Fred Negro
Encyclopedia
Fred Negro is an Australian satirist, musician
, songwriter
, and cartoonist
born in Richmond
, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, in 1959. He has fronted numerous rock or country bands, with local success, including:
Punk
-influenced I Spit On Your Gravy had disbanded by the end of the 1980s but Fred has maintained a significant underground presence in Melbourne
, Australia
with regular appearances in his other bands, and today contributes a weekly 'Pub Strip' to the Melbourne
street press, and until major renovation in 2009 MC'd the long running Karaoke
night at the Greyhound Hotel, St Kilda, Victoria
. In 1985, he formed The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, a country-punk fusion group with Garry Mansfield (guitar), Paul Barnett (bass), Scotty Simpson (drums) and Terry Foster (guitar, harmonica); they disbanded in 1991.
Honorary appointments:
Illustrations for
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
born in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, in 1959. He has fronted numerous rock or country bands, with local success, including:
- The Editions (drums)
- I Spit On Your Gravy (vocals/drums)
- The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance (vocals)
- The Gravybillies (vocals)
- The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre (vocals)
- Shonkytonk (vocals)
- The Fuck Fucks (vocals)
- Squirming Gerbil Death (vocals)
- The Twits (vocals)
- They Might Be Negroes (vocals)
- The Eggs (vocals)
- 57 Pages of Pink (vocals)
- The Black Moles (vocals)
- Little Freddie and the Pops (vocals)
Punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-influenced I Spit On Your Gravy had disbanded by the end of the 1980s but Fred has maintained a significant underground presence in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with regular appearances in his other bands, and today contributes a weekly 'Pub Strip' to the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
street press, and until major renovation in 2009 MC'd the long running Karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
night at the Greyhound Hotel, St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
. In 1985, he formed The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, a country-punk fusion group with Garry Mansfield (guitar), Paul Barnett (bass), Scotty Simpson (drums) and Terry Foster (guitar, harmonica); they disbanded in 1991.
Albums
- I Spit On Your Gravy, Fruit Loop City LP (Virgin Records, 1987)
- The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, Outlaw Death Lager Drinkers From Hell LP (Virgin Records, 1988; rereleased on CD by Turkeyneck Records, 2008)
- The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, Desperate Football LP/CD (Shagpile Records/Shock Records, 1992)
- The Fuck Fucks, ...Here CD (Shock Records, 1997)
- The Fuck Fucks, Millennium Buggery CD (I Envy Us Records, 1998)
- Shonkytonk, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter CD (Shonkytonk Record Company, 1998)
- The Twits (without Fred), Albert Road CD recorded at The Espy on June 30 and 32nd (1999)
- The Twits, The Twits Play Music CD (Pure Pop Records, 2002)
- The Twits, She May Look Clean, But...You Can't Beat The Axis If You Get VD CD (Pure Pop Records/Inertia, 2005)
EPs
- I Spit On Your Gravy, St Kilda's Alright! 12" EP (Man Made Records, 1984; rereleased on Polyester Records in 1989)
- The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, Contact Pool 12" EP (Shock Records, 1990)
- I Spit On Your Gravy, St Kilda's Still Alright! CD (reissue on Turkeyneck Records with the Eat Your Head compilation tracks and unreleased live material, 2002)
Singles
- I Spit On Your Gravy, Let's Go Buy A Pizza 7" flexi (giveaway with Soft Option magazine, 1984)
- I Spit On Your Gravy, Pirahna/Man's Not A Camel 7" (Virgin Records, 1987)
- The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, Bourbon Bound/Sorry Orry 7" (Shock Records, 1991)
- The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, Drink Myself To Life/The Mystery Of The Inca Cave 7" (Shagpile Records/Shock Records, 1992)
- The Fuck Fucks, T.I.T.S. (This Is The Show) 7" (2000)
Cassette-Only Releases
- The Editions, Obsession (Orgasm, 1982)
- The Editions, Recession? (Orgasm, 1982)
- The Gravybillies Live At The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda (Polyester Records, 1988)
Compilations
- I Spit On Your Gravy, "Violent Fluff"/"Done To Death" on Eat Your Head LP (No Master's Voice, 1984; reissued on CD by Au-Go-Go Records, 1997)
- I Spit On Your Gravy, “Let’s Go Buy A Pizza” on Life Is A Joke Vol 2 LP (Weird System Records, 1986)
- The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, "Tattslotto Song"/"Rubber Band Rave" on The Polyester Tape cassette (Polyster Records, 1986)
- The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, "You Can't Speak To Me Like That" on SWAPO Benefit Recorded Live at Melbourne University 3/8/86 LP (Doc Records, 1987)
- The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, "Dostoievski (I Wanna Be Clive Robertson's Dick)" on Lemon 3 cassette (giveaway with the third issue of Lemon fanzine, 1990)
- The Fuck Fucks, "Hey Hey We're The Fuck Fucks"/"Hangin' Round The House"/"Happy" on Here Come Eleven Nuns (One With A Bucket Of Chips For Me) CD (Buggertoe Records, 1996)
- Shonkytonk, "Brand New Appliance"/"I Hate Collingwood (But I Love You)" on Here Come Eleven Nuns (One With A Bucket Of Chips For Me) CD (Buggertoe Records, 1996)
- Squirming Gerbil Death, "Up To My Brim In Rim" on Here Come Eleven Nuns (One With A Bucket Of Chips For Me) CD (Buggertoe Records, 1996)
- Shonkytonk, "I'm Off Ya!"/"Soldering Iron" on Weened On A Pickle Soaked In Bile CD (Buggertoe Records, 1997)
- Squirming Gerbil Death, "Catholic School"/"Peakhour Frottage"/"Squirming Gerbil Death" on Weened On A Pickle Soaked In Bile CD (Buggertoe Records, 1997)
- I Spit On Your Gravy, "The Ballad Of Scotty Stix Simpson" on Drunks, Guns And Livestock In The Streets: Live At The Turkeyneck Bar & Grill 1979-2001 CD (Turkeyneck Records, 2001)
- The Gravybillies, "Ballad Of Rockin' Gomer" on Drunks, Guns And Livestock In The Streets: Live At The Turkeyneck Bar & Grill 1979-2001 CD (Turkeyneck Records, 2001)
- The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, "You Can't Speak To Me Like That" on Drunks, Guns And Livestock In The Streets: Live At The Turkeyneck Bar & Grill 1979-2001 CD (Turkeyneck Records, 2001)
- They Might Be Negroes, "The Legend Of Football Mouth" on Drunks, Guns And Livestock In The Streets Vol II: The Masked Wrestling Years 1978-2002 CD (Turkeyneck Records, 2003)
Published work
Artwork appears in:- InPress Magazine. Pub: Dharma Media, ABN 54 078 943 003.
- M.Walding and N.Vudovic (Eds). The Poster Art of Australian Popular Music Pub: Sept 2005 MUP, Miegunyah. ISBN 0-522-85168-1.
Honorary appointments:
- The Espy's artist in residence
Illustrations for
- Puppetry of the PenisPuppetry of the PenisPuppetry of the Penis is a performance show. The show was initially conceived by Australian Simon Morley as the title of an art calendar, showcasing 12 of his favourite penis installations...
- The Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami [by David Friend and Simon Morley]. Published by Random House 2000 ISBN 1-74051-067-4
Film work
- Lesbo-A-Go-Go dir Andrew Leavold, Brisbane, 2003. B&W/Colour, 52 mins. Appeared as 'Vision from Hell'. IMDB reference
- "More entertainment value in its minuscule budget than a hundred Matrix Reloadeds..." Boris Lugosi, Girls Guns And Ghouls
- "Ugly, reprehensible and morally repugnant. And I made the film." Andrew Leavold, writer/director
- Fred Sounds, dir. Rohan Pugh, 2003
- Fred's Love, dir. Rohan Pugh, 2005
- Sticky CarpetSticky CarpetSticky Carpet: Melbourne's Underground Rockumentary is a 2006 documentary film by Mark Butcher, Glenn Waterworth and Pip Stafford.Bio : The long overdue cultural recognition to Melbourne’s much-loved independent music scene...
, dir. Mark Butcher, 2006 (I Spit On Your Gravy live footage)