Premature Ejaculation (band)

Premature Ejaculation
Left to right: Ron Athey, Rozz Williams
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, United States
Genres Industrial, dark ambient
Years active 1981, 1986–1998
Labels Happiest Tapes on Earth, Dark Vinyl, Baader Meinhoff, Gymnastic, Triple XXX, Cleopatra, Malaise Music
Associated acts Christian Death, Shadow Project, Heltir, EXP

Premature Ejaculation was a United States industrial band from Pomona, California formed in 1981 by Rozz Williams and Ron Athey. They dissolved in less than one year. The band was reformed in 1986 by Williams and several new members, not including Athey. The group disbanded completely after Williams' death in 1998.

History

Formation

Premature Ejaculation was one of Williams' many musical projects. Unlike his deathrock band Christian Death, Premature Ejaculation did not use standard "rock band" instruments. Instead, sound was created using various objects, instruments and lo-fi devices. Early Premature Ejaculation recordings are rare since much of their original work was only shared among friends.

Premature Ejaculation played few live performances, mostly because clubs refused to book them due to their controversial stage theatrics. One of their older acts included Athey eating a dead cat (the animal was roadkill), documentation of which can be seen in the book Hardcore California.[1]

Rebirth

When the band reformed in 1986, Williams was joined by Chuck Collison, and temporarily Lee Wildes and Kris Fuller. Already longtime friends, Gene Evans and Steve Messer began producing their live performances. The group's themes remained avant-garde throughout and focused on the bizarre and taboo. They used unusual sound clips such as crying babies and chainsaws, and other unexpected sounds and noises to create intense soundscapes. Their refined and overwhelmingly dark use of multimedia often left their fans astonished, and sometimes sickened.

Collison played a big role in the reformed group, especially with regard to their higher quality sound. Collison started his own label 'The Happiest Place on Earth' to release Premature Ejaculation's recordings. The name was soon changed to 'The Happiest Tapes on Earth' in order to avoid potential legal problems with Disney.

The first two full-length records were released via Collison's label. Releases were only available in the cassette format until later releases on vinyl and compact disk. Death Cultures was the first to be released, followed by Blood Told in Spine and Assertive Discipline. The reformed group released multiple recordings that were not on Collison's label, with Anesthesia on the German label Dark Vinyl Records being among their most popular. The group also released recordings on Cleopatra, Triple XXX and numerous other record labels.

Premature Ejaculation was not Williams' most well-known project. His band, Christian Death, remains his most famous musical venture (also see Shadow Project with Eva O). Although not his most famous work, Williams often cited Premature Ejcaulation as his favorite project. The group left behind a prolific back catalogue including their final record, Wound of Exit, released after Williams' death.

Members

  • Rozz Williams (1981-1998)
  • Ron Athey (1981-1982)
  • Chuck Collison (1986-1998)
  • Gene Evans (1986-1998)
  • Stephen Messer (1986-1998)
  • Lee Wildes (1986-1989)
  • Kris Fuller (1986-1990)
  • Paris Sadonis
  • Ryan Wildstar
  • Erik Christides

Discography

  • PE – Pt.1 (1981)
  • PE – Pt.2 (1981)
  • A Little Hard to Swallow
  • Living Monstrocities / Descent
  • Body of a Crow (1986)
  • Death Cultures (1987)
  • Assertive Discipline (1988)
  • Death Cultures III (1988)
  • Night Sweats (1988)
  • Blood Told in Spine (1991)
  • Blue Honey / Pigface Show & Tell (1988)
  • Anesthesia (1992)
  • Necessary Discomforts (1993)
  • Estimating the Time of Death (1994)
  • Dead Horse Riddles (1994)
  • Wound of Exit (1998)
  • 6 (2001)
Video releases
  • Death Cultures III (1988)
  • Not the Real Criminal (1989)
  • The End is Here (1989)

References

  1. ↑ Belsito, Peter; David, Bob (2004). Hardcore California. Los Angeles: Last Gasp.
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