WHIPPING BOY

This one's tricky for a number of embarrassing reasons.  So let's be upfront.  Reason # 1 is that Whipping
Boy's from Palo Alto, CA, about 5 miles from where I've lived most of my life.  Reason # 2 is that I used to see Whipping Boy's albums in the stacks all the time but never bought them.  Reason # 3 is I used to know a guy who played with them for a time, but Reason # 4 is, despite all these facts, I never saw them live, never listened to their records, never actually heard Whipping Boy's music until a week ago!

Okay, I've admitted it.  Maybe Eugene Robinson should come over and punch me out.  Maybe I deserve it. Maybe he will anyway if he reads this.  I apologize, Eugene, for not taking the time to listen to you back when.

(Oh I should say, I knew Eugene's rep as a performer, and once heard a wild interview with him on KFJC, shortly before the end of Whipping Boy's run).

So, anyway, Reason # 5 that this is a tricky entry is, I don't have a lot of profound things to say about Whipping Boy, a band I should know/have known better.  But I will say that after listening to their albums and seeing a tiny bit of footage of a Whipping Boy performance, they were a good band.  A tough rock band that could play hardcore as well as anyone (think Black Flag as strongest resemblance) but could also stake out their own territory on Stooges/Velvets/Flag-influenced rock on songs like "Hero" (complete with Bo Diddley beat), "Revelations", "Breedo" and "Cracked Mirror", among others.  After their first album they largely left hardcore behind, merging into a unique sound that merged punk rawness with metal attack, psychedelic and even industrial influences.  They became something genuinely unique.

Frontman Eugene Robinson was the clear focal point.  I'm tempted to compare him to Henry Rollins, but despite sharing a fair amount of territory, Eugene was/is his own man.  He's an artist in his own right, and worth knowing about.

Whipping Boy faded late decade, and Eugene moved on to Oxbow, an interesting evolution from Whipping Boy who I'm just learning about now (maybe they'll get an entry someday).  I can only say now I'm truly sorry I missed the boat back in the day.

Whipping Boy Wiki
Interview with Eugene Robinson
Eugene Robinson Official Site
Oxbow Official Site

Essential Listening

Subcreature - The Fucked Years 1981-1983 - includes the Sound Of No Hands Clapping album, demos, etc.
Muru Muru 
The Third Secret Of Fatima