My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult

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My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult (TKK) is an electronic industrial band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.

[edit] History

Thrill Kill Kult's name was the idea of Frankie Nardiello, who was touring with Ministry in 1986 as a lighting technician. Frankie wrote a few songs with Ministry frontman Alain Jourgensen, who was a previous bandmate of Nardiello's in an outfit called "Special Affect", and one of the songs was titled "Thrill Kill Kult". Soon after, Nardiello and friend Marston Daley began to conceive an art and noise movie called Hammerhead Housewife and the Thrill Kill Kult, chronicling their (supposedly) true-life adventures. The film was never completed, but the music they had recorded for its soundtrack appealed to Wax Trax! Records, who released the completed songs as a three-track EP.

Dubbing themselves Groovie Mann (Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Daley), they launched My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. When the first EP sold well, a full length album, "I See Good Spirits And I See Bad Spirits", followed in 1988. Both attracted attention from college radio stations and dancefloors, as well as religious groups who balked at the overtly occult imagery in both the music and the artwork of the releases. The group continued to stoke controversy with each subsequent release, which included a remix EP entitled "Nervous Xians", and they gained even more popularity with release of the 12-inch single "Kooler Than Jesus".

Thrill Kill Kult's second album, "Confessions of a Knife", became one of the best-selling releases on Wax Trax!, and continued to goad parental groups with song titles like "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" and "Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness".

Along with labelmates Ministry and Front 242, Thrill Kill Kult helped develop the industrial music genre, but they themselves continued to evolve, creating a sound that wasn't easily identified or categorized. It was electronic club music with heavy beats, reminiscent of both disco and funk, yet amplified to a sometimes abrasive level. Whereas previous dance music tended to be giddy and happy, Thrill Kill Kult reflected a shift where dance records could be ominous and aggressive, and they laced their music with riffs and references that would seem more at home in a heavy metal group. Contemporaries were doing similar things with their music, but Thrill Kill Kult also maintained a sense of humor about it, too, and one of their most distinctive characteristics is their rampant use of spoken-word samples lifted from B-movies and other sources.

At the onset of their career, the band's music was known as having a "Satanic" theme, but it's worth noting that none of the songs ever had anything overt about Satanism or devil worship, although blasphemous images were often a part of their lyrics and artwork. For instance, the aforementioned song "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" would seem to suggest otherwise, but in reality it was simply the title of a pulp mystery novel written by Joan Fleming, spotted by Nardiello on a bookshelf.[1]

The occult element of the band has moved to the background in recent years, as they have focused more on their sleazy disco sound. The 1991 album Sexplosion! marked TKK's leap toward more psychedelic house beats and their later grind house lounge sound. Later albums expanded on these sounds and explored new directions as well, such as the 1995 Interscope release Hit & Run Holiday, which combined the Kult's signature electronic sound with a psychedelic surf rock/go go theme reminiscent of 60s garage rock and more modern acts like The B-52's.

[edit] Live shows

Nardiello and Daley recruited Thomas Thorn (aka Buck Ryder) to play keyboards and administer samples on the band's first tour. The live act also featured female backup singers referred to as "The Bomb Gang Girls", among the first of whom were Jackie Blaque, Rhonda Bond and Kitty Killdare.

Thomas Thorn soon departed amicably from the live act to form his own band, Electric Hellfire Club (which embraced the overtly Satanic themes My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult had only flirted with), although he would later lay claim to TKK's dark sound and allegedly make the statement "I took the 'kill' out of Thrill Kill Kult." Since the split was amicable, however, it is likely that Thorn's statements were not meant to be taken seriously.

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult kept adding a revolving cast of characters to their stage show that, over the years, has included Goth chanteuse Lydia Lunch, bassist Levi Levi, guitarist William Tucker, Chris "Curse" Mackey from the bands Evil Mothers and Grim Faeries, Lady Galore from Lords of Acid (who appeared in TKK as Cherrie Blue), and a great number of artists, sound technicians, musicians, and filmmakers. Creatively, however, the core of the band has always been Nardiello and Daley, both on record and in the live act.

The "Sexplosion!" tour in 1991 achieved a particularly notorious reputation. In addition to being interestingly staged, featuring an actual bar and bartender onstage with the band, the show also featured a male/female duo known as Ten and Avaluscious White, who appeared onstage dressed in a number of different guises. At one point, Ten was dressed as Jesus strapped to a cross and featuring a large black dildo between his legs, while Avaluscious White simulated oral sex on him. This caused controversy and protest in a number of American locations, adding to the band's notoriety.

[edit] Record labels

Thrill Kill Kult left Wax Trax! Records after their third album, Sexplosion!, surpassed Confessions to become the biggest seller on the imprint, and major label Interscope Records took notice. TKK signed to Interscope, which re-released Sexplosion! and garnered the band their most familiar alternative radio hit, "Sex On Wheelz". Their following two albums, 13 Above the Night and Hit & Run Holiday, were recorded for Interscope until they parted with the label in 1996. The band's subsequent album, A Crime For All Seasons, was released on Red Ant Records.

In 2001 the band's album The Reincarnation of Luna appeared on their own Sleazebox Records imprint, distributed by Invisible Records. The band released a companion piece to Luna called Golden Pillz: The Luna Remixes, as well as a live album called Elektrik Inferno. Rykodisc became the band's next and most current home after putting out the rarities compilation Dirty Little Secrets. Rykodisc eventually released My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult's entire back catalog, as well as a new "best-of" compilation, a remix album, and a long-unreleased project entitled Gay, Black & Married.

[edit] Thrill Kill Kult related projects

Frank Nardiello first appeared in a band called "Special Affect", which also featured Alain Jourgensen on guitar and Harry Rushakoff on drums. After the disintegration of Special Affect, Nardiello went to England to become the lead singer of a band called Drowning Craze. It was after returning to America that the idea for My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult came about. A more recent project called Darling Kandie originated in 1999 as a duo comprised of Nardiello and William Tucker. After Tucker's untimely death in 1999, Nardiello released their work as an EP titled People Next Door. In 2005, Nardiello regrouped Darling Kandie with a new lineup and is currently working on the follow-up to Darling Kandie's debut EP.

Marston Daley was the producer of a single in the mid-80s by a band called Rota, a cover of KISS's "Do You Love Me?". After the success of Thrill Kill Kult, in 1991 he worked with Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM on a band called Excessive Force. Also in 1991, Buzz appeared on the live Pigface album Welcome to Mexico, Asshole. Together with Ruth McArdle (aka Lady Galore) from Lords of Acid, he released a project in 2002 called Cherrie Blue. As Buzz McCoy, Daley has also remixed tracks for bands such as Radio Iodine, KMFDM, Evil Mothers, Pigface, Voodou, and Professional Murder Music.

[edit] Film music

The band's origin as an art film makes it ironic that they have appeared on a number of movie soundtracks, including Showgirls, Sliver, Cool World, BASEketball, Be Cool, Nowhere, and The Crow, in which the band also makes a cameo appearance.

[edit] Discography

[edit] My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult (1987 Wax Trax!)

  1. First Cut
  2. Shock of Point 6
  3. Resisting the Spirit

Note: This 12" was the band's first release (Wax039) before I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits. Side one is the track "First Cut", and is 45 RPM. Side two has "Shock of Point 6" and "Resisting the Spirit", and is 33 1/3 RPM.

[edit] I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits (1988 Wax Trax!)

  1. Heresy
  2. X-Communication
  3. Do You Fear (For Your Child)
  4. Easy Girl
  5. Universal Blackness
  6. And This is What the Devil Does
  7. These Remains
  8. On This Rack
  9. Gateway to Hell
  10. Scene One, Seen 'Em All

Note: This is TKK's debut album, and was released in 1988 (Wax 056), virtually simultaneous with another EP Some Have to Dance, Some Have to Kill (Wax 055). Their sound was initially an amalgam of heavy dance rhythms, horror film sampling, and quasi-Satanic imagery. Their early recordings were extremely popular in industrial dance clubs.

[edit] Kooler Than Jesus (1989 Wax Trax!)

  1. Kooler Than Jesus
  2. Devil Bunnies
  3. Nervous Xians
  4. The Devil Does Drugs
  5. First Cut
  6. Shock of Point 6
  7. Resisting the Spirit

Note: The original vinyl version of this album was an EP of only the first two tracks. The cassette and CD versions added the tracks from the first two releases My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult (Wax 039) and Some Have to Dance, Some Have to Kill (Wax 055) which had been vinyl only.

[edit] Confessions of a Knife (1990 Wax Trax!)

  1. A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (Acid and Flowers Mix)
  2. The Days of Swine and Roses
  3. Hand in Hand
  4. Waiting for Mommie
  5. Confessions of a Knife
  6. Ride the Mindway
  7. Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness
  8. Kooler Than Jesus (Electric Messiah Mix)
  9. Burning Dirt
  10. Confessions of a Knife (Remix)
  11. Do You Fear (The Inferno Express?)

Note: This album, released in 1990, brought the band some additional publicity due to the objection of Tipper Gore and the PMRC over the title of the first track "A Daisy Chain for Satan". This album became the number-three top seller on WaxTrax! upon its release.

[edit] Sexplosion! (1991 Wax Trax!)

  1. The International Sin Set
  2. Leathersex
  3. A Martini Built for 2
  4. Dream Baby
  5. Mood No. 6
  6. Sexplosion!
  7. Princess of the Queens
  8. Sex on Wheelz
  9. A Continental Touch
  10. Mystery Babylon
  11. Leathersex (Where's the Action? Mix)
  12. Sex on Wheelz (Freak Street Mix)
  13. Far Out 1

Note: The band released the EP, Kooler Than Jesus (Wax 9088) in 1989, along with the album Confessions of a Knife (Wax 7089) and the 12" single, "A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By a Make-Believe Lover (Cuz It's hot)" (Wax 9140) in 1990 for Wax Trax!. They released the title track off their next LP, Sexplosion! originally on Wax Trax!, followed by the LP. Interscope Records took notice of the album's notable sales on Wax Trax!, signed the band, and released Sexplosion! themselves a year later. The single "Sex on Wheelz", taken from the album, was a hit single on the alternative music charts, and was featured in the movie Cool World.

[edit] 13 Above the Night (1994 Interscope)

  1. The Velvet Edge
  2. Delicate Terror
  3. Badlife
  4. Dirty Little Secrets
  5. China de Sade
  6. Dimentia 66
  7. Final Blindness
  8. Blue Buddha
  9. Starmartyr
  10. Electrical Soul Wish
  11. 13 Above the Night
  12. Disko Fleshpot
  13. Savage Sexteen
  14. Blue Buddha (Master of the Ultraflesh Mix)
  15. Electrical Soul Wish (Miss Hate Mix)

[edit] Hit & Run Holiday (1995 Rykodisc)

  1. Hit & Run Holiday
  2. Glamour is a Rocky Road
  3. Portrait of the Damned
  4. Apollo 69
  5. Chemical Cop-Out
  6. Babylon Drifter
  7. Hottest Party in Town
  8. Golden Strip
  9. The Doris Love Club
  10. Mindcage
  11. Mr. Eleganza
  12. Universal Luxury
  13. Hot Blood Risin,
  14. Mission: Stardust
  15. The Last Ride Out

[edit] Crime for All Seasons (1997 Rykodisc)

  1. Fangs of Love
  2. Dope Doll Jungle
  3. Sexy Sucker
  4. Blondes with Lobotomy Eyes
  5. Lucifer's Flowers
  6. Yesterday's Void
  7. Feel the Bite
  8. The Twilight Web
  9. Mr. & Mrs. Bottomless Pit
  10. Blue Moon
  11. Sexy Sucker (Juicey Mix)

[edit] Some Have To Dance... Some Have To Kill (1997 Red Ant)

  1. Sexy Sucker
  2. The Devil Does Drugs
  3. A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By A Make-Believe Lover... 'Cuz It's Hot
  4. Kooler Than Jesus
  5. A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (Acid and Flowers Mix)
  6. Leathersex
  7. Sex on Wheelz (Danger Baby Mix)
  8. Final Blindness
  9. Blue Buddha (Ultra Flesh Mix)
  10. Glamour is a Rocky Road (Live Mix)
  11. Lucifer's Flowers

Note: This album is different from the earlier release of the same name. This version was sold primarily during the band's 1998 tour.

[edit] The Reincarnation of Luna (2001 Invisible)

  1. Radio Silicon
  2. The Untouchables Class
  3. Hour of Zero
  4. The Kult Konnection
  5. Girl Without a Planet
  6. Temptation Serenade
  7. Bettie
  8. Flesh Playhouse
  9. Heelz Afire
  10. Jungle of Love
  11. Asylum Disciple
  12. Theme de Luna

[edit] Diamonds & Daggerz (2004 Rykodisc)

  1. Dream 101
  2. Devil Rider
  3. Hot Rod Boys
  4. Mz Disco
  5. Sex Whip
  6. Out 4 the Kill
  7. Mondo Fever
  8. Flesh Star
  9. Young Tongue
  10. Evil Lover
  11. Dope Kult
  12. The End

[edit] Gay, Black & Married (2005 Rykodisc)

  1. Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me
  2. Euro-Freak Hustle
  3. Freaky Fever
  4. One Nite Stand
  5. Magic Boy, Magic Girl
  6. Foreign World
  7. Paradise Motel
  8. Fhantasi Luv’r
  9. Sci-Fi Affair
  10. Dream 13
  11. Freaky Fever (Radio Version)

[edit] Other releases

  • Some Have to Dance, Some Have to Kill EP (1988)
  • A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By a Make-Believe Lover (Cuz it's hot) EP (1990)
  • I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits (1993) (remastered)
  • Sexy Sucker CD Single (1997)
  • Dirty Little Secrets: Music To Strip By (1999)
  • Golden Pillz: Luna Remixes (2002)
  • Elektrik Inferno Live (2002)
  • My Life Remixed: A Remix Tribute to My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (2003)
  • The Be(a)st of TKK (2004)

[edit] Motion picture soundtracks

  • Cool World featured the songs "Sex on Wheelz" and "Her Sassy Kiss" (1992). The film itself contained three other Thrill Kill Kult songs: "The Devil Does Drugs", "Sedusa", and "Holli's Groove". The last two tracks remained unreleased until recently. "Holli's Groove" was retitled "Strippers Only" and featured on the TKK album Dirty Little Secrets. "Sedusa" was retitled "The Smash-Up" and appeared as a bonus track on a later compilation.
  • The Crow featured the exclusive song "After the Flesh" (1994), which is a re-working of the earlier TKK track "Nervous Xians".
  • The Flintstones (1994) featured a different version of the song "Hit & Run Holiday"
  • Showgirls (1995) featured two original songs, "Wasted Time" and "Someone New". The song "The Devil Does Drugs" also appears in the film, but not on the soundtrack album. Another track called "Seduction 23" was composed for the film, but swapped with "Wasted Time" near completion of the movie.

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Modern Rock
1991 "Sex on Wheelz" #17 Sexplosion!

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ A Daisy Chain For Satan Joan Fleming, 1969 Ballantine Books, ISBN 0345216555

[edit] External links

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