Warlock Pinchers

This retrospective by the Warlock Pinchers, the most deservedly notorious of Denver bands, compiles recordings from the earliest cassette-only releases, seven-inches, demos, rehearsals and an unreleased collaboration with the Butthole Surfers on a devilish cover of "Forever Your Girl," by Paula Abdul. Clearly, these recordings are, at best, lo-fi. But...

By Tom Murphy

May 27, 2010

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This retrospective by the Warlock Pinchers, the most deservedly notorious of Denver bands, compiles recordings from the earliest cassette-only releases, seven-inches, demos, rehearsals and an unreleased collaboration with the Butthole Surfers on a devilish cover of "Forever Your Girl," by Paula Abdul. Clearly, these recordings are, at best, lo-fi. But what better way to hear classics like "James Dean Is an Overrated Asshole" and "Psycho Santa" than with a little grit to go along with the gleeful sneer that seemed to accompany everything the Pinchers ever did? Maybe the Beastie Boys were the most famous act to mix rap with punk rock, but these jokers show all across this release that iconoclasm is a whole lot more fun if you don't take yourself too seriously while slaying the sacred cows of pop culture.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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