Big Boys
Fat Elvis

In the American hardcore scene of the 80s, Texas was undoubtedly home to the most unique bands, which managed to blend this genre with others. Just think of the blues guitars of the early Dicks, the extreme music of D.R.I. that later evolved into a crossover with thrash metal, the psychedelic sounds of Butthole Surfers, and finally the funk of the Big Boys.

The Big Boys from Austin were known to the public for their zany shows, full of costumes and surprises, led by the singer and exceptional frontman, artist, and homosexual Randy 'Biscuit' Turner (who, unfortunately, died of alcoholism in 2004) and, along with JFA, as founders of the skate-punk movement, thanks to frequent appearances in Thrasher, the skateboarding bible of the 80s and the fact that all the members were obviously skaters.

And of course, the music: Randy Biscuit's raucous voice, a solid rhythm section and especially the frenzied guitar of Tim Kerr (you must see a picture of his hair) create a devastating mix that doesn't stop at the 1234 and the words spat into the microphone typical of hardcore but, starting from this genre (Apolitical, Lesson) reaches new shores like New Wave (Sound On Sound), Funk (Work, Funk Off), Swing (The cover of "Hollywood Swinging" is amazing), and even ventures into experiments with rap-style scratches ("Common Beat"). This devastating melting pot (have you listened to "Brickwall"?) undoubtedly influenced various bands, including, I dare say, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who, by the way, opened for some of their concerts in their early days.

However, the punk-funk duo, in my opinion, has been somewhat overlooked, and frankly, it deserves to be rediscovered and is something I much prefer over ska-reggae contaminations for which too many poor circular pieces of plastic have been, especially in recent years, sacrificed.