DRUNK DRIVING // DRUNK DRIVING CD

This is a reissue CD released by DRUNK DRIVING, a hardcore blues band based in New York, USA in the early 1980s, on Slug Tapes, a label run by Tokyo noise artist Scum, in April 2024.

Contains 6 Lo-Fi hardcore blues songs.

Below are explanations by Joe Truck (The Black Scorpio Underground) and Fumio Kosakai (Incapacitants).

"The underground scene in New York in the early 1980s was crazy.
The New York scene at the time was a tiny underground mix of scum, punk, and hardcore. At the time, I was in a band called CHOP SHOP, and we collaborated with bands like SCRATCH ACID, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, and SONIC YOUTH.
That's where I discovered DRUNK DRIVING.
They were very intense on stage, and although their performance was very rough, it was really intense.
Peter Missing was a great frontman.
If I had to compare their live performance, it was a fusion of hardcore, punk, and blues, very similar to PUSSY GALORE. The music was very loud, but the performance was focused. Although part of the punk scene, their appearance was similar to RAT AT RAT R and HI SHERIFFS OF BLUE, where Glenn Branca was.
At times, there were performances that were almost NO WAVE. There was a lot of interaction with the audience, and it had a "squatter punk" atmosphere.
However, within the framework of outsider/experimental rock, they were more aggressive than anyone else.
The closest sound at that time would be SWANS and RAT AT RAT R.
Neither of them were popular at all at the time.
DRUNK DRIVING was truly underground. And he was very much an outsider. -Joe Truck (The Black Scorpio Underground)

"We've received something incredibly dangerous at the beginning of 2024! Peter Missing, the leader of the legendary New York hyper-industrial band Missing Foundation, was previously a member of Drunk, a band formed in 1980 and disbanded in 83. This is a reprint of Driving's only recording released in 1983 on cassette.
Speaking of Peter, I have to start by talking about the Missing Foundation. The Missing Foundation was formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1984. At that time, members of KMFDM were also included, but Peter returned to New York the following year in 85, reorganized the band, and released their first album in 87. The following songs, ``1 Your House Is Mine'' (1933) and ``Demise'' (88), have unique sounds such as the rhythm and reverb that are distorted as the rock beat and metal junk and noise melt and flow out. The music derived from this process astounded listeners and received high praise, but it was their extremely radical live performances that spread their "notoriety". They play a mass of noise by banging on metal junk such as drums, tearing up raw onions, vomiting them, and throwing them into the audience. The performance, which seemed to incite hatred, was more like a street performance than a band's live performance, with the band setting themselves on fire and jumping into the audience seats amidst a lot of yelling and noise, and even getting into serious fights with the rebels. It reminded me of the scene of the riot. Because of this, he was banned from several venues including CBGB. Of course, at this point, performance methods such as playing metal junk on stage and destroying the stage were being adopted by bands such as Berlin's Einstolzende Neubauten of the same era and SPK, who moved to England from Australia, and the Missing・Foundation is not an exclusive patent. However, what made them different from Neubauten and others was that their performance was not just a representation on stage, but an attempt to connect the actual street and performance. They painted the famous squid logo (well, only people around them call it that; it's actually an overturned cocktail glass, and it's called "Party's over") all over New York City, and do various things. Develop activities such as announcing statements. In the end, he became the subject of a police investigation on suspicion of being involved in inciting an actual riot.His expression policy, which goes beyond the stage and involves viewers in the very real street scene, has gained a lot of support. Obtained. I went to New York in 89 as a member of a noise band called CCCC, and I saw this ``Party's over'' logo all over the city, and I also saw this ``Party's over'' logo on the streets of a back town that looked like ruins late at night. I once had an older brother call out to me, ``Hey, Big Guy!'' and this experience made me realize that there was a lack of reality in their expressions. As expected, their performances in recent years have become more organized than before, as seen on video sites, but it seems that their desire to express their raw impulses remains undiminished.
The introduction has become long. The members of this recording are Peter on vocals, Chris Egan, who is also the drummer of the Missing Foundation, Tama on bass, vocals, and Jeff Holliday on guitar. In the early days of the band, Bob Bart, famous for his time with Sonic Youth and Pussy Galore, participated as a drummer. This is a collection of faces that can truly be seen as an expression of the dark connections of the New York underground. So, is the sound source of Drunk Driving, the predecessor band of the Missing Foundation, only valuable as basic material and historical material? Absolutely no! As a rock band, the solid sound produced by the simple formation of four members is very attractive in itself. The drums sound like a blunt ax hitting a log, the guitar and bass repeat heavy riffs instead of showing off flashy phrases, and Peter's vocals aren't high pitched, but they stir up emotion. The music produced by the ensemble, with some noise, is extremely heavy and sounds as if it drags the listener's hearing. The fragments of melancholic melody that are suddenly inserted into the gap stir emotions. Some may see them as being in the context of ``No Wave,'' an avant-rock style that also feels like the pedigree of the omnibus album ``No New York'' (released in 4). However, while the No Wave group aimed to transform the senses into high density through acceleration, Drunk Driving, on the contrary, aimed to go outside the framework of rock and transform the senses by slowing down the performance. I think there are differences. Rather, I think they shared that direction with their contemporaries Sonic Youth (formed in 4) and Swans (formed in 78). It's not about who influenced or imitated who, but it was the New York underground of this time that was occurring all at the same time from various places. And it can be said that the music of Drunk Driving that can be heard here has sufficient originality compared to those artists. However, while other bands later aimed to innovate in their own music, the paths of The Missing Foundation diverged in that they aimed to make music and activities that were directly committed to society. Maybe. However, it is easy to surmise that without the strong sound and beat that they cultivated through Drunk Driving, they would not have been able to give Missing Foundation's music a sense of reality.
Well, that's all for my detailed message. It doesn't matter. And while you're at it, shut out the history of the New York Underground and just listen to Drunk Driving at full volume. I'm sure there will be a riot in your brain. There's a Riot Goin' On! -Kosakai Fumio (Incapacitants)

The following is a comment by member Peter Missing (Missing Foundation).

"To all the creative listeners in Japan.
A special thank you for supporting our music.
I am very happy to be able to release my first recording on CD.
Check out Humanity Records and SLUG TAPES for their love of noise, politics, and music. "

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CD in digipack. Edition of 500. 

tracklist:

1. Warsaw Jack
2. Laughing Killer*
3. Hero of Our Time
4. Into Light
5.Animal Lover
6. Jah Blah Blah

Accompanying text:

"DRUNK DRIVING is a group with the core membership of the frontman of the legendary junk noise band Missing Foundation, Peter Missing, one of the original drummers, Chris Egan, and Bob Bert from Sonic Youth/Pussy Galore. This band was previously active before Missing Foundation and also formed the basis of the mentioned group during this time. This is the world's first CD reissue of the mythical, one and only cassette tape released in 1983."

Artist: DRUNK DRIVING

Label: Slug Tapes