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Lethargy TarTare was born of beer and lack of adult supervision. In the summer of 1989 the parents decided to vacation in Yellowstone National Park for two weeks. Within hours of their departure the children were drunk, and moments later a decades-long creative explosion began the likes of which Waukegan had not seen before, and has not seen since. Four young Waukeganites gathered at the household with little in common besides the presence of cheap alcohol and having grown up within block of each to the other. Gerber, a classically trained guitarist, was the driving musical talent of the band. Stinko, a burgeoning independent filmmaker, provided a creative irreverance that would become the band's signature in years to come. Three-fingered J (five fingered at the time) provided stability, beer, chew, and a rhythm section, plus the unfettered musical sensibilities that have stuck with the band tthroughout their history. And Skid, aka Blind Dog, standing in the middle of this maelstrom of unbridled feelgood creativity, drank beer, talked shite, and quietly turned drunken jam sessions into albums by refusing to let the rest of the band erase anything they ever recorded. The first TarTare sessions that long hot summer of 1989 produced what industry reviewers consider the definitive works of the band's early years.
By late 1989 the songs for the band's first album, "Fug" were completed. The only thing that kept the band from instant celebrity was a complete lack of quality or talent, and the fact that the album was not cut until late 1993, and even then was only given limited distribution. Despite the lack of interest in their first album, the band began recording songs for a second album early in 1990.
The Name
Where did Lethargy Tar-Tare get its name? This story, as many of our clan's stories, begins in Quincy College. In 1990, Gerber was a freshman at Quincy. In his freshman year, he was a member of a College Bowl team that found its first notable success when it dethroned the reigning championship team that included fellow LTTer O'Skiddly. Later in the year, the team traveled to the University of Illinois for the regional competition. On the morning of the tournament, the team was at breakfast about to eat when the coach came in with a dire warning: "Don't eat too much you don't want to feel lethargic at the match." This caused rounds of laughter and much subsequent joking periodically the team would gasp in astonishment and dismay, shouting "ARGH! I'm feeling an attack of LETHARGY!"
Fast forward to the summer of '90.
The band was young, and partying in the parent's house. Being in nearly their second year of existence, it dawned on everyone that the band required a name. Gerber, still reeling from the College Bowl events, proposed "Lethargy" be a part of the name. More names were discussed, and the label "tartare" was raised. Moments later, lightning struck this primordial ooze of ideas, and Lethargy was added to tartare, and LETHARGY TAR-TARE was born! (n.b. the creative spelling of the name started as a misspelling of the real adjective "tartare" which stuck for its visual appeal)
Did you know
-- Tartarean ..Tar*ta"re*an.., Tartareous ..Tar*ta"re*ous.., a. [L. tartareus: cf. F. tartar['e]en.] Of or pertaining to Tartarus; hellish.
-- Steak tartare is also known as "cannibal mound"?
Timeline
1989 - The Tar is born in Waukegan Il.
1990's - The Band sucks.
2000 - The Band still sucks, but has a website
2003 - The Band still sucks, but has a website, and now has a drummer
2006 - The Band sucks publicly, and rocks a million faces...16 at a time!
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