Acting as an excellent portal to the past for those that either missed the boat or were too young to experience The Jesus Lizard live, MVD Visual’s DVD release of Touch & Go’s basilisk-loving band provides more than an hour of bona fide mid-90s flashback.
Though the video quality isn’t the best, that is quickly made inconsequential by the tight, head-cracking heaviness of the rhythm section, vocalist David Yow’s spastic convulsions and stage dives, and guitarist Duane Denison’s signature sound of dissonant, ringing chords and rampaging rock and roll riff work. The group’s live material – mostly performed at the Venus de Milo in Boston in late 1994 – is every bit as crushing as when captured in studio form.
And though the musical backdrop is as pummeling as possible, make no mistake – Yow’s antagonistic antics most enrapture the audience, albeit with as much disgust as admiration. After often heaving himself into the crowd, the sweaty, shirtless, and mumbling singer then burdens concertgoers with the task of lifting him back to the stage. He proceeds to mock a patron with ear plugs, salute the audience before smacking his mic stand to the floor, and fondle his microphone while drool drips out of his mouth.
Still, Yow is little without his bandmates’ bruising modus operandi, a sound that has influenced scores of currently functional rock outfits. If you were unable to see The Jesus Lizard in its heyday, waste no time in picking this DVD up.
– Scott Morrow
65 minutes, MVD Visual
Release: 6/5/07