Ramblings of a Geek: Evil Music I Enjoy Part 3: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

My Life w/the Thrill Kill Kult

Brief History

Way back in the 80s when industrial was really starting to come into its own Frank Nardiello, a friend and sometimes collaborator with Ministry's Al Jourgenson Daley in attempts to make an art and noise film entitled Hammerhead Housewife and the Thrill Kill , hooked up with one MarstonKult. The band got as far as a three track EP which was released by electro-label Wax Trax! Entitled My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult it hit industrial clubs with its funky take on industrial dance music. Frank became Groovie Mann and Marston became Buzz McCoy and also gathered a ever changing line up of female singers known as the Bomb gang Girls. The two followed up with the full length I see Good Spirits, I See Bad Spirits.

Quickly becoming a fav on the industrial and college scene while getting attention from religious groups for their occult imagery(lots of dialogue samples from b-movies and news reports). They upped this controversy with their single Kooler Than Jesus on the EP of the same name. The band released one more before their gothic atmosphere and occult imagery moved to the background for their 1991 alternative hit Sexpolision! Spawning the pop single of Sex on Wheelz(if you've seen Cool World you know this song) the band took more into sleazy disco.

TKK, for short, experimented with sounds ranging from house to lunge to R&B to surf rock throught he course of several records. The band continues to be a popular underground act.

My Interest in TKK

Started with the Crow. There's a scene where the band was playing a more traditional industrial rock song that, when I got the soundtrack, I thought was catchy number. so much so I bought Hit & Run Holiday. Now, there were other TKK albums but being new and not having internet I didn't know what was what. Hit & Run Holiday had a old shcool movie inspired cover but I picked it because it simply had more songs on it and I was shocked to hear this surf rock instead of hard industrial rock. In spite of this, I fell in love with the catchy pop songs about cars, love, money and rebellion.

I then hopped around to their older more "gothic" works and what has become TKKs staple-sleazy dance music and I've always been into the grooves. The bass guitar just kicked ass and Groovie Manns lyrics are catchy yet not dumb. A mix of dark imagery with a playful tone. But above all else its the range. It's hearing this group do so many things that you wouldn't expect from a band like this.

Thrill Kill Kult is just one of those acts that's fun to listen to. Even at their darkest most of there songs have something tongue-in-cheek and humorous about them. Even Kooler Than Jesus which is a dancy track with random dialogue clips. It's basically clever pop music for alternative and goth fans.

Plus they can write some damn fine love songs.

Favorite Albums