Straight outta Hell, mofo!
I hope all you mothers have recovered from that one special day each year where you’re not expected to do everything for everyone. Just in case you’re still hung over from the wine or possibly poisoned by that breakfast in bed, The Nest is gonna extend your party day with a real rockin’ classic! That’s because it’s Monday, and it’s time for us to open up that album full of embarrassing memories we like to call the Dusty Vinyl Archive! DJ Scratchy’s presiding over Headbanger’s Ball this week as the coolest aunt ever, playing a song the Sponkies’ mom would never let them listen to. It’s time to tie your mother down….
As a child of the 80’s, it’s a given that I pretty much have to like heavy metal… whether it’s AC/DC grinding out another rocker through the melodic voice of Brian Johnson, or Poison showing us how pretty they can be when they borrow their sister’s Caboodle… the hard rocking sound was alright with my generation and is alright by me. The more extreme rock that came to be one of the predominant genres of the 90’s though….. it’s more ear bleeding than earworm. I just can’t get down with that sickness…
At least Disturbed taught these guys how to properly do “The Sound of Silence“
But I don’t think there is a musical genre out there that is totally shut out in my collection of tin ear favorites. My Beavis & Butthead days introduced me to one such bonafide headbanger that despite the explosive guitars and 69,000 decibel shouting of the lead singer has nevertheless become one of my favorite guilty pleasures. While everyone knows Metallica and Iron Maiden… Danzig was right there with them in the underground movement that redirected the path heavy metal was taking towards glam rock in the 80’s and made it sound more like Black Sabbath on steroids.
Steroids may be the only thing Ozzy wasn’t taking back in the day.
In 1988, the first single Danzig released from their debut album was a poignant little song appropriately called “Mother.” The original video they shot for it was too controversial for MTV, and that’s what I’m linking to for today’s DVA post. So be warned, if Satanism disturbs you, you might want to go look up a Pat Boone video instead.
And please remember that famous legal disclaimer… no animals were harmed in the making of this video. Seriously…
The chicken sacrifice scene was edited out of this video when it got played on VH-1 Classic a decade ago… and I didn’t even know it existed until the first time I watched this on YouTube a few years ago.
Don’t worry…. you’re safe. At least until you end up on my plate at KFC.
Also, props to lead wailer Glenn Danzig for being able to shout at the top of his lungs during a metal song without sounding like fucking Cookie Monster. Those bands that followed in Danzig’s footsteps could learn a thing or two about getting your message across loud and clear without sounding like a honey badger has its teeth clamped down on your nuts…
Above: Every extreme rock band lead singer of the past 20 years…
The original (and best) version of “Mother” did not chart at all when it was first released. But it was remixed after a live recording of the song became a minor hit (#43) in 1993. Fittingly, that was also the same year the song’s inspiration became the second most important person in the free world. Yep, “Mother” was a response to the infamous parental advisory ratings that started getting slapped on album covers in the late 80’s so that children would not buy a Megadeth CD expecting sunshine and unicorns only to discover it’s the fucking devil’s music. And the leader of that inconvenient revolution was the wife of this world famous morality enforcer…
Slap an EXPLICIT CONTENT label on this blog! And make sure it’s printed on recycled pixels!
I’ll be back next week with another mother of a lost song…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
that was THE song when I drove home at night from a dance-thing…. well picked!!!!
Yes! This would be a great driving song. Even I might speed a little…
A great song. I give it 4 out of 5 head-bangs….
And no talky the smack about Simon and Garfunkel or I’ll smack the shit outta you. 😀
Like Tommy James…. Simon & Garfunkel wrote the songs that other groups made better. Have Art slap me, I’ll bet he slaps like a wuss…
You, sir, are a fuzzy turd…
A fuzzy turd…. how cute is that?
Pretty damn cute. Shit.
Okay, you’re a…um…dingleberry.
I don’t know Danzig. I’ll have to listen to that. My hubby actually thinks the Simon and Carbuncle version of Sound of Silence is better! (Cringes). You’ll have to excuse him. It’s well known at my house that “Daddy’s Off His Head” (reference to Barenaked Ladies song courtesy of my son).
Ha! Simon and Carbuncle! Only old fuddy duddies would like their original better….
He’s 60 this year – definitely a fuddy duddy. He listens to lots of moldy oldies – the Moody Blues, the Turtles, the Association. Stuff to put you to sleep! Our tastes are polar opposite. The difference is he’s more tolerant than I am. He’ll listen to Motley Crue, Five Finger Death Punch or whatever I have on. I put in earbuds, fall asleep or leave the room when he puts his music on!
This is one of the songs I always crank up when it comes on Seattle’s “new” rock station. It reminds me of the Beavis and Butthead days. I didn’t know it had been released prior to that.
I miss Beavis & Butthead ripping on all the old videos! I think I picked up some of my tasteful mocking skills from them. They introduced me to a lot of my favorite really weird videos, including this one!
I still cooked supper. I have given up hopes of someone else doing the food prep. And considering some of the food I’ve had prepped, that may not be such a bad thing. I cook, but at least everyone else CLEANS. That’s something, right?
I would rather cook than clean…. I’d rather do just about anything else BUT clean. If somebody would come by and clean my pigsty every week or so, I would achieve the pinnacle of happiness….
Wait, what…we don’t have to wait on everyone on Mother’s Day?? I want a repeat…I think I got gypped! Never was much of a fan of Danzig, even if they’d have had not so disturbing videos or lyrics. *Sigh* At least they could play guitar once you got over the head pounding/banging noise. 😺
I have never listened to anything else they did (At least knowingly), so I don’t know if they’d stand up to this song in my mind. Probably not since it’s not really my style to begin with…
ody N biskit….when we iz on a dee vize that playz sound; we will hafta chex thiz out !! we never hurd oh danzig til now but then de food gurlz old az hell it self ! 🙂 ♥♥
Yeah, whatever. If you REALLY wanted to honour Ma today, you’d have slipped a litte Jovi in here. I’ll bet their remake of “that” song could qualify as little known…..
We already explored the Lost Jovi, and there is only one. We will leave the rest as “little known”…..
Being older than old, this song is not familiar to me….maybe that’s not such a bad thing????? We had a non-screaming, non-waiting on everyone, kind of Mom’s Day here…..with NO music (unless you consider hubby falling asleep in the hammock and snoring “music”). HAHA
Pam
Perhaps you should record that snoring and put in on YouTube…. who knows how many people will love it! Hey, that’s how Justin Bieber got his start (And I’m pretty sure his music was snore worthy if not snoring itself!)
Say that’s a good idea….I am positive the snore recording would be WAY better than the Biebs!
I never heard of Danzig of course, but love this. This video isn’t offensive sheesh! I happen to love BOTH versions of Sound of Silence and all the stuff from the 60s plus heavy metal. As far as Tipper Gore and her hearings went, Frank Zappa, John Denver, and Dee Snyder all testified against those idiotic labels. Great post and great song.
Now there would be an interesting trio to have over for dinner. I need to find some John Denver records to play backwards….
Evidently Satanism is too much for our delicate English sensibilities as I can’t see the video over here. I got Alexa to play the song, though. Not bad!
I’m going to have to write a letter to the UN about these stupid international copyright laws. Music was meant to be shared with the world!
Alexa is such a pushover. You should ask her if she can sing it…