The Monks
Encyclopedia
Monks are a garage rock
band, formed by American
GIs who were based in Germany
in the mid to late 1960s. They reunited in 1999 and have continued to play concerts, although no new studio recordings have been made. Monks stood out from the music of the time, and have developed a cult following
amongst many musicians and music fans.
All the members were American GIs stationed in Germany in the mid-sixties. They began playing together in 1964, calling themselves the 5 Torquays. They covered Chuck Berry
songs and played music inspired by the British beat groups, but the band experimented together musically. Band member Gary Burger said: "It probably took us a year to get the sound right. We experimented all the time. A lot of the experiments were total failures and some of the songs we worked on were terrible. But the ones we kept felt like they had something special to them. And they became more defined over time."
Black Monk Time
The Monks played The Top Ten Club in Hamburg
, where The Beatles
had played earlier in the 1960s. Upon their discharge from the army the band developed a distinctive musical style, and took up a distinctive name and image to go with it. The transition from their earlier, more conventional and less provocative aesthetic to the abrasive and cutting-edge sound of their Black Monk Time period was partly induced by the influence of "a pair of loopy existentialist visionaries" called Walther Niemann and Karl-H.-Remy. Remy, a university student of design in Ulm, and Niemann, a student of Folkwang Arts Academy in Essen, "designed" the Monks as "anti-Beatles": short hair with tonsure
s, black clothes, ropes around the neck, image of being hard and dangerous.
At the beginning of 1965, Dave Day and Roger Johnston, on a whim, got their heads shaved into monk
s' tonsure
s. The rest of the band followed their lead, and to complete the image, the band took to wearing a uniform - all black, sometimes in cassock
s, with noose
s worn as necktie
s. Burger describes the band's "look" as completely their management's decision. Eddie Shaw later claimed in his band autobiography Black Monk Time that the nooses were symbolic of the metaphorical nooses that all humanity wear. His explanation exhibited a literal translation of gallows humor
. The same attitude seems to be exhibited by the blunt lyrics of the band. The brazen attitude toward sensitive subjects was reportedly not well met. They received confused audience reactions at concerts, and one attendee attempted to strangle Gary Burger at a show in Hamburg, for perceived blasphemy
.
. On January 10, 2008 Dave Day died of a heart attack. Eddie Shaw went on to play in a progressive rock
band called Copperhead in the 1970s and went on to become a fiction writer, who also wrote their autobiography Black Monk Time. Shaw's fictional work is based on his experiences growing up in Nevada and is published under his full name, Thomas Edward Shaw.
in conjunction with the release of the album silver monk time
- a tribute to the monks. Artists to have acknowledged the Monks as an influence include: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
, The White Stripes
, Henry Rollins
, The Fuzztones
, the Beastie Boys
and Jello Biafra
of the Dead Kennedys
, as well as The Fall. The latter covered both "I Hate You" and "Oh, How to Do Now" on their 1990 album Extricate
(under the titles "Black Monk Theme Part I" and "Black Monk Theme Part II", respectively), as well as the song "Shut Up!" on their 1994 album Middle Class Revolt
. The Fall have also covered "Higgledy-Piggledy" for the Monks tribute CD Silver Monk Time
. The White Stripes named Monks as one of their key influences, noting that "their melodies were pop destructive".
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band, formed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
GIs who were based in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the mid to late 1960s. They reunited in 1999 and have continued to play concerts, although no new studio recordings have been made. Monks stood out from the music of the time, and have developed a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
amongst many musicians and music fans.
History
OriginsAll the members were American GIs stationed in Germany in the mid-sixties. They began playing together in 1964, calling themselves the 5 Torquays. They covered Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
songs and played music inspired by the British beat groups, but the band experimented together musically. Band member Gary Burger said: "It probably took us a year to get the sound right. We experimented all the time. A lot of the experiments were total failures and some of the songs we worked on were terrible. But the ones we kept felt like they had something special to them. And they became more defined over time."
Black Monk Time
The Monks played The Top Ten Club in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where 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...
had played earlier in the 1960s. Upon their discharge from the army the band developed a distinctive musical style, and took up a distinctive name and image to go with it. The transition from their earlier, more conventional and less provocative aesthetic to the abrasive and cutting-edge sound of their Black Monk Time period was partly induced by the influence of "a pair of loopy existentialist visionaries" called Walther Niemann and Karl-H.-Remy. Remy, a university student of design in Ulm, and Niemann, a student of Folkwang Arts Academy in Essen, "designed" the Monks as "anti-Beatles": short hair with tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
s, black clothes, ropes around the neck, image of being hard and dangerous.
At the beginning of 1965, Dave Day and Roger Johnston, on a whim, got their heads shaved into monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s' tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
s. The rest of the band followed their lead, and to complete the image, the band took to wearing a uniform - all black, sometimes in cassock
Cassock
The cassock, an item of clerical clothing, is an ankle-length robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran Church and some ministers and ordained officers of Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Ankle-length garment is the meaning of the...
s, with noose
Noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot slides to make the loop collapsible. Knots used for making nooses include the running bowline, the tarbuck knot, and the slip knot.-Use in hanging:...
s worn as necktie
Necktie
A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
s. Burger describes the band's "look" as completely their management's decision. Eddie Shaw later claimed in his band autobiography Black Monk Time that the nooses were symbolic of the metaphorical nooses that all humanity wear. His explanation exhibited a literal translation of gallows humor
Gallows humor
Gallows humor , derives from gallows which is a platform with a noose used to execute people by hanging. Gallows humor is the type of humor that still manages to be funny in the face of, and in response to, a perfectly hopeless situation...
. The same attitude seems to be exhibited by the blunt lyrics of the band. The brazen attitude toward sensitive subjects was reportedly not well met. They received confused audience reactions at concerts, and one attendee attempted to strangle Gary Burger at a show in Hamburg, for perceived blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
.
After the Monks
As of August 2006, lead singer Gary Burger serves as mayor of Turtle River, MinnesotaTurtle River, Minnesota
Turtle River is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 77 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles , all land....
. On January 10, 2008 Dave Day died of a heart attack. Eddie Shaw went on to play in a progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band called Copperhead in the 1970s and went on to become a fiction writer, who also wrote their autobiography Black Monk Time. Shaw's fictional work is based on his experiences growing up in Nevada and is published under his full name, Thomas Edward Shaw.
Legacy
In 2006 play loud! productions completed the documentary film Monks: The Transatlantic FeedbackMonks: The Transatlantic Feedback
Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback is a 2006 film directed by Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios about the seminal German-American beat band The Monks. The film was produced by Play Loud! Productions and shot on location in the USA and Germany between 1997 and 2002...
in conjunction with the release of the album silver monk time
Silver monk time
Silver Monk Time is both a tribute record to the German-American beat band The Monks and the soundtrack to the award winning film Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback. The record was produced and compiled by the filmmakers Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios. It was released in October 2006. The official...
- a tribute to the monks. Artists to have acknowledged the Monks as an influence include: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
, The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, The Fuzztones
The Fuzztones
The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in 1980. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in 1980. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in 1980. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi...
, the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
and Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
of the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, as well as The Fall. The latter covered both "I Hate You" and "Oh, How to Do Now" on their 1990 album Extricate
Extricate
Extricate is a 1990 album by post-punk band The Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader Mark E. Smith divorced Brix Smith. Brix's departure influenced more than just the subject matter of the album, it also helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and post-punk guitar,...
(under the titles "Black Monk Theme Part I" and "Black Monk Theme Part II", respectively), as well as the song "Shut Up!" on their 1994 album Middle Class Revolt
Middle Class Revolt
Middle Class Revolt is an album by The Fall, released in 1994 on Permanent Records. It spent one week on the UK album chart at number 48, a marked contrast to the top 10 debut of their preceding album The Infotainment Scan. The album's full title is Middle Class Revolt A/K/A The Vapourisation Of...
. The Fall have also covered "Higgledy-Piggledy" for the Monks tribute CD Silver Monk Time
Silver monk time
Silver Monk Time is both a tribute record to the German-American beat band The Monks and the soundtrack to the award winning film Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback. The record was produced and compiled by the filmmakers Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios. It was released in October 2006. The official...
. The White Stripes named Monks as one of their key influences, noting that "their melodies were pop destructive".
Personnel
Former members- Gary Burger: Lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, lead vocalist - Larry Clark (born Lawrence Spangler): OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, vocalist - Eddie Shaw: Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalist - Dave Day (born David Havlicek): BanjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
(initially rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), vocalist (died January 10, 2008) - Roger Johnston: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocalist (died November 8, 2004)
Albums
- Black Monk TimeBlack Monk Time-CD bonus tracks:Key* Rep. = 1994 Repertoire Records reissue* IZ = 1996 Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings reissue* Retr. = 2004 Retribution Records reissue...
(1966, Polydor) [LP]
- Reissues:
-
- Black Monk Time (1979, Polydor) [LP]
- Black Monk Time (1994, Repertoire RecordsRepertoire RecordsRepertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....
) [CD] - Black Monk Time (1997, Infinite Zero) [CD]
- Monk Time (2004, Retribution Records)
- Black Monk Time (2009, Universal Music Germany) [LP, CD]
- Black Monk Time (2009, Light in the Attic RecordsLight In The Attic RecordsLight In The Attic Records is an independent record label established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan, known for its roster of reissue projects, and for its distribution catalog. . As reissue label, Light In The Attic has re-released works by artists such as Betty Davis, Serge...
) [LP, CD]- 1965 demo releases:
- Five Upstart Americans (1999, Omplatten) [CD]
- Demo Tapes 1965 (2007, Play Loud! ProductionsPlay Loud! Productionsplay loud! productions is a Berlin-based film production company and film and music label, founded in 1997 in New York by filmmakers Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios...
) [LP, CD] - The Early Years 1964-1965 (2009) [LP, CD]
- Let's Start a Beat - Live From CavestompLet's Start a Beat - Live From CavestompLet's Start a Beat – Live from Cavestomp is a live album released by The Monks. It was recorded in 1999, 33 years after their only album Black Monk Time was released, and at their first-ever gig on home turf. Cavestomp is an annual event in New York City that reunites mid-sixties bands for a...
(2000, Cavestomp Records) [CD]
-
- Reissues:
-
- ...let's start a beat! (2004, Munster Records) [CD]
-
Singles
- "There She WalksThere She Walks"There She Walks" is a single recorded in 1964 and released independently at live shows by The 5 Torquays, later to be known as the Monks. 500 copies were pressed and were sold by Larry Spangler, using the top of his organ to conduct business...
" b/w "Boys are Boys" (as The 5 Torquays) (1964, self published; reissued 2006, Munster Records) - "Complication" b/w "Oh, How To Do Now" (1966, Polydor; reissued 2009, Play Loud! Productions)
- "Cuckoo" b/w "I Can't Get Over You" (1966, Polydor)
- "Love Can Tame the WildLove Can Tame The Wild"Love Can Tame the Wild" is the second single by The Monks released after Black Monk Time. The B-side is "He Went Down to the Sea". It is a further move towards a more pop-oriented sound. Dave Day had by this point abandoned the banjo for rhythm guitar....
" b/w "He Went Down To The Sea" (1967, Polydor) - "Pretty SuzannePretty Suzanne"Pretty Suzanne" is a single by Monks released over 40 years after it was recorded. The B-side is "Monk Time".-Song History:The Song originated as a "time consumer" instrumental called "Paradox" composed by Eddie Shaw and Dave Day. The Monks' managers took notice and pushed them to take to a...
" b/w "Monk Time" (2009, Red Lounge Records)
Tributes
- Silver Monk TimeSilver monk timeSilver Monk Time is both a tribute record to the German-American beat band The Monks and the soundtrack to the award winning film Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback. The record was produced and compiled by the filmmakers Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios. It was released in October 2006. The official...
- a tribute to the monks (2006, Play Loud! Productions) - "Monk Time" b/w "Higgle-dy Piggle-dy" (2006, Play Loud! Producitons) - a single from the above album
- "Drunken MariaDrunken Maria"Drunken Maria" is a single by Gossip with a B-side, "Monk Chant" by The Raincoats, both tracks were taken from the double CD Silver Monk Time - a tribute to The Monks...
" b/w "Monk Chant" (2009, Play Loud! Producitons) - a single from the above album
Film
- Lucia PalaciosLucia PalaciosLucía Palacios is a film director, producer and owner of a film and music label.- Biography :Lucía Palacios studied Cinema Studies at Complutense University in Madrid. In 1995 she obtained her master's degree. Between 1996–2003 she lived and worked in New York. It was in New York where she worked...
& Dietmar PostDietmar PostDietmar Post is a film director, producer and owner of a film and music label.- Biography :Dietmar Post worked as an off set printer before studying Theatre and Film Studies and Spanish Language at Free University in Berlin and at Complutense University in Madrid. In 1995 he obtained his master's...
(2006) Monks: The Transatlantic FeedbackMonks: The Transatlantic FeedbackMonks: The Transatlantic Feedback is a 2006 film directed by Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios about the seminal German-American beat band The Monks. The film was produced by Play Loud! Productions and shot on location in the USA and Germany between 1997 and 2002...
Play Loud! ProductionsPlay Loud! Productionsplay loud! productions is a Berlin-based film production company and film and music label, founded in 1997 in New York by filmmakers Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios... - Monks' "I Hate You" is featured in the soundtrack of The Big LebowskiThe Big LebowskiThe Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
during the "World of Pain" scene.
External links
- The Monks Official Website
- Monks article on Cult Cargo
- "American GIs, Shaved Heads and Cold War Music History" Spiegel-International, February 7, 2007
- Back to Monk Time Retrieved May 2, 2011
- Powerade ad (2000) featuring Monk Time