Biography
Essentially built around John S. Hall’s distinctive spoken-word reflections, King Missile fused offbeat monologues with an eclectic mix of mildly psychedelic rock. Hall’s dry, absurdist wit shaped much of the band’s work, dissolving boundaries among comedy, Beat poetry, narrative prose, and straightforward rock lyrics. Despite the pronounced literary emphasis and its attendant New York artiness, the group remained a functioning band that treated music as a central rather than incidental element. Early albums on producer Kramer’s Shimmy-Disc label gained traction on college radio and allowed the group to weather a sweeping personnel change. A major-label contract with Atlantic brought an improbable novelty success via the 1992 single “Detachable Penis,” which reached wide MTV and college-radio audiences regardless of its topic. That new listenership proved fleeting, however, and the second lineup dissolved after one further release; Hall subsequently assembled a third configuration of King Missile and kept recording.
New York poet John S. Hall established King Missile in 1986 after delivering spoken-word readings across Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In search of a livelier format he enlisted guitarist Dogbowl (b. Stephen Tunney) to provide accompaniment. The pair eventually assembled a complete ensemble—initially billed King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)—that included saxophonist Alex Delaszlo and drummer R.B. Korbet, then entered the studio to record a demo overseen by engineer Kramer. At the time Kramer was launching his own Shimmy-Disc imprint and agreed to issue the session, resulting in the 1987 mini-album Fluting on the Hump. With Kramer adding bass and other instrumental support, the band’s early style evoked the Velvet Underground while incorporating strands of 1960s folk-rock and psychedelia. Although Hall handled vocals on portions of the material, wry spoken pieces such as “Take Stuff From Work,” “Sensitive Artist,” “Wuss,” and “Dick” drew the first substantial college-radio attention. During the sessions for the follow-up album They (1988) the group rotated through additional drummers, among them Dave Licht and Steve Dansiger. Once that record was finished Dogbowl left to pursue solo work, issuing numerous Shimmy-Disc titles through the 1990s. Hall removed the parenthetical “(Dog Fly Religion)” from the band name and, again aided by Kramer, recruited guitarist Dave Rick (also of Bongwater, B.A.L.L., and Phantom Tollbooth) and multi-instrumentalist Chris Xefos (of When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water). The newcomers introduced a louder, more robust musical approach that alternated funkier and harder-rocking textures, while Hall—now unequivocally the centerpiece—settled into a role as vocalist and writer more monologist than singer, his humor increasingly abstract. With Dansiger back on drums the refreshed lineup released Mystical Shit in 1990. The emerging signature style yielded further college-radio successes, including the drolly ironic “Jesus Was Way Cool” and the kinky “Gary and Melissa.” Unexpected interest in the former track earned King Missile a deal with Atlantic. Their major-label debut, The Way to Salvation (1991), was produced by Lou Giordano and featured Hypnolovewheel’s Dave Ramirez as a substitute drummer. At a concert Hall jokingly told the crowd that the next single would be titled “Detachable Penis”; he later wrote the song, having first issued the solo album Real Men with Kramer’s musical backing. “Detachable Penis” appeared on the 1992 Atlantic release Happy Hour, which employed Roger Murdock on drums. Despite resistance from mainstream stations the track became a notable—if contentious—success on MTV and alternative radio, briefly elevating the band to near-household recognition. The follow-up single, the gleefully violent and profane “Martin Scorsese,” generated far less commercial response. Although King Missile had functioned as the default joke band for many English majors, its more abstract and art-oriented passages hindered retention of listeners drawn solely by “Detachable Penis.” The self-titled 1994 album consequently attracted little notice and the group disbanded. In 1995 Hall and Dogbowl reunited for a short tour spotlighting early King Missile repertoire. The next year Hall finished his second solo effort, The Body Has a Head, issued on a German label. Returning to a band context he formed King Missile III with multi-instrumentalist and programmer Bradford Reed and violinist Sasha Forte. The trio recorded Failure for Shimmy-Disc in 1998, after which activity ceased while Hall attended law school. Once he established an entertainment-law practice Hall reconvened King Missile III for The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, released by Instinct in early 2003.
New York poet John S. Hall established King Missile in 1986 after delivering spoken-word readings across Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In search of a livelier format he enlisted guitarist Dogbowl (b. Stephen Tunney) to provide accompaniment. The pair eventually assembled a complete ensemble—initially billed King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)—that included saxophonist Alex Delaszlo and drummer R.B. Korbet, then entered the studio to record a demo overseen by engineer Kramer. At the time Kramer was launching his own Shimmy-Disc imprint and agreed to issue the session, resulting in the 1987 mini-album Fluting on the Hump. With Kramer adding bass and other instrumental support, the band’s early style evoked the Velvet Underground while incorporating strands of 1960s folk-rock and psychedelia. Although Hall handled vocals on portions of the material, wry spoken pieces such as “Take Stuff From Work,” “Sensitive Artist,” “Wuss,” and “Dick” drew the first substantial college-radio attention. During the sessions for the follow-up album They (1988) the group rotated through additional drummers, among them Dave Licht and Steve Dansiger. Once that record was finished Dogbowl left to pursue solo work, issuing numerous Shimmy-Disc titles through the 1990s. Hall removed the parenthetical “(Dog Fly Religion)” from the band name and, again aided by Kramer, recruited guitarist Dave Rick (also of Bongwater, B.A.L.L., and Phantom Tollbooth) and multi-instrumentalist Chris Xefos (of When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water). The newcomers introduced a louder, more robust musical approach that alternated funkier and harder-rocking textures, while Hall—now unequivocally the centerpiece—settled into a role as vocalist and writer more monologist than singer, his humor increasingly abstract. With Dansiger back on drums the refreshed lineup released Mystical Shit in 1990. The emerging signature style yielded further college-radio successes, including the drolly ironic “Jesus Was Way Cool” and the kinky “Gary and Melissa.” Unexpected interest in the former track earned King Missile a deal with Atlantic. Their major-label debut, The Way to Salvation (1991), was produced by Lou Giordano and featured Hypnolovewheel’s Dave Ramirez as a substitute drummer. At a concert Hall jokingly told the crowd that the next single would be titled “Detachable Penis”; he later wrote the song, having first issued the solo album Real Men with Kramer’s musical backing. “Detachable Penis” appeared on the 1992 Atlantic release Happy Hour, which employed Roger Murdock on drums. Despite resistance from mainstream stations the track became a notable—if contentious—success on MTV and alternative radio, briefly elevating the band to near-household recognition. The follow-up single, the gleefully violent and profane “Martin Scorsese,” generated far less commercial response. Although King Missile had functioned as the default joke band for many English majors, its more abstract and art-oriented passages hindered retention of listeners drawn solely by “Detachable Penis.” The self-titled 1994 album consequently attracted little notice and the group disbanded. In 1995 Hall and Dogbowl reunited for a short tour spotlighting early King Missile repertoire. The next year Hall finished his second solo effort, The Body Has a Head, issued on a German label. Returning to a band context he formed King Missile III with multi-instrumentalist and programmer Bradford Reed and violinist Sasha Forte. The trio recorded Failure for Shimmy-Disc in 1998, after which activity ceased while Hall attended law school. Once he established an entertainment-law practice Hall reconvened King Missile III for The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, released by Instinct in early 2003.
Albums
