The Fugs Biography
Formed in 1964 in the USA, the Fugs combined the bohemian poetry of New York's Lower East Side with an engaging musical naïvety and the shock tactic of outrage. Writers Ed Sanders (17 August 1939, Kansas City, Missouri, USA), Tuli Kupferberg (b. 28 September 1922, USA, although other dates have been claimed) and Ken Weaver made their recording debut on the Folkways Records subsidiary Broadside, which viewed the unit's work as "ballads of contemporary protest". The set included poetry by William Blake alongside the irreverent Weaver offerings "Slum Goddess" and "I Couldn't Get High", while the original trio was supported by several musicians, including Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber from fellow cultural dissidents the Holy Modal Rounders. The Fugs subsequently signed a new recording contract with ESP Records, a notorious outlet for the avant garde. A projected second collection was withheld when the company deemed it "too obscene", and a feverish rock album, entitled The Fugs, was issued instead. This excellent collection featured Kupferberg's satirical "Kill For Peace" and the almost lyrical "Morning, Morning". The disputed second album was then released as Virgin Fugs, with the track line-up featuring the classic Kupferberg songs "CIA Man" and "Coca Cola Douche".
In 1967 the Fugs switched outlets to Atlantic Records, but after finishing an album were unceremoniously dumped by the label. After relocating to Reprise Records the band was shot back into the media spotlight in October 1967 when Sanders and Kupferberg performed an exorcism of the Pentagon during a peace march in Washington, DC. Although Tenderness Junction featured a more proficient backing group, including Danny Kootch (guitar) and Charles Larkey (bass), the subject matter - hippie-politics and sex - remained as before. It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest, released the following year, was another idiomatic record, but subsequent releases undermined the balance between literary and carnal pursuits, erring in favour of the latter. The Fugs disbanded to avoid the dangers of self-parody, and also because they were worn out by constant harassment from the police and the FBI. Ed Sanders continued his musical pursuits with two country-influenced selections and in 1971 published an acclaimed book, The Family, about the hippie-cult leader Charles Manson. He also wrote several books of poetry and short stories during this period, and branched out into inventing and constructing musical instruments. Kupferberg continued to perform with his group Revolting Theater but became better known for his work as a political cartoonist. Ken Weaver, meanwhile, returned to college and also published a book, Texas Crude. Sanders and Kupferberg resumed live work as the Fugs in 1984, joined by Steve Taylor (guitar/vocals), Coby Batty (percussion) and Mark Kramer (bass). With the replacement of the latter by multi-instrumentalist Scott Petito, this line-up continued to perform and record throughout the rest of the decade and beyond. Contemporary releases, issued through the French New Rose and Danish Olufsen labels, invoked a world-consciousness portrayed in the unit's earlier political work, and they retained the same idealistic optimism. During the 90s Sanders and Kupferberg retrieved the rights to their ESP recordings. The material was then licensed to Ace Records on the recommendation of the Grateful Dead. Subsequent repackages were augmented by archive photographs and previously unissued recordings. Sanders and Kupferberg were incensed by the overt commercialism behind plans for an anniversary Woodstock Festival in 1994, and set up their own rival event tagged the "Real Woodstock Festival'. The results were issued on a double CD in 1995, but the duo's satire and humour was now sounding dated. Nevertheless they continued to balance outside pursuits (Sanders" ongoing literary career and Kupferberg's work as a political cartoonist) with an admirable commitment to the Fugs. The 2003 release The Fugs Final CD (Part 1) was warmly received by the American media, with the band's mix of idealism and satirical humour providing a beacon of hope in uncertain times.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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