R.I.P. Randy "Biscuit" Turner

Although I'm too young to have ever seen The Big Boys play live, I've been a big fan for many years and I was really sad to read the news this morning. To me, The Big Boys were every bit as great as the much more heralded and similarly-minded Minutemen. Virtually all of the records that they put out are classics and can be found on 2 anthologies on the Touch and Go label (they're called The Skinny Elvis and The Fat Elvis). My preference is towards the later, more experimental stuff (they incorporated and successfully combined elements of hardcore punk, funk, post-punk and even hip-hop long before bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers (who played their 1st show ever opening for The Big Boys) turned their variation of it into a multi-platinum selling formula. Here's an article about his death.

Interestingly enough, Turner passed away right after an article in the Austin Chronicle, mainly concentrating on his fascinating art work, was printed. You can read it here.