The Frogs (band)
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The Frogs are a band with a history of controversy, founded in 1980, in Milwaukee. Centering around brothers Jimmy Flemion and Dennis Flemion, guitarist and drummer respectively, the Frogs added bassist Jay Tiller in 1983. That same year, Jimmy began wearing what was to become his trademark stage gimmick, a pair of six-foot bat wings. Although in their early days, the Frogs played mostly in coffeehouses, they soon developed a large following, due mostly to their fan-friendly shows. In 1988, the Frogs, ardent home-tapers, self-released their first album, in limited quantities. In that same year, Brian Hill joined the group as bassist.
These home tapes eventually reached Gerard Cosloy in 1989, then head of Homestead Records, who released a collection of 12 tracks under the title It's Only Right and Natural. All but one of the tracks on the release supported the brothers' claim that they were leaders in a new gay supremacy movement. The album was received with mixed reactions; those that understood the band's point were generally ecstatic, although others, who either disliked the subject matter, or misunderstood the concept, weren't as enthused.
In 1989, the Frogs produced a new album, called Racially Yours, with a cover of the brothers, one in whiteface, one in blackface. With pseudo-racially-charged songs, their label was unwilling to release it (although it was distributed freely by fans, and was finally released in 2000), and The Frogs' further plans, for a live album, went unfulfilled, as labels they pursued all seemed to be suffering through bankruptcy and management problems.
Tiller left in 1992, to be replaced by Damian Strigens, although there were several substitutes in the meantime, including such notables as Eddie Roeser from Urge Overkill and Kelly Deal from The Breeders. The Frogs followed Cosloy to his new label, Matador Records, releasing a single in 1994, the same year that they appeared on a Pearl Jam B-side, covering "Rearviewmirror". In 1996, the Frogs released a new album, My Daughter the Broad, and in 1997, their Starjob EP was produced by Billy Corgan. The Frogs later appeared on the Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight" single. They also released Bananimals in 1998 and Hopscotch Lollipop Sunday Surprise in 2001.
The Frogs were often mentioned in conjunction with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Smashing Pumpkins, due to their collaborations on their album It's Only Right and Natural . The band, through their unique sense of humour, targeted homosexual and racial stereotypes, pretending to be the minorities they sang about. Although critics have attacked the Frogs for poor taste, bands seen normally as politically correct have come to their defense.
Albums and Lyrics
- The Frogs (1988) (lyrics (http://web.archive.org/web/20031212221642/www.thefrogs.net/lyric3/thefrogs.htm))
- It's Only Right And Natural (1989) (lyrics (http://web.archive.org/web/20031212214131/www.thefrogs.net/lyric3/ioran.htm))
- My Daughter The Broad (1996)
- Starjob EP (1997) (lyrics (http://web.archive.org/web/20031203221317/http://www.thefrogs.net/lyric3/starjob.htm))
- Bananimals (1998) (lyrics (http://web.archive.org/web/20031203221317/http://www.thefrogs.net/lyric3/banana.htm))
- Racially Yours (2000) (lyrics (http://web.archive.org/web/20031212214345/www.thefrogs.net/lyric3/ry.htm))
- Hopscotch Lollipop Sunday Surprise (2001) (lyrics (http://web.archive.org/web/20031203221317/http://www.thefrogs.net/lyric3/hopscotch.htm))
Official Website on Internet Archive (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.thefrogs.net/)