| Nosferatu Snafu: The Worst Band in America An Illustrated History Nosferatu Snafu plagued the Earth in its first incarnation as the Insaniacs, a hapless bedroom (not garage!) band formed in 1990 by Chuck Brady and the brothers Joshua and Jeromy Henry. Chuck, then twelve years old, had been making lo-fi tapes with friend Brandon Wallace under assorted noms-de-noise (Loco Anglos, B.Q. Stumblebum and the Serious Hyenas, Electric Windows) for several months. Hearing one of these tapes played for him by Chuck, Joshua decided "Hell, I can do that." Thus the Insaniacs- then consisting of only Joshua and Jeromy- were born. The first Insaniacs tape ('Mahatma'), full of carnival sound effects, speeded-up kiddie records over Indian raga music, kicked buckets, and rapping about Mozart and Marie Antoinette was their entry in a contest with Chuck (as B.Q. Stumblebum) to see who could produce the best album. Their fellow students decided the Insaniacs won for quality, and B.Q. Stumblebum for originality. Not long afterwards, forces were joined under the name the Insaniacs. For the next few years the Insaniacs dedicated themselves to making recordings. Starting out with toy synths, malfunctioning organs, coffee cans, rakes, chairs, and other noisemakers, they eventually graduated to three-chord acoustic guitar and drum machine, still with a heavy emphasis on synthesizers. Chuck wrote lyrics and shouted, screamed, and wailed in a sing-song as Joshua and Jeromy improvised music into a cheap tape recorder. In this manner the albums 'Flowers of Southern Womanhood' and the slightly-more-disciplined 'The Last Fall of Autumn' found their illegitimate way into the world. The Insaniacs enjoyed a spotty career and limited popularity in their hometown of Monett, MO. Joshua and Chuck performed once at the Monett High School talent show in 1992, Joshua's senior year, up against metal bands playing covers of Metallica and Nirvana songs. Copies of Insaniacs tapes were sold in small handfuls to friends. An informal fan club, the Young Priesthood, was formed by Insaniacs enthusiasts. The last Insaniacs album was released to fans in 1993 under the title 'Harmonica Repeats Itself'. In 1995, after a year or two of sporadic jamming, the Insaniacs reformed as the bass-and-synth heavy Nosferatu Snafu for the purpose of entering SPIN magazine's second Worst Band in America contest. 'Puke and Screech' was recorded in two days. Along with the Insaniacs' back catalogue and tapes of shelved material, a total of nine tapes was sent in to SPIN. Reportedly, Nosferatu Snafu won the contest on, if nothing else, the strength of sheer numbers. After an article announcing the winners appeared in Spin's March 1996 issue, other media coverage quickly followed. Together and separately the band members took part in radio interviews featuring airplay of Nosferatu songs, and did interviews with local, national, and international print media. During their fifteen minutes of fame the band members were portrayed as everything from vacant slacker punks to creative musicians with a unique viewpoint. Nosferatu Snafu were invited to play at the Grind (a coffeeshop/venue then open in Joplin, MO) and quickly began putting together a set list of their songs about cats from space, vampire girls and the madmen who love them, electric toilets, and the breakup of Abba. Nosferatu Snafu performed twice at the Grind in 1996, and also played dates at Springfield's Magic Bean and Monett's Stadium Club that summer. Nosferatu Snafu has ceased to exist as a formal corporate entity, partially due, perhaps, to poverty- SPIN never paid out the $500 in promised prize money. The members still pursue music individually, however. Don't bet against a resurrection... |
|
