The Quietus - A new rock music and pop culture website

News

INTERVIEW/GALLERY: Pat Blashill
Yohann Koshy , December 4th, 2013 06:57

The rock lensman and writer talks us through a selection of images, including shots of Sun Ra, My Bloody Valentine and George Clinton, from his recently launched website Poison

Poison-13-rehearsing-in-the-garage_web_quietus_1385655755_resize_460x400

Poison 13
In the mid-eighties, Poison 13 were Austin’s answer to The Cramps, a howling, psycho-billy voice from the grave. Guitarist Tim Kerr and bassist Chris Gates had previously been half of the legendary Texas punk-funk band, the Big Boys. Some witnesses have identified P-13 as a pre-cursor to grunge because they fused sick, bloozy riffs with lots of screaming. (Their music was re-released on CD by Sub Pop in 1994.) But back then, they were just a shit-hot local favourite. Guitarist Bill Anderson says that Poison 13 just wanted to play “loud rock songs about drinking, fucking and killing.” I photographed them as they were rehearsing in a garage behind a funeral home - they later admitted they were “tripping balls.”