Audio By Carbonatix
Despite having yet to play a single show, Wanker graced the cover of the December 23, 1987, issue of Westword, looking like a mash-up of the New York Dolls and Adam and the Ants. The group, which started as an idea for a cable-access comedy skit, proved to be too ridiculous and fun not to bring to the public. Wanker combined the sneering, irreverent humor of punk with the high-concept, lowbrow execution of the Tubes. Songs like “The Violation of Aunt Bea,” “Blister Yer Sister” and “I Touch Myself” were so cartoonish and bombastic that you had to laugh — or roll your eyes at the juvenile sensibilities therein. Never boring, Wanker (celebrating a quarter-century of existence this Saturday, December 1, at Toad Tavern) is kind of the Andy Kaufman of rock and roll.
