Fuck

Resigning themselves to a career of obscurity simply by virtue of their name, Fuck formed in Oakland, California in 1993 after band members Timmy Prudhomme (vocals), Kyle Statham (guitar, violin), Ted Ellison (bass, piano) and Geoff Soule (drums) became fast friends while detained in a police holding cell. Establishing their home base on the other side of the bay in San Francisco (although Prudhomme soon relocated to New York City, forcing a bi-coastal musical existence), they bowed in 1994 with the single "Monkey Beauty Shotgun," followed by a series of seven-inches and compilation appearances which found the vulgarity of their moniker consistently at odds with the increasing loveliness of their popcraft. The group's full-length debut, Pretty...Slow, appeared in 1996 on three separate labels -- Rhesus (Fuck's own imprint), Walt and Esther (soon renamed Lamplighter) -- with financing and distribution costs divided equally between each company; the same deal was in place for Baby Loves a Funny Bunny, issued that same year, but in 1997 Fuck signed to Matador, where they released the excellent Pardon My French. Conduct followed a year later; Cupid's Cactus was issued in early 2001.