The Jickets - Hello Recording Club EP

I saw the Jickets open for They Might Be Giants at a club called "Neither Nor" on the LES sometime in the early mid 80's. They were pretty hilarious. They were kind of a teeny bopper band parody, in fact I came across a xerox-ed "fanzine" they had made about themselves in a Rivington St. bookstore years later. Most of their songs have the word "Jicket" in them (I love when bands do that self referential thing...). My old roommate Mark Spencer is an even bigger Jickets fan than me and actually covered The Manhattan Bridge song with vocals (the version here is instrumental). This came out on the Hello Recording Club label which has something to do with They Might Be Giants.

UPDATE: Drummer Petey comments: "Nice of you to mention the Jickets. However, the only Jickets song that mentions "Jickets" is in fact "Jicket Island!"

01 Jicket Island.mp3
02 The William Smith Story.mp3
03 Manhattan Bridge.mp3
04 Tell The Seeker.mp3
05 Good Day For Ya.mp3

Comments

[Scott Friedenthal]

Hey,

Nice of you to mention the Jickets. However, the only Jickets song that mentions "Jickets" is in fact "Jicket Island!"

There was recently a Jickets-related film show at Galapagos in Williamsburg, and I understand there was a decent-sized crowd. The CD you have up there was issued by They Might Be Giants through their short-lived "Hello CD" program. That's most of the "studio" stuff we got to record. Sold about ten copies. We played about...50 shows with TMBG way back when. We used to get shows and put each other on the bill. Hilly Kristal also sold a "live at CBGB's tape" at CB's store for awhile. The magazines you mention were great fun to make and probably sold more copies than the CDs and tapes! Regards to your friend Mark Spencer...

Happy Holidays,
Petey
ex-Jickets Drummer...

[Chett Grant]

Hello all,
Chett Grant here. If anyone knows about a band that does Jazz Fusion covers of the Jickets songs I'd like to find out who they are. Larry Lame' the Jickets original guitarist told me that he was in a club downtown several years ago, when a guy came up that recognized him and told him that he was in a band that worshipped The Jickets music and they were playing Jickets covers exclusively, all Jazz Fusion. I would love to contact these guys, they must be geniuses. From one genius to another, "The sun is like a giant lightbulb that lights up the earth"

Love, Chett Grant

[Bill Krauss]

Nice to find another fan.

I was almost certainly at the Neither/Nor show you mentioned, wrestling with what was perhaps the worst sound system ever assembled. I was honored to help the Jickets create the recordings linked to above.

I also played a small part in the early days of TMBG.

And to complete the circle, the very first band I ever produced was Pinhead, from Burlington, VT, featuring the one and only Mark Spencer.

The world is an exceedingly small place, at least my part of it.

Somewhere deep inside, we are all Jickets.

Bill Krauss

[Chef Molnar]

Yes, I remember the Jickets. That was when irony still was funny. But that was before Seinfeld came along and irony just became a way to put people down. I rate the one Jickets gig I experienced way up there with the Kipper Kids, could be because I got invited to post-gig party at a bar where someone in the band worked and got a demo cassette and the vhs...and lots of beer. Still got the demo and the xerox (brilliant satanic comic poster). Sadly someone stole the vhs years ago. Where can I get it again? Those videos for Guitar man and Heterosexual Love was/is complete genius. I don't want my mtv-I want my Jickets!

[David Rieth]

I worked with Sid Gilbert as a freelance paralegal. Sid was swell. I danced in a smiley face costume for the debut performance (I think) of "It's a Good Day" at the Cat Club for a Jickets/TMBG.

Sid saved the day when my band got a gig at ABC No Rio. The PA speaker we had rented didn't work so Sid went to his apartment and brought us a bass cabinet that did the trick.

Bravo, Sid! All hail, Jickets!

[John Kessel]

I discovered the 5 song Jickets demo in cassette form, when I worked at the CBGB's record store on east 9th street. I booked them to play a show in my basement in 1987. I remember Chett performing a duet of 'don't go breaking my heart' with the singer of Carrie's Problem (also on the bill.) Alice Donut was the headliner. Oh, Peter from Missing Foundation came to the show just to punch Anton of Alice Donut for being a charismatic performer! Thanks everyone. All 3 bands who played were GREAT GREAT GREAT. Also, a big fan of the Jickets' video work. Why no big fame for genius? I love The Jickets!