Staff pick of the week...
This week...Bill picks it!

Artist: Didjits Title: Hornet Piñata Format: CD Price: $11.75	Tracks on this CD:
	Killboy Powerhead
	Captain Ahab
	Long Lone Ranger
	Gold Eldorado
	Evel Knievel
	Cutting Carol
	Goodbye Mr. Policeman
	Sweet Sweet Satan
	Baby Ür a Dräg
	Call Me Animal
	Joker Express
	Hooley Ghouly
	Foxey Lady

Four months or so ago I bought tickets to see the Pixies play in Chicago - in November! Now, I’ve long been an admirer of the band and have seen them play a few times circa Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, but sheesh! certain band members may not even be alive when the show takes place. I may not even make it!! At the very least, I’m bound to lose these tickets in an endless kitchen drawer…

Pixies were an exciting band at an exciting moment in rock history. As heralded and revered as they’ve become over the years, I can’t help but remember that the mouth that roared in Champaign-Urbana throughout that era and who are equally worthy of such accolades – at least in these parts – were a 3-piece blast of fresh air known as the Didjits.

Brothers Rick (singer/guitarist) and Brad (drummer) Sims and bassist Doug Evans ruled the roost in this Midwestern college town in the mid-to-late 80s, as echoes of Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry splattered over a driving pop blast and high octane punk melee of Buzzcocks and punk Devo. Led by the comic wit and theatrics of Rick Sims, a confrontational class clown with a magnetic personality and a dapper suit, the band consistently delivered high quality albums (recorded by Iain Burgess and Reggie Stiggs (a.k.a. Steve Albini)) and incendiary (sometimes literally) live performances.

Although they may have seemed sophomoric at times (pre-dating Hank Hill’s parodying of small town life and even smaller minds), Didjits were the upper classmen of C-U’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, deeply influencing a freshman class that included Poster Children, Bad Flannel, Sixteen Tons, Honcho Overload, Hum, Hot Glue Gun, Corndolly, and Mother. The Didjits inspired, mentored, and taunted all of the other bands in Champaign to do better and led by fine example. They were also willing ambassadors, frequently bringing young C-U bands on Didjits’ tours as opening acts and, alternately, making sure that folks like Big Black and Scratch Acid came to our sleepy hollow to play.

After the band dissolved, Rick Sims joined up with The Supersuckers briefly, recorded albums with alter-ego The Lee Harvey Oswald Band, and worked with a Chicago theatre troupe prior to forming a new band the Gaza Strippers. The Offspring covered the song “Killboy Powerhead” from the band’s third album, Hornet Piñata, garnering a slight financial windfall for the band later on.

They worked hard on their a**hole personas, but I’m here to tell you that they were great guys making the right music at the right time. It still sounds good today too, chump! Start with Hornet Piñata, double-back to Hey Judester, and then I won’t have to tell you to buy the rest of their albums. You’ll be doing the Hooley Ghouly under the Christmas Fish on your own by then!!

Thank you Saint Louis!!!