The Fugs - An American Band (Part 1) Quiz

Answer: Broadside, ESP, Atlantic, Reprise, Fontana

The early Fugs records were released by Broadside Records (later reissued on ESP). Then on ESP Disk, after which Atlantic signed them (but never released anything until the Rhino Handmade 'Electromagnetic Steamroller' compilation issued the unreleased Atlantic album)and after Atlantic dropped them they were signed to the Reprise label.

In Europe some of their early albums were issued legitimately on the Fontana label as well as the Reprise label.

Answer: Michael Hurley

While Michael Hurley had very strong later Holy Modal Rounders affiliations (who themselves had huge early Fugs affiliations) he never really had anything to do with the Fugs as a band member proper. Peter Stampfel was the main member of the Holy Modal Rounders as well as an original member of the Fugs, Danny Kootch (aka Danny Kortchmar and Dan Kortchmar) was one of the brilliant guitar players in the Fugs band over the years and Ed Sanders...

He was one of the three main Fugs members (Some would say Ed Sanders IS The Fugs).

Answer: Fugs Third Album (aka 'Gropin' For Peace On The Banks Of The Nile')

Depending on how you look at it the third Fugs album is either 'Virgin Fugs' (which ESP released after they left the label without the band's permission) or their unreleased-until-2001 Atlantic label record (it was finally released as part of the 'Electromagnetic Steamboat - The Reprise Recordings' collection on Rhino Handmade in 2001) or their first release on the Reprise label: 'Tenderness Junction'.

Answer: Supergirl

Like I said: If you offend easily now would be a great time to ask yourself "WHY am I still taking this quiz?" Seriously.

I have to presume that most real hardcore Fugs fans have the intros to the various songs on 'Golden Filth' committed verbatim in their heads to the point of muscle memory, so it is hard for me to explain the questions or answers from that album without quoting entire sections (or at least explaining them). I also would prefer to refrain from quoting them at length as that could push this quiz into "banned" territory. So here goes. The essence of the intro is Ed Sanders making statements such as "She can leap tall buildings in a single bound. She can break brass bolts will her vaginal scrunch" etc and concludes with "Who is she?" whereupon Tuli hollers in the background "Mama!". Then Ed says "She is supergirl" (etc) and the song starts as he continues. I am leaving out the first two lines of the song as I KNOW that will get this quiz banned in a heartbeat.

Answer: I Want To Know

One of the (imo) greatest opening lines for any pop song ever. Perhaps even the best. The gorgeous 'I Want To Know' appears in its beautifully arranged studio form on the Fugs 'Second Album' (with the wall-of-sound production that includes piano triplets, female back up vocals etc a la Bobby Vinton or the like!) as well as in a very differently arranged pure rock form on the 'Golden Filth Live' album.

Answer: Tuli Kupferberg

Naphtali "Tuli" Kupferberg was, sadly, the first of the three main Fugs to pass away on July 12, 2010 at age 86. He died of a stroke. The remaining three main Fugs are Ed Sanders (born August 17, 1939) and Ken Weaver (born 1940), both of whom are still alive as of November 11, 2015.

The last time I checked Kenny Weaver was retired and Ed Sanders was still writing and publishing poetry and books. In 1983 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in poetry and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry in 1987 - which brings everything back full circle as he was primarily a poet before forming the Fugs in late 1964.

Not bad for a former rock and roll singer and band leader, no?

Answer: A monkey named Jezebel

Seriously. And she is given full credit as the artist on the back cover of the album!

Answer: Flagpole

"We got some high and holy hardware for you... I know y'all like posters. I read Life magazine and we got some posters here that'll curl your short hairs friends. We got one. It's a specialty. It's 40 feet tall. You got a tall house, you live inside of a (pick from your answer choices below) you can surround yourself with it. What is is it depicts a story from the Bible, a little known story I must say.

It depicts Mary Magdalene - you all heard of her she was a whore - Roll for dough uh... Mamie Stover of the new testament... anyway it shows her up on stilts... eatin' glass..."

Answer: 2 or 3

"My Bed Is Gettin' Crowded" from the "Virgin Fugs" LP: 'My bed is gettin' crowded, they're rollin' on the floor, two or three women, will never come back no more I got no time for a dozen, six of you gotta go, oh oh oh. I got no time for a dozen. Six of you gotta go.'

Answer: True

According to every source I have found for this story on and offline (including asking Ed Sanders himself about it back in the 1980s) believe it or not it is absolutely 100% true! You can actually hear a segment of this as "Exorcising the Evil Spirits from the Pentagon Oct. 21, 1967" on their 1968 Warner Reprise label 'Tenderness Junction' LP (or the 'Electromagnetic Steamroller' compilation, which includes that album in its entirety).