Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13
Encyclopedia
Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 are a horror punk
band from North Carolina
. The band was formed in 1996 by Wednesday 13
, who recruited friends and former Maniac Spider Trash bandmates Seaweed and Sicko Zero. The band's history is riddled with a 'revolving door' lineup with 13 the only member to have never been replaced.
After breaking up in 2001 when Wednesday 13
left to perform vocals with the Murderdolls
, the band reformed for a brief reunion in 2005 releasing a box set containing their entire recordings except for the track "Look Mom I Killed A Chicken" because Wednesday 13's master copy was "destroyed beyond repair" this track exclusively available on the 197666 7 inch LP and the band-released "Chop of My Hand" CD-R.
The music of the Frankenstein Drag Queens was played in a punk rock style. Lyrically the band were inspired by horror
B-movie
s and references in popular culture. As well as a large leaning towards punk the band's live show and appearance took cues from glam rock
acts such as Alice Cooper
, New York Dolls
and KISS
. They were known to wear dresses and make-up on stage as part of their performance.
" within two weeks of being together, and recorded it in two days. The album contained 11 tracks of nihilistic
but trashy, horror punk
tracks. This would be the blue-print for their future recordings. Lyrically the album featured songs about killing Miss America
, religion
, rape
and horror movie themed such as a song mentioning The Wolf Man
.
By the end of 1996, 13 fired Seaweed from the band, Rat Bastard took his place. Soon after, Sicko Zero quit the band and 13 lost contact with Rat Bastard and the band folded.
Abby Normal previously of Maniac Spider Trash and drummer R.S. Saidso joined the band. Along with 13, the 3 recorded and along with Saidso, 13 co-produced the Frankenstein Drag Queens cassette released demo EP. This cassette was sent to record labels and sold at live shows with a free FDQ sticker.
Syd replaced Abby Normal the same year on guitar and after a tour related inter-band conflict R.S. Saidso played his final show New Year's Eve 12/31/97 he had announced already it would be his last show with the Draq Queens. Saidso went on to record some demos under the name Dragster "66" with Abby Normal. Shortly after he formed Electra-Kill in paris, France where he moved to vocals.
In 1998, original drummer Sicko Zero rejoined and the band set to record their second album "Night of the Living Drag Queens
"
This album and the one previously recorded, were released via the band's own label Uncle God Damn Records, and were made available by mail order and at their gigs.
After touring in support of the album, guitarist Sydney left the band. 13 then decided to keep the band a trio which ironically had returned to its original form; Wednesday 13 on guitar and vocals, Sicko Zero playing the drums and Seaweed on bass guitar.
themed album.
Also during this time, 3 7 inch limited singles were released. The first, commonly referred to by fans as "Hello Horray" a split with The Spook, was in both Germany and the USA. Both release featured a different front cover and the US edition came with a sticker. Also released the same year was 197666 limited to 500 copies and containing the rarely heard track "Hey Mom I Just Killed a Chicken".
) the company re-released digipack versions of both "Night of the Living Drag Queens" and "Songs From the Recently Deceased".
During this time keyboardist
Ikky was brought into the band, but Sicko Zero was uncomfortable with this and soon left for the second time.
.
The Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 recorded their fourth album, "Viva Las Violence
". This time around the sound was more hard rock
centered, but with some shades of their "Night of the Living Drag Queens" album remaining. Seaweed recorded some tracks on the album but had left by the time it was released. A local young bassist replaced him and finished the tracking, named "JaCkY Boi".
In support of the album, the band played many shows, and recorded some songs which would later appear on a Greatest Hits compilation. The band played their last show in Atlanta, Georgia
during early 2002 and were folded by leader Wednesday 13.
named Dizzy Draztik and Joey Jordison
, the latter of which played in a world famous band called Slipknot
. 13 felt that after six years and four albums, the Frankenstein Drag Queens were not garnering much success and wanted to try a new project.
On November 2001 Wednesday 13 joined the Rejects as a bassist. By the time 2002 had hit, Draztik was out of the band, 13 was the frontman and they have a new name, the Murderdolls
. He would use many Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 songs on the Murderdolls debut album "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
". This would cause relationships to fray, between 13 and former members of the Drag Queens, who had formed a new band themselves; The Graveyard Boulevard.
With the Murderdolls, 13 toured the world, and played several high key Festival dates such as Summer Sonic Festival
, Download Festival
and Rock am Ring
, playing with world famous bands like Iron Maiden
, Queens of the Stone Age
, Foo Fighters
and many more.
After Murderdolls went on hiatus, Wednesday 13 put out a new song called "Your Mother Sucks Cocks In Hell" on a compilation album for Metal Sludge. He would then release a greatest hits album under the name Wednesday 13's Frankenstein Drag Queens, featuring a few new songs. The frontman then decided to put the band to rest and began to record under the Wednesday 13 name.
on August 20, 2005. The line-up featured Wednesday 13, Abby Normal and Sicko Zero.
They released a 10th anniversary box-set in May 2006, titled "Little Box of Horrors
". The box-set features almost every song the band has ever recorded, with alternate versions of some songs, and a DVD
which features footage from a 1998 concert. It was released on Restless Records
.
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The band was formed in 1996 by Wednesday 13
Wednesday 13
Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
, who recruited friends and former Maniac Spider Trash bandmates Seaweed and Sicko Zero. The band's history is riddled with a 'revolving door' lineup with 13 the only member to have never been replaced.
After breaking up in 2001 when Wednesday 13
Wednesday 13
Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
left to perform vocals with the Murderdolls
Murderdolls
Murderdolls is an American horror punk supergroup, founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consists of core members Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison. Former members include Ben Graves, Acey Slade, Eric Griffin & Tripp Eisen....
, the band reformed for a brief reunion in 2005 releasing a box set containing their entire recordings except for the track "Look Mom I Killed A Chicken" because Wednesday 13's master copy was "destroyed beyond repair" this track exclusively available on the 197666 7 inch LP and the band-released "Chop of My Hand" CD-R.
The music of the Frankenstein Drag Queens was played in a punk rock style. Lyrically the band were inspired by horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s and references in popular culture. As well as a large leaning towards punk the band's live show and appearance took cues from glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
acts such as Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
and KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. They were known to wear dresses and make-up on stage as part of their performance.
1996
The band wrote their debut album "The Late, Late, Late ShowThe Late, Late, Late Show
The Late, Late, Late Show is the first full-length release by North Carolina horror themed punk band the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was released on Uncle God Damn Records in 1996, and was later re-released as part of the "Little Box of Horrors" box set in 2006, on Restless Records...
" within two weeks of being together, and recorded it in two days. The album contained 11 tracks of nihilistic
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
but trashy, horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
tracks. This would be the blue-print for their future recordings. Lyrically the album featured songs about killing Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and horror movie themed such as a song mentioning The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American Werewolf Horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, featuring Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya...
.
By the end of 1996, 13 fired Seaweed from the band, Rat Bastard took his place. Soon after, Sicko Zero quit the band and 13 lost contact with Rat Bastard and the band folded.
1997-98
The following year in 1997, the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 reformed. Seaweed returned to the line-up and brought a guitarist named Creepy and drummer named Scabs with him. The latter two only remained with the band for two weeks however.Abby Normal previously of Maniac Spider Trash and drummer R.S. Saidso joined the band. Along with 13, the 3 recorded and along with Saidso, 13 co-produced the Frankenstein Drag Queens cassette released demo EP. This cassette was sent to record labels and sold at live shows with a free FDQ sticker.
Syd replaced Abby Normal the same year on guitar and after a tour related inter-band conflict R.S. Saidso played his final show New Year's Eve 12/31/97 he had announced already it would be his last show with the Draq Queens. Saidso went on to record some demos under the name Dragster "66" with Abby Normal. Shortly after he formed Electra-Kill in paris, France where he moved to vocals.
In 1998, original drummer Sicko Zero rejoined and the band set to record their second album "Night of the Living Drag Queens
Night of the Living Drag Queens
Night of the Living Drag Queens is the second full-length release by North Carolina punk band the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was originally released on Uncle God Damn Records in 1998, and was later re-released on Century Media Records in collaboration with People Like You Records...
"
This album and the one previously recorded, were released via the band's own label Uncle God Damn Records, and were made available by mail order and at their gigs.
After touring in support of the album, guitarist Sydney left the band. 13 then decided to keep the band a trio which ironically had returned to its original form; Wednesday 13 on guitar and vocals, Sicko Zero playing the drums and Seaweed on bass guitar.
1999
The trio went into the studio and recorded their third album "Songs From the Recently Deceased" This was in comparison a far more horrorHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
themed album.
Also during this time, 3 7 inch limited singles were released. The first, commonly referred to by fans as "Hello Horray" a split with The Spook, was in both Germany and the USA. Both release featured a different front cover and the US edition came with a sticker. Also released the same year was 197666 limited to 500 copies and containing the rarely heard track "Hey Mom I Just Killed a Chicken".
2000
After playing in support of the "Songs From the Recently Deceased" album, the band secured a European record deal with People Like You Records (which is backed by Century Media RecordsCentury Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
) the company re-released digipack versions of both "Night of the Living Drag Queens" and "Songs From the Recently Deceased".
During this time keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Ikky was brought into the band, but Sicko Zero was uncomfortable with this and soon left for the second time.
Viva Las Violence
During 2001, Scabs the drummer who replaced Zero the first time around in 1997 was brought into the band to replace him once more. Although the band still wore make-up during this period, they removed their wigs and began to adopt an image which would later be seen in the MurderdollsMurderdolls
Murderdolls is an American horror punk supergroup, founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consists of core members Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison. Former members include Ben Graves, Acey Slade, Eric Griffin & Tripp Eisen....
.
The Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 recorded their fourth album, "Viva Las Violence
Viva Las Violence
Viva Las Violence is the fourth studio album of North Carolina horror-themed punk band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was released on November 6, 2001, on Century Media Records, in collaboration with People Like You Records. It is considered to be their most successful album, and was...
". This time around the sound was more hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
centered, but with some shades of their "Night of the Living Drag Queens" album remaining. Seaweed recorded some tracks on the album but had left by the time it was released. A local young bassist replaced him and finished the tracking, named "JaCkY Boi".
In support of the album, the band played many shows, and recorded some songs which would later appear on a Greatest Hits compilation. The band played their last show in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
during early 2002 and were folded by leader Wednesday 13.
Wednesday 13 joins the Murderdolls
13 had been asked to join a band named the Rejects, by two musicians from Des Moines, IowaDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
named Dizzy Draztik and Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
, the latter of which played in a world famous band called Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
. 13 felt that after six years and four albums, the Frankenstein Drag Queens were not garnering much success and wanted to try a new project.
On November 2001 Wednesday 13 joined the Rejects as a bassist. By the time 2002 had hit, Draztik was out of the band, 13 was the frontman and they have a new name, the Murderdolls
Murderdolls
Murderdolls is an American horror punk supergroup, founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consists of core members Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison. Former members include Ben Graves, Acey Slade, Eric Griffin & Tripp Eisen....
. He would use many Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 songs on the Murderdolls debut album "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls is the debut album of horror punk band Murderdolls. It was released in 2002 by Roadrunner Records. The album reached #40 on the UK Albums Chart, and sold 100,000 copies in the U.S....
". This would cause relationships to fray, between 13 and former members of the Drag Queens, who had formed a new band themselves; The Graveyard Boulevard.
With the Murderdolls, 13 toured the world, and played several high key Festival dates such as Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
, Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
and Rock am Ring
Rock am Ring
The Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany....
, playing with world famous bands like Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
and many more.
After Murderdolls went on hiatus, Wednesday 13 put out a new song called "Your Mother Sucks Cocks In Hell" on a compilation album for Metal Sludge. He would then release a greatest hits album under the name Wednesday 13's Frankenstein Drag Queens, featuring a few new songs. The frontman then decided to put the band to rest and began to record under the Wednesday 13 name.
Frankenstein Drag Queens reformation
Shortly after this, 13 and his former band mates in The Graveyard Boulevard patched up old feuds (With the exception of Seaweed) and decided to bring the Frankenstein Drag Queens back, as a part time project. They official reunited on stage in Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
on August 20, 2005. The line-up featured Wednesday 13, Abby Normal and Sicko Zero.
They released a 10th anniversary box-set in May 2006, titled "Little Box of Horrors
Little Box of Horrors
Little Box of Horrors is a box set released by North Carolina horror punk band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 on May 9, 2006, on Restless Records in the USA and People Like You Records in Europe on May 29, 2006...
". The box-set features almost every song the band has ever recorded, with alternate versions of some songs, and a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
which features footage from a 1998 concert. It was released on Restless Records
Restless Records
Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
.
Members
- Wednesday 13Wednesday 13Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
- vocals, guitar (1996–2001, 2005) - Sicko Zero - drums (1996, 1997–2000, 2005)
- Abby Normal - bass (2005), guitar (1997)
Former members
- Seaweed - bass (1996, 1997–2001)
- Rat Bastard - bass (1996)
- Scabs - drums (1997, 2001–2002)
- R.S. Saidso - drums (1997)
- Creepy - guitar (1997)
- Syd - guitar (1997–1998)
- Ikky - keyboards (2000–2002)
- It - bass (2001–2002)
Albums
- "The Late, Late, Late ShowThe Late, Late, Late ShowThe Late, Late, Late Show is the first full-length release by North Carolina horror themed punk band the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was released on Uncle God Damn Records in 1996, and was later re-released as part of the "Little Box of Horrors" box set in 2006, on Restless Records...
" - (1996) - "Night of the Living Drag QueensNight of the Living Drag QueensNight of the Living Drag Queens is the second full-length release by North Carolina punk band the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was originally released on Uncle God Damn Records in 1998, and was later re-released on Century Media Records in collaboration with People Like You Records...
" - (1998) - "Songs from the Recently DeceasedSongs From the Recently DeceasedSongs from the Recently Deceased is the third full-length release by North Carolina punk band the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was originally released on Uncle God Damn Records in 1999, and was later re-released on Century Media Records in collaboration with People Like You Records...
" - (2000) - "Viva Las ViolenceViva Las ViolenceViva Las Violence is the fourth studio album of North Carolina horror-themed punk band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. It was released on November 6, 2001, on Century Media Records, in collaboration with People Like You Records. It is considered to be their most successful album, and was...
" - (2001)
Singles
- "197666 / Hey Mom, I Just Killed a Chicken" - (2000)
- "Dawn of the Dead / Anti-You" - Split with The Nerds - (2000)
- "Hello Hooray / Kill Miss America" - Split with The Spook
- "Graverobbing U.S.A. / Rock n' Roll"
- "Chop Off My Hand / Hey Mom, I Just Killed a Chicken"
- "Love At First Fright / I Wanna Be Your DogI Wanna Be Your Dog"I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a 1969 song by the American rock band The Stooges. The song is featured on their self-titled debut album. Its memorable riff, composed of only three chords , is played continuously throughout the song...
"
Boxset and compilation
- "6 Years, 6 Feet Under the Influence6 Years, 6 Feet Under the Influence-Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13:*Wednesday 13: Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards*Ghastly: Drums*Piano: Jamie Hoover-Production:*Produced by Wednesday 13*Co-produced and engineered by Jamie Hoover...
" - (2004) - "Little Box of HorrorsLittle Box of HorrorsLittle Box of Horrors is a box set released by North Carolina horror punk band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 on May 9, 2006, on Restless Records in the USA and People Like You Records in Europe on May 29, 2006...
" - (2006)
Tribute appearances
- "Sweet F.A, A Tribute to SweetSweet (band)Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
" (featuring cover of "Fox on the Run") - "Thinking Of Alice, A Tribute to Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
" (featuring cover of "Levity Ball")