Dayglo Abortions
The
Dayglo Abortions are a punk rock band from
Victoria, British Columbia, whose style combines elements of
punk,
heavy metal and
alternative rock. Their lyrics are informed by a complete disregard for societal norms. They formed in
1979 and released their first album in
1981.
Legal Trouble
In
1988, an
Ottawa, Ontario police officer instigated a criminal investigation of the Dayglos after his daughter brought home a copy of
Here Today, Guano Tomorrow.
Two albums featured in the resulting trial; the covers and the lyrical content being showcased by the prosecuton.
Here Today, Guano Tomorrow had a cover showing a picture of a hamster eating from a box of chocolates on nice satin sheets, along with a glass of wine. A gun points at the hamster, and the back cover shows a depiction of carnage resulting from pulling the trigger.
The previous album,
Feed Us A Fetus, was perhaps a little less graphic, with a depiction of a baked fetus on the table in front of
Ronald and
Nancy Reagan.
This resulted in the criminal prosecution of
Fringe Product, their label at the time, for distribution and possession with intent to distribute of
obscene material—the first such prosecution since the offense entered the criminal code in
1959. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
The Dayglos had musical revenge in the title song of their next album,
Two Dogs Fucking - Deux Chien Fourrent, in which the priggishness of Ottawa's public officials leads directly to the extinction of the human race.
Politics
On occasion, Dayglo albums having included political aspects,
Holy Shiite is no exception with song titles such as "America Eats Her Young", "Christina Bin Laden", "Scientology", and "Where's Bin Laden?".
Current
*"Jesus Bonehead",
drums – 1979-present
*"The Cretin" (Murray Acton),
guitar and vocals – 1979-present
*"Gymbo Jak", vocals
*"Willy Jak", bass
Former
*"Nev", guitar
*"Gretzky", guitar, left in 1986
*"Squid", guitar and songwriter
*"Spud",
bass and vocals
*"Anus", guitar and songwriter
Out of the Womb (1981)
Feed Us A Fetus (1986)
Here Today, Guano Tomorrow (1987)
Two Dogs Fucking - Deux Chiens Fourrent (1991)
Little Man In The Canoe (1995)
Corporate Whores (1996)
Stupid World, Stupid Songs (1998)
Death Race 2000 (1999)
Holy Shiite (2005)
*
List of bands from Canada*
Band home page*
All Music Guide*
Dayglo Abortions Lyrics*
Album Reviews by Mark Prindle
