J. G. Thirlwell
Encyclopedia
James George Thirlwell (born 29 January 1960), aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus
, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer
. He emerged during (and is sometimes associated with) the No Wave
era, however because of his musical diversity (which at times has included passage in the Electronic music
genres) he is perhaps more well known for going beyond categorization, by juxtaposing a variety of different styles.
, Australia
. He briefly studied Fine Art
at Melbourne State College (now part of the University of Melbourne
) before moving to London
, England
in 1978, where he played with the post-punk
band prag VEC
and formed the first of his numerous musical projects, Foetus
. In the 1980s, under the pseudonyms Clint Ruin and Frank Want, he contributed to various releases by Nurse With Wound
, Marc Almond
, The The
and Nick Cave
. He released his first 7" single, OKFM/Spite Your Face, in 1981, on his own Self-Immolation record label in his first incarnation as Foetus. Over the next few years, he would release two more singles, a 12" EP, and four full-length albums, Deaf
, Ache
, Hole (his first release on Some Bizzare Records
) and perhaps his most seminal album from that period: Nail
released in 1985. After visiting the United States during a live stint with the Immaculate Consumptive (Lydia Lunch
, Nick Cave and Marc Almond) Thirlwell settled in New York
, where he is still based between his frequent tours. Since his move he has released several singles, fourteen EPs (including Stinkfist, with fellow New York artist Lydia Lunch
and Thurston Moore
) and seventeen full-length albums.
In addition to being a prolific artist in his own right, Thirlwell has remixed and produced numerous pieces for artists including Nine Inch Nails
, Front 242
, The The
, Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Marilyn Manson
. He has also done voice-over work for MTV and other entities.
Since 2000 Thirlwell has become more active as a composer, having written commissions for Bang on a Can
, League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots
and Kronos Quartet
, and scoring the Adult Swim
cartoon The Venture Bros.
He also revived his primary instrumental project, Steroid Maximus
, and initiated a more experimental project in Manorexia
. He continues to write and perform regularly, with orchestras, ensembles or simply with laptop and keyboard and other devices as necessary.
ian statistics
collectors; Scraping Foetus off the Wheel was claimed to be the work of Want and Clint Ruin. Furthering the confusion, Thirlwell adopted these personas outside of his own recordings; for example, Frank Want can be found on The The
's Soul Mining
and on releases by Edwyn Collins
's Orange Juice.
Thirlwell's persona of Clint Ruin was particularly notable. During the mid-1980s and early-1990s Thirlwell exclusively went by this pseudonym, even conducting interviews as Ruin. As Ruin, Thirlwell was a member of Wiseblood with Roli Mosimann
and Flesh Volcano
with Marc Almond
. He also recorded two collaborative EPs with Lydia Lunch
, and starred in and scored films of Richard Kern
under the Ruin alias. Ruin is also credited on numerous releases for a variety of roles with Boss Hog
, Coil
, Fur Bible, Annie Hogan, Nurse With Wound
, Pigface
, Sonic Youth
, Workdogs and others.
This practice seems to have been discontinued since 1995, and "J. G. Thirlwell" is credited on all subsequent musical recordings. However, Thirlwell currently makes DJ
appearances under the pseudonym DJ OTESFU (an anagram
of Foetus).
, Wiseblood, Steroid Maximus
, Baby Zizanie, Manorexia
and others - includes elements of punk rock
, 20th century classical music
, industrial music
, big band
, Americana
, jazz
, African and Cuban percussion, and epic/horror film soundtracks. Much of Thirlwell's aural output is built on a percussive, rock music-type structure, though to call it rock music would be inaccurate. Thirlwell prefers not to categorize music in general, and this is evidenced in the way his music transcends genres: by means of accomplished studio-as-instrument craftsmanship, Thirlwell combines percussion, strings, distortion, brass, electric guitars, electronic sounds and voice into a single, frenzied, epic symphony of hate, pain, violence, grief, beauty and fury - at once powerful, complex and primal. Recurring lyrical themes include destruction, persecution, anxiety, abuse, incest, masochism, angst, self-destruction, self-abuse, lust, prejudice, murder, failure and machismo, often expressed using American colloquialism and black humour. J. G. Thirlwell is also a member of Freq out and the Freq out orchestra.
Foetus (band)
Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He emerged during (and is sometimes associated with) the No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
era, however because of his musical diversity (which at times has included passage in the Electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
genres) he is perhaps more well known for going beyond categorization, by juxtaposing a variety of different styles.
Biography
Thirlwell was born in MelbourneMelbourne
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...
. He briefly studied Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
at Melbourne State College (now part of the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
) before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1978, where he played with the post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band prag VEC
PragVEC
prag VEC were a post-punk band from London, probably most famous for the song "Cigarettes" on their debut EP: We can sit about, talk about the kinds of fags we smoke and for the reference to them in the Half Man Half Biscuit song "prag VEC at the Melkweg"....
and formed the first of his numerous musical projects, Foetus
Foetus (band)
Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
. In the 1980s, under the pseudonyms Clint Ruin and Frank Want, he contributed to various releases by Nurse With Wound
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
, Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
, The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
and Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
. He released his first 7" single, OKFM/Spite Your Face, in 1981, on his own Self-Immolation record label in his first incarnation as Foetus. Over the next few years, he would release two more singles, a 12" EP, and four full-length albums, Deaf
Deaf (album)
Deaf, the debut album from J. G. Thirlwell's You've Got Foetus on Your Breath was released in 1981 on Thirlwell's own Self Immolation Records label. Thirsty Ear reissued the album as a CD in 1997 in the US. Both releases were limited editions: only 2,000 copies of the LP and 4,000 copies of the...
, Ache
Ache (album)
Ache is a You've Got Foetus on Your Breath album first released in 1982 on Self Immolation Records. Thirsty Ear reissued the album as a CD in 1997 in the US. Both releases were limited editions: only 1,500 copies of the LP and 4,000 copies of the CD were produced.The Ache LP is Self Immolation...
, Hole (his first release on Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.-1981-1989:One of the first bands that...
) and perhaps his most seminal album from that period: Nail
Nail (album)
Nail is a Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel album released by Self Immolation/Some Bizzare in 1985. It was initially released in the US by Homestead Records in 1985 and later by Thirsty Ear in 1995...
released in 1985. After visiting the United States during a live stint with the Immaculate Consumptive (Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, Nick Cave and Marc Almond) Thirlwell settled in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he is still based between his frequent tours. Since his move he has released several singles, fourteen EPs (including Stinkfist, with fellow New York artist Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
and Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
) and seventeen full-length albums.
In addition to being a prolific artist in his own right, Thirlwell has remixed and produced numerous pieces for artists including Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
, The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
. He has also done voice-over work for MTV and other entities.
Since 2000 Thirlwell has become more active as a composer, having written commissions for Bang on a Can
Bang on a Can
Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon...
, League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots
League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots
The League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, or LEMUR, is a Brooklyn-based group of artists and technologists developing robotic musical instruments. Founded in 2000 by musician and engineer Eric Singer, LEMUR's philosophy is to build robotic instruments that play themselves...
and Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, and scoring the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
cartoon The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
He also revived his primary instrumental project, Steroid Maximus
Steroid Maximus
Steroid Maximus is an instrumental side project of J.G. Thirlwell. Thirlwell is best known for his main band, Foetus. Steroid Maximus contains elements of jazz, big band, avant-garde, soundtrack and exotica styles.-History:...
, and initiated a more experimental project in Manorexia
Manorexia
Manorexia is an experimental instrumental project of composer J. G. Thirlwell . Manorexia was formed in 2001.As opposed to Thirlwell's other instrumental group, Steroid Maximus, Manorexia features no collaborators and eschews musical structure for a more free-form and spontaneous approach. The...
. He continues to write and perform regularly, with orchestras, ensembles or simply with laptop and keyboard and other devices as necessary.
Aliases
Throughout the span of his career, Thirlwell has toyed with his own identity by releasing music in the guise of numerous alter egos. During the earliest phases of his recording, Thirlwell's "groups" were composed of a plethora of fictional characters: Foetus Under Glass supposedly consisted of Frank Want, Phillip Toss and two BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
collectors; Scraping Foetus off the Wheel was claimed to be the work of Want and Clint Ruin. Furthering the confusion, Thirlwell adopted these personas outside of his own recordings; for example, Frank Want can be found on The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
's Soul Mining
Soul Mining
Soul Mining was The The's second album. Soul Mining was released in 1983 and included the UK singles "Uncertain Smile" which reached No. 68 in December 1982 and "Perfect" which made No...
and on releases by Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
's Orange Juice.
Thirlwell's persona of Clint Ruin was particularly notable. During the mid-1980s and early-1990s Thirlwell exclusively went by this pseudonym, even conducting interviews as Ruin. As Ruin, Thirlwell was a member of Wiseblood with Roli Mosimann
Roli Mosimann
Roli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer who has worked in genres ranging from industrial to pop. Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first came to attention with the New York City no wave band Swans and later collaborated with Foetus leader J. G...
and Flesh Volcano
Flesh Volcano
The Flesh Volcano was a side project of singer Marc Almond and industrial musician Clint Ruin, aka Foetus. Its sole release was the Slut EP, which was expanded to album length in a number of reissues...
with Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
. He also recorded two collaborative EPs with Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, and starred in and scored films of Richard Kern
Richard Kern
Richard Kern is a New York underground filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental films featuring underground personalities of the time...
under the Ruin alias. Ruin is also credited on numerous releases for a variety of roles with Boss Hog
Boss Hog
Boss Hog is an American punk blues band including the husband and wife duo of Jon Spencer and Cristina Martinez along with Jens Jurgensen , Hollis Queens and Mark Boyce...
, Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
, Fur Bible, Annie Hogan, Nurse With Wound
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
, Pigface
Pigface
Pigface is an industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin.-History:Pigface was formed from Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste tour, which produced the In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up live album and video. For the tour, Al Jourgensen brought...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Workdogs and others.
This practice seems to have been discontinued since 1995, and "J. G. Thirlwell" is credited on all subsequent musical recordings. However, Thirlwell currently makes DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
appearances under the pseudonym DJ OTESFU (an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of Foetus).
Music
J. G. Thirlwell's music - under his various project names: FoetusFoetus (band)
Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
, Wiseblood, Steroid Maximus
Steroid Maximus
Steroid Maximus is an instrumental side project of J.G. Thirlwell. Thirlwell is best known for his main band, Foetus. Steroid Maximus contains elements of jazz, big band, avant-garde, soundtrack and exotica styles.-History:...
, Baby Zizanie, Manorexia
Manorexia
Manorexia is an experimental instrumental project of composer J. G. Thirlwell . Manorexia was formed in 2001.As opposed to Thirlwell's other instrumental group, Steroid Maximus, Manorexia features no collaborators and eschews musical structure for a more free-form and spontaneous approach. The...
and others - includes elements of punk rock
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...
, 20th century classical music
20th century classical music
20th century classical music was without a dominant style and highly diverse.-Introduction:At the turn of the century, music was characteristically late Romantic in style. Composers such as Gustav Mahler and Jean Sibelius were pushing the bounds of Post-Romantic Symphonic writing...
, industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, African and Cuban percussion, and epic/horror film soundtracks. Much of Thirlwell's aural output is built on a percussive, rock music-type structure, though to call it rock music would be inaccurate. Thirlwell prefers not to categorize music in general, and this is evidenced in the way his music transcends genres: by means of accomplished studio-as-instrument craftsmanship, Thirlwell combines percussion, strings, distortion, brass, electric guitars, electronic sounds and voice into a single, frenzied, epic symphony of hate, pain, violence, grief, beauty and fury - at once powerful, complex and primal. Recurring lyrical themes include destruction, persecution, anxiety, abuse, incest, masochism, angst, self-destruction, self-abuse, lust, prejudice, murder, failure and machismo, often expressed using American colloquialism and black humour. J. G. Thirlwell is also a member of Freq out and the Freq out orchestra.
Musical projects
- FoetusFoetus (band)Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
— Thirlwell's main project. From 1990 until 2010's 'Hide', most Foetus songs featured lead vocals. Though popularly known as simply "Foetus", Thirlwell released albums under diverse variations of the name, including: Foetus Art Terrorism; Foetus Über Frisco; Foetus Corruptus; Foetus In Excelsis Corruptus Deluxe; Foetus Inc.; Foetus Interruptus; Foetus Over Frisco; Foetus Under Glass; Philip and His Foetus Vibrations; Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel; The Foetus All-Nude Revue; The Foetus of Excellence; The Foetus Symphony Orchestra; and You've Got Foetus On Your Breath.
- Steroid MaximusSteroid MaximusSteroid Maximus is an instrumental side project of J.G. Thirlwell. Thirlwell is best known for his main band, Foetus. Steroid Maximus contains elements of jazz, big band, avant-garde, soundtrack and exotica styles.-History:...
— Primary instrumental project. - ManorexiaManorexiaManorexia is an experimental instrumental project of composer J. G. Thirlwell . Manorexia was formed in 2001.As opposed to Thirlwell's other instrumental group, Steroid Maximus, Manorexia features no collaborators and eschews musical structure for a more free-form and spontaneous approach. The...
— Experimental instrumental project. - DJ OTESFU — DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
work. - Wiseblood — Collaboration with Roli MosimannRoli MosimannRoli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer who has worked in genres ranging from industrial to pop. Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first came to attention with the New York City no wave band Swans and later collaborated with Foetus leader J. G...
. - Flesh VolcanoFlesh VolcanoThe Flesh Volcano was a side project of singer Marc Almond and industrial musician Clint Ruin, aka Foetus. Its sole release was the Slut EP, which was expanded to album length in a number of reissues...
— Collaboration with Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
. - Baby Zizanie — Collaboration with Jim Coleman.
- Garage Monsters — Collaboration with skaterSkaterSkater may refer to:*Skating , various activities:** Skater or skateboarder - someone who practices skateboarding, i.e. someone who rides a skateboard** Skater - someone who rides with rollerskates...
artist the P!zz. (Sympathy for the Record IndustrySympathy for the Record IndustrySympathy for the Record Industry is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John...
) - The Immaculate ConsumptiveThe Immaculate ConsumptiveThe Immaculate Consumptive was a collaborative group featuring four stars of the No Wave scene, that existed for three shows in 1983. Its members were Marc Almond, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and Clint Ruin ....
— Touring ensemble with Lydia LunchLydia LunchLydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, Nick CaveNick CaveNicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, and Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell... - The Venture Bros.The Venture Bros.The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
— Musical score by Thirlwell.
Partial discography
For full discographies of Foetus, Steroid Maximus, Manorexia, Wiseblood, Flesh Volcano and Baby Zizanie, see respective articles.- Clint Ruin & Lydia LunchLydia LunchLydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
— StinkfistStinkfist (EP)Stinkfist is a collaborative EP from Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch. This outing from the ex-Immaculate Consumptive bandmates was originally released as a 12" in 1987 on Lunch's Widowspeak label...
(EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, 1987) - Garage Monsters — Powerhouse! (7" singleGramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, 1990). A coverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Raymond Scott'sRaymond ScottRaymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
"PowerhousePowerhouse (song)Powerhouse is a instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, probably best known today as the iconic "assembly line" music in animated cartoons released by Warner Brothers.-History:...
" This recording was later credited to Steroid MaximusSteroid MaximusSteroid Maximus is an instrumental side project of J.G. Thirlwell. Thirlwell is best known for his main band, Foetus. Steroid Maximus contains elements of jazz, big band, avant-garde, soundtrack and exotica styles.-History:...
. - Clint Ruin & Lydia Lunch — Don't Fear the ReaperDon't Fear the Reaper (EP)Don't Fear the Reaper, the second EP from the duo of Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch, finds the pair taking on classic covers and new songs in equal measure...
(EP, 1991) - Garage Monsters — Safari To Mumbooba! (10" single, 1992)
- J. G. Thirlwell — The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell (album, 2009)
External links
- The Corporate Mofo Interview
- Thirlwell Biography/Discography at Trouser PressTrouser PressTrouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
- Interview @ Legends
- J.G. Thirlwell interview at Allaboutjazz