Ever since a few friends initially began talking about this band called The Black Lips late last year I found myself slightly turned off, but for reasons I couldn’t really explain at the time. The group’s name lead me to believe they were some sort of raunchy punk outfit, and as fable of the band’s live show began to overshadow their music I found myself further drawn back. But this year I took it upon myself to give the group a fair shake, listening to the band’s newly released material and following their tour of Israel.

And in doing so I found that I was wrong about the band the whole time, and my friends were right. For reasons I cannot explain I overlooked the group’s recent show in Minneapolis until it was too late but thankfully a friend of mine was able to attend and take note of the event. As Jon Behm recalls, “After playing for at least a solid hour, drummer Joe Bradley abruptly picked up his cymbals and walked off the stage, followed by the rest of the band. No encore was played. As abruptly as they entered our lives, The Black Lips were gone, and we wandered out of the bar with ears ringing. We were all noticeably urine-free, which was a mixed blessing, depending on how you look at it. While it wasn’t the mind blowing blood and guts show that I was hoping it would be, the Black Lips did have the kind of intensity that I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing again. After I get my hearing back.”

And while the band’s recent set on Spinner’s The Interface, too, neglects to deliver the group’s outrageous stage show, the follow up interview is one of the most hilarious videos I’ve seen in quite some time.

The Black Lips “How Do You Tell A Child Someone Has Died?”
The Black Lips “Bad Kids”
The Black Lips “Lock & Key”

The Black Lips – Spinner’s The Interface

Black Lips: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Subscribe to Culture Bully Here

Also: (Black Lips “It Feels Alright” Video) (Black Lips @ 7th St. Entry) (VBS: Black Lips in Israel) (Black Lips “Katrina” Video)