Teenage Jesus and the Jerks were an influential American no wave band, based in New York City, who formed part of the city's no wave movement.
Lydia Lunch met saxophonist James Chance at CBGB and moved into his two-room apartment. She started to combine her poetry with acoustic guitar and was spurred to start a band after seeing one of Mars' earlier performances. Lunch found guitarist Reck at CBGB and recruited him as a drummer, later moving him to bass. They formed a band called the Scabs and briefly added Jody Harris to their line-up. Lunch knew Bradley Field through Miriam Linna and convinced him to join in early 1977.
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Links to Peel[]
Peel would play the band's records between the late 70's and early 80's. In an interview on Peeling Back The Years 4 (Transcript), Peel mentioned the following about the group:
"But the people that I liked best were Teenage Jesus – which of course was Lydia Lunch - Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, because their records seemed to be – I mean, No Wave seemed to pretty much accurately describe it. They seemed to be kind of anti-everything, you know, confrontational records - and I’ve always rather enjoyed those."
He also praised the group in Sounds, published on 7th October 1978 recommending listeners to hear their material and revisited the group in the late 80's and early 90's on his radio programmes.
Shows Played[]
- 04 July 1978: Less Of Me (7" - Orphans) Migraine
- 05 July 1978: Orphans (7" - Orphans) Migraine
- 06 July 1978: Less Of Me (7" - Orphans) Migraine
- 11 July 1978: Less Of Me (7" - Orphans) Migraine
- 21 August 1978: Orphans (7") Migraine
- 08 November 1978: (JP: "Nothing in the lyrics of this next song makes it clear whether it's a drag racing song or an attack on family planning.") Burning Rubber (LP – No New York) Antilles
- 29 November 1978: Burning Rubber (LP - No New York) Antilles
- 1979
- 15 March 1979: The Closet (12") ZE
- 1980
- 01 April 1980: Baby Doll (7") Migraine
- 02 April 1980: Freud In Flop
- 08 April 1980: Red Alert (12") Migrane
- 1987
- Peeling Back The Years: Orphans (single) Lust/Unlust
- 1989
- 27 February 1989: Orphans (12" - Teenage Jesus And The Jerks) Migraine
- 1990
- 23 August 1990: Red Alert (v/a album - No New York) Antilles