Bozo Shmo Freak You, Bozo! LP
BOZO SHMO was a weird, freaky clown-punk band that existed in the mid-to-late ’80s on the eastern seaboard (New York?) and is definitely hard to pin down. When I looked at this LP and saw people dressed up like a low-budget hobo circus with big smiles, you better believe that I had my doubts. There are only five studio tracks on here, while the rest of the LP is made up of live recordings (good quality) and practice recordings (fair quality). Some of it sounds like new wave-y ’80s synth punk that makes me think of the DICKIES, DANCING CIGARETTES, and even traces of LOST KIDS. It can be super catchy, but then they trail off into super maniac mode. It can get really goofy and “zany,” treading into territory that is not unlike a less technical MR BUNGLE, or just outright freak-out music. They also cover the RAMONES, JIMI HENDRIX, and more, making it all their own. There is an archival zine included, which gives you a hint of what it might have been like to see a bunch of fucked up clowns on stage playing manic freak shit in 1988. I’m still confused.