Monks

In the annals of rock, few tales rival the oddity of the Monks, assembled in the early 1960s by American G.I.s stationed in Germany. Once discharged, the musicians remained overseas and continued as the Torquays, a conventional beat ensemble. By the mid-1960s they had adopted the name the Monks and transformed their music, outlook, and image in extreme ways. Routine oldie covers disappeared, supplanted by aggressive, bare-bones original songs whose blunt, abrasive tone prefigured punk-era commentary. Driving rhythms drew equally from military marches, polkas, and garage rock, while electric banjo, frantic organ lines, and sudden feedback guitar spikes intensified the strangeness. To underscore their seriousness, the members shaved the crowns of their heads and took the stage in authentic monks’ robes, delivering raw tirades on the Vietnam war, dehumanized society, and volatile relationships with women. Such material proved startling in 1966 Germany, where audiences reacted more with puzzlement than with hostility or enthusiasm. Though established as a live attraction there, their lone album and scattered singles never achieved substantial sales and remained unavailable in the United States, reportedly because the lyrics were judged too inflammatory. The group dissolved in disarray around 1967, yet the record later acquired a devoted cult following among collectors and thereby gained greater international recognition and influence than the band had known during its existence. Bassist Eddie Shaw recounted their improbable history in the 1994 memoir Black Monk Time.