Ph: Ben DeSoto / 1980
Austin’s legendary skate-funk-punk pioneers the Big Boys disbanded in 1984 but they are fondly remembered for one fundamental reason; there were no limits to what they could do musically. No shackles, no boundaries. Their punk rock was in their heads, not restricted to their music. Trouble Funk collided with the scratchy post-punk of Wire and Gang Of Four, smashing head on with the energy and spirit of that first wave of hardcore punk.
“I’m a punk and I like Sham, Cockney Rejects are the world’s greatest band. But I like Joy Division, Public Image too, even though that’s not what I’m supposed to do,” sang frontman Randy ‘Biscuit’ Turner in the song Fun Fun Fun, perfectly summing up what the band was all about. Their gigs were a chaotic celebration, their lifestyle pushed as hard against the boundaries as their music did. In short, the Big Boys ruled and they deserve their own movie.
Enter Austin director Joe Salinas, whose forthcoming doc You Can Color Outside the Lines: The Big Boys is aiming for a Sundance 2016 premiere. The trailer for the film has just hit the web and features an impressive cast of talking heads from the era. Ian and Alec MacKaye, and Jeff Nelson from Minor Threat, Dave Grohl (obviously), Glenn Danzig, J Mascis, Steve Caballero, Steve Albini, HR, Kevin Seconds, David Yow, Keith Morris, Steve Alba, Lance Mountain, Exene Cervenka, John Doe and Tony Alva are among the many individuals telling the story of this incredible band.
Here’s the trailer. Go skate, make noise, start your own band. No restrictions.