Nervous Gender

Los Angeles-based experimental group Nervous Gender are one of the longest-running synth-punk bands, and an influence on the queercore movement. The group's lo-fi, discordant sound is just as confrontational as their lyrics, which openly mock Christianity and explore disturbing subject matter related to sexual perversion, mental illness, and drug abuse. They formed in the late '70s and initially featured Phranc, who soon left and found success as a folk singer. The aptly named LP Music from Hell was released in 1981, with members of the Germs, the Screamers, and the Bags appearing on the record. Later in the decade, Nervous Gender adopted a more guitar-based sound as members of Wall of Voodoo joined the band. Following a brief re-formation in the early '90s, Nervous Gender remained inactive until the late 2000s, when they began issuing archival material. A newer incarnation called Nervous Gender Reloaded released the album Milking the Borg in 2021, and Music from Hell was given an expansive reissue in 2023. Nervous Gender was formed in 1978, initially consisting of Gerardo Velazquez, Edward Stapleton, Phranc (whose androgynous appearance lent the group its name), and Michael Ochoa. Phranc infamously berated the audience during their second live performance, and they quickly earned recognition as one of the L.A. punk scene's most uncompromising groups. Don Bolles of the Germs joined as the group's drummer in 1979, and Phranc departed in 1980. Additionally, Paul Roessler of the Screamers joined, playing synthesizers and metal surfaces, and Bolles left, joining 45 Grave; he was briefly replaced by eight-year-old Sven Pfeiffer before his family was deported to Germany. Bill Cline played synthesizers after Roessler left to join Nina Hagen's band. Nervous Gender appeared on Subterranean Records' 1980 compilation Live at Target, along with Flipper, Factrix, and uns (aka Z'EV). The band performed on bills with other acts like the Gun Club, Kommunity FK, and Geza X. Music from Hell, recorded and mixed within 36 hours and featuring a guest appearance by Alice Bag, was released by Subterranean in 1981. A limited cassette of rehearsals, live recordings, and non-album material, Selected Pieces 1979-1983, was issued by Party Sound Tapes. Wall of Voodoo members Bruce Moreland, Marc Moreland, and Chas T. Gray joined Nervous Gender in the mid-'80s, and they played shows with the likes of Einstürzende Neubauten and Psychic TV. Stapleton performed his last show with Nervous Gender in 1988, and they disbanded afterwards. Velazquez, Ochoa, and Joe Zinnato re-formed the group as a trio in 1990, and they worked on an album which was to be titled American Regime. Their final performance occurred on August 26, 1991. Velazquez died on March 28, 1992, at the age of 33. The remaining two members formed High Heel Tit Wig with singer Claire Lawrence-Slater (Honeymoon Killers), but Zinnato suffered a stroke in 1995 and stopped making music. Stapleton, Ochoa, and Zinnato began going through Nervous Gender's archives in 2005. They issued several live recordings, and later a remastered Music from Hell, as limited CD-Rs. The trio re-formed Nervous Gender, with additional member Tammy Fraser, in 2007. A 7" single featuring 2010 recordings of two early, unreleased Nervous Gender songs "Gestalt" and "Green Tile Floors," appeared on Test Tube Records in 2011. Stapleton formed Nervous Gender Reloaded with composer Matt Comeione in 2017, and their self-released effort Milking the Borg appeared in 2021. In 2023, San Francisco-based Dark Entries released a deluxe remastered edition of Music from Hell, including live recordings and material from the Selected Pieces cassette.
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