Skoptzies: Working My Hand Thru The Wheel, 1984

3/1/2019

click on the album cover to visit a special page devoted to the Working My Hand Thru The Wheel cassette album, including audio player and download link, review, interview and 18 vintage photos!

Skoptzies was the first Industrial Rock band in Memphis, Tennessee. The band got its name from an heretical 19th Century Russian Christian sect that practiced genital mutilation in order to avoid the temptations of the flesh.

Skoptzies, which operated from 1983 to 1985, dealt with themes such as gore movies, drug and alcohol abuse, Elvis Presley, Deep South Chrome-like dark psychedelia, and Southern-fried Gothicism.

After two cassette albums on which the band was trying out different approaches and personnel lineups, Skoptzies hit its stride with their third album, Working My Hand Thru The Wheel, which documented their live performance at the Antenna Club in Memphis on November 4, 1984.

On a special page devoted to Working My Hand Thru The Wheel you can read a review by Jerry Kranitz, a 2019 interview with Skoptzies band leader Chris Phinney, listen to the album, and view 18 newly-published vintage photos from live shows and promotional gore pics.
Check it out here:
http://www.haltapes.com/hr008-skoptzies---working-my-hand-thru-the-wheel.html

14 Comments

Chris Phinney

I used to run Harsh Reality Music, started the label in 1982 releasing my own music in various groups. They were Mental Anguish, Pungent Odor who became The Skoptzies, Misfeasance, Macroglossia, RSVP which became Cancerous Growth, Viktimized Karcass, Planet Zero.

Anyway I started releasing tapes by artists that I liked. Over 350 tapes, some vinyl, CDs, CD-Rs, and videos on VHS. Also did distribution of some LPs. Did some writing for mags, some mail art, I did a lot of compilations as well.

Helped run Tapegerm with Bryan Baker, Scott Carr & J Mundok, for 10 years or more, a collaborative site too intense to explain here.

Had my own domain for HRM, shut down the label due to several reasons around 2006 if memory serves.

You can see some of the releases on Hal’s site, the HRM section. Quit Tapegerm around 2010.

Took a 5 year hiatus due to personal reasons but came out of it & did Mental Anguish - Frozen Lake & a few Phinney/McGee microcassette releases.

I have collaborated extensively with Hal McGee, Carl Howard - Nomuzic, Mike Jackson, plus others Prescott, Jeff Central, Charlie Goff, John Hudak, Minóy, Alien Planetscapes, Lord Litter, Don Campau, Angwana which was with Al Margolis hence the name, Pat Grafik, Isaac Ersoff, & a CD-R with a PDF comic book by Matt Howarth released on his label!

email
Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Leslie Singer

3/1/2019 11:35:27

Chris, I've been enjoying all The Skoptzies re-releases and was just rocking out to Working My Hand Thru the Wheel when Hal emailed me about this interview and the vintage photos. Wow! These are all incredible. The photos with your brother look realistic and the closest I ever seen (and brother, I've seen some stuff, trust me) anyone doing anything close to those Viennese Acktion folks way back in the day. Those guys and gals set the bar and you and The Skoptzies reached it and drove right through it like something out of Death Race 2000. Reading about it so much amazing and important Southern music history (REM, Pylon, Panther Burns) and your integral part in it was a revelation as well. I'm sorry that the Cramps didn't give you the proper credit back in the day. Hopefully articles/postings like this will help to start to set the record straight. Much thanks to you and also to Hal and Jerry!

Hal

3/1/2019 11:58:17

As always with the Cassette Underground, we tell the story of us!

3/1/2019 19:27:39

Leslie,

So glad you enjoyed all of this & appreciate it for what it was. Also the brief bit of history Jerry & I got into. Thanks so much!!!!

Adam J Naworal

3/1/2019 15:29:10

VERY intriguing stuff here, and all new to me! I'd love to hear the other two Skoptzies releases!

Hal McGee

3/1/2019 15:42:49

That's easy to do. Click on the link at the end of the post above. When you reach that page at the top of that page click on Harsh Reality Music Home. On the Harsh Reality Music Home page you will find hyperlinks to the previous two Skoptzies tapes.

3/1/2019 19:32:49

Adam,
Glad you dug the stuff! As Hal pointed you to some early material its the beginning, there are 3 more Skoptzies tapes that will be made available as time permits. One was a greatest hits type thing released on Carl Howard's awesome Audiofile tapes label.

3/7/2019 05:23:46

I got on it and WOW! True horror industrial punk! LOVE IT!

Jerry Kranitz

3/1/2019 16:42:22

Whooo-Hooooo!! AWESOME seeing all the pics and seeing all the band members and performances Chris talked about in our interview!!

3/1/2019 19:38:01

Jerry,

Glad you enjoyed the pics, ya know I ran across a box of practice tapes of Skoptzies & Karcass the other day, didn't look hard as a lot were just boombox recordings, but D.O.O.M may be mixed in with them,since I can't find it elsewhere. If so will let you know.

3/7/2019 15:46:24

Adam,

So glad you enjoyed the music & all that's great!!!

3/11/2019 08:26:12

I only wish I knew about it sooner!

Rafael González

3/7/2019 15:56:43

The story continues! thank you for these good times

3/9/2019 09:42:36

Rafael,

So glad you continue enjoying the story! Thank you.

3/9/2019 20:24:15

It’s my big pleasure, Chris. I love it!

Skoptzies: Working My Hand Thru The Wheel, 1984

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