Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet are a Juno Award-winning Canadian instrumental rock band, formed in 1984. They remain best known for the track "Having an Average Weekend", which was used as the theme to the Canadian sketch comedy TV show The Kids in the Hall. Although commonly classified as a surf rock band they rejected the label, going so far as to release a track called "We're Not a Fucking Surf Band", although they also later released a compilation box set titled Oh, I Guess We Were a Fucking Surf Band After All.
The band's origins are in Calgary, where founding members Reid Diamond and Brian Connelly were members of the punk rock band Buick McKane in the 1970s. After that band broke up, Diamond, Connelly and drummer Alex Koch moved to Toronto, where they joined with Don Pyle to form a new punk band, Crash Kills Five. That band released one EP, What Do You Do At Night?, in 1980 before breaking up in 1981, and the members briefly pursued other projects before Diamond, Connelly and Pyle reunited in 1984 as Shadowy Men. The group split up in 1995, and the three members went on to work with other bands. On February 17, 2001, bassist/vocalist Reid Diamond passed away after a battle with cancer. In 2012, the band reformed to play gigs.
Peel first gave airplay to Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet in the summer of 1987, when he played tracks from their Schlagers EP. In 1993, the band did a session for his show, and this provided a firm favourite of Peel. The Pixies as well as Steve Albini, both played often by Peel, were also fans of the group.
Sessions[]
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - John Peel Session 23rd May 1993
21 April 1991: Baby Elephant Walk (EP - Music For Pets) Jetpack
03 August 1991: Tired Of Waking Up Tired (shared 7" with Change Of Heart - Tired Of Waking Up Tired) Cargo
10 August 1991: The Alouette, She Was America's First Satellite, Way Before The Americans Even (split 7" with Change Of Heart - Tired Of Waking Up Tired) Cargo CAR 702
30 April 1993: 'Three Piece Suit (LP-Sport Fishin' The Lure Of The Bait, Luck Of The Hook)' (Cargo)
08 May 1993 (BFBS): 'Three Piece Suit (LP-Sport Fishin' The Lure Of The Bait, Luck Of The Hook)' (Cargo)
14 May 1993: 'Plastics For 500, Bob (CD - Sport Fishing)' (Cargo)
22 May 1993: Spy School Graduation Theme (CD – Sport Fishin’) Cargo Record
28 May 1993: ‘Honey You’re Wasting Ammo (CD – Sport Fishin’)’ (Cargo Records) (JP: ‘Very cross that I didn’t get to see them [Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet], but that seem to be the way things are going at the moment.’)
25 June 1993: 'Haig Earl (CD – Sport Fishin’)’ (Cargo)
03 July 1993 (BFBS): Honey You're Wasting Ammo (album - Sport Fishin' - The Lure Of The Bait, The Luck Of The Hook) Cargo
