Formed as a pointed counterforce to the self-satisfied excesses of 1970s mainstream rock, the Detroit noise deconstructionists Destroy All Monsters drew peak notice during punk’s height because their lineup featured veterans of the MC5 and the Stooges. Taking their name from a cult Japanese monster film, the quartet came together in 1973 when art students Niagara, a onetime model, Jim Shaw, Mike Kelley, and Cary Loren began collaborating. Drawing on underground comix, film noir, and psychedelia, the visually oriented ensemble specialized in abrasive experimentation, Niagara’s Betty Boop-style vocals and piercing violin riding waves of hypnotic, fractured sound.
The original lineup never issued any widely distributed official recordings. Shaw and Kelley both departed in 1976 to focus on their graphic art, later earning substantial underground acclaim. Niagara and Loren kept the project alive by adding brothers Larry Miller on space guitar and Ben Miller on saxophone; within half a year they were joined by ex-Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton and former MC5 bassist Michael Davis, shifting the music toward greater drive and force. The 1978 single “Bored” brought instant favor from the British press, largely because of Asheton’s pedigree, and Cherry Red licensed the track for U.K. release without having heard it.
While a follow-up, “Meet the Creeper,” was being prepared, internal strains surfaced. Niagara ended her long relationship with Loren to begin one with Asheton, prompting Loren and the Miller brothers to leave over artistic disagreements. Loren responded by putting out the 1979 live EP The Days of Diamonds. The next year he, the Millers, and drummer Rob King formed Xanadu and recorded the EP Black-Out in the City, co-produced by Kelley and Shaw. The remaining members of Destroy All Monsters continued until 1985, then disbanded. A 1994 box set prompted occasional reunions of the founding lineup for live shows and new recordings, including the 2008 concert release Live in Tokyo & Osaka. Unreleased material discovered later yielded the 2014 collection Hot Box, which showcased rare performances from both eras of the band.
Though Destroy All Monsters were dormant in 2015, Niagara appeared on the charts when one of her paintings graced the cover of Kid Rock’s album First Kiss. That same year Jim Shaw received renewed attention for a major retrospective titled “Jim Shaw: The End Is Near,” which opened to favorable notices at the New Museum in New York City.
