Archive for David Wm. Sims

Wildest Concert Ever: mr.phylzzz Drummer Will Never Forget David Yow Pulling Out His Dong at Jesus Lizard Gig

Posted in Concert Reviews, Essays, Interviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , on 08/21/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

(This recollection of a classic Jesus Lizard concert is brought to you by Danny Sein, drummer for self-described trashy grunge band mr.phylzzz from Chicago.)

The most unforgettable show I ever attended featured the Jesus Lizard performing at the Metro in Chicago on December 9, 2017.

There’s a reason I have a tattoo. The Jesus Lizard has been a consistent band in the soundtrack of my life from the time I first heard them at 18. I didn’t like their music when I first heard it, but like most things I end up obsessing over, it grew on me with a few oddly persistent listens. I went [to the show] with my buddies Allen and Donny. I was 22.

When Allen came to pick us up, he was already blasting Goat at a deafening volume. It was frigid and snowing on the drive from Grand Rapids to Chicago, and the highway was icy with a heap of snow already on the ground. We hit 131 South and “Mouth Breather” started. Likely because of the song, Allen had a bit of a lead foot in the Crown Vic, so we fishtailed into a ditch. Donny and I pushed it back up onto the highway. We were up to our calves in snow. As soon as Allen resumed driving, he said, “Where were we?” And he started “Mouth Breather” over again from the beginning.

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Favorite Films: Martin Atkins (Ministry, Pigface) ‘Bedazzles’ Us by Picking a Comedy With Dudley Moore, Peter Cook

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , on 06/20/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

If you want to get properly schooled in the history of post-punk and industrial music – and the music industry machinery that has both helped and harmed it over the decades – don’t read a music blog or turn to some know-it-all bottom-feeding on social media for information. Instead, seek out a revered guru like Martin Atkins, he of Pigface, Ministry, Killing Joke, Public Image Ltd and Nine Inch Nails note.

Atkins is a prolific author of books concerning the music industry; the studies coordinator on the very subject at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois; and owner and operator of the Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music in Chicago. If you’re more inclined to enjoy Atkins making music instead of reading his tomes, look no further than The Howler: An English Breakfast, a record he issued on vinyl for the first time about three weeks ago.

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The Jesus Lizard’s 103 Songs, Ranked From the G.O.A.T. to the … Just Don’t

Posted in Lists, Reviews with tags , , , , on 07/27/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Because I said so. Order never subject to change.

1. “Gladiator”

2. “Destroy Before Reading”

3. “Monkey Trick”

4. “Boilermaker”

5. “Dancing Naked Ladies”

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Scratch Acid’s ‘Box Set/Scratch Acid/Berserker’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , on 07/07/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Touch and Go Records went to the trouble of assembling a Scratch Acid vinyl box set to the tune of $160—as well as individual reissues of their EPs for those in search of a more affordable option. Read my thoughts on Box Set/Scratch Acid/Berserker via Treble.