Jesus Lizard are a legendary group who I don’t own any albums except their newest record

Rack. Jesus Lizard are a band skaters bumped after quitting skating while using drugs or drinking and starting bands. Jesus Lizard became a noise rock favorite while people were coming of age. Finishing school introduced responsibilities requiring employment and maturity.

Jesu Lizard are a literate man’s band.

Jesus Lizard released blue collar punk. I have close friends in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana that all regard Jesus Lizard concerts as life-affirming events. Jesus Lizard shows were an act of insubordinate living in rejection of societies’ pre-programmed acquiescence. I hadn’t watched Jesus Lizard live, I was too young or I wasn’t in town.

I understood an event was near, I saw Newport’s Marque: THE JESUS LIZARD. I was astonished seeing Jesus Lizard were playing Ohio State’s campus. I hadn’t watched Jesus Lizard. I was surprised Jesus Lizard were playing that large of a venue. I walked in. Newport Music Hall was packed with Jesus Lizard fans. The balcony wasn’t open but Jesus Lizard’s audience filled the Newport past the soundboard in the area’s near the bar.

While I say Jesus Lizard are plebeian rock, I didn’t expect to find Jelly Rolls, rodeo clowns, or cowboys at Jesus Lizard. Jesus Lizard (JL) fans are working stiffs like bar tenders, waiters, chefs, and other vocations people in bands work. JL fans are overeducated, and aware of inequalities…

Jesus Lizard took the stage. Jesus Lizard’s rhythm section pulsated Grind from Rack. I’ve overheard adulation for David Yow for years. Punk Rock star antics. Friday, David Yow flashed his dick at Tom Butler’s gf. I like the fact I didn’t seen David Yow’s penis.

Yow stage dove. David Yow sang from the audience. I didn’t see David Yow’s penis. As a hetrosexual man I preferred performative singing into a microphone over male nudity. Iconic front man David Yow rode people while singing in Newport’s pit. A human bridge created an immediate connection with Columbus and Jesus Lizard. There was something understated around this frenzy. Jesus Lizard’s sound wasn’t loud from the Newport speakers. I stood back analyzing the spectacle. Jesus Lizard attacked the crowd with a friendly aggression. The sound wasn’t as loud as the burst into the room felt.

JL's entrance with Grind sounded like a punk band using a small amp in an arena. JL’s honest presentation was endearing.

Jesus Lizard were loud enough where you could recognize the songs but it seemed real intimate. Perhaps there was charm in Jesus Lizard playing Puss, and Mouth Breather while seeming like a dive bar punk band in arena. JL’s aura almost felt like a hardcore band who performed from the floor instead of a stage.

By the time Jesus Lizard played BoilerMaker, Newport had turned decibels up. David Yow sang from the stage with the sound of menacing rank and file legends.

I sat there and analyzed the music because I was stuck on my dislike for the name post-hardcore. I was drinking boilermakers at a UA Pub in preparation. Working people played bar slots and discussed the Buckeyes.

With that buzz I just wouldn’t accept post-hardcore as a description.

Hide And Seek off Rack’s guitar – baseline, and drums weren’t confused.  JL’s backline churned until chord progression with an accented with sparse Albini melody. I’m kinda new in some regard. Is Steve’s signature sound JL’s or Albini’s Big Black?

I knew “Hide and Seek” because Jesus Lizard serviced North America College Community Chart. Anytime someone decides community radio is in their marketing scheme I’m impressed people are aware of the 2024 outlet. I know why my community radio shows are a really smart idea.

I didn’t know about Jesus Lizard from a blog. Jesus Lizard are a band for drinking and intelligent conversation. Jesus Lizard are a smart man’s angry rock. I read about Jesus Lizard’s legacy in blurbs, I kept seeing Jesus Lizard described as a post-hardcore group. I knew for a fact I don’t listen to anything called post-hardcore.

I paused for a second. Jesus Lizard are legends. Plenty of bands exist. Seldom are those who were involved with reinventing a genre. The 70s idealism burnt out into hedonist demise where  a Republican government in the 1980s ruled everything except counterculture. Punk rock was the simple rejection of classist and racist conformity.

People didn’t always politicize rejection. Punks knew that working stiffs didn’t like our country. Just because some rednecks accept class oppression in exchange for racism didn’t mean all rednecks accepted classist oppression from blood suckers of the poor.

Jesus Lizard are from Texas. Jesus Lizard were Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti lovers who were reared from the Butthole Surfers and the Dicks. David Yow played with Skratch Acid. My Lakai Final Flare and Nike SB’s skaters are aware of Owner’s Lament.

Jesus Lizard relocated into Chicago. George HW Bush was president from 1988-1992. Punk bands were evolving from three chord rebellion into reinventing rock n roll which culminated with Nirvana and the election of Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. I doubt Jesus Lizard’s goal was Bill Clinton. JL still were angry white dudes that affected culture. Part of that elected Bill Clinton.

Jesus Lizard worked with Steve Albini. Steve Albini was a revered Chicago producer known for Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Pixies, Breeders, and Nirvana. For examples of angry art rock made for rural and suburban angst, bump Steve Albini’s band Big Black’s “Kerosene.”  Does that sound like rural anger?

Jesus LIzard’s punk southern angst found union rocknroll in a midwestern Industrialized city, Chicago.  Austin punks found Chicago prole rock, though Albini developed a new sound of white anger. Albini rock didn’t really discuss politics until Donald Trump required complete rejection in recent years.

Who is an amusing denouncer of Trump – Stephen King or Steve Albini? Both spent the early 90s frightening people about the horrors in Republican America. The sounds of early 90’s anger felt tangible. Our country experienced a Republican recession. Wealthy people forget if they keep all the money and don’t pay people a living wage.

People can’t afford things. White people were angry at Republicans for the economic greed exploiting poor people and limiting personal freedoms. Again, cultural understanding preceded political candidates.

Punk evolved into grunge and then something called indie rock. Punk bands studying Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jazz, thrash, and blues in developing something musical after three chord punk were a necessary rejection of all attempts of reinstating the 1950’s white supremacy and class subserviency. Early 90’s punk explored new sounds after rejecting our nation’s Republican fascist culture. Problem with bad post-hardcore – we are inundated with a mess of influences without refining sound into a listenable song.

Post-hardcore sometimes is like a really ugly version of emo rock or bad techno. Jesus Lizard weren’t guilty of unorganized abrasive jam band music without an understanding of song writing. Jesus Lizard, Steve Albini and other Touch And Go bands were as angry as Public Enemy and BDP without an overt political message.

From an aesthetic standpoint Jesus Lizard and Albini were white, Southern,and Midwest angry men’s version of Sonic Youth’s Velvet’s influenced wall of sound. The working man demands money, healthcare and living conditions which aren’t physically or psychologically unhealthy. Jesus Lizard, and Albini were raging white male rock who were aware class oppression existed in product, marketing and presentation. They didn’t say: we’re white, male and angry. One could look, listen and observe. In a palate of music criticism, Jesus Lizard and Steve Albini are legends in creating working man’s artistic punk.

I couldn’t believe Jesus Lizard were playing a venue as large as the Newport. Loud music permeated the Newport while I contemplated the fact working class white people didn’t like carpetbaggers during Jesus Lizards initial explosion into culture. Jesus Lizard were a band you knew everyone in any a city who liked Jesus Lizard once you entered the city. If Jesus Lizard played from the record player, older dudes handed out drinks, and book recommendations. UR women wore a thrifted dress and understood a real conversation existed.

I wasn’t sure who liked Jesus Lizard in 2024. I know they serviced Community Radio. I know Jesus Lizard were at Jack White’s Third Man compound. I know Jesus Lizard were interacting with Pat Carney of the Black Keys. Jesus Lizard were still legends.

Jesus Lizard’s front man David Yow sang from the audience at 64 years old. Steve Albini died this year at the age of 61. I did note that David Yow wasn’t drinking while enthralling Newport Music Hall.

Jesus Lizard was loud and in charge of the state. Jesus Lizard plowed Then Comes Dudley, Falling Down, Gladiator, and What If? off Rack.

Yow approached the front of the audience while Jesus Lizard obliterated Thumbscrews.

I ran into Gary from Cafe Bourbon Street. I still was figuring out why Jesus Lizard were popular in 2024. I asked if Jesus Lizard at the Newport was a product of Nirvana. Gary Brownstein saw Jesus Lizard at Lollapalooza at Polaris, in July 1995.

Jesus Lizard toured with Sonic Youth, the Roots, Hole, and Sinead O’Conner. I think Ron House was in the building in 1995.

My social engineering/head count reenforced my instincts. Jesus Lizards’s affect in culture is understood with Nirvana’s flannels. Nirvana were from Seattle but Olympia looks rural, which translated in every midwestern culdesac and townhouses

Grunge punks replaced glam rock’s materialism with a rejection of materialism. Cock rock looks stupid in a recession.

If you look at Nirvana’ flannels and jeans or Dr. Dre wearing Dickies, blue collar clothes were the cool attire. The look decreased the immediate schism between punks, freaks, and the average Joe from appearances. Jesus Lizard’s and Big Black’s white anger created the culture which Nirvana exploded from. Working class rocknroll fans liked Nirvana like the new Sabbath, Zeppelin or a polite GNR. Bad Nu Metal wasn’t an option.

Jesus Lizard were peers Nirvana respected. Nirvana weren’t into rockstars whether it Led Zeppelin or GNR. Nirvana were punk’s Velvet Black Sabbath avec Beatles.

Nirvana chose Steve Albini’s after Nevermind’s success.

Alibini produced Jesus Lizard’s Head in 1990, Goat in 1991, and Liar in 1992. Nirvana hired Albini in 1993 for Nevermind’s follow-up In Utero. Nirvana knew after Teen Spirit’s success blue collar art rock was their artistic choice of aesthetic. I realized Jesus Lizard didn’t become grunge because there weren’t variances from electric into acoustics. Jesus Lizard had fragmented Sabbath, and Zeppelin sounds with an emphasis on angry bludgeoning in which distorted strikes overpowered the rocknroll blues essence. JL weren’t confused abrasion. JL were still abrasive. Jesus Lizard from a commercial success might’ve sold for fans of Helmet and the Melvins. Nirvana used Black Sabbath and the Velvets.

While I contemplated everyone’s context  at Newport, December 6, 2024, Jesus Lizard said from the stage, “We haven’t played Columbus in 27 years.”

Jesus Lizard “Alexis Sick” and “Seasick.” I thought about drug abuse and effects of drugs. These songs made discontinue syndrome palpable whether someone was coming down from a buzz or completely lacking dope. I wasn’t overdosing from separation anxiety. I know I entered a pod: perhaps Wes Flexner aka ANONANON is a CIA asset promoting liberal culture

Nirvana + Dr. Dre resulted in Bill Clinton.

I thought about Jesus Lizard played my Hide and Seek earlier in their set. The lyrics, “She isn’t an idiot. She’s just a witch.”

A usual frustration of an angry man rock are females. People who date people are pissed at relationships.

I contemplated why Jesus Lizard  and Albini didn’t develop misogynists. I like rap. I don’t ever worry about lyrics unless culture isn’t conducive for women. If women are uncomfortable, something isn't a functioning culture. It’s as simple as procreation.I ain’t aspiring having kids. I like vagina, I wasn’t thinking about pussy though, I was thinking about I voted for Kamala and some white men chose dishonesty and white supremacy.

Steve Albini was a vocal critic of Trump. Albini didn’t lend Trump his anger. Listen to “Prayer 2 God” By Shellac. Albini knows anger.

I wondered why I didn’t consider Albini a culprit in misogyny culture. I realized Albini produced PJ Harvey, the Breeders, and Joanna Newsome. I did an informal poll of women while writing this. Young women like SZA’s “Kill Bill” which is a women singing about murdering her ex-boyfriend. SZA fans: stream Shellac’s “Prayer 2 God.” Does Kill Bill and Prayer 2 God use gender specific bathrooms?

I don’t expect social responsibility from punk but I kept thinking about blue collar chic in 90’s culture.

Smart women I knew liked the idea of man liking Jesus Lizard. I think it was from a knowledge of music and a understanding of social class. Women are filled with anger and mixed opinions about class and sexism.

David Yow did push-ups in front of Marshall Amps while JL pummeled the stage. Duane Denison’s guitar, David Wm Simms bass, and Mac Mcnally’s drums were the power David Yow levitated from.

During the second encore, JL and sound man captured my curiosity about Jesus Lizard’s sound in the learning curve of punk into Rock N Roll. The soundman was visible in making sure JL’s noise dominated the room. Jesus Lizard played two sets of encores.

Swan The Dog off of Rack perhaps with the cleanest clarity of Jesus Lizard’s minimalists use of stern sounds. David Yow sang, “I’m sick of this fakery/ I Wanna Bust a nut and go on a killing spree.” David Yow likes busting nuts but didn’t vote for Trump. Yow was quoted regarding Trump, “Theres’s a guy, Trump. I hate him.”

Although angry man rock complains about relationships, I realized authenticity disqualified Trump’s liar culture.

Did I mention I like rap?

“I’m sick of this fakery/ I Wanna Bust a nut and go on a killing spree.” Hip Hop is influential in working class culture.

My question: Did Columbus population’s grow or did people who saw Jesus Lizard in 1995 at Lollapolla pack the Newport in 2024?

My dilemma: Should lying for white supremacy be considered uncool in all cultures?

I think a difference between 1992 and 2024 is people accepted liars if white supremacy could be installed in 2024. In 1992, people didn’t like white supremacy because people involved with white supremacy are liars and all kinds of unlikable.

Should I look at Jesus Lizard as a social engineering tool against liars who installed fascism?

Or should we try another punk virtue?

Should I look at Jesus Lizard as a punk reminder: Don’t interact with people you don’t like….everything else is kinda bullocks…”