The Genital Fungi
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
The Beginning
The story of The Genital Fungi started in the summer of 1991. Two young men with aspirations of greatness came up with the idea of creating a punk band with ideals; to break down the conventional walls of society with their spiky riffs and witty wordplay. These two men were Mark Hall and Simon Botten.
With these bright dreams burning, they enlisted the services of local pervert Nick Baker to share vocal duties as they began writing. However, disagreements soon began over 'musical differences' and Simon left to pursue other projects such as 'Junior Anti Sex League' and 'Comatose'. However, he never reached the heights of success met by The Genital Fungi.(back to top)
A New Dawn
A new guitarist therefore had to be recruited and it was a stroke of luck when the meeting of Mark and a talented young guitarist called Stephen Carey came to be. Steve brought a fresh perspective to the song writing and soon classics such as 'Horny Fucker' were born. Picking up fellow reprobates Jim Thompson and Chris Dawson, the Genital Fungi were ready to take on the world.(back to top)
The GF Take to the Road
The GF were now ready to hit the road. The first gig was at the famous Pen & Wig in downtown Birmingham. About fifty people witnessed pure magic that night and even though they were threatened by the management of never playing in Brum again, the crowds reaction convinced them to invite them back in what was to become a regular thing.
Word soon got round and soon many of the local scene were asking the band to support them and it was apparent that the majority of the audiences were there to see one band.(back to top)
Their First Album
After their crowd (and specifically female) pleasing first gig our good looking heroes were discovered by seedy rock music impresario, Aaron Taylor. Our hard drinking rockers were dazzled by his tales of fame and filthy lucre, and within minutes had signed an exclusive three album deal to Anal Flem records. The album was recorded over one day in the prestigious Muthers Recording Studios. High on life and pure sexual energy together with copious amounts of 'Woodman's Cooking Sherry', the musical magic that manifested itself as 'The Cheesy Bits' was born.(back to top)
The Dizzying Highs
After a series of dubious (if not illegal) transactions between Aaron and the landlord of a well known Birmingham musical venue, The GF were soon signed up to be the showcase band at the legendary Pen & Wig. As word of their enormous stage presence spread, hundreds flocked to see our punk idols. Both their props and their costumes became more outlandish as success went to their heads, leading to a series of publicity grabbing stunts. These included the now infamous used tampon incident, intravenous drug use and live sexual pleasuring for female groupies (of whom there were many) live on stage. This live intensity brought about increased album sales with 'The Cheesy Bits' making the top 40 in such places as Fiji and Chechyna.
Some of the bands who have been lucky enough to grace the same stage as the Genital Fungi were Fat Spasm, Junior Anti Sex League, Cola Head, Superman Wallpaper, Toon Town Massacre, Comatose and The Velvet Underpants.(back to top)
The Decline
Fame wasn't easy for the rebellious rockers and with the constant sexual demands of the insatiable groupies, coupled with the neverending attention of the paparazzi, tensions soon began to show. These came to a head at the GF's final gig at Birmingham's Breedon Bar, when half the band failed to turn up. The Genital Fungi's brand of raucous punk failed to impress the frenzied hoards of Def Leppard fans and after an altercation between the band and the pub's PA system, the GF were chased into the night, never to be seen again.
Although the band may be gone, their spirit lives on and their musical influence can be seen in such bands as Limp Bizkit and M People. Who knows, one day they return. Keep watching the skies.....
