Jump to content

King Missile: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
mNo edit summary
m Infobox adjustment
 
(287 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American rock band}}
'''King Missile''' was a band led by John S. Hall. Began in [[1986]], broke up in [[1994]]. Consists of spoken/sung lyrics (I started out in poetry readings and open mike as a spoken word artist, then I went and got musicians to put music behind my work. - JSH) Known most for the song "Detachable Penis" also known for "Martin Scorsese" and "Let's have Sex"
{{About|the band|their eponymous album|King Missile (album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = King Missile<!-- Logo should not be added. See talk. -->
| image = King Missile at the New Hank's Saloon.jpg
| caption = King Missile performing in 2019
| background = group_or_band
| alias = King Missile (Dog Fly Religion), King Missile III, King Missile IV
| origin = [[New York City]], United States
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Art rock]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/king-missile-mn0000092303/biography | title=King Missile | publisher=[[Allmusic]] | access-date=November 11, 2014 | author=Huey, Steve}}</ref>
* [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]]
}}
| years_active = 1986–present
| label = [[Shimmy Disc|Shimmy]], [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], [[Instinct Records|Instinct]], Important, [[Needlejuice Records|Needlejuice]]
| spinoffs = [[Bongwater (band)|Bongwater]]<!--Former KM guitarist Dave Rick's former band--><br>[[Hypnolovewheel]]<!--Former KM drummer David Ramirez's former band-->|
| website = {{URL|kingmissile.com}}
| current_members = [[John S. Hall]]<br>[[Dogbowl]]<br>[[R. B. Korbet]]<br>Susan Hwang<br>Marlon Cherry
| past_members = Alex DeLaszlo<br>George O'Malley<br>[[Steve Dansiger]]<br>[[Charles Curtis (musician)|Charles Curtis]]<br>[[Dave Rick]]<br>[[Chris Xefos]]<br>David Ramirez<br>Roger Murdock<br>[[Jane Scarpantoni]]<br>Sasha Forte<br>[[Bradford Reed]]<br>[[Dan West (musician)|Dan West]]<br>[[Azalia Snail]]<br>Brent Cordero
}}


'''King Missile''' is an American [[avant-garde]] [[art rock]] [[band (music)|band]] best known for its 1992 humorous single "[[Detachable Penis]]". Vocalist [[John S. Hall]] has fronted several disparate incarnations of the group since founding it in 1986.
{{msg:stub}}

==History==

===King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)===
In [[1985 in music|1985]], writer [[John S. Hall]] began presenting his work at [[open mic]] [[poetry reading]]s. After three shows, Hall became a "featured" poet at the Backfence, a performance venue in [[Manhattan]]'s [[Greenwich Village, Manhattan|Greenwich Village]].<ref name="prindle">{{cite web
| last = Prindle
| first = Mark
| title = Interview with John S. Hall
| publisher = Prindle Rock and Roll Record Review Site
| year = 2003
| url = http://www.markprindle.com/hall-i.htm
| access-date = 2008-05-21 }}</ref> In [[1986 in music|1986]], feeling that "20 [[minute#Time|minutes]] of me reading poetry would be totally [[boredom|boring]]",<ref name="hall">Hall, John S. (2004). Album notes. In ''[[Mystical Shit & Fluting on the Hump]]'' [CD booklet]. [[New York City]]: Shimmy Disc.</ref> Hall asked his [[guitarist]] friend [[Dogbowl]] (Stephen Tunney) to augment his performances with original music.<ref name="prindle" /><ref name="hall" /> Dogbowl agreed, and with the addition of [[bassist]] Alex DeLaszlo, [[drummer]] [[R. B. Korbet]], and [[xylophone|xylophonist]] George O'Malley, King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) was born.

In 1987, the band went to the Noise New York [[recording studio|studio]] and in just ten hours recorded and mixed its debut album, ''[[Fluting on the Hump]].''<ref name="prindle" /> The [[record producer|producer]]/[[audio engineering|engineer]], [[Mark Kramer|Kramer]], released the album on his then-fledgling [[record label|label]], [[Shimmy Disc]].<ref name="prindle" /> The label sent the album to every [[college radio]] station that reported to ''[[College Media Journal]],'' and the album subsequently performed well on the [[College Music Journal#CMJ New Music Report|CMJ charts]].<ref name="prindle" />

In 1988, Hall and Dogbowl, along with [[cello|cellist]] [[Charles Curtis (musician)|Charles Curtis]] and new drummer [[Steve Dansiger]], recorded the second King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) album, the longer, more experimental, less "jokey"<ref name="prindle" /> ''[[They (album)|They]].'' Like its predecessor, the album was produced by Kramer and released on Shimmy Disc. According to Hall, "[the album] wasn't well received. Dogbowl was itching to make his own records, so we went our separate ways."<ref name="hall" /> Dogbowl went on to record [[Shimmy Disc discography|several albums for Shimmy Disc]].

In September 2023, Hall, Dogbowl, Korbet (now on bass), and DeLaszlo were joined by percussionists Susan Hwang and Marlon Cherry for a performance, at the City Winery Loft in New York City. The following year, Hall, Dogbowl, Korbet, Hwang, and Cherry began work on a new King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) album, to be released in 2025.

===King Missile===
After Dogbowl's departure, Hall asked [[Bongwater (band)|Bongwater]] guitarist [[Dave Rick]] to help him put together a new band.<ref name="prindle" /> Rick recruited [[multi-instrumentalist]] [[Chris Xefos]], and Hall retained Dansiger on drums.<ref name="prindle" /> Hall dubbed the new lineup King Missile, dropping the parenthetical "Dog Fly Religion" subtitle "since that was [Dogbowl's] idea."<ref name="hall" /> In late [[1989 in music|1989]] and early [[1990 in music|1990]], the band recorded the album ''[[Mystical Shit]],'' and in 1990 released it on Shimmy Disc.<ref name="prindle" /> On the strength of the [[single (music)|single]] "[[Jesus Was Way Cool]]", the album hit No.&nbsp;1 on the CMJ charts, and the band was signed by a [[Record label#Major versus independent record labels|major label]], [[Atlantic Records]].<ref name="prindle" /> This series of events led Hall to make a habit of [[joke|joking]], "'Jesus' got me signed to Atlantic Records."<ref name="hall" /> Around this time, King Missile was featured in the 1990 documentary [[Paul Devlin (filmmaker)|''CutTime'']], which chronicled the East Village music scene of the time.<ref>CutTime on DevlinPix</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.devlinpix.com/blog/2011-11-06/cuttime-king-missle-life-2-10 |title=CutTime - King Missile, "Life" (3 of 11) |publisher=DevlinPix |access-date=2013-02-22 |archive-date=2012-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404125259/http://www.devlinpix.com/blog/2011-11-06/cuttime-king-missle-life-2-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Another lineup change occurred before the recording of King Missile's major-label debut, as Dansiger left the band and was replaced on drums by [[Hypnolovewheel]] member David Ramirez. The subsequent album, ''[[The Way to Salvation]],'' was released on April 16, 1991, and reached No.&nbsp;2 on the CMJ charts.<ref name="prindle" /> Atlantic promoted the album with the release of a single, "[[My Heart Is a Flower]]", and accompanying [[music video|video]].

After Ramirez left the group and was replaced by yet another drummer, [[Roger Murdock (musician)|Roger Murdock]], the band recorded a cover of [[R.E.M.]]'s song "[[Get Up (R.E.M. song)|Get Up]]" for the album, ''[[Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M.]]'', released on June 22, 1992. This was followed by the band's second major-label album, ''[[Happy Hour (King Missile album)|Happy Hour]],'' released on December 15, 1992. The album debuted at No.&nbsp;1 on the CMJ charts,<ref name="prindle" /> and its accompanying first single, "[[Detachable Penis]]", became a modest [[hit single|hit]], reaching No.&nbsp;25 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Modern Rock Tracks|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart.<ref name="billboard">{{cite web
| title = King Missile Singles Peak Chart Positions
| publisher = [[Allmusic]]
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p13412|pure_url=yes}}
| access-date = 2008-05-21 }}</ref> Atlantic released videos for "Detachable Penis" and the subsequent singles "[[(Why Are We) Trapped?]]" and "[[Martin Scorsese (song)|Martin Scorsese]]", but neither follow-up single achieved the chart success of "Detachable Penis." According to Hall, the band realized that its hit [[song]] had drawn in many casual [[fan (person)|fans]] who didn't care about the rest of the group's material; thus, the band began to play the song "early in the [[concert|set]], so that the people who didn't like us could leave, and we could play for the people who cared. That worked out well. People did leave."<ref name="prindle" />

In 1993, the band contributed a song titled "Our Jungle" to the soundtrack of the film ''[[Surf Ninjas]]'' starring [[Ernie Reyes, Jr.]], [[Rob Schneider]], Nicolas Cowan and [[Leslie Nielsen]].

The band's third and final album for Atlantic was the eponymous ''[[King Missile (album)|King Missile]],'' released April 19, 1994. Neither the album nor its lead single, "[[Love Is... (song)|Love Is...]]", was a commercial success; consequently, the band was dropped from Atlantic, and broke up shortly thereafter because, according to Hall, "there was no reason to stay together."<ref name="farmboy">{{cite web
| title = Interview w/ John
| publisher = Farmboy's King Missile
| url = http://www.i-mockery.com/kingmissile
| access-date = 2008-05-21 }}</ref>

===King Missile III===
After the collapse of the second incarnation of King Missile, Hall decided to attend [[law school]].<ref name="prindle" /> He [[graduation|graduated]] ''[[Latin honors#Types|cum laude]]'' from the [[Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law]] in Manhattan,<ref name="heratylaw">{{cite web
| title = Bios
| publisher = Heraty Law
| url = http://www.heratylaw.com/bios
| access-date = 2008-05-22 }}</ref> and after graduation co-founded Heraty Hall, a [[law firm|firm]] specializing in [[entertainment law]].<ref name="prindle" />

In 1996, Hall released a "[[solo album]]", ''[[The Body Has a Head]],'' on the German label Manifatture Criminali. The album featured considerable input from multi-instrumentalists [[Sasha Forte]], [[Bradford Reed]], and [[Jane Scarpantoni]]. With these musicians, as well as ''They'' cellist Curtis, Hall formed a new band, King Missile III. On September 15, 1998, the new lineup released its "debut" album, ''[[Failure (King Missile album)|Failure]],'' on Shimmy Disc.

Curtis and Scarpantoni left the band after the release of ''Failure,'' and King Missile III continued as a trio, releasing two more albums: ''[[The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (album)|The Psychopathology of Everyday Life]]'' ([[Instinct Records]], January 21, 2003) and ''[[Royal Lunch]]'' (Important Records, September 21, 2004).

===King Missile IV===
In September 2014, John S. Hall performed four shows with the band [[LoveyDove]] in Los Angeles. It was later decided that this was, in fact, a new incarnation of King Missile, and they settled on the name King Missile IV. This version of the group toured New Zealand in February 2015, and recorded a six-song EP, ''This Fuckin' Guy'', released on Powertool Records. In 2019, King Missile IV changed their name to You, Me and This Fuckin’ Guy and recorded their debut LP, ''Garden Variety Fuckers'', released by Dromedary Records on April 17, 2020.

===Reunions===
Hall reunited with Dogbowl in 1995 for a tour as King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) for most of October and November of that year. The tour featured Hall performing spoken word with Sasha Forte on violin, followed by performance by Dogbowl and his band, and featuring Hall, Forte, Dogbowl and his band all performing together as King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) to headline the shows. On March 18, 2010, Hall reunited with Dogbowl as King Missile (Dog-Fly Religion) for a one-time performance at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. Multi-instrumentalist John Kruth, bassist [[Dave Dreiwitz]] of [[Ween]], and drummer [[Billy Ficca]] of [[Television (band)|Television]] joined the duo to round out the lineup.

On June 25, 2015, Hall, Rick, and Murdock reunited for the first time in over twenty years for a performance at Shea Stadium in [[Bushwick, Brooklyn]]. They were joined by Rachel Swaner on keyboards and accordion. The set consisted of songs from throughout the various King Missile incarnations. Hall, Rick, and Murdock played several more shows along with keyboardist Brent Cordero between 2015 and 2019. On February 18, 2017, keyboardist and bassist Chris Xefos rejoined the group for a performance at The Gutter Bar in Brooklyn. On February 10, 2018, King Missile, featuring the lineup of Hall, Rick, Murdock, Cordero and Korbet performed at a benefit for radio station, [[WFDU]] at Rose Gold in Brooklyn. A show at Bowery Electric in New York City followed on June 21, 2018, featuring the lineup of Hall, Rick, Murdock, Cordero, and Korbet. On May 11, 2019, King Missile performed with Hall, Rick, Murdock, Cordero, and Matt Hunter at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn. Dogbowl performed an opening set and also joined King Missile on stage for several songs.

==Studio discography==

===King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Album
!Record Label
!Release Year
|-
| style="width:200px;"|''[[Fluting on the Hump]]''
| style="width:150px;"|[[Shimmy Disc]]
| style="width:100px;"|1987
|-
|''[[They (album)|They]]''
|Shimmy Disc
|1988
|}

===King Missile===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Album
!Record Label
!Release Year
|-
| style="width:200px;"|''[[Mystical Shit]]''
| style="width:150px;"|Shimmy Disc
| style="width:100px;"|1990
|-
|''[[The Way to Salvation]]''
|[[Atlantic Records]]
|1991
|-
|''[[Happy 14½]]'' ([[Extended play|EP]])
|Atlantic
|1992
|-
|''[[Happy Hour (King Missile album)|Happy Hour]]''
|Atlantic
|1992
|-
|''[[King Missile (album)|King Missile]]''
|Atlantic
|1994
|}

====Compilation and soundtrack contributions====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Track
!Album
!Record Label
!Release Year
|-
| style="width:225px;"|"Doubleback Alley" ([[The Rutles|Rutles]] [[cover song|cover]])
| style="width:250px;"|''[[Rutles Highway Revisited]]''
| style="width:150px;"|Shimmy Disc
| style="width:100px;"|1990
|-
|"[[We Can Work It Out]]" ([[The Beatles|Beatles]] cover)
|''Downtown Does the Beatles: Live at the Knitting Factory''
|[[Knitting Factory|Knitting Factory Works]]
|1992
|-
|"[[Get Up (R.E.M. song)|Get Up]]" ([[R.E.M.]] cover)
|''[[Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M.]]''
|Staple Gun Records
|1992
|-
|"Our Jungle"
|''[[Surf Ninjas]]: Original Soundtrack Album''
|Atlantic
|1993
|-
|"[[Still the One]]" ([[Orleans (band)|Orleans]] cover)
|''20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!''
|[[Pravda Records]]
|1994
|}

===King Missile III===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Album
!Record Label
!Release Year
|-
| style="width:225px;"|''[[Failure (King Missile album)|Failure]]''
| style="width:150px;"|Shimmy Disc
| style="width:100px;"|1998
|-
|''[[The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (album)|The Psychopathology of Everyday Life]]''
|[[Instinct Records]]
|2003
|-
|''[[Royal Lunch]]''
|Important Records
|2004
|}

===King Missile IV===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Album
!Record Label
!Release Year
|-
| style="width:225px;"|''[[This Fuckin' Guy]]'' (EP)
| style="width:150px;"|Powertool Records
| style="width:100px;"|2015
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Year
! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! scope="col" style="font-size:85%"| [[Alternative Airplay|US<br />Alt.]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/305919/king-missile/chart|title=King Missile - Chart history - Billboard|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="font-size:85%"| [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref name="Charts">{{Cite web|url=https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=King+Missile&titel=Detachable+Penis&cat=s|title=King Missile – Detachable Penis|website=australian-charts.com|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="font-size:85%"| [[Official New Zealand Music Chart|NZ]]<br /><ref name="Charts"/>
|-
! scope="row"| "[[My Heart Is a Flower]]"
| 1991
| — || — || —
| ''The Way to Salvation''
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Detachable Penis]]"
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| 25 || 17 || 13
| rowspan="3" | ''Happy Hour''
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Martin Scorsese (song)|Martin Scorsese]]"
| — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "[[(Why Are We) Trapped?|(Why Are We) Trapped]]"
| 1993
| — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Love Is... (song)|Love Is...]]"
| 1994
| — || — || —
| ''King Missile''
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.kingmissile.com Official website of John S. Hall and all incarnations of King Missile]
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p13412|label=King Missile}}
*[http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=9200 King Missile lyrics database at SongMeanings]

{{King Missile}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1986]]
[[Category:Musical groups from New York City]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Performance art in New York City]]
[[Category:Shimmy Disc artists]]
[[Category:American art rock groups]]
[[Category:American comedy musicians]]

Latest revision as of 00:28, 23 May 2025

This article is about the band. For their eponymous album, see King Missile (album).

King Missile
King Missile performing in 2019
King Missile performing in 2019
Background information
Also known asKing Missile (Dog Fly Religion), King Missile III, King Missile IV
OriginNew York City, United States
Genres
Years active1986–present
LabelsShimmy, Atlantic, Instinct, Important, Needlejuice
SpinoffsBongwater
Hypnolovewheel
MembersJohn S. Hall
Dogbowl
R. B. Korbet
Susan Hwang
Marlon Cherry
Past membersAlex DeLaszlo
George O'Malley
Steve Dansiger
Charles Curtis
Dave Rick
Chris Xefos
David Ramirez
Roger Murdock
Jane Scarpantoni
Sasha Forte
Bradford Reed
Dan West
Azalia Snail
Brent Cordero
Websitekingmissile.com

King Missile is an American avant-garde art rock band best known for its 1992 humorous single "Detachable Penis". Vocalist John S. Hall has fronted several disparate incarnations of the group since founding it in 1986.

History

[edit]

King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)

[edit]

In 1985, writer John S. Hall began presenting his work at open mic poetry readings. After three shows, Hall became a "featured" poet at the Backfence, a performance venue in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.[2] In 1986, feeling that "20 minutes of me reading poetry would be totally boring",[3] Hall asked his guitarist friend Dogbowl (Stephen Tunney) to augment his performances with original music.[2][3] Dogbowl agreed, and with the addition of bassist Alex DeLaszlo, drummer R. B. Korbet, and xylophonist George O'Malley, King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) was born.

In 1987, the band went to the Noise New York studio and in just ten hours recorded and mixed its debut album, Fluting on the Hump.[2] The producer/engineer, Kramer, released the album on his then-fledgling label, Shimmy Disc.[2] The label sent the album to every college radio station that reported to College Media Journal, and the album subsequently performed well on the CMJ charts.[2]

In 1988, Hall and Dogbowl, along with cellist Charles Curtis and new drummer Steve Dansiger, recorded the second King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) album, the longer, more experimental, less "jokey"[2] They. Like its predecessor, the album was produced by Kramer and released on Shimmy Disc. According to Hall, "[the album] wasn't well received. Dogbowl was itching to make his own records, so we went our separate ways."[3] Dogbowl went on to record several albums for Shimmy Disc.

In September 2023, Hall, Dogbowl, Korbet (now on bass), and DeLaszlo were joined by percussionists Susan Hwang and Marlon Cherry for a performance, at the City Winery Loft in New York City. The following year, Hall, Dogbowl, Korbet, Hwang, and Cherry began work on a new King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) album, to be released in 2025.

King Missile

[edit]

After Dogbowl's departure, Hall asked Bongwater guitarist Dave Rick to help him put together a new band.[2] Rick recruited multi-instrumentalist Chris Xefos, and Hall retained Dansiger on drums.[2] Hall dubbed the new lineup King Missile, dropping the parenthetical "Dog Fly Religion" subtitle "since that was [Dogbowl's] idea."[3] In late 1989 and early 1990, the band recorded the album Mystical Shit, and in 1990 released it on Shimmy Disc.[2] On the strength of the single "Jesus Was Way Cool", the album hit No. 1 on the CMJ charts, and the band was signed by a major label, Atlantic Records.[2] This series of events led Hall to make a habit of joking, "'Jesus' got me signed to Atlantic Records."[3] Around this time, King Missile was featured in the 1990 documentary CutTime, which chronicled the East Village music scene of the time.[4][5]

Another lineup change occurred before the recording of King Missile's major-label debut, as Dansiger left the band and was replaced on drums by Hypnolovewheel member David Ramirez. The subsequent album, The Way to Salvation, was released on April 16, 1991, and reached No. 2 on the CMJ charts.[2] Atlantic promoted the album with the release of a single, "My Heart Is a Flower", and accompanying video.

After Ramirez left the group and was replaced by yet another drummer, Roger Murdock, the band recorded a cover of R.E.M.'s song "Get Up" for the album, Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M., released on June 22, 1992. This was followed by the band's second major-label album, Happy Hour, released on December 15, 1992. The album debuted at No. 1 on the CMJ charts,[2] and its accompanying first single, "Detachable Penis", became a modest hit, reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[6] Atlantic released videos for "Detachable Penis" and the subsequent singles "(Why Are We) Trapped?" and "Martin Scorsese", but neither follow-up single achieved the chart success of "Detachable Penis." According to Hall, the band realized that its hit song had drawn in many casual fans who didn't care about the rest of the group's material; thus, the band began to play the song "early in the set, so that the people who didn't like us could leave, and we could play for the people who cared. That worked out well. People did leave."[2]

In 1993, the band contributed a song titled "Our Jungle" to the soundtrack of the film Surf Ninjas starring Ernie Reyes, Jr., Rob Schneider, Nicolas Cowan and Leslie Nielsen.

The band's third and final album for Atlantic was the eponymous King Missile, released April 19, 1994. Neither the album nor its lead single, "Love Is...", was a commercial success; consequently, the band was dropped from Atlantic, and broke up shortly thereafter because, according to Hall, "there was no reason to stay together."[7]

King Missile III

[edit]

After the collapse of the second incarnation of King Missile, Hall decided to attend law school.[2] He graduated cum laude from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan,[8] and after graduation co-founded Heraty Hall, a firm specializing in entertainment law.[2]

In 1996, Hall released a "solo album", The Body Has a Head, on the German label Manifatture Criminali. The album featured considerable input from multi-instrumentalists Sasha Forte, Bradford Reed, and Jane Scarpantoni. With these musicians, as well as They cellist Curtis, Hall formed a new band, King Missile III. On September 15, 1998, the new lineup released its "debut" album, Failure, on Shimmy Disc.

Curtis and Scarpantoni left the band after the release of Failure, and King Missile III continued as a trio, releasing two more albums: The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (Instinct Records, January 21, 2003) and Royal Lunch (Important Records, September 21, 2004).

King Missile IV

[edit]

In September 2014, John S. Hall performed four shows with the band LoveyDove in Los Angeles. It was later decided that this was, in fact, a new incarnation of King Missile, and they settled on the name King Missile IV. This version of the group toured New Zealand in February 2015, and recorded a six-song EP, This Fuckin' Guy, released on Powertool Records. In 2019, King Missile IV changed their name to You, Me and This Fuckin’ Guy and recorded their debut LP, Garden Variety Fuckers, released by Dromedary Records on April 17, 2020.

Reunions

[edit]

Hall reunited with Dogbowl in 1995 for a tour as King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) for most of October and November of that year. The tour featured Hall performing spoken word with Sasha Forte on violin, followed by performance by Dogbowl and his band, and featuring Hall, Forte, Dogbowl and his band all performing together as King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) to headline the shows. On March 18, 2010, Hall reunited with Dogbowl as King Missile (Dog-Fly Religion) for a one-time performance at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. Multi-instrumentalist John Kruth, bassist Dave Dreiwitz of Ween, and drummer Billy Ficca of Television joined the duo to round out the lineup.

On June 25, 2015, Hall, Rick, and Murdock reunited for the first time in over twenty years for a performance at Shea Stadium in Bushwick, Brooklyn. They were joined by Rachel Swaner on keyboards and accordion. The set consisted of songs from throughout the various King Missile incarnations. Hall, Rick, and Murdock played several more shows along with keyboardist Brent Cordero between 2015 and 2019. On February 18, 2017, keyboardist and bassist Chris Xefos rejoined the group for a performance at The Gutter Bar in Brooklyn. On February 10, 2018, King Missile, featuring the lineup of Hall, Rick, Murdock, Cordero and Korbet performed at a benefit for radio station, WFDU at Rose Gold in Brooklyn. A show at Bowery Electric in New York City followed on June 21, 2018, featuring the lineup of Hall, Rick, Murdock, Cordero, and Korbet. On May 11, 2019, King Missile performed with Hall, Rick, Murdock, Cordero, and Matt Hunter at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn. Dogbowl performed an opening set and also joined King Missile on stage for several songs.

Studio discography

[edit]

King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)

[edit]
Album Record Label Release Year
Fluting on the Hump Shimmy Disc 1987
They Shimmy Disc 1988

King Missile

[edit]
Album Record Label Release Year
Mystical Shit Shimmy Disc 1990
The Way to Salvation Atlantic Records 1991
Happy 14½ (EP) Atlantic 1992
Happy Hour Atlantic 1992
King Missile Atlantic 1994

Compilation and soundtrack contributions

[edit]
Track Album Record Label Release Year
"Doubleback Alley" (Rutles cover) Rutles Highway Revisited Shimmy Disc 1990
"We Can Work It Out" (Beatles cover) Downtown Does the Beatles: Live at the Knitting Factory Knitting Factory Works 1992
"Get Up" (R.E.M. cover) Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M. Staple Gun Records 1992
"Our Jungle" Surf Ninjas: Original Soundtrack Album Atlantic 1993
"Still the One" (Orleans cover) 20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions! Pravda Records 1994

King Missile III

[edit]
Album Record Label Release Year
Failure Shimmy Disc 1998
The Psychopathology of Everyday Life Instinct Records 2003
Royal Lunch Important Records 2004

King Missile IV

[edit]
Album Record Label Release Year
This Fuckin' Guy (EP) Powertool Records 2015

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Alt.
[9] 		AUS
[10] 		NZ
[10]
"My Heart Is a Flower" 1991 — — — The Way to Salvation
"Detachable Penis" 1992 25 17 13 Happy Hour
"Martin Scorsese" — — —
"(Why Are We) Trapped" 1993 — — —
"Love Is..." 1994 — — — King Missile

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "King Missile". Allmusic. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Prindle, Mark (2003). "Interview with John S. Hall". Prindle Rock and Roll Record Review Site. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hall, John S. (2004). Album notes. In Mystical Shit & Fluting on the Hump [CD booklet]. New York City: Shimmy Disc.
  4. ^ CutTime on DevlinPix
  5. ^ "CutTime - King Missile, "Life" (3 of 11)". DevlinPix. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  6. ^ "King Missile Singles Peak Chart Positions". Allmusic. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  7. ^ "Interview w/ John". Farmboy's King Missile. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  8. ^ "Bios". Heraty Law. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
  9. ^ "King Missile - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard.
  10. ^ a b "King Missile – Detachable Penis". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_Missile&oldid=1291724929"