8 Eyed Spy was an American no wave band from New York City, consisting of Lydia Lunch (ex-Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Beirut Slump) and Jim Sclavunos (also ex-Teenage Jesus and Beirut Slump), Michael Paumgardhen, Pat Irwin and George Scott III. The group was active from 1979 to 1980.
8 Eyed Spy played their first New York City show in October 1979 at the Mudd Club. Subsequently, AllMusic qualified 8 Eyed Spy as "a far more overtly musical group than Teenage Jesus and the Jerks".
They covered Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy", the swamp rock classic "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". The band recorded only briefly, releasing one live album, Live, and a self-titled studio album. The band broke up in 1980 after the death of George Scott III.
Links to Peel[]
Peel played some of its members old band, the Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, on his radio programmes and when Lydia Lunch and Jim Sclavunos formed 8 Eyed Spy, he also played their material on his programmes including revisiting them on his 30th March 1988 programme. Lydia Lunch's solo career was also played by Peel on his shows. After his death in 2004, it was later found out that Peel had a copy of their self titled album in his Record Collection: 1-9
Shows Played[]
- 06 December 1981 (BFBS): Love Split With Blood (album - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 09 December 1981: You Twist, I Shout / I Want Candy (LP – 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 17 December 1981 (BFBS): Lazy In Love (album - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 27 December 1981 (BFBS): You Twist, I Shout (album - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 27 December 1981 (BFBS): I Want Candy (album - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 1982
- 10 January 1982 (BFBS): Love Split With Blood (album - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 19 May 1982 (BFBS): Love Split With Blood (album - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish
- 1983
- 02 March 1983: Lazy In Love (v/a album - The Last Testament) Fetish
- 1988
- 30 March 1988: Diddy Wah Diddy (LP - 8 Eyed Spy) Fetish