King Biscuit Flower Hour
The Waitresses were considered a joke band, though no one ever understood exactly what the joke was. Guitarist Chris Butler--formerly of pioneering Akron art-rockers Tin Huey--was perhaps the smartest, sharpest satirist of the American new wave, an Ohio-bred Elvis Costello with an even lower opinion of humanity. His mouthpiece, the late Patty Donahue, had the most distinctive vocal style of the era, and the band, featuring Television's Billy Ficca on drums, future B-52 Tracy Wormworth on bass, and downtown art-scene saxophonist Mars Williams, was probably the tightest in New York. Unfortunately, all most people ever heard was "I Know What Boys Like," a terrific song whose impact was blunted outside of the context of the band's terrific debut, WASN'T TOMORROW WONDERFUL?, where the lyrics' deadpan irony stood in sharper relief. This 1982 live set restores that ironic power, and rocks too.