The Fun Ghouls
Encyclopedia
The Fun Ghouls are a punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey
that formed in 2004
, best known not for music but for quirky short films they made and starred in.
Their influences include The Misfits, Black Flag
, and Nirvana
.
When My Chemical Romance
released an album in 2010 in which each band member had an alter-ego, Frank Iero
chose the name 'Fun Ghoul' in reference to The Fun Ghouls as both bands were members of the New Brunswick, New Jersey
Basement Scene.
film Melissa Jerkface Contact's The Fun Ghouls in which Melissa Jerkface places a phone call to the band.
Since then, they have filmed a sequel Melissa Jerkface Contacts The Fun Ghouls 2: Melissa Jerkface Contacts Fish From The Fun Ghouls' Sister and a prequel Melissa Jerkface Meets The Fun Ghouls.
, Fish quipped "this thing is becoming our Smile," in reference to the infinitely delayed legendary Beach Boys album.
In April 2008 The Fun Ghouls were the surprise headliner for a planned 3 day music festival taking place in New Brunswick, NJ at the end of April called New Brunswick Three Day Weekend.
On Halloween
2008 the Fun Ghouls played a special show in New Brunswick, NJ. This marked the first occasion where the three original Fun Ghouls and Melissa Jerkface were in the same place in over 2 years. Although internet rumors circulated that it was not the real Melissa Jerkface and was actually New Brunswick DJ Jay Insult
in a Melissa Jerkface costume, they were proven to be false when a JerseyBeat blog
post verified that it was really her.
that had fallen on hard times. The CD
was only available at the restaurant itself with the order of one slice. Fans found the material to be unremarkable but Fish Ghoul maintained it was only demos and that the real album would be different.
On the day of the Halloween reunion show, the Ghouls and Melissa Jerkface got together to make one more short film titled "Melissa Jerkface and The Fun Ghouls watch Melissa Jerkface Contacts The Fun Ghouls." Although nothing official is known about the film other than the title, it is assumed that the movie will heavily reference the first one. The film is scheduled to premiere at Red Bank International Film Festival in 2009. Speaking at Rutgers in 2009, quirky New Jersey director Kevin Smith
called the Fun Ghouls/Jerkface films "a huge influence."
In March 2009, Fish Ghoul confirmed that the film would indeed be an official selection for the Red Bank International Film Festival. He mentioned nothing about the status of "Fun Ghouls Phone Home," but did mention that thanks in part to sales of The Tata Tapes, Tata's Pizza would remain open at least until the end of 2009.
During a television spot on Last Call with Carson Daly
in 2011, Screaming Females
bassist King Mike sported an original, limited edition Fun Ghouls t-shirt. This appearance has spawned a revival of the group's theatrical endeavors. In production currently is the much-awaited completion of the Melissa Jerkface trilogy: Melissa Jerkface Contacts The Fun Ghouls 3: Melissa Jerkface contacts Mr. TaTa to get Cheese Ghoul's new number and get a t-shirt.
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
that formed in 2004
2004 in music
See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
, best known not for music but for quirky short films they made and starred in.
Their influences include The Misfits, Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, and Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
.
When My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
released an album in 2010 in which each band member had an alter-ego, Frank Iero
Frank Iero
Frank Anthony Iero Jr is the rhythm guitarist, co-lead guitarist and backup vocalist of the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance as well as the vocalist of the post-hardcore band Leathermouth.-Early life:...
chose the name 'Fun Ghoul' in reference to The Fun Ghouls as both bands were members of the New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
Basement Scene.
History
The Fun Ghouls achieved cult status after starring in the 20052005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
film Melissa Jerkface Contact's The Fun Ghouls in which Melissa Jerkface places a phone call to the band.
Since then, they have filmed a sequel Melissa Jerkface Contacts The Fun Ghouls 2: Melissa Jerkface Contacts Fish From The Fun Ghouls' Sister and a prequel Melissa Jerkface Meets The Fun Ghouls.
The Fun Ghouls Phone Home
Since 2005 there have been rumors of a debut album titled The Fun Ghoul's Phone Home coming out, and numerous producers and engineers have been attached to the project including Scruff Scrufferson of the New Brunswick trio Kohuff, and John Slover. In a 2006 interview with The Daily TargumThe Daily Targum
The Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 18,000...
, Fish quipped "this thing is becoming our Smile," in reference to the infinitely delayed legendary Beach Boys album.
Reunions
The group spent 2007 dormant musically, however ended up starring in a fourth movie, Melissa Jerkface asks Fish from the Fun Ghouls for Nick from Seasick's contact info which some fans found to be hard to follow and a little too self-referential.In April 2008 The Fun Ghouls were the surprise headliner for a planned 3 day music festival taking place in New Brunswick, NJ at the end of April called New Brunswick Three Day Weekend.
On Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
2008 the Fun Ghouls played a special show in New Brunswick, NJ. This marked the first occasion where the three original Fun Ghouls and Melissa Jerkface were in the same place in over 2 years. Although internet rumors circulated that it was not the real Melissa Jerkface and was actually New Brunswick DJ Jay Insult
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
in a Melissa Jerkface costume, they were proven to be false when a JerseyBeat blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
post verified that it was really her.
New Material
While "Fun Ghouls Phone Home" has still not come out as of November 2008, a bootleg of 4-track demos leaked called "The Tata Tapes." The band most likely leaked the material themselves as a way to help raise money for Tata's Pizza, a local pizza restaurantPizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
that had fallen on hard times. The CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
was only available at the restaurant itself with the order of one slice. Fans found the material to be unremarkable but Fish Ghoul maintained it was only demos and that the real album would be different.
On the day of the Halloween reunion show, the Ghouls and Melissa Jerkface got together to make one more short film titled "Melissa Jerkface and The Fun Ghouls watch Melissa Jerkface Contacts The Fun Ghouls." Although nothing official is known about the film other than the title, it is assumed that the movie will heavily reference the first one. The film is scheduled to premiere at Red Bank International Film Festival in 2009. Speaking at Rutgers in 2009, quirky New Jersey director Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
called the Fun Ghouls/Jerkface films "a huge influence."
In March 2009, Fish Ghoul confirmed that the film would indeed be an official selection for the Red Bank International Film Festival. He mentioned nothing about the status of "Fun Ghouls Phone Home," but did mention that thanks in part to sales of The Tata Tapes, Tata's Pizza would remain open at least until the end of 2009.
During a television spot on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
in 2011, Screaming Females
Screaming Females
Screaming Females is an independent rock band, often labeled as a punk rock band, from New Brunswick, New Jersey. They have released four full length albums, entitled Baby Teeth, What If Someone Is Watching Their T.V.?, Power Move, and Castle Talk.The band features Marissa Paternoster on guitar...
bassist King Mike sported an original, limited edition Fun Ghouls t-shirt. This appearance has spawned a revival of the group's theatrical endeavors. In production currently is the much-awaited completion of the Melissa Jerkface trilogy: Melissa Jerkface Contacts The Fun Ghouls 3: Melissa Jerkface contacts Mr. TaTa to get Cheese Ghoul's new number and get a t-shirt.
Discography
- Hey, We're The Fun Ghouls 7" (2003)
- Fun With The Fun Ghouls 7" (2004)
- Fun Ghouls Live at The Parlor with Melissa Jerkface on Saxophone CD (2005)
- Back to Ghoul CDEP (2005)
- The Tata Tapes (2008) - Most likely a bootleg