Suburban Lawns

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Amazing band! why are they so overlooked?

― A Nairn, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Janitor is a catchy as hell all time great. I'm guessing that's their best known song and they were pigeonholed as novelty new wavers on the basis of the goofy lyrics and the 'oh my genitals' refrain. The two other songs I've heard weren't up to much. I remember reading that the singer (Sue Tissue?) had a cameo in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild one of my fave films, but I'm not sure what she did. They're almost entirely unknown in Britain - were they rated, at all, by anyone? And was that a fake German accent she used in Janitor, or is it real?!

― Graham C, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

She was one of the organizers of the class reunion in Something Wild. Straight black hair and a perpetually pained expression on her face. I didn't hear "Janitor" as German accented, just sung in a clipped fashion. I have the Suburban Lawns LP, but it's been so long I don't recall any song except Janitor.

― nickn, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

An amazing band! Why ARE THEY OVERLOOKED?

I am happy as a clam since I found this band. Like early B-52's with a twist all their own. And the reggae backbone of the Police thrown in. One of the songs reminded me of English Beat. Not to mention early Fashion. Love it love it love it.

― Bimble (bimble), Sunday, 28 November 2004 07:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Greatest hit is GIDGET GOES TO HELL/MY BOYFRIEND. The first single.

....Flashing white teeth snap bloody bikini....

― DR SCott, Sunday, 28 November 2004 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

"Flavor Crystals" is a great song! (from the Baby EP)

― donut christ (donut), Monday, 29 November 2004 06:38 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwS4kwPwPO4

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:03 (twenty years ago)

they used to play flavor crystals all the time on the college radio station where i lived growing up. i ran right out and bought that ep cuzza that song.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:08 (twenty years ago)

Greatest hit is GIDGET GOES TO HELL/MY BOYFRIEND. The first single.
....Flashing white teeth snap bloody bikini....

-- DR SCott (DrScoT...), November 28th, 2004.

So OTM.

Pioneers and Janitor are good too.

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 02:09 (twenty years ago)

never heard them but great band name.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 02:24 (twenty years ago)

The video for Janitor (as opposed to their NWT appearence):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exLR_aSTUSM

I'm waiting for their SNL appearence to show up on youtube.

― Edward III (edward iii), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 02:37 (twenty years ago)

Google expedition indicates SNL showed the video of Janitor, they didn't play live. I preferred the NWT version as it contains more face time with art-damaged-librarian Su. That crazy squeaky voice she does on the "Who's your mother" line slays me; it reminds me of Minneapolis' Suburbs on "In Combo." What a killer riff.

You can get all the first album mp3s here:

http://postpunkjunk.com/?m=200601

I also really love "Unable." Who else sounds like this?

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 14:30 (twenty years ago)

Mea culpa. SNL showed a video for "Gidget...," supposedly directed by Jonathan Demme?!?!

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 14:47 (twenty years ago)

I love the fact that someone who posted here also likes the Suburbs. Cause every time I pull out Suburbs it's like "oh well, here's this Suburban Lawns while I'm at it - why not?"

― Ficky Stingers (Bimble...), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 04:13 (twenty years ago)

nine years pass...

reissue:

http://www.futurismoinc.com/artists/suburbanlawns

― Thus Sang Freud, Saturday, 24 October 2015 00:48 (eleven years ago)

you ever hear su tissue's solo album? so cool and beautiful. nothing like the lawns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpExU--YDnY

― scott seward, Saturday, 24 October 2015 01:04 (eleven years ago)

i will listen. thanks for that.

― Thus Sang Freud, Saturday, 24 October 2015 01:16 (eleven years ago)

that record gets a brief mention here:

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/looking-back-on-suburban-lawns-the-great-forgotten-la-new-wave-band

― Thus Sang Freud, Saturday, 24 October 2015 01:20 (eleven years ago)

one month passes...

This rules. Between this and Gleaming Spires and the Units reissue and that lo-fi live Devo record, FUTURISMO is killing it as a label this year

― Your Ribs are My Ladder, Thursday, 3 December 2015 11:03 (ten years ago)

Haven't listened to them in ages. Thanks for pointing out these reissues

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 3 December 2015 15:09 (ten years ago)

one year passes...

Someone posted Su's full album on YT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crt2c_YKssY

It's pretty cool! Not what I was expecting.

― Puke and Other Poems (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Tuesday, 27 June 2017 08:00 (nine years ago)

cool bookmarked

― the ghost of lorax past (FlopsyDuck), Tuesday, 27 June 2017 19:53 (nine years ago)

she is in "something wild" and talks in the same weird voice that she sings in

― na (NA), Tuesday, 27 June 2017 19:56 (nine years ago)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUlIUYGlDOa/?taken-by=naamme

sorry i said the same thing on there

― na (NA), Tuesday, 27 June 2017 20:00 (nine years ago)

^ Been listening to that a lot recently.

― Chewshabadoo, Wednesday, 28 June 2017 13:38 (nine years ago)

one year passes...

Ok so now that we found what happened to Jonathan Demme discovery Q Lazarus, let's find Su!

― kurt schwitterz, Tuesday, 2 October 2018 22:07 (eight years ago)

Would love to see a reissue of Salon de Musique someday.

― Master of Treacle, Wednesday, 3 October 2018 00:12 (eight years ago)

two years pass...

The Gidget video directed by Jonathan Demme. I had never seen it before tonight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66edboZWeqg

― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 01:04 (five years ago)

I hadn’t seen that either. Has that corny new wave music feel

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 17 November 2020 15:27 (five years ago)

two years pass...

The other day leaving the gym I spotted a young woman in a t-shirt that I thought was the Scooby Doo logo:

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/scoobydoo/images/5/56/WAY_title_card.png/revision/latest?cb=20130106234245

Except on closer inspection it said Su Tissue Where Are You!

― Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable POST (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 19 October 2023 16:53 (three years ago)

https://www.nicepng.com/png/full/286-2866148_scooby-doo-where-are-you-image-scooby-doo.png

― Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable POST (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 19 October 2023 16:56 (three years ago)

I now want that shirt in the worst way possible, but googling is turning up nothing.

― Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable POST (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 19 October 2023 16:57 (three years ago)

There was facebook group called Whatever Happened To Su Tissue (or similar) that the founder eventually deleted when it became clear she didn't want to be found, and therefore seemed increasingly stalker-ish.

― nickn, Thursday, 19 October 2023 19:15 (three years ago)

I treasure my bootleg tape of Salon de Musique, really unique album

― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Thursday, 19 October 2023 19:17 (three years ago)

Wow, this is good stuff. It reminds me of a time when "nervy" was a word used in record reviews.

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 19 October 2023 19:22 (three years ago)

But also I want to say that suburban lawns, the actual entities, get an unfair bad rap when they're a tiny slice of the water crisis compared with farmers growing alfalfa for cattle.

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 19 October 2023 19:23 (three years ago)

I would give a band called Alfalfa Farmers a try but I bet they'd be bad.

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 19 October 2023 19:23 (three years ago)

Friends of mine had a band called Alfafa Males for a while.

― Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable POST (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 19 October 2023 21:44 (three years ago)

two years pass...

https://scontent-den2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/780909616_18645480625004077_1396086168819183507_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_tt6&cstp=mx1572x2096&ctp=s1572x2096&_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=yeNe9x1sNJgQ7kNvwF6tp-T&_nc_oc=AdpFApj0cWrZZ7AQJN0PTl667gxO9VwTRmrtFhSOYoOp5SPiA4Qid_U_R2qMzUymJUM1R4v6Ih03rpE4CAPboJSs&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.xx&_nc_gid=6Yi5nLGh60fZgYmqwBEP5w&_nc_ss=7b2a8&oh=00_AQEgMZM0J3BL8QkoAMzeqvS1Rwzk82CA1T9p4TUiQLPGQQ&oe=6A962D14

― shaking babies (map), Thursday, 27 August 2026 16:45 (two months ago)

best band of all time. suburban lawns rules. theres a doc in the works that is going to be really cool.

― kurt schwitterz, Thursday, 27 August 2026 17:18 (two months ago)

― Serfin' USA (sleeve), Thursday, 27 August 2026 17:20 (two months ago)

No way, would love to see this.

― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 27 August 2026 21:40 (two months ago)

you
are
not
a-
llowed
to
see

untilyoustoptakingthosepills!

― Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria de Episcopio, Thursday, 27 August 2026 23:24 (two months ago)

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