Killdozer (band)

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Killdozer
Cover of Intellectuals are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite
Origin	Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Country	United States
Years active	1983 - 1996
Genres	Noise rock
Labels	Touch and Go Records
Members	Michael Gerald Bill Hobson Dan Hobson
Past members	Paul Zagoras Jeff Ditzenberger Tom Hazelmyer Eric Tunison

Killdozer was the name of a band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1983, with members Bill Hobson, Dan Hobson and Michael Gerald. They took their name from the 1974 TV movie, directed by Jerry London, itself based on a Theodore Sturgeon short story. They released their first album, Intellectuals are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite, in the same year. The band split in 1990 but reformed in 1993, losing Bill Hobson and gaining Paul Zagoras, and continued until they split up in 1996. Their farewell tour was officially titled "Fuck You, We Quit!". The band released 9 albums, including a post-breakup live CD, The Last Waltz, released in 1997.

Killdozer was a one-of-a-kind band, notable for its unusual song structures, and its humorous but dead-pan lyrics growled (with dead-serious earnestness) by singer Michael Gerald at the top of his lungs. Many of the lyrics dealt with disturbing narratives from small-town USA or had a jaded, left wing political content. The band also became famous for its uproarious cover songs, a memorable example being Don McLean's "American Pie". A version exists on their 1989 all-covers album For Ladies Only.

Gerald also did a memorable cover of Jessi Colter's "I'm Not Lisa" for the band's 1986 EP Burl, dedicated "in loving memory of" the still-living-at-the-time Burl Ives. The EP in its entirety can be found on the CD version of their 1994 album Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Killdozer is regarded by many to have set the foundation for grunge music, in spite of that genre's association with the city of Seattle (but the association between Seattle and Killdozer is loose, and rather questionable). The band were stalwarts of Touch and Go Records during its legendary 1980s phase and they often toured with or played alongside stablemates such as Scratch Acid and Big Black. Steve Albini, who recorded Killdozer's 1995 album God Hears Pleas of the Innocent, has on many occasions cited Killdozer as a band who reach his exacting standards.

Killdozer played with all original members at Touch and Go Records' 25th anniversary celebration in Chicago, Illinois on September 9, 2006.[1] To promote the event, flyers declared "Fuck You, We Reunite!", harkening back to the name of their farewell tour ("Fuck You, We Quit!). Dan Hobson remains active in the Madison, WI music scene, playing in several bands including Cement Pond with Timothy Beach Sullivan and Stephen G. Burke on guitar and vocals, and Gordon Ranney on bass and vocals. The group has released one full length album entitled "Vanilla Guerilla" on the independent Corperate Hell Inc. record label in 2005. Micheal Gerald is a lawyer in Los Angeles, CA. Bill Hobson is a grip in Los Angeles, CA.