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spotlight! putting the Queer back into pop punk
By Michael Hargrave
mhargra1@mscd.edu

The Queers Munki Brain (Asian Man Records, 2007)

The most heterosexual men in punk rock are Queers.

The Queers have been releasing albums for longer than some college freshmen have been alive. Their new album Munki Brain continues their style of mashing surf, pop punk and rock and roll into sweet bubblegum goodness, proving their veteran status in a style nearing extinction.

Frontman Joe Queer has always sung of punk-rock love. These songs are not for the business-major frat boy. These songs were written for surfers, street kids, bikers and dishwashers who have fallen in and out of love.

The kids are not all right, and the Queers make that very apparent on the track “Houston We Have a Problem.” Sung over Ramones-like chord progressions, the song takes on anthemic qualities. The lyric sheet even reads, “Chorus (To be sung loudly by drunk idiots in the front row).” Such considerate instruction is likely to be taken into account by their small yet rabid following.

“Duke Kahanamoku” gives homage to the man credited with inventing the sport of surfing. “He can shoot the curl around the world, he’s cooler than you and me” sings Queer before initiating a short traditional surf-guitar lead.

The Queers don’t just sing about love, surfing and life on the skids. They are not fans of war and make it very blatant. “Monkey in a Suit” mocks our current commander in chief, George W. Bush. The track features such presidential quotes as, “If this were a dictatorship, this would be a hell of a lot easier, as long as I’m the dictator,” and “We will not have an all-volunteer army.” Mock “ooh-ahh” simian impersonations in between chorus lines serve as an amusing reminder to the executive handling of America’s affairs.

The album ends with a tribute song dedicated to acid-fried former Beach Boy Brian Wilson. “It’s a good thing we got you around” sings Queer and guest vocalist Lisa Marr.

Munki Brain induces memories of teenage debauchery and haphazard infatuations. It inhibits the expectations of adulthood without compromising the integrity so often lost when indulging in whatever the kids with the haircuts are listening to. Munki Brain will promptly place development under arrest while bestowing a steel-toe boot to the back side of mall rock.