COSMIC

Rip It Up, Issue 183, 1 October 1992, Page 4

COSMIC

The Cosmic Pyschos, aka Australia's "grandaddy's of grunge", are one of that nation's best kept musical secrets, at least to us. Somehow their albums ended up firm party favourites with the likes of Mudhoney and Nirvana in the mid-80s. This resulted in SubPop telephoning the Psychos to say 'please could they release their next project?' The Oz punk rock heroes have since toured Europe four times and the States three times. Meanwhile we've been unable to buy their records here, even though the Cosmic Psychos are righteous inheritors of the great Oz punk rock tradition that spawned Radio Birdman, the Saints and AC/ DC. Alongside the Stooges, these groups are the Cosmic Psycho's vital influences, resulting in fluent and fequently funny punk rock embellished with huge amounts of wah-wah guitar (Ron Asheton was a big influence on the band's first guitarist). Talking to drummer Bill Walsh over the line in Melbourne, I tell him how impressed I am by the simple lyrical approach of such Psycho classics as 'David Lee Roth' which manages to rhyme "long

golden locks" with "20 inch cock" and "big nose" with "panty-hose". "Yeah,” replies Bill, sheepish but proud, "that's because of our limited vocabulary," Come on Bill, I happen to know you've got a degree in sociology. "Oh do you now!" Yes I do. "But you won't hold that against me." I certainly won't. The Cosmic Psychos are unsung heroes of Oz punk rock and roll. "There was always a lot of opposition to the band here industry-wise,"reveals Bill, "which is not really prevalent anymore, we're a lot more accepted, largely due to the success we've had overseas. In the early days people thought we were stupid because we weren't obviously rock stars and at the time it felt like our music was going a little bit against the grain of a lot of the independent music that was around. We were fairly uncool and unhip." Not anymore. Butch Vig himself only charged the band for studio time and tape when he produced their latest album Blokes You Can Trust. And a mutual admiration society has sprung up between the Cosmic Psychos and L 7, with the Psychos recording a cover of L7's 'Shove' and L 7 returning the compliment with their version of 'Lost Cause'. Bill agrees that more people have wised up to the Cosmic Psychos in the wake of the American rock revival. "I think there's a definite rock revival going on and was even before Nirvana had their success with Nevermind. In a sense we're really connected to bands like Nirvana and Mudhoney and L 7 just because we probably listened to a lot of the same music. I know all those bands were big fans of AC/ DC and liked the Saints and Radio Birdman and all that punk stuff of the late 70s, early 80s." And before that, the Stooges. "We were big fans because of the rawness and the roughness and the energy and I guess if I was asked how to describe the good things about our music they're three things I would hope we have." So tell me, is there any romance blooming between you boys and L 7? "Oh, could be! There's a story in the press over here that there's going to be a secret wedding between one of the Cosmic Psychos and L 7 but I'm not giving anything away." The Cosmic Psychos play the Gluepot on November sth and the Boardwalk Bar on the 9th, plus Napier November 6th and Gisborne Nov 7th. Don't miss them.

DONNA YUZWALK