The Fugs were among the first to realize that literature and rock were more than kissin 'cousins — in fact, they were Fuggin'. An incestuous relationship between beatnik factions, with Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg representing the poets and a host of characters (like Peter Stampfel — see Holy Modal Rounders) adding askew folk and jug band sensibilities, at once old-timey and beyond their time. The Fugs made music scatological and divine, cosmic jesters. They not only put Blake and William Burroughs to melody, but mixed politics with morality ("Kill for Peace") and local beauty contests ("Slum Goddess of the Lower East Side").

They would ultimately split apart over their poles, a run that took them from the mid '60s through a decade later, but not before their "smutabilly" made them a must-see at Pentagon-levitating demonstrations and theatrical presentations (their run at the Player's Theater in New York City circa 66 is the harbinger of many cultural streams), weathering outraged record companies and the kamikaze run of the counterculture. Sanders felt their revolutionary message could be broadened by working within traditional forms; Tuli felt "we should've stayed buffoons." In between is a great band, whose music is often overlooked because of… read more »