Filipp Music History

Hugely influential across the grunge, punk, and sludge spheres (name checked by Nirvana, The Melvins, Henry Rollins, Unsane, and Jane’s Addiction, amongst others), Flipper was formed in San Francisco, in 1979, by former members of Negative Trend, The Sleepers, and Rad Command. Continuing erratically until the mid-1990s, the band later reunited in 2005, with Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic on bass, and currently features David Yow (The Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid) on vocals. The group was named for his pets by original singer Ricky Williams (fired prior to the start of their recording career).

They were just heavy. Heavier than you. Heavier than anything…When they played they were amazing.” – Henry Rollins (Black Flag)

1979-1987 – Flipper Rules

This run started with the ‘SF Underground’ (Subterranean Records, 1979), and ‘Love Canal’/’Ha Ha Ha’ 7″ records. 1981 saw the release of the ‘Sex Bomb’/’Brainwash’ single (complete with hand-made inlays), garnering Flipper much attention from the punk community, with a re-recorded version of ‘Sex Bomb’ included on the group’s first (and to my mind most effective) full-length release, ‘Album – Generic Flipper’ (Subterranean Records, 1982). ‘Generic’ was followed the same year by the ‘Get Away’/’The Old Lady that Swallowed the Fly’ 7”, also on

In 1991 the group signed a controversial deal with the Def American label (giving up control of previous releases), before releasing a live album, ‘Nürnberg Fish Trials’, followed by 1992’s studio album, ‘American Grafishy’ (Def American), and a tour. ‘American Grafishy’ diversified the group’s sound somewhat, to lukewarm reception, and was overshadowed by Dougherty’s subsequent death by drug overdose. It was around this period that the famous photos of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain wearing a homemade Flipper t-shirt were taken, bringing them to greater public exposure.

This chapter was brought to an abrupt close in 1993, when singer Bruce Loose broke his back in a car accident, officially leaving the band in 1996. For the next few years, personal relationships appear strained, with the group negotiating personal differences, trying to regain control over their back catalogue from Def American. Additional strain came when DePace and Falconi recorded songs as Flipper for the albums ‘A Tribute to NOFX’, and ‘A Punk Tribute to Weezer’ (Cleopatra). The band proper also shelved plans to release an unfinished studio album from the mid-‘80s, to be called ‘Flipper’s Greatest Misses’, and featuring artwork depicting a dartboard pierced by syringes instead of