T.S.O.L. Shivers with Anticippppppation with "Sweet Transvestite"
On April 3, 2024, T.S.O.L. the SoCal punk legends dropped a new single which happens to also be a cover of the song Sweet Transvestite from the acclaimed and well loved musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show originally performed by Tim Curry in 1975. This latest single is off their ninth studio album A-Side Graffiti, which was released on February 27th of this year through Kitten Robot Records. When watching the video, it’s a trippy world to get transported into that is reminiscent of something that would come from the mind of Tim Burton with its very eye catching stop-action animation with the added world of Jim Sharman’s The Rocky Horror Picture, I never knew I needed this cover or this video in my life. Along for the ride, this single features guest vocals from Keith Morris of Circle Jerks/Off Fame in the role of “Brad," this faithful rendition of the campy classic was initially recorded for a tribute album but was deemed “too close to the original.”
“You never know what's going to happen when you hand over creative control to someone you've never met, but I'm a big fan of surprises--both good and bad. Gavin [Holmes, director] came through with a good one!”
- says Jack Grisham, vocalist for legendary SoCal punks T.S.O.L. about the new video for “Sweet Transvestite”
Replying to an open call for creative fan-made videos for A-Side Graffiti’s twelve tracks, Holmes sent Grisham a message, hoping he could submit a video.
"Gavin said he'd heard about the video contest--which was really not a contest at all but just a way to let our friends get involved in the song release process, and he wondered if he still had time to whip something up. I offered him ‘Sweet Transvestite’ and he ran with it.”
The A.I.-created video transforms the iconic Rocky Horror characters “Dr. Frank N. Furter,” “Janet,” “Riff Raff,” “Magenta,” and others into the digital realm, drawing inspiration from the stop-motion figurines in Tim Burton’s animated classics.
When we were starting out, punk bands didn't sling merch like they do today. So if you wanted a t-shirt, you had to make your own. You'd get a plain white tee, cut a stencil, steal a can of spray paint (Krylon was my favorite) from the local hardware, and off you'd go. Nowadays, with the technology at hand, if you want to make a video for your favorite song, it's as easy as making that old punk shirt. And just like back then, some of those handmades looked like they rode to the show on the slow bus while others looked like they'd been crafted by a master - albeit one who preferred his palette stocked by the scarlet hues of anarchy.When we delivered our version we were told that they’d expected us to ‘punk it up.’ Hmmm, I’m not sure how much punker we could’ve been. T.S.O.L. playing a show tune with Keith Morris as the character ‘Brad ‘is about as punk as you can get.
- Comments Grisham
“Sweet Transvestite” is but one highlight from an eclectic album full of high points, including “Swimming" (the first single from the album), which Wasted Attitude calls a "West Coast punk anthem in waiting." Mixed amongst a loose cover of Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World" is a re-interpretation of David Bowie’s “Can You Hear Me?” featuring some of their musical friends including Frank Agnew from the Adolescents, Chip Hannah of the Trigger Complex, and Murphy from Sugar Ray, and a surprising cover of R&B chanteuse Amerie's "1 Thing." MXDWN praises it as “an incredible album” while The Aquarian chimes, “It dazzled me in ways I never expected and is in the running for my Top Ten of 2024.” Orange County Register calls the record “a siren call to the mosh pit. Yeah, it may hurt a bit tomorrow, but the dancing and singing along will undoubtedly serve as a temporary sweet relief from reality.”
Starting in the Huntington Beach/Long Beach, CA scene in the late ‘70s, T.S.O.L. (short for “True Sounds of Liberty”) is revered in the punk community which celebrates their iconic band logo as well as the band’s wealth of punk anthems. Four decades later, the band soldiers on with no less passion or fury. “I’ve done my share of wiggling to the oldies, but shit, it can get boring,” concludes Jack. “I think it’s important for a band to keep pushing—trying new things. If not, you might as well do the county fair circuit. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—you’ve got to make a living somehow. Shit, oh well, back to the present. Here’s this; a few covers, a few requests, a couple what ifs, and a why not. I hope you enjoy it.”
A-Side Graffiti | Track Listing
01 Low-Low-Low
02 Rhythm of Cruelty
03 Sweet Transvestite
04 Ghost Train
05 Never Go Home
06 Nothing's Ever Right
07 1 Thing
08 Good to be Home
09 The Way You Groove
10 Swimming
11 Wonderful World
12 Can You Hear Me?
