During a presumably recent performance in the hotbed of class, distinction and good taste that is Las Vegas, pronouncedly melismatic warbler and erstwhile Voice “coach” Christina Aguilera was photographed sporting an oversized vintage t-shirt adorned with the cover art of Drinkin’, Lechin’ & Lyin’, the 1989 debut e.p. by blues/punk/noise-rockers, Boss Hog, notable for their inclusion of Jon Spencer of Pussy Galore and his lovely wife Cristina Martinez. Stereogum posted this pictured on its Facebook feed, and the inevitable debate of whether or not “Xtina” was genuinely a fan of the band ensued.
I can’t honestly say whether or not the singer is a legitimate fan of Boss Hog that can name more than three songs, although she very well might be. I mean, she was about nine years old when that record came out, but that means nothing. I was only three years old when Fun House by the Stooges came out, and I consider that the greatest album of all time. I’d love to hear Christina abandon her usual poppy piffle and bust into a gruff, throaty cover of “Winn Coma” or “Pull Out” sometime. That would be refreshing.
In any case, prompted by some other commenters who were evidently confused as to who and what exactly was on Aguilera’s shirt, I quickly pointed out that it was a band and not (directly) a reference to Sorrel Brooke’s infamous character on “The Dukes of Hazzard.” To underscore same, I posted this video, a performance by Boss Hog from around the same era as the e.p. in question, captured within the intimate confines of what was then The Pyramid Club on Avenue A. Check it out….
Okay, so not only is it prime early Boss Hog with Cristin Martinez in fine, feral form, but it also totally takes one back to what it was like seeing live shows in that great room. As mentioned back on this post from 2015, my first show at the Pyramid was around the same era, when I caught my friend’s band Fractured Cylinder opening for Rats of Unusual Size and The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black (fun side note about that: I made a slightly disparaging comment about the Rats of Unusual Size in that post, and the lead singer wrote in about it as recently as this past February).
Another amazing thing about the old Pyramid (not to be confused with the more banal iteration in its latter years) was that it was this strangely harmonious plateau where otherwise incongruous tribes all gathered. It was practically Ground Zero for the East Village’s Drag community (for a more authoritative account of that era, check this page out).
There’s also a big deluxe book about that whole scene coming out shortly, which you can find out about here. At the same time as all that fabulousness, the doors were manned by dudes from A7 across the way ..
Recognize those cats? That’s RayBeez and Jimmy G (from Warzone and Murphy’s Law, respectively), who handled security. When not hosting disco balls for the drag community, the Pyramid hosted hardcore matinees, with Jimmy and Ray booking bands like Sick of It All, Warzone, Youth of Today, Token Entry, Judge, Gorilla Biscuits and many more.
Beyond the drag queens and the hardcore kids, however, you also had the neighborhood’s contingent of noise-rock bands like SWANS, Sonic Youth, White Zombie, The Unsane, Pussy Galore and my pals in Cop Shoot Cop…
Fun easter egg for the Cop Shoot Cop fanboys, back in that Boss Hog clip, as the band is plugging and getting ready to do their thang, the sound system plays “Disconnected 666” from Consumer Revolt.
Of course, the Pyramid closed for good in 2021, and I wrote a suitably weepy eulogy here. The space that had been the Pyramid re-opened last summer, and it’s now a venture called Baker Falls, which described itself thusly:
An oasis in the heart of New York City’s East Village where you can attend live performances, crash a late-night dance party, grab coffee, have a meal, sip cocktails, buy and sell goods…pretty much anything you can think of in a brick and mortar establishment. We’re bringing people together in the real world.
Sound nice, right? I’ve yet to darken its doors. Incidentally, the striking photo of the interior of the old Pyramid at the top of this post was captured by the great Ken Schles. The shot of Baker Falls below was poached brazenly from my good pal EV Grieve.
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