Green Jellÿ
Encyclopedia
Green Jellÿ is a Grammy-nominated American comedy rock
band formed in 1981. Originally named Green Jellö, the band changed its name due to legal pressure from the owners of the Jell-O
trademark
, Kraft Foods
, who claimed that it was an infringement of their trademark. Despite the spelling difference, the new name and the old are pronounced identically.
. It was founded by Bill Manspeaker and Joe Cannizzaro. They began the band with the idea of starting "The World's Worst Band". The name, which was suggested by a friend of the band, was chosen because lime-flavored Jell-O
was allegedly the worst Jell-O flavor, and Manspeaker believed this also reflected the band's talents. The band began playing punk shows around Buffalo, New York
, and were notorious for their onstage antics and live theatrics. The band was so technically inept at playing their instruments that Cannizzaro (then playing bass) had to color-code the frets so that he could memorize bass lines by color.
' trick of changing their name to "SPOTS" (Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly) in order to play shows in places where they were banned. This proved successful, and they got back into McVans only to repeat their violent conduct and be banned once again. Following this, the name was changed back to Green Jellö.
One of the band's early shows was held in a Masonic Temple in Kenmore. Local teenage jock thugs in the rowdy audience broke into the venue's kitchen mid-concert and found a full case of ice cream sandwiches, which they proceeded to throw at the band and all over the stage. By the end of the night the stage was ruined and Green Jellö had to reimburse the venue for damages.
Another early gig at a local YMCA also ended in the band having to pay for clean-up—this time for spilling a large amount of fake blood on the carpets. The band then got the reputation as a "food-throwing rock band", and the audience members started bringing their own actual green Jell-O specifically to throw at the band. Later in their career, it would not be unusual to see fans showing up with garbage bags filled with green Jell-O, pudding, whipped cream, or anything messy to throw at the stage and at the band.
They then managed to find a good friend in local punk club (The Continental) owner Bud Burke. Burke let the Jell-O guys play the club on a regular basis and the shows got even wilder. Inversion boots, wheel of torture, whippings and a whole night of Zeppelin tunes played horribly were not uncommon. The audience loved them and the shows were packed.
In 1984 Green Jellö opened for the Ramones
at a Buffalo State College summertime outdoor free concert, and the band (who as the opening act had their equipment set up in front of the Ramones' gear) were pelted by the audience with the usual Jell-O, whipped cream and pudding. In the end, not only were Green Jellö in a mess, but so too was the Ramones' equipment. Years later in an interview with New York Rocker
magazine, Joey Ramone
singled out Green Jellö as the worst (and messiest) band to ever open for the Ramones with Green Jellö taking this as the highest praise.
They also opened up for New York Dolls
guitarist Johnny Thunders
under the name "Kenmore Dolls". Johnny did not have much to say about the show except "What the hell is a Kenmore Doll?"
, an 8 song 7-inch 45 EP
, on their own label, American Jello Parti Productions, Inc. The cover artwork (designed by Manspeaker) was a parody of The Beatles
' Let It Be
album cover. Recorded in Bill's bedroom and at a local band rehearsal hall, the album featured the theme song "Green Jellö Theme Song" (the band's initial manifesto/call to arms), as well as early songs "I've Got Poo-Poo On My Shoe" (later "Shitman"), "Whip Me Teenage Babe" (later "House Me Teenage Rave"), "Hill, Hill", "Do the Howie" (a song about the bumbling rent-a-cop at the band's high school alma mater, Kenmore West High School, sung to the tune of Van McCoy
's "The Hustle"), the one-second long "Icrog", "The Ice Cream Song", and "I'll Buy You Any Major Appliance You Want Baby, Ooo Ooo".
Let It Be was limited to a release of 500 and only released locally. The first 100 copies were housed in a deluxe hand-glued hard-cardboard picture sleeve, with front color photo (printed on real photographic paper by Manspeaker). Later picture sleeves were simply a green tinted photocopy of the original cardboard sleeve. The original hard-cardboard sleeves are now highly sought after by collectors.
The record also included a multi-panel lyric sheet (designed by Manspeaker). The back cover of the picture sleeve features an actual endorsement from Kiss
member Paul Stanley
, whom Green Jellö had met during that time. The Let It Be EP was also given away at a record release party in which fans had to climb a "Green Jellö Tree" in front of the club to claim a free record. The band actually taped a large amount of 45s up in the tree in the front of the club. The band's high propensity for absurd, illogical stunts such as this soon became the norm.
Around this time, Green Jellö started turning up for gigs in multiple stretch limos. The band just thought it was an absurd, funny thing for an admittedly horrible band to do. Other weird things Green Jellö used to do on stage during early Buffalo shows included making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on their chests, and ironing clothes on stage while singing.
The band began to get more and more (faux) outrageous onstage, eventually involving fake torture, whipping and women. Often the band would play new songs, so that the audience would not know how bad they were messing up. Crazy stage names were adopted, multiple members joined, and in 1987 Green Jellö appeared on the TV show The Gong Show
. Trying hard to sound bad, the band was "gonged" quickly, but had achieved its goal of national TV exposure.
on Sunset Boulevard, they reformed the band, and quickly became a fixture in the Hollywood underground scene. In 1988, Bill and the band met GWAR
, and an instant friendship was formed over their mutual love of costumes and props. After the initial meeting, Green Jellö decided to ditch their uncomfortable and dangerous papier maché/chicken wire
costume heads in favor of the more user friendly foam rubber
heads that GWAR had been making. They garbage picked cushions from abandoned Hollywood couches and carved their new characters such as "Shitman" (a giant, walking corn-filled poop monster), "Cowgod", "Rock n Roll Pumpkin", and "Satan's Ham". The band's live show became an over-the-top adventure in absurdity, now consisting of usually 20 members onstage.
In 1989, Green Jellö released its second album, Triple Live Möther Gööse at Budokan, on February 29 Records, which was recorded in a garage in about the same amount of time it takes to play it. A rare video was also released for this album with music videos for each song. It featured a much more defined sound, as well as far better production and songwriting. The band began to tighten up musically, enlisting drummer Danny Carey
(later in Tool
), as well as bassist Bill Tutton (King Dot), guitarists Marc Levinthal (Pippi Rockstocking), Steven Shenar (Sven Seven), C.J. Buscaglia (Jesus Quisp) and Bernie Peaks (Bernie Vicious), along with bassist Rootin' Bloomquist. The band also had 6 vocalists, including Bill Manspeaker (Moronic Dictator, Shitman, Marshall "Duh" Staxxx), Joe Cannizzaro (Dunderhead), Keith Matherne (Keni Logginz), Gary Helsinger (Hotsy Menshot, Piñata Head), Greg Raynard (Reason Clean, Toucan Son of Sam) and Maynard James Keenan
(Billy Bob). The band also had two female backup singers/floor tom drummers, Kim O'Donnell (Sadistica), and Caroline Jester (Jella Tin). Kim O'Donnell also designed and created all the artwork, covers, comics, and logos for the band.
. Consisting of music videos for each song, as well as a behind-the-scenes feature, the video album slowly gained a reputation in the underground (although it would eventually go on to sell over 100,000 copies). Their break came when a radio station in Seattle, Washington
, The X KXRX
, played "Three Little Pigs
" as a joke, but instead the station's phones lit up and it became a local hit. This caused Zoo to issue the EP Green Jellö SUXX, consisting of four songs from Cereal Killer, which in turn led to the "The Three Little Pigs" becoming a hit on The Box (A pay-per-play cable-TV jukebox network). By early 1993, the song was gaining airplay around the country, and after appearing on MTV Headbanger's Ball, everything exploded. MTV
added the video and the full-length audio album Cereal Killer Soundtrack
was finally released in April 1993.
The video for "The Three Little Pigs" was directed by Fred Stuhr (who also directed Tool's "Sober" video), and it featured a claymation rendition of the classic fairy tale
with modern twists, such as pot-smoking pigs, an appearance by Rambo
, and a Harley Davidson-riding wolf. The video was an instant hit on MTV and was #17 for most of the summer of 1993 in the US, receiving both an MTV music award and Billboard music award nomination. Meanwhile in the song entered the UK Singles Chart
at its peak position of #5. As a result of the "The Three Little Pigs" video, the Cereal Killer Soundtrack album went gold in the US, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as platinum in Australia, eventually selling over 2½-million units worldwide. Green Jellö spent almost a year touring the US and Europe in support of the Cereal Killer Soundtrack. In 1993 they released the single "Electric Harley House (Of Love)
", the video featured Gene Simmons
and Paul Stanley
from KISS
and also featured some of the band in KISS-inspired costumes. Later in 1993, Green Jellÿ released a single that was not to be included on any of their full-length albums: a duet with Hulk Hogan
performing Gary Glitter
's "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", which scored them a third Top 40 hit in the UK
.
in Hollywood, California. The production house made music videos for other artists, as well as production pieces for TV and film. It was here that Green Jellÿ recorded and filmed their 4th album, 333
. Focusing more on the musical side, and even featuring non-comedy songs, the album was a more eclectic gathering, ranging from heavy metal to grunge rock to dance music. Due to problems with the record company and virtually no promotion, the album failed to make waves. The long form video for the album was never properly released, and is extremely hard to find. The album spawned "The Bear Song" which appears in the Farrelly Brothers
film Dumb and Dumber, but failed to chart. Though the new video album was never properly released, it did receive a 1995 Grammy nomination for best long-form video.
Also in 1994, the band provided the first-ever video game soundtrack for the Acclaim Entertainment
video game Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage, based on the popular Marvel Comics
characters. Due to the state of video game music technology at that time, the soundtrack was not recorded music, but a computerized rendition of the songs. Portions of the sound track also made an appearance in Maximum Carnages sequel, Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety
. In the same year, Green Jellÿ appeared as themselves in an episode of the Fantastic Four animated series
called "Super Skrull
", in which The Thing
records a music video for a song about his catch phrase -- "It's Clobberin' Time".
In 1995, the band recorded an album's worth of brand-new material for Zoo Entertainment, but due to the poor sales of 333 and ongoing problems with the struggling label which would eventually lead to it being merged with Volcano Entertainment in 1996, the album was not released. However, this material would be released 14 years later in the form of Musick to Insult Your Intelligence By.
Although Green Jellÿ never officially broke up, the members of the band's core Cereal Killer/333 lineup (with the exception of Manspeaker) would gradually start to go their separate ways after this point.
Green Jellÿ also released a cover of "Born to Be Wild
" in 1995, for a movie soundtrack of the same name.
In late August, the band announced via their Myspace page that they would again be going on tour in the Fall. Several "new" songs became available via their Myspace page, as well as information on a new Green Jellö DVD and CD.
Green Jelly finally released Musick to Insult Your Intelligence By on October 13, 2009. The album was actually a collection of the "lost demos" from 1995 for the band's 3rd album before being dropped by Zoo Entertainment, and was pulled from a DAT safety that Gary Helsinger had kept. It features the same lineup as Cereal Killer and 333 except for C.J. Buscaglia and Roy Staley (replaced by Rob Brown), who had already left the band at the time of recording.
As of April 2010, the latest incarnation of the band includes Bill Manspeaker, his son Damien Hellion, Mike Odd of Rosemary's Billygoat, Aaron Cohen and Rosanna Dittrich of Radioactive Chicken Heads, Tony Ferro (aka TonyTV) and LA musician/artist Ego Plum. .
and the cult comedy metal band Psychostick
. The tour ended in Phoenix, Arizona on May 30, 2010. On June 26, 2010 Green Jelly played the "American Skate Fest" in Rutland, Ohio with headliners GWAR
. Then the band played four shows on the Vans Warped Tour on the Old School stage.
for trademark
infringement. Due to the name "Jellö", and more so the band slogan "GREEN JELLÖ SUCKS!", the band were forced to change their name to Green Jellÿ, with an umlaut over the Y. This umlaut
, according to the band, "changed the 'Y' sound to an 'O' sound". The band was forced to re-release their album and long form video, as well as change all merchandise carrying the "Jellö" name.
Later in 1992, Green Jellÿ was sued by the Kellogg Company
for trademark infringement of their Toucan Sam
character, as well as others. The cover of Cereal Killer (both album and video) depicted "Toucan Son of Sam" the "Cereal Killer" that kills other cereal characters, such as Snap, Crackle and Pop
, the Trix Rabbit, and Lucky the Leprechaun in extremely gruesome fashion. The band were forced to change the cover art (originally depicting Toucan Son of Sam), as well as place a white box in the center of the new cover which stated "Not affiliated with or endorsed by Kraft/General Foods". Additionally, the band was forced to remove the music video for the song "Cereal Killer" from the long form home video release. On the album 333
, Toucan Son of Sam is referred to as "Pelican Son of Sam", and "Pelican Pete" at subsequent stage shows.
In 1993, Green Jellÿ was also sued by the management of Metallica
for partial use of their song "Enter Sandman
" in the song "Electric Harley House (Of Love)
". The bass and rhythm guitars in the solo section of the song play a riff close to that of "Enter Sandman", and even though the band mentions it in lyric immediately after the riff, the band was forced to remove the part from the later CD versions of Cereal Killer and pull the music video from MTV
.
Comedy rock
Comedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...
band formed in 1981. Originally named Green Jellö, the band changed its name due to legal pressure from the owners of the Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
, Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, who claimed that it was an infringement of their trademark. Despite the spelling difference, the new name and the old are pronounced identically.
History
Green Jellÿ formed in 1981 as Green Jellö, a four piece comedy-punk band, in Kenmore, New YorkKenmore, New York
Village of Kenmore is a village in Erie County, New York, in the United States. The population was 16,426 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area....
. It was founded by Bill Manspeaker and Joe Cannizzaro. They began the band with the idea of starting "The World's Worst Band". The name, which was suggested by a friend of the band, was chosen because lime-flavored Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
was allegedly the worst Jell-O flavor, and Manspeaker believed this also reflected the band's talents. The band began playing punk shows around Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and were notorious for their onstage antics and live theatrics. The band was so technically inept at playing their instruments that Cannizzaro (then playing bass) had to color-code the frets so that he could memorize bass lines by color.
Early career (1981–1985)
The group was soon banned from local Buffalo, New York music club McVans for an act that included smashing televisions on stage with a sledgehammer. They temporarily changed their name to AJP (American Jell-O Party), copying the Sex PistolsSex 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...
' trick of changing their name to "SPOTS" (Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly) in order to play shows in places where they were banned. This proved successful, and they got back into McVans only to repeat their violent conduct and be banned once again. Following this, the name was changed back to Green Jellö.
One of the band's early shows was held in a Masonic Temple in Kenmore. Local teenage jock thugs in the rowdy audience broke into the venue's kitchen mid-concert and found a full case of ice cream sandwiches, which they proceeded to throw at the band and all over the stage. By the end of the night the stage was ruined and Green Jellö had to reimburse the venue for damages.
Another early gig at a local YMCA also ended in the band having to pay for clean-up—this time for spilling a large amount of fake blood on the carpets. The band then got the reputation as a "food-throwing rock band", and the audience members started bringing their own actual green Jell-O specifically to throw at the band. Later in their career, it would not be unusual to see fans showing up with garbage bags filled with green Jell-O, pudding, whipped cream, or anything messy to throw at the stage and at the band.
They then managed to find a good friend in local punk club (The Continental) owner Bud Burke. Burke let the Jell-O guys play the club on a regular basis and the shows got even wilder. Inversion boots, wheel of torture, whippings and a whole night of Zeppelin tunes played horribly were not uncommon. The audience loved them and the shows were packed.
In 1984 Green Jellö opened for the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
at a Buffalo State College summertime outdoor free concert, and the band (who as the opening act had their equipment set up in front of the Ramones' gear) were pelted by the audience with the usual Jell-O, whipped cream and pudding. In the end, not only were Green Jellö in a mess, but so too was the Ramones' equipment. Years later in an interview with New York Rocker
New York Rocker
New York Rocker was a punk rock new wave magazine founded by Alan Betrock in 1976. Betrock left the magazine in 1978, and Andy Schwartz took over as editor until 1982. In 1979, it had a circulation of 20,000....
magazine, Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
singled out Green Jellö as the worst (and messiest) band to ever open for the Ramones with Green Jellö taking this as the highest praise.
They also opened up for New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
guitarist Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
under the name "Kenmore Dolls". Johnny did not have much to say about the show except "What the hell is a Kenmore Doll?"
Let It Be (1984–1987)
In 1984 Green Jellö released Let It BeLet It Be (Green Jellö album)
-Personnel:* Moronic Dicktator - lead vocals, artwork* Marshall Stack - guitar* Joey Blowey - bass guitar* Ozzy Ozmond - drums-External links:*...
, an 8 song 7-inch 45 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, on their own label, American Jello Parti Productions, Inc. The cover artwork (designed by Manspeaker) was a parody of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Let It Be
Let It Be (album)
Let It Be is the 12th and final studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It was released on 8 May 1970 by the band's Apple Records label shortly after the group announced their break-up....
album cover. Recorded in Bill's bedroom and at a local band rehearsal hall, the album featured the theme song "Green Jellö Theme Song" (the band's initial manifesto/call to arms), as well as early songs "I've Got Poo-Poo On My Shoe" (later "Shitman"), "Whip Me Teenage Babe" (later "House Me Teenage Rave"), "Hill, Hill", "Do the Howie" (a song about the bumbling rent-a-cop at the band's high school alma mater, Kenmore West High School, sung to the tune of Van McCoy
Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...
's "The Hustle"), the one-second long "Icrog", "The Ice Cream Song", and "I'll Buy You Any Major Appliance You Want Baby, Ooo Ooo".
Let It Be was limited to a release of 500 and only released locally. The first 100 copies were housed in a deluxe hand-glued hard-cardboard picture sleeve, with front color photo (printed on real photographic paper by Manspeaker). Later picture sleeves were simply a green tinted photocopy of the original cardboard sleeve. The original hard-cardboard sleeves are now highly sought after by collectors.
The record also included a multi-panel lyric sheet (designed by Manspeaker). The back cover of the picture sleeve features an actual endorsement from Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
member Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
, whom Green Jellö had met during that time. The Let It Be EP was also given away at a record release party in which fans had to climb a "Green Jellö Tree" in front of the club to claim a free record. The band actually taped a large amount of 45s up in the tree in the front of the club. The band's high propensity for absurd, illogical stunts such as this soon became the norm.
Around this time, Green Jellö started turning up for gigs in multiple stretch limos. The band just thought it was an absurd, funny thing for an admittedly horrible band to do. Other weird things Green Jellö used to do on stage during early Buffalo shows included making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on their chests, and ironing clothes on stage while singing.
The band began to get more and more (faux) outrageous onstage, eventually involving fake torture, whipping and women. Often the band would play new songs, so that the audience would not know how bad they were messing up. Crazy stage names were adopted, multiple members joined, and in 1987 Green Jellö appeared on the TV show The Gong Show
The Gong Show
The Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
. Trying hard to sound bad, the band was "gonged" quickly, but had achieved its goal of national TV exposure.
Road to success (1987–1991)
After the local success in Buffalo, many of the members relocated to Hollywood, California. In 1987, while working at Tower RecordsTower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
on Sunset Boulevard, they reformed the band, and quickly became a fixture in the Hollywood underground scene. In 1988, Bill and the band met GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
, and an instant friendship was formed over their mutual love of costumes and props. After the initial meeting, Green Jellö decided to ditch their uncomfortable and dangerous papier maché/chicken wire
Chicken wire
Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock. It is made of thin, flexible galvanized wire, with hexagonal gaps...
costume heads in favor of the more user friendly foam rubber
Foam rubber
Foam rubber refers to rubber that has been manufactured with a foaming agent to create an air-filled matrix structure. Commercial foam rubbers are generally either polyurethane foam or natural foam rubber latex. Latex foam rubber, used in mattresses, is well-known for its endurance.-See also:*...
heads that GWAR had been making. They garbage picked cushions from abandoned Hollywood couches and carved their new characters such as "Shitman" (a giant, walking corn-filled poop monster), "Cowgod", "Rock n Roll Pumpkin", and "Satan's Ham". The band's live show became an over-the-top adventure in absurdity, now consisting of usually 20 members onstage.
In 1989, Green Jellö released its second album, Triple Live Möther Gööse at Budokan, on February 29 Records, which was recorded in a garage in about the same amount of time it takes to play it. A rare video was also released for this album with music videos for each song. It featured a much more defined sound, as well as far better production and songwriting. The band began to tighten up musically, enlisting drummer Danny Carey
Danny Carey
Daniel Edwin "Danny" Carey is an American drummer best known for his work in American Grammy Award-winning rock band Tool...
(later in Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
), as well as bassist Bill Tutton (King Dot), guitarists Marc Levinthal (Pippi Rockstocking), Steven Shenar (Sven Seven), C.J. Buscaglia (Jesus Quisp) and Bernie Peaks (Bernie Vicious), along with bassist Rootin' Bloomquist. The band also had 6 vocalists, including Bill Manspeaker (Moronic Dictator, Shitman, Marshall "Duh" Staxxx), Joe Cannizzaro (Dunderhead), Keith Matherne (Keni Logginz), Gary Helsinger (Hotsy Menshot, Piñata Head), Greg Raynard (Reason Clean, Toucan Son of Sam) and Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
(Billy Bob). The band also had two female backup singers/floor tom drummers, Kim O'Donnell (Sadistica), and Caroline Jester (Jella Tin). Kim O'Donnell also designed and created all the artwork, covers, comics, and logos for the band.
Cereal Killer (1991–1993)
In 1991, the band approached BMG subsidiary label Zoo Entertainment, and claiming they were the "World's First Video Only Band," offered to make the entire project (all music, videos, artwork, etc.) entirely on their own for the unheard-of sum of $50,000. Zoo signed them on the spot. The only problem was, it had been a bluff, and the band had never made a "video album" before. After buying a video camera, some wood and some lights, the band set out to learn on the job, and in Fall 1992 delivered their third album, the long-form video-only Cereal KillerCereal Killer
-External links:*...
. Consisting of music videos for each song, as well as a behind-the-scenes feature, the video album slowly gained a reputation in the underground (although it would eventually go on to sell over 100,000 copies). Their break came when a radio station in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, The X KXRX
The X KXRX
The X KXRX is a modern rock public radio station playing a mix of new and old music online via WinAmp, Real Audio, Windows Media Player, and Quicktime...
, played "Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs (Green Jellÿ song)
"Three Little Pigs" is a song by the comedy heavy metal band Green Jellÿ, from the album Cereal Killer, released by Zoo Entertainment in 1992....
" as a joke, but instead the station's phones lit up and it became a local hit. This caused Zoo to issue the EP Green Jellö SUXX, consisting of four songs from Cereal Killer, which in turn led to the "The Three Little Pigs" becoming a hit on The Box (A pay-per-play cable-TV jukebox network). By early 1993, the song was gaining airplay around the country, and after appearing on MTV Headbanger's Ball, everything exploded. MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
added the video and the full-length audio album Cereal Killer Soundtrack
Cereal Killer Soundtrack
- Personnel :* Bill Manspeaker - Vocals* Joe Cannizzaro - Vocals* Gary Helsinger - Vocals* Greg Reynard - Vocals* Steven Shenar - Guitars...
was finally released in April 1993.
The video for "The Three Little Pigs" was directed by Fred Stuhr (who also directed Tool's "Sober" video), and it featured a claymation rendition of the classic fairy tale
Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs is a fairy tale featuring anthropomorphic animals. Printed versions date back to the 1840s, but the story itself is thought to be much older...
with modern twists, such as pot-smoking pigs, an appearance by Rambo
John Rambo
John Rambo is an iconic fictional character and the basis of the Rambo saga. He first appeared in the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell, but later became more famous in the film series, played by Sylvester Stallone...
, and a Harley Davidson-riding wolf. The video was an instant hit on MTV and was #17 for most of the summer of 1993 in the US, receiving both an MTV music award and Billboard music award nomination. Meanwhile in the song entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at its peak position of #5. As a result of the "The Three Little Pigs" video, the Cereal Killer Soundtrack album went gold in the US, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as platinum in Australia, eventually selling over 2½-million units worldwide. Green Jellö spent almost a year touring the US and Europe in support of the Cereal Killer Soundtrack. In 1993 they released the single "Electric Harley House (Of Love)
Electric Harley House (Of Love)
"Electric Harley House " is a single by American comedy metal/punk band Green Jellÿ.- Track listing versions:#"Electric Harley House " - 4:38#"Electric Harley House " - 3:49-Lawsuit:...
", the video featured Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
and Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
from KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and also featured some of the band in KISS-inspired costumes. Later in 1993, Green Jellÿ released a single that was not to be included on any of their full-length albums: a duet with Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
performing Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
's "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", which scored them a third Top 40 hit in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
333 and late career (1994–1995)
In 1994, Green Jellÿ began a joint venture with $4 million from their parent company, BMG music, to open Green Jellÿ Studios, an audio and visual production house on Sunset BoulevardSunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
in Hollywood, California. The production house made music videos for other artists, as well as production pieces for TV and film. It was here that Green Jellÿ recorded and filmed their 4th album, 333
333 (album)
- In popular culture :* "The Bear Song" was featured in the movie Dumb and Dumber.* "Carnage Rules" was used as the theme song of the 1994 Spider-Man videogame Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage; the song itself is based on the Marvel Comics character Carnage.* Renowned parody musician, "Weird...
. Focusing more on the musical side, and even featuring non-comedy songs, the album was a more eclectic gathering, ranging from heavy metal to grunge rock to dance music. Due to problems with the record company and virtually no promotion, the album failed to make waves. The long form video for the album was never properly released, and is extremely hard to find. The album spawned "The Bear Song" which appears in the Farrelly Brothers
Farrelly brothers
Peter John Farrelly and Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. , professionally known as the Farrelly Brothers are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones;...
film Dumb and Dumber, but failed to chart. Though the new video album was never properly released, it did receive a 1995 Grammy nomination for best long-form video.
Also in 1994, the band provided the first-ever video game soundtrack for the Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
video game Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage, based on the popular Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters. Due to the state of video game music technology at that time, the soundtrack was not recorded music, but a computerized rendition of the songs. Portions of the sound track also made an appearance in Maximum Carnages sequel, Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety
Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety
Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game and sequel to Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, released for Sega Mega Drive and Super NES and then ported to PC, in which one or two players could team up as Spider-Man and Venom to defeat the evil symbiote Carnage...
. In the same year, Green Jellÿ appeared as themselves in an episode of the Fantastic Four animated series
Fantastic Four (1994 TV series)
Fantastic Four is the third animated television series based on Marvel's comic book series of the same name. Airing began on September 24, 1994, until ending on February 24, 1996...
called "Super Skrull
Super-Skrull
The Super-Skrull is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #18 The Super-Skrull (Kl'rt) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The...
", in which The Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
records a music video for a song about his catch phrase -- "It's Clobberin' Time".
In 1995, the band recorded an album's worth of brand-new material for Zoo Entertainment, but due to the poor sales of 333 and ongoing problems with the struggling label which would eventually lead to it being merged with Volcano Entertainment in 1996, the album was not released. However, this material would be released 14 years later in the form of Musick to Insult Your Intelligence By.
Although Green Jellÿ never officially broke up, the members of the band's core Cereal Killer/333 lineup (with the exception of Manspeaker) would gradually start to go their separate ways after this point.
Green Jellÿ also released a cover of "Born to Be Wild
Born to Be Wild
"Born to Be Wild" is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude...
" in 1995, for a movie soundtrack of the same name.
Reunion and new album (2008-2009)
On February 19, 2008, music news website Blabbermouth.net announced that Green Jellÿ was reuniting and that a possible U.S. tour was in the works. Tourdates are listed at their MySpace page. The band also re-released the Cereal Killer and 333 video/albums on a self-produced DVD, which were only sold at their concerts.In late August, the band announced via their Myspace page that they would again be going on tour in the Fall. Several "new" songs became available via their Myspace page, as well as information on a new Green Jellö DVD and CD.
Green Jelly finally released Musick to Insult Your Intelligence By on October 13, 2009. The album was actually a collection of the "lost demos" from 1995 for the band's 3rd album before being dropped by Zoo Entertainment, and was pulled from a DAT safety that Gary Helsinger had kept. It features the same lineup as Cereal Killer and 333 except for C.J. Buscaglia and Roy Staley (replaced by Rob Brown), who had already left the band at the time of recording.
As of April 2010, the latest incarnation of the band includes Bill Manspeaker, his son Damien Hellion, Mike Odd of Rosemary's Billygoat, Aaron Cohen and Rosanna Dittrich of Radioactive Chicken Heads, Tony Ferro (aka TonyTV) and LA musician/artist Ego Plum. .
2010 Parental Advisory Tour (2010-present)
On March 25, 2010 Green Jelly embarked on the Parental Advisory Tour with headliners Nashville PussyNashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
and the cult comedy metal band Psychostick
Psychostick
Psychostick is a heavy metal band from Tempe, Arizona, known for a silly image and usage of extreme humor in their songs and lyrics. Their style is referred to by themselves and some online album review sites as humor-core....
. The tour ended in Phoenix, Arizona on May 30, 2010. On June 26, 2010 Green Jelly played the "American Skate Fest" in Rutland, Ohio with headliners GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
. Then the band played four shows on the Vans Warped Tour on the Old School stage.
Lawsuits
At the height of the band's fame, Green Jellö was plagued by multiple lawsuits. In 1992, they were sued by Kraft FoodsKraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
for trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
infringement. Due to the name "Jellö", and more so the band slogan "GREEN JELLÖ SUCKS!", the band were forced to change their name to Green Jellÿ, with an umlaut over the Y. This umlaut
Heavy metal umlaut
A metal umlaut is a diaeresis that is sometimes used gratuitously or decoratively over letters in the names of hard rock or heavy metal bands—for example those of Mötley Crüe and Motörhead...
, according to the band, "changed the 'Y' sound to an 'O' sound". The band was forced to re-release their album and long form video, as well as change all merchandise carrying the "Jellö" name.
Later in 1992, Green Jellÿ was sued by the Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
for trademark infringement of their Toucan Sam
Toucan Sam
Toucan Sam is the cartoon mascot for Froot Loops breakfast cereal. The character has been featured in advertising since the 1960s. He exhibits the ability to smell out Froot Loops from great distances and invariably locates a concealed bowl of the cereal while intoning, "Follow my nose! It always...
character, as well as others. The cover of Cereal Killer (both album and video) depicted "Toucan Son of Sam" the "Cereal Killer" that kills other cereal characters, such as Snap, Crackle and Pop
Snap, Crackle and Pop
Snap, Crackle, and Pop! are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies -History:The elf characters were originally designed by illustrator Vernon Grant in the early 1930s...
, the Trix Rabbit, and Lucky the Leprechaun in extremely gruesome fashion. The band were forced to change the cover art (originally depicting Toucan Son of Sam), as well as place a white box in the center of the new cover which stated "Not affiliated with or endorsed by Kraft/General Foods". Additionally, the band was forced to remove the music video for the song "Cereal Killer" from the long form home video release. On the album 333
333
Year 333 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dalmatius and Zenophilus...
, Toucan Son of Sam is referred to as "Pelican Son of Sam", and "Pelican Pete" at subsequent stage shows.
In 1993, Green Jellÿ was also sued by the management of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
for partial use of their song "Enter Sandman
Enter Sandman
"Enter Sandman" is a 1991 song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first single from their eponymous fifth album, Metallica. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich...
" in the song "Electric Harley House (Of Love)
Electric Harley House (Of Love)
"Electric Harley House " is a single by American comedy metal/punk band Green Jellÿ.- Track listing versions:#"Electric Harley House " - 4:38#"Electric Harley House " - 3:49-Lawsuit:...
". The bass and rhythm guitars in the solo section of the song play a riff close to that of "Enter Sandman", and even though the band mentions it in lyric immediately after the riff, the band was forced to remove the part from the later CD versions of Cereal Killer and pull the music video from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Life after Jellÿ
- Joe Cannizzaro (Dunderhead) became a television/video producer and was a videographerVideographerStrictly speaking, a videographer is a person who works in the field of videography, video production — recording moving images and sound on video tape, disk, other electro-mechanical device. News broadcasting relies heavily on live television where videographers engage in electronic news...
for DreamWorks Animation SKG. - Gary Helsinger (Hotsy Menshot) is now director of Special Markets at Universal Music Publishing.
- Bill Manspeaker (Moronic Dictator, Marshall "Duh" Staxx) was the owner of Qtopia, a night club in Hollywood, but sold the club due to the heavy drug use at the venue. He is working on an alien abduction film Motel 666, starring the Suicide Girls.
- Danny Carey is now the drummer for the multi-platinum progressive rock band ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. - Keith McCormack has been teaching English in China and continues to play guitar for fun with his young son.
- Kim O'Donnell (Sadistica) is now a Hollywood visual effects artist, having worked for DisneyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, and on such films as Con AirCon AirCon Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
, ArmageddonArmageddonArmageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
, X-Men 2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, Spider-Man 2Spider-Man 2Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
, Mr. & Mrs. SmithMr. & Mrs. Smith (2005 film)Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a 2005 American romantic comedy action film directed by Doug Liman and written by Simon Kinberg. The original music score was composed by John Powell...
, and Flight of the Phoenix, among others. - Bill Tutton went on to join El VezEl VezEl Vez is the stage name of Robert Lopez, a Mexican-American rock and roll artist, who performs and records original material and covers classic rock songs...
, Geraldine FibbersGeraldine FibbersThe Geraldine Fibbers were an alt-country band founded in 1994 by Carla Bozulich. Initially, band members included Bozulich, Daniel Keenan, Julie Fowells, William Tutton and Kevin Fitzgerald...
and other bands. - Jim Laspesa (Mick Stadium) went on to play with Dave DaviesDave DaviesDavid Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
of The KinksThe KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, The MuffsThe MuffsThe Muffs are a rock band based in Southern California, formed in 1991 and led by Kim Shattuck.-History:The Muffs' leader is singer-songwriter Kim Shattuck...
, Baby LemonadeBaby LemonadeBaby Lemonade is a band in the neo-psychedelic genre formed in Los Angeles. Their 1998 album Exploring Music was produced by Darian Sahanaja of The Wondermints. The group was Love founder Arthur Lee's backing band prior to his incarceration, and after his release from prison in 2001 until his death...
and others. - CJ Buscaglia (Jesus Quisp) became a producer and engineer, working on various album projects for many artists in the 1990s including Love & Rockets, Goo Goo DollsGoo Goo DollsThe Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
and others. He then moved to Buffalo, New York and started giving guitar lessons and started recording an album. - Marc Levinthal (Pippi Rockstocking) went on to work in film scoring and other literary and musical projects.
- Maynard James Keenan (Billy Bob) is now the lead singer for the bands ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, A Perfect CircleA Perfect CircleA Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
, and PusciferPusciferPuscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan is the only permanent member and he considers the project to be his "creative subconscious", Puscifer could also be considered a pseudonym for his solo work....
. - Bud Redding (DJ Bud) played in Green Jellö during the Buffalo days, and was the DJ at the band's favorite venue, The Continental. DJ Bud currently owns his own recording /production studio in Kenmore, NY, and has played in the bands "Funk Monsters", "The Joint Commission", and "Bud Redding's Shock & Awe". He played both guitar and keyboards for the band...
- Jason Boccia (Dread) played in Jellö from 2003–2008, originally playing drums and then jumping to lead guitar for both Summer Suck Tour and Fall Tour 2008. Currently, Dread is focusing his energies to his band, Pottymouth, which is along the lines of The MentorsThe MentorsThe Mentors are an American heavy metal band noted for its deliberately sexist shock rock lyrics.They formed in 1977 in Seattle, Washington and relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1979, where their irreverent attitude aligned them with the city's punk rock scene. Their music has developed...
, GWARGWARGwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
, and Green Jellö.
Connection with Tool
- Danny CareyDanny CareyDaniel Edwin "Danny" Carey is an American drummer best known for his work in American Grammy Award-winning rock band Tool...
from ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
was a member of Green Jellÿ for five years, and played drums on the album Cereal Killer. He is also featured in the video for "Electric Harley House (Of Love)", among others. - Maynard James KeenanMaynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
, vocalist for ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, recorded a song with Green Jellÿ. On the song Three Little PigsThree Little Pigs (Green Jellÿ song)"Three Little Pigs" is a song by the comedy heavy metal band Green Jellÿ, from the album Cereal Killer, released by Zoo Entertainment in 1992....
Maynard sang backing vocals (he sings the falsetto "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.") Maynard is also mentioned in the song "Green Jellö Sucks" in the lyric "Maynard, and Poopie—they're both insane!" and appears in the music video for the 333 album song "Slave Boy". - The song "Message to Harry Manback" on Tool's ÆnimaÆnimaÆnima is the second studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on September 17, 1996 in vinyl format and on October 1, 1996 in Compact Disc format. The album was recorded and cut at Ocean Way, Hollywood, California and The Hook, North Hollywood, California from 1995 to 1996...
is an actual message left on Gary Helsinger's (Hotsy Menshot) answering machine by a former friend from Italy, whom Gary had just kicked out of his apartment for stealing his roommate's belongings. "Harry Manback" is a reference to routine from the late comedian Bill HicksBill HicksWilliam Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...
. Maynard James KeenanMaynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
and Danny CareyDanny CareyDaniel Edwin "Danny" Carey is an American drummer best known for his work in American Grammy Award-winning rock band Tool...
were both roommates of Bill Manspeaker during Green Jellö, and Gary was later roommates with Maynard as well as Billy HowerdelBilly HowerdelBilly Howerdel is the founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the bands A Perfect Circle and Ashes Divide. He has recorded three acclaimed studio albums with the former, and in 2008, Ashes Divide released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright.-Early life:Howerdel was...
of A Perfect CircleA Perfect CircleA Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
. - ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
was signed to the same label as Green Jellÿ, the now-defunct Zoo Entertainment. - Tool's first EP has songs recorded live at the Green Jellö loft.
Albums
- 1989: Triple Live Möther Gööse at Budokan
- 1991: Cereal KillerCereal Killer-External links:*...
- 1993: Cereal Killer SoundtrackCereal Killer Soundtrack- Personnel :* Bill Manspeaker - Vocals* Joe Cannizzaro - Vocals* Gary Helsinger - Vocals* Greg Reynard - Vocals* Steven Shenar - Guitars...
- 1994: 333333 (album)- In popular culture :* "The Bear Song" was featured in the movie Dumb and Dumber.* "Carnage Rules" was used as the theme song of the 1994 Spider-Man videogame Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage; the song itself is based on the Marvel Comics character Carnage.* Renowned parody musician, "Weird...
- 2009: Musick to Insult Your Intelligence By
EPs
- 1984: Let It BeLet It Be (Green Jellö album)-Personnel:* Moronic Dicktator - lead vocals, artwork* Marshall Stack - guitar* Joey Blowey - bass guitar* Ozzy Ozmond - drums-External links:*...
- 1993: Green Jellö SUXX
- 1993: Three Little Pigs – The Remixes
Singles
- 1992: "Three Little PigsThree Little Pigs (Green Jellÿ song)"Three Little Pigs" is a song by the comedy heavy metal band Green Jellÿ, from the album Cereal Killer, released by Zoo Entertainment in 1992....
" - 1993: "Anarchy in the UK"
- 1993: "Electric Harley House (Of Love)Electric Harley House (Of Love)"Electric Harley House " is a single by American comedy metal/punk band Green Jellÿ.- Track listing versions:#"Electric Harley House " - 4:38#"Electric Harley House " - 3:49-Lawsuit:...
" - 1993: "House Me Teenage RaveHouse Me Teenage Rave"House Me Teenage Rave" is a single by American Comedy metal band Green Jellÿ.- Track listing versions:#"House Me Teenage Rave " - 4:15#"House Me Teenage Rave " - 6:54...
" - 1993: "Three Little PigsThree Little Pigs (Green Jellÿ song)"Three Little Pigs" is a song by the comedy heavy metal band Green Jellÿ, from the album Cereal Killer, released by Zoo Entertainment in 1992....
" (1993 re-release) - 1994: "The Bear SongThe Bear Song"The Bear Song" is a single by American comedy metal band Green Jellÿ.- Track listing:#"Bear Dance " 3:13#"Bear Dance " 3:13#"Bear Dance " 3:13...
" - 1994: "Slave BoySlave Boy"Slave Boy" is a single by American comedy heavy metal band Green Jellÿ....
" - 1995: "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)"