Emerging from the American underground in the 1980s, Algebra Suicide formed around poet Lydia Tomkiw and musician Don Hedeker, whose partnership created an intellectually distinctive act. Tomkiw’s wry observations on existence, mortality, personal bonds, and additional subjects were delivered in a deadpan Midwestern accent atop Hedeker’s atmospheric guitars and minimalist drum machine patterns, positioning the music as a direct vehicle for her spoken-word approach. Although her style frequently drew parallels to Laurie Anderson, Tomkiw favored associations with Lou Reed or Patti Smith. Across the decade the pair issued three EPs plus one cassette before gathering much of that work on the 1988 full-length The Secret Like Crazy; more intricate and polished efforts such as 1991’s Swoon followed before the duo disbanded in 1994.
Tomkiw and Hedeker first crossed paths in Chicago in 1980, where she had already established herself in the local poetry community and he performed with Trouble Boys. After marrying, they launched Algebra Suicide in 1982, drawing the name from one of Tomkiw’s poems. Their debut EP, True Romance at the Worlds Fair, appeared on their own Buzzerama Records that year, followed two years later by An Explanation for That Flock of Crows. The 1986 single featuring the college-radio staple “Little Dead Bodies” as its A-side marked their third 7-inch; the track also surfaced on the cassette Big Skin released the same year. RRRecords compiled most of the early recordings for the 1988 LP The Secret Like Crazy, while German imprint Pursuit of Market Share issued the limited live CD Real Numbers that year.
Belgian label Body Records brought out the more elaborately produced Alpha Cue in 1990; the CD-only Swoon, which encompassed the complete Alpha Cue album, arrived in 1991. Following a difficult European tour the couple divorced in 1993, after which Algebra Suicide issued their final album, Tongue Wrestling, in 1994. Tomkiw’s solo record Incorporated appeared in 1995 with contributions from Martin Bowes of Attrition and members of Legendary Pink Dots, after which she concentrated increasingly on literary work. Hedeker subsequently performed with alternative-rock outfit Bouncing Balls and the polka ensemble Polkaholics. Tomkiw died in Phoenix, Arizona on September 4, 2007. The 1990 live recording Summer Virus Night surfaced on German label Dom Elchklang in 2009. Dark Entries of San Francisco issued Feminine Squared—an LP assembling the first three EPs and additional early material—alongside a DVD of a 1984 performance in 2013, and the same label released the further compilation Still Life in 2019.
