable who's-who of local punk luminaries in late 1970's LA. Instead, I'm gonna give my thoughts on what I think Black Randy and The Metrosquad were all about.
In my opinion, BR and the MS were on purposely creating some sort of agit-prop, performance art musical statement. The fact that BR was a huge drug fiend, dulls the impact of this a little bit. However, the recurring theme of race baiting on the album can either be taken as the work of a racist (i.e. Skrewdriver) or as some sort of drug fueled post-modernist prank. By all accounts, Black Randy would have loved to have you think it was simple racism because he loved to offend and didn't seem interested in artisitic justifications.
On the album BR baits James Chance. He says
James Chance
Take down your mutherfuckin pants
you stealin my act
it ain't no goddam romance
I don't think James Chance was stealing Black Randy's act. I think that like a lot of things that happened in the late 70's, great ideas just seem to come out of nowhere and oftentimes more than one band was doing something brilliant and unique , while being unaware of someone else doing it elsewhere. I think Black Randy and James Chance were doing the same thing. Anyway thats enough of my expounding. Needless to say, this album is NOT for the easily offended. Bare Footin' On The Wicked Picket is the only song I have ever heard about an orgy where people pass around an elctric eel.
The image is from Break My Face.
01. I Slept In An Arcade
02. Marlon Brando
03. I Tell Lies Everyday
04. Down at the Laundrymat
05. I Wanna Be A Nark
06. Give It Up Or Turn It Loose
07. Idi Amin
08. Sperm Bank Baby
09. Barefootin' On The Wicked Picket
10. San Francisco
11. Tellin Lies
12. Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud
13. Theme From Shaft