Idolator
Time for another installment of the Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files, where we search through our record collection in search of a lost gem.
Artist: Prick
Album: Prick, 1995
What happened: After Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral affirmed industrial music's chart capacity, the field was wide open for followers. Trent Reznor's own label, nothing, went sniffing around, and while bringing to the world's attention Marilyn Manson and German British electro-rap group Pop Will Eat Itself, actually did some good by discovering Cleveland's Kevin McMahon, at the time recording under the name Prick.
Why it should have been a hit: Prick's eponymous debut—produced by Reznor and engineered by Alan Moulder (Spiral, Siamese Dream)—was singer-songwriter industrial, sung with an English affect highly reminiscent of Marc Bolan. "Other People," with background vocals from Reznor, was the single, but "I Apologise" is the album's true winner. Alternating strummed acoustic guitars with red-needle screaming, McMahon tries to win back an ex-lover through sheer volume. We'll never know if he succeeded, though; Prick was dropped by nothing parent company Interscope before a follow-up could be recorded.
Prick - Other People [MP3, link expired]
Prick - I Apologise [MP3, link expired]
Comments
Nothing put out a good The The record too, which also went nowhere.
This was all the rage back in 8th grade! "Make Believe" is my favorite.
I told you, my friend also known as Dick Malone. Best recognize.
Wasn't "Animal" actually the single? Prick opened the totally weird Nine Inch Nails/David Bowie tour in '95, when Bowie was touring for shitty shitty Outside.
whoo! i saw that tour...@ the Tacoma Dome
pop will eat itself weren't german, they were from the crap bit of the uk known as the midlands.
the chap from PWEI now does all that music you like for the darren aaronofski films like requiem for a dream etc.
an English affect highly reminiscent of Marc Bolan
Way more Bowie than Bolan, I thought -- which made the fact that his music was NIN meets Bowie all the more reason for him to open that joint tour.
"pop will eat itself weren't german, they were from the crap bit of the uk known as the midlands."
crap! you're right--i was listening to Ich Bin Ein Auslander when i wrote that!
--
"Wasn't "Animal" actually the single?"
were they both singles? i thought i remembered playing both at the radio station, oh so long ago...
'animal' was the single. he did open for the Outside tour w/Bowie/NIN.
kevin mcmahon put out a pretty good record a few years ago under the moniker Prick called 'the wreckard.' toured under it and was pretty damn good.
he was also in the seminal, seminal cleveland electro band Lucky Pierre -- NIN owes a lot to them. mcmahon still lives in cleveland. there was talk of reissuing those lucky pierre songs on CD; not sure if it happened.
both prick and lucky pierre's web sites appear to be down, but try here: www.myspace.com/luckypierre
also, PWEI's best days were arguably before they signed to nothing. they were on RCA before that for several albums.
yeah Animal wasthe single, and the video was banned on MTV but you could see it on "The Box" before Viacom bought it.
I saw prick a few years ago down in boston. Was a great show (drummer was from stabbing westward, Andy Kubiszewski). Really great show, was probably < 100 people at the show I would say. During the 'height' of prick (if there was such a thing) I saw him open for ned's atomic dustbin down in dallas.
His post prick (the album) stuff is pretty good, as was the lucky pierre stuff. I agree with hndinglove that the scene owes him quite a bit. Although I am one of those people who thinks that Jim Thirwell should be required listening for everyone ;)
Good to see him get some play however, there is lots of great 'under discovered' music out there.
it's more bowie than bolan, i think. kevin was knowing for getting pissed at cleveland and fleeing to france through the 80s - a notorious eccentric - and the band was consequently never very stable. big influence on trent's vocal style, and also convinced trent that he had to aim higher than just being the 'cool/avant garde guy' in cleveland.
"Animal" was the single...I remember seeing them open for Trent/Bowie in Pittsburgh in 1995 I think.
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