The Formative Years – Big Boys
There is a myriad of intense punk and hardcore bands that coined my radicalisation, but then there are bands that blew my mind, expanded my horizons and exposed me to one could interpret punk a tad differently away from the stereotypes of what everyone else was doing, which added an appealing facet to the mix.
Big Boys was a band that perfectly embodied the idea that punk is freedom and a state of mind.
Founded in Texas, Big Boys was unique in that as early as 1981, they infused punk with funky, irreverent, fun and openly gay elements, while not diluting the essence of what a hardcore punk band was supposed to be under the Reagan regime.
From the get go, Big Boys incorporated R&B, soul and even disco elements without attempting to ridicule the respective genres but marrying it with the core tenets and furiousness of punk rock.
Visually, the Big Boys lived up to the band’s name, yet instead of buying into the machismo of the scene, the core line-up of Tim Kerr, bassist Chris Gates, and frontman Randy "Biscuit" Turner, the band crossed dressed or wore costumes on stage, adding an important visual component to their shows, which had a lasting effect on anyone coming across their antics – both in positives ways as e.g. Ian MacKaye would attest to as well as in the negative stance the Bad Brains took.
Big Boys remain one of the true innovators and pioneers of punk rock not merely because they shaped of what skate punk was to become and the channelling of seemingly unrelated musical styles to create their unique brand of sound, which in a live environment resembled to be the equivalent of block party with invitations being extended to join them on stage to sing along and dance.
To this day I regret to have sold my Pushead designed Big Boys Zorlac skateboard, as there is hardly another physical subject from that era that would better embody the trinity that made punk important for me.
Having created the foundation, Big Boys was a soulful band whose true legacy and impact is still unfolding and impacting how underground music evolves.
