Brilliant! Tragic!
Encyclopedia
Brilliant! Tragic! is the fourth studio album by Art Brut, released on 23 May 2011. The first single from the album will be "Lost Weekend". The album was recorded in Salem, Oregon
and is the second to be produced by Frank Black, best known as the frontman of Pixies. To accompany the album, Art Brut have compiled a comic book version of Brilliant! Tragic! to be released at the same time.
The tracklisting and release details were confirmed in early March 2011.
Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos
has already described "Brilliant! Tragic!" as his "favourite" Art Brut album, saying that it was definitely their "greatest" album so far. "Bang Bang Rock & Roll did what it said on the tin", Argos explained, "It's A Bit Complicated
was a bit complicated. On Art Brut vs. Satan
we had to fight Satan
. This one follows the same pattern, it is a 'brilliant, tragic', record. If it was a TV show you'd define it as a dramedy."
On the subject matter for the album, Argos has said; "This time the album is more about how I think I’m psychic
, songs for my funeral
, the principality of Sealand
and Axl Rose
. Weightier topics I think. I’m also sexier now" He also comments on the band's current musical direction, stating that "with the last album we'd just remembered we were a punk
band again so it was all four to the floor rock out. This time there are a few songs to let you catch your breath so when we do rock the fuck out again it hits home harder."
) teaching me how to sing on the record. We’d play the song through, and he’d sing it, and then we’d do it again, and I’d sing. We’d either do it as a duet, or I’d copy him. If we’d just recorded him singing it and not me, we could have had a secret bonus album, but we didn’t do that. But what a brilliant person to have teach you how to sing, you know, Black Francis from the Pixies. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome".
Eddie isn't the only Art Brut member singing for the first time on this album. Bassist Freddy Feedback also debuts her vocal skills, singng backing vocals for the first time. "Frank Black was saying how nice it would be if there was a female backing vocals", Argos says. "Freddy can be quite shy. She likes to be in the back, really. The plan is now to get her to do it live. I think she sounds quite lovely. When I heard her on the record, it was amazing. Maybe she should be the singer, I’ll write the words. That’s what we should probably do".
's Buffalo Bar. The new material was described as "more adventurous" and "more varied than on previous albums", and was generally "well received", despite the fact that the audience was "not familiar with any of the material." One critic went so far as to say that "‘Brilliant! Tragic!’ may very well be the best Art Brut album yet" while another said that "it is the best thing they've done in half a decade." According to early reviews, "Bad Comedian", "Axl Rose" and "Ice Hockey" proved to be particular "crowd pleasers", with "Axl Rose" as main talking point in early reviews. According to one reviewer, "Axl Rose" "is an undeniable highlight, containing enough swearing to make namesake proud" while another says that the song boasts "some of the best swearing you'll ever hear!"
In the music press, the album received generally positive reviews. Writing for the May 2011 issue of Uncut
magazine, for example, Stephen Dalton compared Eddie's songwriting to that of Jarvis Cocker
, Ian Dury
, Mark E. Smith
and Luke Haines
, awarding the album a favourable 4/5. Mojo
also awarded the album 4/5, praising Eddie's improved "angsty bellow". In their 7/10 review of the album, Drowned In Sound
said that while "the record is still unmistakably Art Brut, there’s also much more progression and experimentation than we’ve seen from the band before", comparing "Is Dog Eared" to "PiL-era John Lydon". Alternative Press also compared Argos to the former Sex Pistols
frontman in their review, saying that "Argos has channeled his inner Johnny Rotten, seemingly vacillating between contempt and boredom. Fortunately, the band play with a similar sense of toughened rawness". Rolling Stone
awarded the album 3/5, but called it the group's "sturdiest album to date" NME
awarded the album an average 6/10. Despite finding something "strangely self-conscious" about the album, the reviewer concluded by saying that she still loves them, despite their "eccentric faults".
", Argos has said that "I think GnR are a great band. I think if you got into an argument with someone, you’d want Axl in your corner. He’s a good guy to have on your side. You know, you don’t want Rivers Cuomo
defending you. Axl Rose is the guy who will stand up for you. It’s funny, I was recording the song with Frank Black, and he's going, “you know, if there’s one thing you can say about Axl, it’s that he tells people to fuck off!” It was pretty amazing having a conversation with Black Francis about Axl Rose"
The album track "Axl Rose
" marks the second time that Argos has written about the volatile Guns N' Roses
frontman. The first was his 'Open Letter To Axl Rose', first published in Artrocker
magazine, in which he says that, while he is a fan of Rose's work and that Guns N' Roses "have some of the world’s greatest songs in their arsenal", he feels that Axl needs to address his punctuality and perhaps trim down the band's current lineup". It was written in response to the Axl's controversial Reading Festival performance the previous year.
In their review of the album, Consequence Of Sound noted that Axl Rose
"is a fitting tribute to the Guns N’ Roses vocalist; mindless lyrics about checking out his middle finger and beating the world to the punch. It’s a little silly, a little dumb, and heavy on the riffage… which is to say, it’s a lot like Axl Rose".
, Bryan Lee O'Malley
, Hope Larson
, Jamie McKelvie
, Jeffrey Brown
, Jeffrey Lewis
, Let's Be Friends Again, Marc Ellerby, Mr Solo, Sian Superman and Patrick McQuade. Eddie Argos was "over the moon and incredibly flattered that these artists took time out to work" on the comic.
Argos says, "When we first had the idea of creating an Art Brut comic I compiled a list of all my favourite artists and then handed the list to our manager (as I am far too shy to approach those people). I thought only one or two would say yes. I was completely blown away when they all did and then flattered they would take the time to create something for us. As I had chosen all my favourite artists and writers for the project I was expecting to be blown away by every new submission, it went beyond even that though. I love what has been created and I recommend that you go out and collect everything by everyone who has contributed to this comic".
A life long comic book enthusiast, Eddie's passion for comic books has already crossed over into Art Brut's music and art work, with Art Brut vs Satan's "DC Comics
& Chocolate
Milkshake
referencing the legendary publishers of Batman
, Superman
, Wonder Woman
, Justice League
and Green Lantern
. The same album also had artwork designed by acclaimed graphic novelist Jeff Lemire
. In 2010, Argos unveiled his comic book themed side project named "Spoiler Alert", whose three track EP featured songs inspired by DC Comics characters Batman
, Booster Gold
and Blue Beetle
. He also writes an online comic book review for Playback called "Pow To The People".
"I can remember the first comic I ever read" Argos said, "it was the Beano
, the day I had my tonsils out. I was given it as a treat as I couldn't eat anything. It might have been the only time I've turned down Ice Cream
, it blew my tiny 6 year old mind. I loved comic books growing up but always had a fear they might be something I would have to give up as an adult. Then one day somebody, I still don't know who, put some Batman
comics through our letter box. These blew my tiny 11 year old mind. They were pretty full on, nothing at all like the Adam West
goofing around show I had seen Saturday morning television. In these stories people were being murdered, they were political, and morally ambiguous. If my mum had known how different they were from the Saturday morning kids show she would have taken them off of me. I loved them though and realised then that they were something that would stay with me into adult life and have spent all my money on comics ever since".
character, The Comedian. The strip ends with The Joker hurling his nemesis through a window, parodying the opening of Watchmen
.
Artist Patrick McQuade, who worked on the comic book, described the experience as "very cool" and said, "I had total creative freedom to do whatever I wanted. I chose the album's final song "Sealand". It was a blast to do!"
" was recorded in the same sessions, and not included on the album, but leaked to the internet in advance of the album's release.
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
and is the second to be produced by Frank Black, best known as the frontman of Pixies. To accompany the album, Art Brut have compiled a comic book version of Brilliant! Tragic! to be released at the same time.
The tracklisting and release details were confirmed in early March 2011.
Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut,born in Weymouth, England. He later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently written about the Martin Kemp-Welch School there , in the song Martin Kemp-Welch Five A Side Football Rules from the album Brilliant! Tragic!...
has already described "Brilliant! Tragic!" as his "favourite" Art Brut album, saying that it was definitely their "greatest" album so far. "Bang Bang Rock & Roll did what it said on the tin", Argos explained, "It's A Bit Complicated
It's a Bit Complicated
The initial reaction to the album has been generally favorable. The Guardian awarded the album full marks, comparing the group to both The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit...
was a bit complicated. On Art Brut vs. Satan
Art Brut vs. Satan
Art Brut vs. Satan is the third album by Art Brut, released on 20 April 2009. The lead-off single from the album was "Alcoholics Unanimous"...
we had to fight Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. This one follows the same pattern, it is a 'brilliant, tragic', record. If it was a TV show you'd define it as a dramedy."
On the subject matter for the album, Argos has said; "This time the album is more about how I think I’m psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
, songs for my funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
, the principality of Sealand
Sealand
The Principality of Sealand is an unrecognized entity, located on HM Fort Roughs, a former World War II Maunsell Sea Fort in the North Sea 10 km off the coast of Suffolk, England, United Kingdom ....
and Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
. Weightier topics I think. I’m also sexier now" He also comments on the band's current musical direction, stating that "with the last album we'd just remembered we were a punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band again so it was all four to the floor rock out. This time there are a few songs to let you catch your breath so when we do rock the fuck out again it hits home harder."
Writing & Recording
Describing the writing and recording of the album, Argos said, "with the last album we met up every couple of months and wrote three or four songs. This time we got together in the second half of the year and wrote whenever we could 2 or 3 times a week. We had more time in the studio this time too (about a week more) so Black Francis had time to teach me how to sing. I'm very proud that I sing on it. Only took four albums to start singing, not bad." Although Eddie has said that it "feels good to find out my voice is an instrument", he found the process of learning to sing somewhat "scary". "The first song we did, we recorded all the music, and then Frank was like “Everybody go home, I’m talking to Eddie,” and I was like “Oh no, what’s he going to do to me?” It was a bit scary. We went in and spent hours really, getting me to sing. Once we sort of conquered that one—and he showed me that I could sing—it was a confidence boost. I’ve always been a bit scared of singing. It’s funny, him (Frank BlackFrank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
) teaching me how to sing on the record. We’d play the song through, and he’d sing it, and then we’d do it again, and I’d sing. We’d either do it as a duet, or I’d copy him. If we’d just recorded him singing it and not me, we could have had a secret bonus album, but we didn’t do that. But what a brilliant person to have teach you how to sing, you know, Black Francis from the Pixies. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome".
Reception
The band aired the new material at several shows before the album's release, including the 10th birthday party of IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
's Buffalo Bar. The new material was described as "more adventurous" and "more varied than on previous albums", and was generally "well received", despite the fact that the audience was "not familiar with any of the material." One critic went so far as to say that "‘Brilliant! Tragic!’ may very well be the best Art Brut album yet" while another said that "it is the best thing they've done in half a decade." According to early reviews, "Bad Comedian", "Axl Rose" and "Ice Hockey" proved to be particular "crowd pleasers", with "Axl Rose" as main talking point in early reviews. According to one reviewer, "Axl Rose" "is an undeniable highlight, containing enough swearing to make namesake proud" while another says that the song boasts "some of the best swearing you'll ever hear!"
In the music press, the album received generally positive reviews. Writing for the May 2011 issue of Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
magazine, for example, Stephen Dalton compared Eddie's songwriting to that of Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
, Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
and Luke Haines
Luke Haines
Luke Haines is an English musician, songwriter and author, who has recorded music under various names and with various bands, including The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder.-'New Wave':...
, awarding the album a favourable 4/5. Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
also awarded the album 4/5, praising Eddie's improved "angsty bellow". In their 7/10 review of the album, Drowned In Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
said that while "the record is still unmistakably Art Brut, there’s also much more progression and experimentation than we’ve seen from the band before", comparing "Is Dog Eared" to "PiL-era John Lydon". Alternative Press also compared Argos to the former Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
frontman in their review, saying that "Argos has channeled his inner Johnny Rotten, seemingly vacillating between contempt and boredom. Fortunately, the band play with a similar sense of toughened rawness". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
awarded the album 3/5, but called it the group's "sturdiest album to date" NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
awarded the album an average 6/10. Despite finding something "strangely self-conscious" about the album, the reviewer concluded by saying that she still loves them, despite their "eccentric faults".
Song Information
On the track "Axl RoseAxl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
", Argos has said that "I think GnR are a great band. I think if you got into an argument with someone, you’d want Axl in your corner. He’s a good guy to have on your side. You know, you don’t want Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Weezer. Raised in an Ashram in Connecticut, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992...
defending you. Axl Rose is the guy who will stand up for you. It’s funny, I was recording the song with Frank Black, and he's going, “you know, if there’s one thing you can say about Axl, it’s that he tells people to fuck off!” It was pretty amazing having a conversation with Black Francis about Axl Rose"
The album track "Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
" marks the second time that Argos has written about the volatile Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
frontman. The first was his 'Open Letter To Axl Rose', first published in Artrocker
ArtRocker
Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Factory...
magazine, in which he says that, while he is a fan of Rose's work and that Guns N' Roses "have some of the world’s greatest songs in their arsenal", he feels that Axl needs to address his punctuality and perhaps trim down the band's current lineup". It was written in response to the Axl's controversial Reading Festival performance the previous year.
In their review of the album, Consequence Of Sound noted that Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
"is a fitting tribute to the Guns N’ Roses vocalist; mindless lyrics about checking out his middle finger and beating the world to the punch. It’s a little silly, a little dumb, and heavy on the riffage… which is to say, it’s a lot like Axl Rose".
Brilliant! Tragic! Comic
To accompany the album, Art Brut compiled a comic book version of Brilliant! Tragic! to be released simultaneously. The Brilliant! Tragic! comic book features artwork by a range of artists, including Akira The DonAkira the Don
Akira The Don is an independent British musician. Born in West Bromwich and raised in North Wales, in recent years he has lived in Hackney, East London....
, Bryan Lee O'Malley
Bryan Lee O'Malley
Bryan Lee O'Malley is a Canadian cartoonist. He is best known for the Scott Pilgrim series, but is also a musician using the alias Kupek.-Career:...
, Hope Larson
Hope Larson
Hope Raue Larson is an American illustrator and cartoonist. Her main field is graphic novels.-Biography:Larson is of German and Swedish descent. She grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and attendedCarolina Day School...
, Jamie McKelvie
Jamie McKelvie
-Career:Since 2003, McKelvie has collaborated with journalist Kieron Gillen on a comic strip for the official Playstation Magazine UK, entitled Save Point. He has worked on a number of projects for Image Comics, including the six-issue series Phonogram...
, Jeffrey Brown
Jeffrey Brown
Jeffrey Brown is a comic book writer and artist born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.-Biography:After growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a 25-year-old Jeffrey Brown moved to Chicago in 2000 to pursue an MFA at the School of the Art Institute. By the time he finished his studies, he had abandoned...
, Jeffrey Lewis
Jeffrey Lewis
Jeffrey Lewis is an American singer/songwriter and comic book artist.-Early life:Lewis attended State University of New York at Purchase and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Literature...
, Let's Be Friends Again, Marc Ellerby, Mr Solo, Sian Superman and Patrick McQuade. Eddie Argos was "over the moon and incredibly flattered that these artists took time out to work" on the comic.
Argos says, "When we first had the idea of creating an Art Brut comic I compiled a list of all my favourite artists and then handed the list to our manager (as I am far too shy to approach those people). I thought only one or two would say yes. I was completely blown away when they all did and then flattered they would take the time to create something for us. As I had chosen all my favourite artists and writers for the project I was expecting to be blown away by every new submission, it went beyond even that though. I love what has been created and I recommend that you go out and collect everything by everyone who has contributed to this comic".
A life long comic book enthusiast, Eddie's passion for comic books has already crossed over into Art Brut's music and art work, with Art Brut vs Satan's "DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
& Chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
Milkshake
Milkshake
A milkshake is a sweet, cold beverage which is made from milk, ice cream or iced milk, and flavorings or sweeteners such as fruit syrup or chocolate sauce....
referencing the legendary publishers of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
and Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
. The same album also had artwork designed by acclaimed graphic novelist Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire is a Canadian comics artist and writer. He is the author of the Essex County Trilogy, Sweet Tooth and The Nobody. Lemire is known for a his moody, humanistic stories and sketchy, cinematic, black-and-white art....
. In 2010, Argos unveiled his comic book themed side project named "Spoiler Alert", whose three track EP featured songs inspired by DC Comics characters Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
and Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
. He also writes an online comic book review for Playback called "Pow To The People".
"I can remember the first comic I ever read" Argos said, "it was the Beano
Beano
Beano can refer to:* The Beano, a British children's comic* Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, a 1966 John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers album nicknamed The Beano Album as the cover shows Clapton reading a Beano comic...
, the day I had my tonsils out. I was given it as a treat as I couldn't eat anything. It might have been the only time I've turned down Ice Cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
, it blew my tiny 6 year old mind. I loved comic books growing up but always had a fear they might be something I would have to give up as an adult. Then one day somebody, I still don't know who, put some Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
comics through our letter box. These blew my tiny 11 year old mind. They were pretty full on, nothing at all like the Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
goofing around show I had seen Saturday morning television. In these stories people were being murdered, they were political, and morally ambiguous. If my mum had known how different they were from the Saturday morning kids show she would have taken them off of me. I loved them though and realised then that they were something that would stay with me into adult life and have spent all my money on comics ever since".
Bad Comedian
Jeffrey Lewis's Bad Comedian strip focuses on The Joker acting out the lyrics to the song, with his drunken resentment aimed at WatchmenWatchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
character, The Comedian. The strip ends with The Joker hurling his nemesis through a window, parodying the opening of Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
.
Artist Patrick McQuade, who worked on the comic book, described the experience as "very cool" and said, "I had total creative freedom to do whatever I wanted. I chose the album's final song "Sealand". It was a blast to do!"
Track listing
An additional track, "Unprofessional WrestlingWrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
" was recorded in the same sessions, and not included on the album, but leaked to the internet in advance of the album's release.