Jimmy Skafish broke punk in Chicago in 1976 during an audition night at the now-defunct B’Ginnings nightclub in Schaumburg.  Wearing an old ladies one-piece bathing suit and a purple page boy haircut, Skafish sprinkled the crowd with holy water while spewing bilious, fury-driven songs that terrified the entirely unsuspecting crowd.  It was the first of countless performances at which the audience would literally desire to kill the outrageous singer, but it was also the birth of punk in Chicago. ~ Bob Kurson
 
The band known as Skafish was, in essence, lead singer, composer and conceptualist, Jim Skafish. An eccentric genius with a nose the size of a suburban carport, Jim’s music defied easy categorization, sounding at times like a demented lounge singer or Zappa on helium, his music fused punk’s rawness with jazz experimentation, melodic pop and the blues. The sound was innovative and the lyrics were painfully autobiographical, describing child abuse, alienation and rejection. Over six feet 3 inches tall and with tits, Jim, looked like a transsexual who decided to bail on the process before the surgeon had finished the job. He was, by his own admission, a freak. And he should have been a superstar.

I used to strip down to an old lady’s one-piece bathing suit with a babushka and then do the fucking ‘Sign of the Cross,’ . I would wear tube tops and diapers onstage, and one time in Europe I wore a baby’s bonnet with pee-stained underwear.

His debut album, Skafish, was the first record released by Miles Copeland’s I.R.S. label.Though Skafish toured Europe with The Police, XTC, UB-40, Squeeze, English Beat, and U-2, playing anywhere from 8,000 seat arenas to 45,000 seat stadiums on a daily basis, the band never managed to become a commercial success. I.R.S didn’t even bother releasing the their second album. Jim quickly faded from view -  ahead of his time, misunderstood, and ignored.

A recent video of Skafish performing Disgracing The Family Name.

 
For those of us who had an opportunity to see Skafish perform, as I did in 1977 at CBGB, his talent and stage show were indelible. As was his album. The good news, for those who are curious and those who are fans, is that Skafish has released a compilation of his best songs titled What’s This? 1976 - 1979. If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing Jim’s music, now would be a good time to start. And as it was over 3 decades ago, it’s still ahead of its time.

A great piece on a criminally overlooked artist (in the true sense of the word). I was fortunate to have been at the first Skafish shows in Chicago and outlying areas. What I witnessed was amazing.
In the land of REO Speedwagon and other homogenized acts and their followers, it was seeing Jim Skafish set those crowds on their asses. That got my full attention. His “I don’t give a fuck what you think” attitude was genuine. Cheap Trick was breaking about the same time (they set the club scene on fire as well)  and watching acts like Skafish and Cheap Trick during that time, I knew something very special was happening. And it did. No surprise that members of Cheap Trick came to the clubs to see Jim perform and offered their support (and protection at times). As I’ve said before we need people who can use the “Jaws of Life” to pry open so many closed minds. Jim continues to do so. Thanks to you for opening a few more eyes.

Boris,

I love that Cheap Trick were watching Jim’s back. Cool story.

Marc

I worked at a place called Harlow’s in Burbank, IL
doing promo and advertising for it and subsequent clubs that took over. The first time we had Skafish play, there was an opening act Manx (with a female singer/player so the “meatheads of the day” were OK with that).  Jim took the stage and all hell broke loose. We literally got him through the packed crowd and out the back.
Jim took it in stride and it seemed to fuel him more.  The next show a month or so later was even more over the top. But the crowd was made up of more followers by that time mixed with curiosity seekers and seemed more receptive. As I mentioned earlier, something special was happening then.
The Cheap Trick following is mentioned at skafish.com
For those still uninitiated, check out that site for a concise history lesson.

From Skafish.com

Skafish and his band tour the Chicago area. At their first publicized show on November 7, the act opens with “Executive Exhibitionist.” It is a blatant tale of a middle-aged man exposing himself to children at schoolyards, musically emphasized by its clashing polytonal group improvisation. The performance features Skafish flashing the crowd while wearing a businessman’s overcoat with peach gardening shorts and a tube top underneath. At the completion of this set opener, an audience member rushes to the bathroom and throws up.

Cheap Trick become early fans, and bring future Skafish drum roadie Tara to see her 1st Skafish show. At a performance in Rockford, Illinois, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen threatens audience members with a beer bottle as they rush the stage to attack Skafish.

The act receives immediate local press coverage, even though Skafish refuses to answer any questions from the media or grant any interviews. The initial reaction to Skafish is quite favorable by the local press, who considers him to be indescribably unique and refreshing for then conservative Chicago rock scene. Audience reactions vary from shock, disbelief, indifference, occasional obsessive excitement, to hostile and violent, with audience members often screaming profanities while throwing things at the stage.

Thanks Boris.

I remember seeing Skafish @ ChicagoFest, they
Opened for the Scorpions. Of course my cousin
And I came to see Jim. The crowd was so angry
At Skafish and tormented him and his band.
It was fantastic! Of course we listened to his
Cousin Bobby Skafish on WXRT and frequent
Le Mere Vapire and were really into the punk
Movement. Thanks for sharing your Skafish
Stories and I have the What’s This CD and
Love it!
Go Skafish!

Great stuff here! I’m on the lookout for some Skafish right now!

I’m 38 and my young parents used to follow Skafish back in the day.  I remember seeing his album covers when I was a little kid.  I met Jim a few years ago through our business and started listening to his music.  Needless to say, I was hooked and it was all I listened to for several weeks straight.  Jim’s a talented guy and I’m very glad that I ‘found’ his music.

Seeing Jim so many times live, I finally had the opportunity to introduce myself to him shortly after the release of his first album in 1980 backstage at the UIC cafeteria Ramones show.

Eddie, “Jim, Hi, my name’s Ed, congrats on the new album!”

Jim, “Thanks doll…”

Growing up in Bridgeport, I’ve never been called doll before…or since. It was pretty cool!