Destroy All Monsters (band)
Encyclopedia
Destroy All Monsters were an influential Detroit band existing from 1973 to 1985, with sporadic performances since. Their music touched on elements of punk rock
, psychedelic
, heavy metal music
and noise rock
with a heavy dose of performance art
. Their name likely came from the Godzilla film Destroy All Monsters
, but it may also have come from a comic book with the same title. They described their music as "anti-rock."
Destroy All Monsters never found mainstream success, but earned some notoriety due to members of notable rock groups The Stooges
and MC5
who joined the group.
Although Destroy All Monsters never recorded a proper album, Sonic Youth
singer/guitarist Thurston Moore
released a three compact disc
compilation of the group's music in 1994.
art students Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw
, Niagara
(Lynn Rovner) and filmmaker Cary Loren. They performed in the Ann Arbor area from 1973–1976, and their only release was a one-hour cassette of their recordings available only through Lightworks magazine. Their early music was influenced by Sun Ra
, Velvet Underground, ESP-Disk
, monster movie
s, beat culture and futurism
. Their sound was experimental, psychedelic, darkly humorous and droning.
On New Year's Eve of 1973, the first Destroy All Monsters concert was held at a comic book convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At the time the instruments were a violin
, a sax, a vacuum cleaner
and a coffee can. They performed a demented version of Black Sabbath
's "Iron Man" and were asked to leave after ten minutes. The group performed "guerilla style", setting up free at parties and playing for food along Ann Arbor's frat row. They used modified instruments, a drum box, tape loops, hot-wired toys, cheap keyboards and broken electronic devices. Aside from the comic convention, the group's only formal gig in this era was at the Halloween Ball at the University of Michigan art school in 1976.
Kelley and Shaw left the band during the summer of 1976 to attend graduate school at CalArts in Los Angeles, California. Both have gone on to lead successful solo careers in the art world. Their work is held in major collections around the world.
and saxophonist Benjamin (Ben) Miller; both had been in the short-lived Sproton Layer
with their brother Roger Miller
(who later went on to found Mission of Burma
). They invited Mike (Jett) Powers on bass but he soon left for Harvard University. Not long after, members of two important Detroit-based groups signed on: guitarist Ron Asheton
, earlier of The Stooges
, and bass guitarist Michael Davis
of the MC5
. Their presence garnered the group more attention than ever before. Shortly thereafter, Ron asked drummer Rob King to join the band.
In 1978, Destroy All Monsters were preparing to release "Bored", their first official recording, when the group began to fall apart. Niagara ended her romance with Loren in favor of a new relationship with Asheton; Loren quit the group, with the Miller brothers leaving after the band's Halloween gig at EMU, in 1978. The "Bored"/"You’re Gonna Die" single earned some attention in the UK music press, and the band was able to capitalize on the notoriety.
In 1994, Mike Kelley, Cary Loren, Byron Coley and Thurston Moore compiled a three-CD boxed set of music, artwork and extensive liner notes as Destroy All Monsters: 1974-1976 on Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label.
The original lineup (Kelley, Loren, Niagara and Shaw) reformed for reunion shows in 1995. Loren republished the six issues of the Destroy All Monsters Magazine (1976–1979) with added DAM student artwork, flexi disc and history in the book DESTROY ALL MONSTERS:GEISHA THIS -- four VHS tapes of DAM films were also issued. An exhibition of their artwork followed at the Book Beat Gallery as well as live performances in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Diego. A live CD, "Silver Wedding Anniversary", resulted from these concerts and was released in 1996 on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label.
In 1996, the group (sans Niagara) performed in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. A display of DAM artwork was held at the Deep Gallery in Tokyo. At the invitation of Ben Schot
and Ronald Cornelissen for the "I Rip You, You Rip Me" festival and seminar at the Boijman's Museum in Rotterdam, DAM began work on the installation and film known as Strange Früt: Rock Apochrypha, an investigation of Detroit culture. This exhibition was shown and completed in 2000 at COCA (Center on Contemporary Art) in Seattle, WA., and in 2001 at the DAM Collective: Artists Take On Detroit at the Detroit Institute of Arts. This work was also selected for inclusion in the 2002 Whitney Biennial of Art in NYC.
In 2006, the "Strange Früt" exhibition and the bands archives traveled to the Magasin Center for Contemporary Art in Grenoble, France. DAM performed at the "All Tomorrow's Parties" festivals in Los Angeles as guest artists of Sonic Youth, and in London, UK as guest artists selected by Dino and Jake Chapman. A selection of the band's archives was on exhibition as part of the "Theater Without Theater" show at MACBA in Barcelona, Spain opening May 25, 2007. The exhibit traveled to Lisbon
, Spain in the fall of that year.
Since 1995, the band has released five full length CDs on their own label(s) [The End is Here]: Radio Teardrop 1996, Backyard Monster Tube and Pig 1998, Swamp Gas 2001, and on [Compound Annex]: Detroit Oratorio 2003, DAM: Live in Tokyo 2003.
A reprint of the first six issues of DAM Magazine with added band artwork, history, poster and a flexi disc was published by Book Beat in 1995 as Destroy All Monsters: Geisha This, and reprinted in three different editions. A DVD of selected DAM films was released in 2007 by MVD video as: "Grow Live Monsters" featuring early 8mm & 16mm films taken in 1971-1976.
In 2009 the Printed Matter bookstore in NYC mounted the Destroy All Monsters exhibit Hungry for Death curated by James Hoff and Cary Loren featuring the group's collected work. The exhibition toured to White Flag Projects in St Louis, 0047 in Oslo, SPACE Gallery in London, The American Academy in Rome, Italy, Galerie 1m3 in Lausanne, Switzerland, AMP Gallery in Athens, Greece (2010) and galerie du jour agnès b in Paris, France (2011). To coincide with the Hungry for Death exhibition Printed Matter released a 1975 recording Double Sextet as a vinyl album. The band also re-released the Destroy All Monsters: 1974 - 1976 compilation, without booklet, in a limited edition of 1000.
A facsimile reprint of the Destroy All Monsters Magazine 1976-1979 was published by Primary Information in the May of 2011
An exhibition curated by Mike Kelley and Dan Nadel titled "Return of the Repressed: Destroy All Monsters 1973-1977" showing work by Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, Cary Loren and Niagara will open at PRISM in Los Angeles on November 19, 2011 and run through January 7, 2011. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog published by PRISM and PictureBox, edited by Mike Kelley and Dan Nadel with an essay by Nicole Rudick.
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...
, psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
, heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
with a heavy dose of performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
. Their name likely came from the Godzilla film Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters, released in Japan as , is a 1968 Japanese horror Science fiction Kaiju film. The ninth in Toho Studios' Godzilla series, it was directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa This is the fifth film to feature Mothra, third to feature King Ghidorah, fourth...
, but it may also have come from a comic book with the same title. They described their music as "anti-rock."
Destroy All Monsters never found mainstream success, but earned some notoriety due to members of notable rock groups The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
and MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
who joined the group.
Although Destroy All Monsters never recorded a proper album, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
singer/guitarist Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
released a three compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
compilation of the group's music in 1994.
Early years
Formed in 1973, the first edition of Destroy All Monsters was formed by University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
art students Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw
Jim Shaw
Jim Shaw is the name of:* Jim Shaw , artist and musician* Jim Shaw * Jim Shaw , Canadian businessman* Jim Shaw * Jim Shaw * Jim Shaw , mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota...
, Niagara
Niagara (artist)
Niagara is a musician and a painter. She was the lead vocalist of the punk rock bands Destroy All Monsters and Dark Carnival.-Biography:...
(Lynn Rovner) and filmmaker Cary Loren. They performed in the Ann Arbor area from 1973–1976, and their only release was a one-hour cassette of their recordings available only through Lightworks magazine. Their early music was influenced by Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
, Velvet Underground, ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
, monster movie
Monster movie
Monster movie is a name commonly given to movies, which centre on the struggle between human beings and one or more monsters...
s, beat culture and futurism
Futurism
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
. Their sound was experimental, psychedelic, darkly humorous and droning.
On New Year's Eve of 1973, the first Destroy All Monsters concert was held at a comic book convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At the time the instruments were a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, a sax, a vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
and a coffee can. They performed a demented version of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's "Iron Man" and were asked to leave after ten minutes. The group performed "guerilla style", setting up free at parties and playing for food along Ann Arbor's frat row. They used modified instruments, a drum box, tape loops, hot-wired toys, cheap keyboards and broken electronic devices. Aside from the comic convention, the group's only formal gig in this era was at the Halloween Ball at the University of Michigan art school in 1976.
Kelley and Shaw left the band during the summer of 1976 to attend graduate school at CalArts in Los Angeles, California. Both have gone on to lead successful solo careers in the art world. Their work is held in major collections around the world.
New personnel
In 1977, Niagara and Loren recruited guitarist Laurence B. (Larry) MillerLaurence B. (Larry) Miller
Laurence Bond Miller is an American rock and avant garde guitarist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, who has formerly been a member of such Detroit/Ann Arbor bands as Destroy All Monsters, Sproton Layer, M3, Nonfiction, The Empty Set, and Larynx Zillion's Novelty Shop.- Biography :Destroy All...
and saxophonist Benjamin (Ben) Miller; both had been in the short-lived Sproton Layer
Sproton Layer
Sproton Layer was a rock and roll group formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the late 1960s. Their music was mostly hard rock with psychedelic touches....
with their brother Roger Miller
Roger Miller (rock musician)
Roger Miller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for co-founding the groups Mission of Burma and Alloy Orchestra.His main instruments are guitar and piano...
(who later went on to found Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma is an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. The band was formed by Roger Miller , Clint Conley , Peter Prescott and Martin Swope...
). They invited Mike (Jett) Powers on bass but he soon left for Harvard University. Not long after, members of two important Detroit-based groups signed on: guitarist Ron Asheton
Ron Asheton
Ronald Frank Asheton was an American guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop for the rock band The Stooges.Asheton is ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stones list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
, earlier of The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, and bass guitarist Michael Davis
Michael Davis (bassist)
Michael Davis is a bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer.- MC5 :He replaced original MC5 bassist Pat Burrows when singer Rob Tyner and guitarist Wayne Kramer decided that they liked Davis' style and wanted him in the band.MC5 comprises:*Michael Davis, bass,*Wayne Kramer,...
of the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
. Their presence garnered the group more attention than ever before. Shortly thereafter, Ron asked drummer Rob King to join the band.
In 1978, Destroy All Monsters were preparing to release "Bored", their first official recording, when the group began to fall apart. Niagara ended her romance with Loren in favor of a new relationship with Asheton; Loren quit the group, with the Miller brothers leaving after the band's Halloween gig at EMU, in 1978. The "Bored"/"You’re Gonna Die" single earned some attention in the UK music press, and the band was able to capitalize on the notoriety.
Later developments and reunion
In late 1978, Loren issued a live DAM EP known as "Days of Diamonds" on his Black Hole label. Another EP followed in 1979, "Blackout in the City" under the name XANADU with the Miller Brothers, Loren and Rob King. Niagara and Ron Asheton carried on with various personnel releasing a total of three 7" singles on the IDBI label. Between 1982 and 1984, Destroy All Monsters played in bars and nightclubs in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Personnel: Bill Frank on drums, Mike Davis on bass, Ron Asheton on guitar, and Niagara on vocals. In May 1983, the band recorded and videotaped the song called "Make Mine Japanese." Released in December 1983, this video can now be seen on-line. The Monsters broke up in 1985. The Asheton singles were released by Cherry Red Records on CD.In 1994, Mike Kelley, Cary Loren, Byron Coley and Thurston Moore compiled a three-CD boxed set of music, artwork and extensive liner notes as Destroy All Monsters: 1974-1976 on Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label.
The original lineup (Kelley, Loren, Niagara and Shaw) reformed for reunion shows in 1995. Loren republished the six issues of the Destroy All Monsters Magazine (1976–1979) with added DAM student artwork, flexi disc and history in the book DESTROY ALL MONSTERS:GEISHA THIS -- four VHS tapes of DAM films were also issued. An exhibition of their artwork followed at the Book Beat Gallery as well as live performances in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Diego. A live CD, "Silver Wedding Anniversary", resulted from these concerts and was released in 1996 on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label.
In 1996, the group (sans Niagara) performed in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. A display of DAM artwork was held at the Deep Gallery in Tokyo. At the invitation of Ben Schot
Ben Schot
Ben Schot is a Dutch artist, writer, publisher, and freelance curator.- Biography :From 1981 to 1986 Schot was trained as an artist at the art schools of Rotterdam and The Hague, The Netherlands. His activities cover various disciplines and techniques: drawings, audio and video works, installation...
and Ronald Cornelissen for the "I Rip You, You Rip Me" festival and seminar at the Boijman's Museum in Rotterdam, DAM began work on the installation and film known as Strange Früt: Rock Apochrypha, an investigation of Detroit culture. This exhibition was shown and completed in 2000 at COCA (Center on Contemporary Art) in Seattle, WA., and in 2001 at the DAM Collective: Artists Take On Detroit at the Detroit Institute of Arts. This work was also selected for inclusion in the 2002 Whitney Biennial of Art in NYC.
In 2006, the "Strange Früt" exhibition and the bands archives traveled to the Magasin Center for Contemporary Art in Grenoble, France. DAM performed at the "All Tomorrow's Parties" festivals in Los Angeles as guest artists of Sonic Youth, and in London, UK as guest artists selected by Dino and Jake Chapman. A selection of the band's archives was on exhibition as part of the "Theater Without Theater" show at MACBA in Barcelona, Spain opening May 25, 2007. The exhibit traveled to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Spain in the fall of that year.
Since 1995, the band has released five full length CDs on their own label(s) [The End is Here]: Radio Teardrop 1996, Backyard Monster Tube and Pig 1998, Swamp Gas 2001, and on [Compound Annex]: Detroit Oratorio 2003, DAM: Live in Tokyo 2003.
A reprint of the first six issues of DAM Magazine with added band artwork, history, poster and a flexi disc was published by Book Beat in 1995 as Destroy All Monsters: Geisha This, and reprinted in three different editions. A DVD of selected DAM films was released in 2007 by MVD video as: "Grow Live Monsters" featuring early 8mm & 16mm films taken in 1971-1976.
In 2009 the Printed Matter bookstore in NYC mounted the Destroy All Monsters exhibit Hungry for Death curated by James Hoff and Cary Loren featuring the group's collected work. The exhibition toured to White Flag Projects in St Louis, 0047 in Oslo, SPACE Gallery in London, The American Academy in Rome, Italy, Galerie 1m3 in Lausanne, Switzerland, AMP Gallery in Athens, Greece (2010) and galerie du jour agnès b in Paris, France (2011). To coincide with the Hungry for Death exhibition Printed Matter released a 1975 recording Double Sextet as a vinyl album. The band also re-released the Destroy All Monsters: 1974 - 1976 compilation, without booklet, in a limited edition of 1000.
A facsimile reprint of the Destroy All Monsters Magazine 1976-1979 was published by Primary Information in the May of 2011
An exhibition curated by Mike Kelley and Dan Nadel titled "Return of the Repressed: Destroy All Monsters 1973-1977" showing work by Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, Cary Loren and Niagara will open at PRISM in Los Angeles on November 19, 2011 and run through January 7, 2011. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog published by PRISM and PictureBox, edited by Mike Kelley and Dan Nadel with an essay by Nicole Rudick.
Albums
- 1975 - "Greatest Hits" (cassette only)
- 1995 - "74-76"
- 1996 - "Silver Wedding Anniversary"
- 1998 - "Pig or Backyard Monster Tube"
- 1999 - "Bored"
- 2001 - "Swamp Gas"
- 2002 - "Detroit Oratorio"
- 2003 - "Live in Tokyo"
- 2009 - "Sextet" (1975, Vinyl only)
- 2009 - "Destroy all Monster 1974-1976" (3xCD reissue)
Video
- 1996 - "Shake a Lizard Tail or Rust Belt Rump" (VHS)
- 1996 - "Clear Day: DAM Live" (VHS)
- 1998 - "Strange Frut" (VHS)
- 2007 - "Grow Live Monsters" (DVD reissue from 1995 VHS)
- 2008 - "Live in Tokyo & Osaka (DVD)"
Singles
- 1978 - "Bored"/"You’re Gonna Die"
- 1978 - "Days of Diamonds" EP
- 1979 - "Nov. 22"/"Meet The Creeper"
- 1979 - "What Do I Get?"/"Nobody Knows"
- 1995 - "My Cowboy Hero/ I'm Bored/ Calling All Girls" (1974)
- 1996 - "Killing Me Softly/ Detroit Rock City"
- 1997 - "Attack of the Chiggers/ Typical Girl" (1974)
- 1998 - "Paranoid of Blonds / Take Me With You"
External links
- Cary Loren:a manifesto of ignorance: destroy all monsters
- Mike Kelley:To The Throne of Chaos...Liner Notes to Destroy All Monsters: 1974/1976
- Niagara: Niagaraland
- Destroy All Monsters on Myspace: Destroy All Monsters Myspace
- Destroy All Monsters Magazine: Destroy All Monsters Book
- Destroy All Monsters on Arborwiki