SHIT-FLINGING...ER...I MEAN SHIT-KICKING COUNTRY MUSIC

Ahh, the legends of country music. Hank Williams. Porter Wagoner. Waylon Jennings. David Allan Coe. Johnny Cash. GG Allin. What? Did I just include notorious poop-flinging shock-rocker, GG Allin, amidst the towering elite of the country music genre? Of course I did. Anybody with two ears that's ever paid even passing attention to his vast catalog could've told you that.

Sure he was known as "the rock'n'roll terrorist," but he could've just as easily been "the last real country outlaw." Back when the current crop of outlaws (and who isn't one these days?) were still eating the shit out of their diapers, Allin was penning country-styled tunes that were amazingly...well... good. "In This Room," "Liquor Slicked Highway," "Rowdy Beer Drinkin' Night," "When I Die," the whole of Bleedin' Stinkin' Drinkin' or Carnival of Excess. Need I go on? Not to mention he was melding mid-seventies country to his nihilistic brand of scum punk with his own takes on David Allan Coe ("Longhaired Redneck" was transmogrified into the Allin anthem "Outlaw Scumfuc") and Hank Williams Jr. (the laid back swagger of Bocephus' "Women I've Never Had" got jizz smeared on its face as "Fuck Women I've Never Had").

Country music traditionalist blowhard types (and douchey punk rock purist blowhard types, for that matter) might scream "heresy," but I beg to differ. Country music in it's purest sense has always been far more subversive than rock and roll ever dreamt of. Porter Wagoner's late 60s career was full of songs about drinking, prison, and killing women. He had theme albums devoted to such concepts. While the rest of the nation was turning on, tuning in, and dropping out, Waylon Jennings was singing about killing his woman in "Cedartown, Georgia." Those are just two obvious examples; the genre is rife with thousands more. It's no wonder Allin had his ear tuned to that lonesome moan of days gone by.

Looking back over some of our correspondence circa 1992 or so, GG made lots of references to Hank Williams and David Allan Coe and talked about getting turned on to a lot of country shit he'd never heard by the evening bar maid at the notoriously seedy Clermont Lounge in Atlanta. Doubt it ever crossed his mind that, less than twenty years later, Hank's grandson would be covering one of his own country tunes ("Outskirts of Life") night after night on tour. But few things make more sense when you step back and look at the well that's being drawn from.

Being a backwoods cracker from North Georgia, I was always partial to GG's country-fried sides. I think they showcased a true songwriting ability that far outshined a lot of the punk stuff. They also used his rather distinct voice to its full advantage, kind of like Dock Boggs' illegitimate Yankee grandson, fucked to the gills on Jim Beam and pills. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to find these next two platters in my mailbox just weeks apart...

GG ALLIN & THE CAROLINA SHITKICKERS EP. Zodiac Killer Records. 2009.

This is a reissue of the amazing 7" EP that was originally released on TPOS Records back in 1993, shortly after GG's death. This stuff comes predominately from the last session he ever recorded, less than two weeks before his untimely passing. The Shitkickers were comprised of folks mainly associated with the ANTiSEEN crew in the early 90s, but the band wasn't, as often erroneously stated, ANTiSEEN flying under a different name. There's Greg and Jeff from ANTiSEEN, BBQ Young from the ANTiSEEN road crew, and Robert Everett who, if my memory serves me right, was fronting The Furys around this time.

When this was first released, I reviewed it for Kill the Scene and stated that "Layin' Up With Linda," the A-side of this little masterpiece, coulda got country radio play back in the seventies. Looking back on things, that assessment might have been overstated by my own enthusiasm for this particular recording. Country radio in the seventies still pretty much sucked from what I remember hearing in my parents' station wagon. Murder ballads of this ilk may not have haunted the airwaves, but they did take up plenty of room on album sides. This would have made a perfect trinity of dead women tunes (along with "Living on the Run" and "Revenge"), had it appeared on DAC's Longhaired Redneck LP way back then.

Is it really good enough to appear on one of the best outlaw country albums ever? Absolutely. It oozes the bleak, matter-of-fact melancholy of a man facing his bad decisions in a way that lots of folks try to nail but few succeed in doing. Not only would I say that this is one of GG Allin's best sides ever, I'll go so far as to say it might be one of the best country sides anybody's committed to wax in the past thirty or so years.

Side B features a cover of DAC's "Fuckin' in the Butt," here retitled as "I Wanna Fuck The Shit Outta' You." It's offensive and silly and catchy and fun - probably more so than the original it was lifted from. Lastly, we have a stripped-down country rave-up of "Outlaw Scumfuc" recorded the previous year. It's every bit as "fuck you" in its bare-bones form as it is with a full rock n roll band putting their nuts into it. This record's not just worth having, it's pretty damned essential. Hat's off to Zodiac Killer Records for getting this back out there on vinyl.

GG ALLIN and TINY TIM - TWO AMERICAN LEGENDS EP. Ponk Media. 2009.

This tasty little red vinyl number features five songs that are all pretty much to die for. GG Allin and Tiny Tim may seem as much a paradox to some as GG Allin and country music do to others, but a bit of digging beneath the surface and you'll see it just ain't so. GG was a big admirer of Tiny Tim, and it's no wonder why. Troubadours in the purest since of the word, both were often unfairly boxed away in the popular imagination as one-trick ponies. Tiny's magnificent artistry often gets written off as a footnote to his one hit, the admittedly somewhat excrutiating "Tip-Toe Thru' the Tulips," in much the same way that GG's talents were always overlooked in favor of concentrating on the violence of the live spectacle. It's nice to see the fine folks at PONK Media pull this one together. I think both men would have been proud.

The GG side features another couple of his country tunes, "Borrowed Time" and "Pick Me Up (On Your Way Down)." I damn near wore out the cassette of this when I was a much younger white-trash hooligan. It's good in the same way a cheap sixer is on a hot day - it gets you a little inebriated and almost slakes your thirst for more. But just in the same way you'll surely run through another six pack 'fore the day gets too long, you'll be spinning this record a few times end over end. No need to doubt me on that. Just try it, if you don't believe me.

The Tiny Tim side features three stellar tunes that shine the spotlight on the different facets of Mr. Tim's voice. "Hollywood Cowboys," "Medley for England," and "I Believe in Tomorrow" are enough testament to Tiny's capabilities that nonbelievers may find themselves reevaluating their opinions and seeking out the deluxe God Bless Tiny Tim: The Complete Reprise Recordings while it's still available. Money well spent if you ask me. Hell, Bob Dylan even invited Tiny Tim to Woodstock where Mr. Tim was backed by The Band on some of those legendary Basement Tapes sessions. If having admirers in both GG Allin and Bob Dylan ain't instant street cred, I don't know what is. (BTW - this record is limited to 500 numbered copies, so you best hurry your ass up if you want to get one before it's selling for stupid amounts on ebay).

Both of these records are absolutely 5 out of 5 Jim Beam soaked stars.

Carolina Shitkickers available at: ZODIAC KILLER RECORDS

GG & Tiny Tim available at: PONK MEDIA