Philadelphia based, humorous near-punk band, consisting of Dave Blood, Dean Clean, Rodney Anonymous, and Joe Jack Talcum. Their real names are secret. They first became somewhat known in the mid-eighties, and they never really broke up, though any more albums or tours are extremely unlikely. Their last proper album was Stoney's Extra Stout, from 1995, and since there've been couple of best of albums.
Their musical style is about halfway between Camper Van Beethoven-esque hyphen rock and a kind of psychedelic punk rock. It is no coincidence that they are from the same region as Ween. The Philly/Jersey area does strange things to people. So do certain fungi.
Allegedly named after the Milkman Dead character from Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. Joe invented the name in high school- the name existed before the band.
Their most famous songs are Punk Rock Girl and Bitchin' Camaro, but those are by no means the best.
Considering that they were a very hippyish band, popular among hippies, they sure did not like them.
Dave Blood took his own life March 9, 2004. According to his sister, he was never happy after the end of the band. I don't know the man and I can't say much beyond that; it's not my place. Let's listen to his music.
DISCOGRAPHY
Information from the official band site at www.deadmilkmen.com, slightly reformatted and linked up.
A DATE WITH THE DEAD MILKMEN
Self released cassette (Jerrock, 1982)
FUNKY FARM
Self released cassette (Jerrock, 1983)
Beach Song
Labor Day
Don't Abort that Baby
I'm Going to Purgatory
Watching Scotty Die
I Don't Wanna
Taking Retards oo The Zoo
Dance with Me
Girl Hunt
Stupid Mary Anne
Fillet of Sole
Depression Day Dinner
Rastabilly
DEATH RIDES A PALE COW
Self released cassette (Jerrock, 1984)
Labor Day
I Don't Wanna, I Don't Wanna
Veterans of a Fucked Up World
Bitchin' Camaro
Plumb Dumb
Laundromat Song
Land of the Shakers
Dance with Me
Rastabilly
I Hate Myself
Ich Bin Ein Junkie, Was?
Beach Party Vietnam
Milkmen Stomp
THE DEAD MILKMEN TAKE THE AIRWAVES
Self released cassette (Jerrock, 1984)
Beach Song
Dance With Me
Labor Day
Bitchin' Camaro
Plum Dumb
Swordfish
VCW (Veterans of a Censored World)
Spit Sink
Laundromat Song
Fillet of Sole
I Hate Myself
I'm a Junkie, So What?
Right Wing Pigeons
Radio Blast
Dean's Dream
Rastabilly
Takin' Retards to the Zoo
Violent School
Bonus Trax! - assorted snipets include: an endless jam on the Surfin' Cow riff, parts of the first DM show at the
Harleysville Youth Center, comments from the band before leaving for that show, more radio blast/tuning, etc.
SOMEONE SHOT SUNSHINE
Self released cassette (Jerrock, 1984)
Serrated Edge
Swordfish
Dean's Dream
Takin' Retards To The Zoo
Surfin' Cow
Gorrilla Girl
Nutrition
Spit Sink
Whities Gonna Pay
Christmas Party
Go Tell It on the Mountain
BIG LIZARD IN MY BACKYARD
Album (Restless, 1985)
Tiny Town
Beach Song
Plum Dumb
Swordfish
V.F.W.
Rastabilly
Serrated Edge
Lucky
Big Lizard
Gorilla Girl
Bitchin' Camaro
Filet of Sole
Spit Sink
Violent School
Takin' Retards to the Zoo
Junkie
Right Wing Pigeons
Dean's Dream
Laundromat Song
Nutrition
Tugena
RESTLESS VARIATIONS
Compilation (Restless, 1985)
Bitchin’ Camaro
EAT YOUR PAISLEY
Album (Restless, 1986)
Where the Tarantula Lives
Air Crash Museum
KKSuck2
Fifty Things
Happy Is
Beach Party Vietnam
I Hear Your Name
Two Feet Off the Ground
The Thing that Only Eats Hippies
Six Days
Swampland of Desire
Take Me Apart
Earwig
Moron
The Fez
Vince Lombardi Service Center (CD bonus track)
NEW MUSIC SEMINAR 1986
Promotional only cassette (Enigma, 1986)
The Thing That Only Eats Hippies
THE THING THAT ONLY EATS HIPPIES
Australian only single (Liberation, 1987)
The Thing That Only Eats Hippies
Beach Party Vietnam
THE ENIGMA VARIATIONS 2
Compilation (Enigma, 1987)
The Thing that Only Eats Hippies
Stupid Maryann
BUCKY FELLINI
Album (Enigma, 1987)
The Pit
Take Me to the Specialist
I Am the Walrus
Watching Scotty Die
Going to Graceland
Big Time Operator
Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)
The Badger Song
Tacoland
City of Mud
Rocketship
Nitro Burning Funny Cars
Surfin' Cow
(Theme from) Blood Orgy of the Atomic Fern
Jellyfish Heaven
INSTANT CLUB HIT
EP (Restless, 1987)
Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything) (Hung Like a Horse Mix)
Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything) (Radio Edit)
Boner Beats
Ask Me to Dance
Tugena
Vince Lombardi Service Center
HITS ENIGMA STYLE
Canadian only promotional cassette (Enigma Canada, 1987)
Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)
BEELZEBUBBA
Album (Enigma, 1988)
Brat in the Frat
RC's Mom
Stuart
I Walk the Thinnest Line
Sri Lanka Sex Hotel
Bad Party
Punk Rock Girl
Bleach Boys
My Many Smells
Smokin' Banana Peels
The Guitar Song
Born to Love Volcanos
Everybody's Got Nice Stuff But Me
I Against Osbourne
Howard Beware...
Ringo Buys a Rifle
Life Is Shit
PUNK ROCK GIRL
7 inch single (Enigma, 1988,1989)
Punk Rock Girl
Dizzy in the Daylight
US Cassingle had: "
Punk Rock Girl", "
Ringo Buys a Rifle", and "
Dizzy in the Daylight". English 12 inch single had "
Punk Rock Girl" b/w "
Ringo Buys a Rifle" and "
Life Is Shit".
SMOKIN' BANANA PEELS
Promotional only vinyl 12 inch single (Fever Records, 1989)
Smokin' Banana Peels (Radio Edit - Both sides)
SMOKIN’ BANANA PEELS
EP (Enigma, 1988,1989)
Smokin' Banana Peels (Bill Cullen Trail Mix)
Smokin' Banana Peels (It Ain't Over 'Til the Dead Milkmen Sing Mix)
Smokin' Banana Peels (Album Mix)
Smokin' Banana Peels (Bill Cullen Trail Mix 7-inch Edit)
Smokin' Banana Peels (Mr. T for Two Mix)
Depression Day Dinner
The Puking Song
I Hate Myself
Girl Hunt
Death's Alright with Me
METAPHYSICAL GRAFFITI
Album (Enigma, 1990)
Beige Sunshine
Do the Brown Nose
Methodist Coloring Book
Part 3
I Tripped Over the Ottoman
The Big Sleazy
If You Love Somebody, Set Them on Fire
Dollar Signs in Her Eyes
In Praise of Sha Na Na
Epic Tales of Adventure
I Hate You, I Love You
Now Everybody's Me
Little Man in My Head
Anderson, Walkman, Buttholes and How!
METHODIST COLORING BOOK
Promotional only CD single (Enigma, 1990)
Methodist Coloring Book
DOLLAR SIGNS IN HER EYES
Promotional only CD single (Enigma, 1990)
Dollar Signs In Her Eyes
TUNE MASTER C-D VIEWER
Promotional only compilation CD (Enigma, 1990)
Rock 'N' Roll Queen
SOUL ROTATION
Album (Hollywood Records, 1992)
At the Moment
The Secret of Life
Big Scary Place
Belafonte's Inferno
The Conspiracy Song
How It's Gonna Be
All Around the World
Silly Dreams
Wonderfully Colored Plastic War Toys
God's Kid Brother
If I Had a Gun
Here Comes Mr. X
Shaft in Greenland
THE SECRET OF LIFE
Promotional only CD single (Hollywood Records, 1992)
The Secret Of Life
THE CONSPIRACY SONG
Promotional only CD single (Hollywood Records, 1992)
The Conspiracy Song
South Bound Saurez
IF I HAD A GUN
EP (Hollywood Records, 1992)
If I Had a Gun
Bitchin' Camaro (The Best Thanksgiving Ever) (Live)
Silly Dreams (Live)
The Conspiracy Song (Live)
Dolce
RESTLESS CATALOG SAMPLER CD
Promotional compilation CD (Restless, 1992)
Punk Rock Girl
NOW WE ARE TEN
Album (Self Released, 1993)
Beach Song
Labor Day
Don't Abort that Baby
Girl Hunt
(1 through 4 from "
Funky Barn" live tape. Recorded live at Stephanie Rowley's barn dance in
Bedminster, Pennsylvania,
October 22,1983)
Land of the Shakers
I Don't Wanna
Milkmen Stomp
(5, 6, and 7 from "[Death Rides a Pale Cow[" tape. Recorded January '84 in Dean's Basement studio)
Beach Song
Dance With Me
Labor Day
Bitchin' Camaro
Plum Dumb
Swordfish
VFW
Spit Sink
Introduction
Laundromat Song
Filet of Sole
I Hate Myself
Junkie
Right Wing Pigeons
Dean's Dream
Rastabilly
Takin' Retards to the Zoo
Violent School
(8 through 25 from "
Dead Milkmen Take the Airwaves" live tape. Broadcast on
WXPN-FM
May 6, 1984)
Stupid Mary Anne (from a live broadcast on
WXPN-FM
February 27, 1987)
Surfin' Cow (recorded live at the
Trocadero in Philadelphia on
June 19, 1992)
Shapes of Things (recorded in Joe's Cold Damp Basement studio in March 1993)
NOT RICHARD, BUT DICK
Album (Hollywood Records, 1993)
Leggo My Ego
I Dream of Jesus
Jason's Head
Not Crazy
Let's Get the Baby High
Little Volcano
Nobody Falls Like
I Started to Hate You
The Infant of Prague Customized My Van
The Woman Who Was Also a Mongoose
PHI BETA RESTLESS
Promotional compilation CD (Restless, 1993)
Bitchin' Camaro
CHAOS RULES - LIVE AT THE TROCADERO
Album (Restless, 1994)
Tiny Town
I Walk the Thinnest Line
Smokin' Banana Peels
Surfin' Cow
Bitchin' Camaro
Where the Tarantula Lives
Nutrition
Big Lizard
The Thing That Only Eats Hippies
I Hate You, I Love You
Lucky
VFW
Punk Rock Girl
Rastabilly
Stuart
Right Wing Pigeons
Tacoland
Laundromat Song
Swordfish
(unlisted)
If I Had a Gun
CUPID’S REVENGE: THE WORLD’S MOST ROMANTIC PUNK SONGS
Compilation (Continuum Records, 1994)
If You Love Somebody, Set Them On Fire
GO CAT GO!
Promotional compilation CD (Restless, 1995)
Punk Rock Girl
STONEY'S EXTRA STOUT (PIG)
Album (Restless, 1995)
Peter Bazooka
Train I Ride
The Girl with the Strong Arm
I'm Flying Away
Helicopter Interiors
The Blues Song
The Man Who Rides the Bus
Don't Deny Your Inner Child
When I Get to Heaven
I Can't Stay Awake
Crystalline
Chaos Theory
Khrissy
Like to Be Alone
Big Deal
RESTLESS CATALOG SAMPLER CD
Promotional compilation CD (Restless, 1997)
Punk Rock Girl
DEATH RIDES A PALE COW - The Ultimate Collection
Album (Restless, 1997)
Milkmen Stomp (previously unreleased)
Tiny Town
Big Lizard
Bitchin' Camaro
Nutrition
Dean's Dream
Beach Party
The Thing that Only Eats Hippies
Big Time Operator
Instant Club Hit
Surfin' Cow
Labor Day (previously unreleased)
I Walk The Thinnest Line
Stuart
Punk Rock Girl
Smokin' Banana Peels
Life Is Shit
Do The Brown Nose
If You Love Someone, Set Them On Fire
Peter Bazooka
The Girl With The Strong Arm
Big Deal
The Blues Song
CREAM OF THE CROP - The Best of the Dead Milkmen
Album (BMG Special Products, 1998)
Bitchin' Camaro
Punk Rock Girl
The Thing that Only Eats Hippies
Surfin' Cow
Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)
Smokin' Banana Peels
Stuart
Beach Song
Dean's Dream
Laundromat Song