The Blind Kids?
I first heard these tracks back in 1993. This is all that remains of a few cassettes’ worth of material by some kids at the Texas School for the Blind, recorded with the help of John Hawkins of the band Crust. I haven’t spoken to John in years, but I’ve been trying to locate him since January to identify these kids, as well as the other performers. One of my friends thinks that the recordings may also feature members of Cherubs, which doesn’t seem too far-fetched. The third track is a 40 minute rant by a very angry young man, who astringently criticizes several unnamed people, as well as his dog, Lily. His accusations are sometimes justified (”You’re not supposed to beat up T.J. He’s hurt now!”) though often bizarre (”I told you not to kill Selena!”). There are several moments when he completely loses it and begins screaming, and he also makes plenty of increasingly humorous references to “Gretchen’s house,” which begins to make Gitmo sound like a walk in the park. The first track seems to be a collection of the angry man’s greatest hits set to music, albeit with considerably less screaming. The fourth track is one of the silliest versions of “The Star Spangled Banner” you’re likely to hear. But track two is one of my all-time favorite songs, a soulful number about Reba McEntire, a lot of beer, robots, dinosaurs, Dracula, murder, Uncle Raymond, The People’s Court, and Arsenio Hall. If anyone has any additional information concerning these recordings, please contact me.