Flipper – Ha Ha Ha

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Description

Early years (1979–1989)

Flipper was founded by former Sleepers member Ricky Williams (vocals), former Rad Command member Ted Falconi (guitar), and former Negative Trend members Will Shatter (bass) and Steve DePace (drums). Founding member and original vocalist Williams was credited for naming the band, but was fired before it made any recordings. Bruce “Loose” Calderwood replaced Williams and he and Shatter then went on to trade vocal and bass duties, with both bringing a bass onstage. Falconi, a Vietnam War veteran, played a uniquely distorted style of guitar.

Flipper’s first recordings appeared in late 1979 on the SF Underground 7-inch EP released on the newly formed Subterranean Records, followed by the “Love Canal”/”Ha Ha Ha” 7-inch single in 1980.

In 1981, the “Sex Bomb”/”Brainwash” single was released, featured individually hand-made covers. The lengthy A-side had minimal lyrics (“She’s a sex bomb, my baby, yeah”) and gained the band notoriety within the punk community. The original lineup released their first full-length album, Album – Generic Flipper, on Subterranean in 1982. It was recorded over a year and contained a new version of “Sex Bomb”. It was followed later in the year with another single on Subterranean, “Get Away”/”The Old Lady that Swallowed the Fly”.

The band regularly performed in the San Francisco area and attracted a large following. Simultaneously, their uniquely slowed-down and raucous approach to punk managed to infuriate other members of the local punk scene, especially with the burgeoning popularity of faster-paced hardcore punk. Mark Arm claimed, in the 2006 documentary American Hardcore, that Flipper’s charm as a band lay in their ability to upset audiences while attracting their undivided attention and curiosity at the same time. Fans began spray painting “Flipper Rules” in various locations around San Francisco and eventually the world.

In 1983, Flipper appeared in Rick Schmidt’s independent film, Emerald Cities. Footage of a live performance was interspersed throughout the film, showcasing three songs: “One By One”, “Get Away” and “Love Canal”.

The cover of Gone Fishin’ in 1984. The pictured van was where Ted Falconi lived when not on tour with the band. Photo by Vincent Anton.

A follow-up 1984 Subterranean studio album, Gone Fishin’, featured the opening track “The Lights, the Sound, the Rhythm, the Noise”, as well as “Survivors of the Plague” and “Sacrifice”. The colorful van on the cover, along with figures representing the band and their equipment, could be cut out and folded. Subterranean also offered extra covers through a small mail order fee.

Cover of Blow’n Chunks, featuring the dead fish used as Flipper’s mascot

Also in 1984, the ROIR cassette label released Blow’n Chunks, a live document of a Flipper performance at CBGB. It included material from all phases of the band’s existence to that date. It was reissued on CD in 1990. A 2001 reissue included four outtakes from the live sessions.

Flipper titled their 1986 double live album Public Flipper Limited. The album unfolded into a board game with a cutout spinner and game cards, with Subterranean once again providing extra covers through mail order.

The original lineup splintered after a period of touring, and singer and core member Shatter died on December 9, 1987, of a drug overdose  after forming A3I. Subterranean packaged the band’s singles and rarities as the 1987 collection Sex Bomb Baby. The cassette edition and later CD re-releases featured three bonus tracks.

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