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Tom
Fallon uses the phrase "they'd blow the lid off the place" sometimes
when we talk about old bands. I have seen it first hand with
three Cleveland bands - The Clocks, Vaguely Familiar and, of
course, the Wild Giraffes. I am not talking about some crazed
punk moment where the room would explode with mind shaking sounds
like the Pagans or Easter Monkeys could do, but of sounds that
inspired every single body in the room to get up and dance.
And to think back to those times, it seems somewhat humorous
to me. I started seeing the Pagans and the Giraffes quite regularly
around the same time. A time when pop magazines were pushing
questions like, "Are you punk or new wave? Do you wear a loose
tie or leather? Talking Heads or Damned? Ramones or Costello?
Do you Pogo or Rock Lobster?" Pretty funny to look back on.
In our town it did seem that there was a mini-war between the
Pagans and Giraffes. Me, I loved going to see both (but I did
opt for the black leather).
(Cheese Borger) |
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I
saw the Wild Giraffes perform at the Cleveland Zoo, (I shit
you not)...they were absolutely fantastic! Dave "Animal"
Ivan and the crew bouncing up and down like pogo sticks on speed.
Great songs and unbelievable energy....everything was painted
yellow....the amps, the keyboards, Alan's drums, even their
microphones.....I ran home and spray painted my Fender Twin,
immediately . No question, I had to have a yellow amp like the
Wild Giraffes!
(Dave Alexander)
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As
the daughters of Chris King and Alan McGinty, we have been
retold the stories of life as a Giraffe. We would like to
contribute these stories
to you in a medley of nonfactual, yet humorous, information.
Chris and Alan met while safariing in Southern Australia.
Their music filled the hearts of the native animals and aborigines.
They united these same aborigines with the coffee farmers
in Eastern Colombia, and they now live in a peaceful unbarbaric
trading union. Ok, so that really didn't happen...
But this sure as homogenized milk did... Chris and Alan were
Chippendales at a ladies burlesque in Goosepimple, Kentucky.
Although they worked 17.9775 hours a day, they made less money
than the man who sells parfaits heart-shaped gyros on the
corner of Archibald Ave. They soon quit the Chippendale lifestyle
and decided that their talent didn't stop at dancing in nothing
more than a pink bow tie. They found a few more blokes interested
in forming a rock band, and there you have it. Although some
may have thought of the Giraffes as gayer than a 3-dollar
bill, we think they rocked the heezie.
Submitted
with much respect,
Abby "Slothbumper" McGinty
and Chelsea "Monkeyshine" King
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I
was in the Pagans for a year and a half. We played with the
Dead Boys, the Rubber City Rebels, Devo, Pere Ubu, The Wild
Giraffes and The Nerves. A few of the gigs stand out in my mind.
The Pagans headlined at the Willowick Community Center and the
Wild Giraffes opened for us. There were about 350 people there.
The Wild Giraffes were an excellent original band with nice
harmonies, good melodies and hooks; kind of a 60's retro, new
wave band. The teenage crowd danced and enjoyed the group. The
Pagans came on to a packed house, and we played our usual numbers
and after two songs cleared out the place. Everyone left after
TWO SONGS! The Band was visibly upset. I had a couple of disastrous
gigs with one of my prior bands, Milk, so I wasn't nearly as
upset.
(Denny Careleton) |
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These
short stories revolve around the Giraffes, but they involve
other bands they were playing with, this is 76-77.
#1 Edgar
takrs me to a small newspaper office in Euclid, and I meet
some guy named Mike, a reporter or something,and he is playing
with another band. Later that night at the Looking Glass,
I see the same guy talking to Chris King at the bar and walk
to the john, and Chris is laughing his nads off.
He tells
me that Hudson took a wet bar rag, rolled it up, and stuck
it down his pants. The Giraffes opened that night, and were
their usual smokin rock&roll selves! Later I hear the
intro riff to Secret Agent Man go to check out the Pagans,
they're sloppy, but rockin, and there he is, Mr Newspaper
with what looked like a Big Chuck special in his jeans, I
mean that was some funny shit!
About
2 songs later he dumps a full beer over his head, no big deal
, seen that a million times, but....the next thing I know
the son of a bitch is BLOW DRYING HIS HAIR...ON STAGE! Total
genius, and shitass funny!
The next
story I'll tell is once again at the Looking Glass, with Pere
Ubu, with our champion Giraffes playing the part of the funny
mofo's. This is all for now, as i literaly type with 1 finger.
Steve
Potocin
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Wow.
I came across this site whilst searching for an old schoolmate
and this totally blew me back to the 80's; somewhere between
innocence and total corruption. Mike T was my best friend's
brother so we all got to do the cool roadie stuff: hauling
equipment, getting into gigs for free, drinking free Rolling
Rock. Well maybe it was cool at the time.
We
did most of the Giraffe shows from the Zoo to the Cove too
... I forget that place behind Painesville Shopping Center.
I still bump into Chris and Beth once in awhile running here
and there.
We
are all in different places living our live. Me, a computer
jockey, now married with 4 daughters. Funny, my twin 19 year-olds
are about the same age I was when I was a Giraffe. They do
the new punk/skah thing downtown and all around and really
dig it. They're into Punchline, Against All Authority, KattyWhompus,
etc. Some pretty hip stuff.
One
story I recall was the incredible van heist from the Agora
in CLE. We were doing a show at the Agora and decided to park
the van on Payne Ave. Big mistake. Show lets out about 2:30AM
and the van is stolen! Bummer for Glen!
Other
stories of lewd sex, drunkenness and sordid perverions will
have to wait for another time.
Peace
to All!
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