In the words of Ray Charles: Hit the road, Jack.
For a very long time, "Saying Goodbye" by the Muffs was my top track of the '90s, and I'm not sure that's changed since then. The song came from the group's eponymous debut album in 1993, an album I reviewed for Goldmine:
"There is a current branch of chaotic pop--call it melodic thrash, or bubblegrunge, or bash and pop (to steal the name of Tommy Stinson's new group)--that seems to draw equal inspiration from the New York Dolls, KISS, the Ramones, the Runaways, and the Buzzcocks, though the Replacements are the most obvious common reference point. It's a broad category, and it includes to some extent the Goo Goo Dolls, Star Star, various ex-Replacements, and even Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.'
"The Muffs' debut album is squarely of that strain, and it's a right exhilarating whiff of same. The Muffs include Kim Shattuck and Melanie Vammen, two former members of the Pandoras, whose best work deserved a wider audience. Shattuck and Vammen have traded in their respective bass and keyboard duties for lead and rhythm guitars here, and Shattuck does most of the lead vocals. Bassist Ronnie Bartnett and drummer Criss Crass are the token males.
"The Muffs' 16 tracks jump up and down with manic glee, characterized by amphetamine-fueled rhythm and punk-pop hooks. It's an immediate improvement over all of the Pandoras' work since 1986's Stop Pretending, and it's a righteous, rowdy good time. Key tracks include 'Saying Goodbye'--a rockin' delight that would be getting saturation airplay right now in a world more just than our own--plus 'Don't Waste Another Day' and 'Eye To Eye,' each of which is as close to a power ballad as the Muffs are likely to come. The acoustic 'All For Nothing' closes the show in style (with an unnamed 20-second hardcore thrash serving as an unbilled encore). Anyone who mourns the demise of the Pandoras, or who simply enjoys the the thrill of a pop-rock assault with intent to kill, will be well-served here."
I did not know Kim Shattuck. I've been a fan for decades, going back to the Pandoras, but we were, at best, casual friends on Facebook. I don't think we ever had a conversation or shared message. Yet news of her death in 2019 at the age of 56--56!--prompted a sadness within me apart from the all-too-familiar ache of saying goodbye to another one of our heroes.
Why? I guess because she felt to me like someone who was close to all of us, even though she wasn't really. She was an actual part of the lives of a bunch of people I do know--a friend, a loved one--and our communal sense of loss can't compare to what they went through when Shattuck died. But man, this one hurt. I didn't know her, and it hurt anyway.
(You wanna see an illustration of why we love Kim Shattuck? Go to YouTube and watch the video for Derrick Anderson's "When I Was Your Man." Anderson's ably supported here by Vicki and Debbie Peterson (his bandmates in the Bangles) and our Kim. The song and video are irresistible, but Kim especially? She's a bundle of goofy, guileless energy, a nerd and a rock star at the same time, naturally, unconsciously, absolutely. She's not exactly one of us, but she understands us. I refuse to change that into the past tense, at least for tonight.)
The Pandoras. The Muffs. The Beards. The Coolies. And one of the greatest screams in all of rock 'n' roll. All heart, all fire, all go! Kim Shattuck made her indelible mark on this rockin' pop scene we so cherish. Anyone who didn't love her simply wasn't paying attention.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.
I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl
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