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{{Short description|American industrial music group}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Refimprove|date=December 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians --> {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name = My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult | name = My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
| Background = group_or_band | background = group_or_band
| Origin = ], ] {{flagicon|USA}} | image =
| caption =
| Genre = ], ], ]
| Years_active = 1987 &ndash; Present | origin = ], U.S.
| Label = ] | genre = ], ]
| years_active = 1987–present
| Current_members = ]: Vocals, lyrics<br> ]: Keyboards, guitar, samples, music<br> ]: bass<br> ]: vocals<br> | Past_members = ]: Keyboards, samples<br> ]: Vocals, dancer<br> ]: Vocals, dancer<br> ]: Vocals<br> ]: Guitar<br> ]: Vocals<br> ]: vocals, dancer<br> ]: vocals, dancer<br> ]: Drums<br>
| label = ]/], Red Ant, ], SleazeBox, ]/]
| current_members = Groovie Mann<br/>Buzz McCoy<br/>Mimi Star<br/>Arena Rock<br/>]
| past_members = Jacky Blacque<br/>]<br/>]<br/>Sekret Dame DeZyre<br/>Brett Frana<br/>Dick Fury<br/>Kitty Killdare<br/>Linda LeSabre<br/>]<br/>Curse Mackey<br/>Bruce Manning<br/>Otto Matix<br/>Ruth McArdle<br/>Sinderella Pussy<br/>Arena Rock<br/>Pepper Somerset<br/>]<br/>Skip Towne<br/>]<br>]<br/>Charles Levi<br/>Westin Halvorson<br/>Xtina X<br/>Alex Uberman<br/>
| website = {{URL|mylifewiththethrillkillkult.com}}
}} }}


'''My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult''' (often shortened to '''Thrill Kill Kult''' or '''TKK''') is an American electronic ] band originally based in ] and founded by Groovie Mann (born Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (born Marston Daley). They became known in the 1980s as pioneers of the ] genre – although by the early 1990s they had changed to a more disco-oriented sound – and as a frequent target of censorship groups, including the ], which objected to the band's humorous and satirical references to ], ] and sex in their song lyrics and stage shows.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hodael |first=Nima |date=December 6, 1991 |title=The Thrill Kill Kult Revamps Music Scene: Less Industrial Rock Concept Worships Satan |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19911206&id=df1JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Nh4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1724,4233072&hl=en |newspaper=] |location=] |page=8 |access-date=January 28, 2016 }}</ref>
'''My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult''' (TKK) is an electronic ] band originally based out of ], ].

During the early 1990s, Thrill Kill Kult had several hits on the U.S. dance club and ] charts.<ref name=musicvf>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicvf.com/My+Life+with+the+Thrill+Kill+Kult.art |title=My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult Top Songs |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2016 |website=MusicVF.com |publisher=Music VF |access-date=January 28, 2016}}</ref> They also contributed songs to several movie soundtracks and appeared in the 1994 film '']''. The band has continued to record and tour with a rotating lineup in addition to core members Mann and McCoy. In 2017, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Roser |first=Jane |date=June 11, 2014 |title=My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult: Still Riding the Mindway |url=http://www.thatmusicmag.com/index.php/2014/06/my-life-with-the-thrill-kill-kult/ |magazine=That Mag |location=] |publisher=Brian Cronin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629223914/http://www.thatmusicmag.com/index.php/2014/06/my-life-with-the-thrill-kill-kult/#.VqpbkfkrLIU |archive-date=June 29, 2014 |access-date=January 28, 2016 }}</ref>


==History== ==History==
Nardiello and Daley met in spring 1987 while touring together with the band ]. Soon after, Nardiello and Daley began to conceive an ] to be called ''My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult'' – a headline taken from a British tabloid Nardiello had noted a few years prior when he lived in London. The film was never completed, but the music they had recorded for its soundtrack appealed to ], who released the completed songs as a three-track ].


Dubbing themselves Groovie Mann (Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Daley), they launched ''My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult''. When the first EP sold well, a full-length album, '']'', followed in 1988. Both attracted attention from ] stations and dancefloors, as well as religious groups who balked at the overtly ] imagery in both the music and the artwork of the releases. The group continued to stoke controversy with each subsequent release, which included a remix EP entitled ''Nervous Xians'', and they became even more popular with release of the ] "Kooler Than Jesus".
Thrill Kill Kult's name was the idea of Frankie Nardiello, who was touring with ] in ] as a lighting technician. Frankie wrote a few songs with Ministry frontman ], who was a previous bandmate of Nardiello's in an outfit called "Special Affect", and one of the songs was titled "Thrill Kill Kult". Soon after, Nardiello and friend Marston Daley began to conceive an art and noise movie called ''Hammerhead Housewife and the Thrill Kill Kult'', chronicling their (supposedly) true-life adventures. The film was never completed, but the music they had recorded for its soundtrack appealed to ], who released the completed songs as a three-track EP.


Thrill Kill Kult's second album, '']'', became one of the best-selling releases on Wax Trax!, and continued to goad parental groups with song titles like "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" and "Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness".
Dubbing themselves Groovie Mann (Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Daley), they launched ''My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult''. When the first EP sold well, a full length album, "I See Good Spirits And I See Bad Spirits", followed in ]. Both attracted attention from college radio stations and dancefloors, as well as religious groups who balked at the overtly occult imagery in both the music and the artwork of the releases. The group continued to stoke controversy with each subsequent release, which included a remix EP entitled "Nervous Xians", and they gained even more popularity with release of the ] "Kooler Than Jesus".


Along with labelmates ], ], and ], Thrill Kill Kult helped develop the ] genre, but they themselves continued to evolve, creating a sound that was not easily identified or categorized. It was electronic club music with heavy beats, reminiscent of both ] and ], yet amplified to a sometimes abrasive level. Thrill Kill Kult reflected a shift where dance records could be ominous and aggressive, and they laced their music with riffs and references that would seem more at home in a ] group. One of their most distinctive characteristics is their use of ] ] lifted from ]s and old television shows.
Thrill Kill Kult's second album, "Confessions of a Knife", became one of the best-selling releases on ], and continued to goad parental groups with song titles like "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" and "Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness".


At the onset of their career, the band's music was known as having a "]" theme, although used in a satirical sense. The occult element of the band has moved to the background in recent years, as they have focused more on their sleazy disco sound although still laden with satire. The 1991 album '']'' marked TKK's leap toward more ] ] beats and their later grind house ] sound. Later albums expanded upon these sounds and explored new directions as well, such as the 1995 ] release ''Hit & Run Holiday'', which combined the Kult's signature electronic sound with a ] ]/] theme reminiscent of 1960s ] and more modern acts like ].
Along with labelmates ], ], and ], Thrill Kill Kult helped develop the ] genre, but they themselves continued to evolve, creating a sound that wasn't easily identified or categorized. It was electronic club music with heavy beats, reminiscent of both disco and funk, yet amplified to a sometimes abrasive level. Whereas previous dance music tended to be giddy and happy, Thrill Kill Kult reflected a shift where dance records could be ominous and aggressive, and they laced their music with riffs and references that would seem more at home in a heavy metal group. Contemporaries were doing similar things with their music, but Thrill Kill Kult also maintained a sense of humor about it, too, and one of their most distinctive characteristics is their rampant use of spoken-word samples lifted from B-movies and other sources.


== Live shows ==
At the onset of their career, the band's music was known as having a "Satanic" theme, but it's worth noting that none of the songs ever had anything overt about ] or devil worship, although blasphemous images were often a part of their lyrics and artwork. For instance, the aforementioned song "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" would seem to suggest otherwise, but in reality it was simply the title of a pulp mystery novel written by Joan Fleming, spotted by Nardiello on a bookshelf.<ref>''A Daisy Chain For Satan'' ], ] ], ISBN 0-345-21655-5</ref>
Mann and McCoy recruited ] (a.k.a. Buck Ryder) to play keyboards and administer samples on the band's first tour. Brian Gillespie (a.k.a. Skip Town) from The Five and later ] played a classic Slingerland Silver Sparkle drum set with sample triggers. The live act also featured female backup singers referred to as "The Bomb Gang Girlz",<ref name="assimilate">{{cite book |last1=Reed |first1=S. Alexander |title=Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199832583 |page=242}}</ref> among the first of whom were Jacky Blaque, Rhonda Bond and Kitty Killdare.


Thorn soon departed amicably from the live act to form his own band, ] (which embraced the overtly Satanic themes that My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult had only flirted with).
The occult element of the band has moved to the background in recent years, as they have focused more on their sleazy disco sound. The ] album ''Sexplosion!'' marked TKK's leap toward more ] ] beats and their later grind house ] sound. Later albums expanded on these sounds and explored new directions as well, such as the ] ] release ''Hit & Run Holiday'', which combined the Kult's signature electronic sound with a psychedelic ]/] theme reminiscent of 60s ] and more modern acts like ].


My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult kept adding a revolving cast of characters to their stage show that, over the years, has included No Wave chanteuse ], bassist Charles Levi, guitarist ], Chris "Curse" Mackey from the bands Evil Mothers and Grim Faeries, Lady Galore from ] (who appeared in TKK as Cherrie Blue), and a great number of artists, sound technicians, musicians, and filmmakers. Creatively, however, the core of the band has always been Mann and McCoy, both on record and in the live act.
== Live shows ==


The "Sexplosion!" tour in 1991 achieved a particularly edgy reputation. In addition to its staging, which featured a bar and bartender onstage with the band, the show also featured a male/female duo known as Ten and Avaluscious White, who appeared onstage dressed in a number of different guises. At one point, Ten was dressed as Jesus strapped to a cross and featuring a large black ] or alternately a large sausage between his legs, while Avaluscious White dress as a demon girl simulated ] on him. This created controversy and protest in a number of American locations, adding to the band's notoriety.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
Nardiello and Daley recruited Thomas Thorn (aka Buck Ryder) to play keyboards and administer samples on the band's first tour. The live act also featured female backup singers referred to as "The Bomb Gang Girlz", among the first of whom were Jackie Blaque, Rhonda Bond and Kitty Killdare.


In the summer of 2010, the band once again hit the road with ], with whom they toured on the Sextacy Ball Tour in 1995.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sextremeball.com/frame-dates.html | title=Sextreme Ball 2010 Dates | publisher=sextremeball.com | access-date=September 12, 2010}}</ref> The 2010 tour was originally titled Sextacy Ball 2, but was changed to the Sextreme Ball for legal reasons.
Thomas Thorn soon departed amicably from the live act to form his own band, ] (which embraced the overtly Satanic themes My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult had only flirted with), although he would later lay claim to TKK's dark sound and allegedly make the statement "I took the 'kill' out of Thrill Kill Kult." Since the split was amicable, however, it is likely that Thorn's statements were not meant to be taken seriously, particularly since his part in the creative process on the early albums was minimal.


In 2012, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult announced their 25-year anniversary tour covering over 30 dates in the US tour featuring direct support by ].<ref>""</ref><ref>""</ref>
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult kept adding a revolving cast of characters to their stage show that, over the years, has included ] chanteuse ], bassist Levi Levi, guitarist ], Chris "Curse" Mackey from the bands Evil Mothers and Grim Faeries, Lady Galore from ] (who appeared in TKK as Cherrie Blue), and a great number of ]s, sound technicians, ]s, and ]s. Creatively, however, the core of the band has always been Nardiello and Daley, both on record and in the live act.

The "Sexplosion!" tour in 1991 achieved a particularly notorious reputation. In addition to being interestingly staged, featuring an actual bar and bartender onstage with the band, the show also featured a male/female duo known as Ten and Avaluscious White, who appeared onstage dressed in a number of different guises. At one point, Ten was dressed as Jesus strapped to a cross and featuring a large black dildo between his legs, while Avaluscious White simulated oral sex on him. This caused controversy and protest in a number of American locations, adding to the band's notoriety.


== Record labels == == Record labels ==
Thrill Kill Kult left Wax Trax! Records after their third album, ''Sexplosion!'', surpassed ''Confessions'' to become the biggest seller on the imprint, and major label ] took notice.{{sfn|Reed|2013|p=263}} TKK signed to Interscope, which re-released ''Sexplosion!'' and garnered the band their most familiar ] radio hit, "Sex on Wheelz".<ref>{{cite web | url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p13371/biography|pure_url=yes}} | title=My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult > Biography | publisher=].com | access-date=September 12, 2010}}</ref> Their following two albums, ''13 Above the Night'' and ''Hit & Run Holiday'', were recorded for Interscope until they parted with the label in 1996. The band's subsequent album, ''A Crime for All Seasons'', was released on Red Ant Records.


In 2001 the album ''The Reincarnation of Luna'' appeared on their own Sleazebox Records imprint, distributed by ]. The band released a companion piece to ''Luna'' called ''Golden Pillz: The Luna Remixes'', as well as a live album called ''Elektrik Inferno''. ] became the band's next and most current home after putting out the rarities compilation ''Dirty Little Secrets''. Rykodisc eventually released My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult's entire back catalog, as well as a new "best-of" compilation, a non-stop ] album featuring mash-ups of tracks from different eras called (''Diamonds & Daggerz''), and a long-unreleased project entitled ''Gay, Black & Married''.
Thrill Kill Kult left ] after their third album, ''Sexplosion!'', surpassed ''Confessions'' to become the biggest seller on the imprint, and major label ] took notice. TKK signed to Interscope, which re-released ''Sexplosion!'' and garnered the band their most familiar alternative radio hit, "Sex On Wheelz". Their following two albums, ''13 Above the Night'' and ''Hit & Run Holiday'', were recorded for ] until they parted with the label in 1996. The band's subsequent album, ''A Crime For All Seasons'', was released on Red Ant Records.


In 2009, the band's own SleazeBox Records joined forces with Italy's Rustblade label and have together released TKK's most recent CDs ''Blood + Dope + Sin + Gold'' (2008), ''Death Threat'' (2009) and ''Sinister Whisperz'' (2011).
In ] the band's album ''The Reincarnation of Luna'' appeared on their own ] imprint, distributed by ]. The band released a companion piece to ''Luna'' called ''Golden Pillz: The Luna Remixes'', as well as a live album called ''Elektrik Inferno''. ] became the band's next and most current home after putting out the rarities compilation ''Dirty Little Secrets''. Rykodisc eventually released My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult's entire back catalog, as well as a new "best-of" compilation, a remix album, and a long-unreleased project entitled ''Gay, Black & Married''.


==Soundtracks==
== Thrill Kill Kult related projects ==


Thrill Kill Kult has contributed songs to soundtracks of several movies, including '']'' (1992), '']'' (1993), '']'' (1994), '']'' (1994), '']'' (1995), '']'' (1998), '']'' (2016) and ''Nemesis 5: The New Model'' (2018). They were used in dialog for '']'' (1995) and '']'' (2013). They also appeared in ''The Crow'' performing in the nightclub shootout scene.
Frank Nardiello first appeared in a band called Special Affect which also featured ] on guitar and ] on drums. After the disintegration of Special Affect, Nardiello went to England to become the lead singer of a band called ]. It was after returning to America that the idea for My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult came about. A more recent project called ] originated in ] as a duo comprised of Nardiello and ]. After Tucker's untimely death in 1999, Nardiello released their work as an ] titled ''People Next Door''. In ], Nardiello regrouped ] with a new lineup and is currently working on the follow-up to Darling Kandie's debut EP.


== Related projects ==
Marston Daley was the producer of a single in the mid-80s by a band called Rota, a cover of ]'s "Do You Love Me?". After the success of Thrill Kill Kult, in 1991 he worked with ] of ] on a band called ]. Also in 1991, Buzz appeared on the live ] album ''Welcome to Mexico, Asshole''. Together with Ruth McArdle (aka Lady Galore) from ], he released a project in ] called '']''. As Buzz McCoy, Daley has also remixed tracks for bands such as ], ], ], Pigface, ], and ].
Both Mann and McCoy have worked on various side projects and with other bands and musicians.

=== Groovie Mann ===
*] – with Marty Sorenson on bass, ] on guitar and ] on drums
*]
*Darling Kandie – with ]
*''Fred'' EP with ]
*The Katastrophe Klown
*Trash Deity

=== Buzz McCoy ===
*Rota (Rights of the Accused) – as a producer for a cover of ]'s "Do You Love Me?"
*] – with ] of ]
*] – on live album '']''
*Cherrie Blue – with Ruth McArdle (a.k.a. Lady Galore) from ]
*Bomb Gang Girlz
McCoy has also remixed tracks for bands such as ], KMFDM, ], Pigface, Voodou, and ].


== Wax Trax! Deejays == == Wax Trax! Deejays ==
As an original Wax Trax! artist, Buzz McCoy returned to Chicago February 23, 2007, to DJ Classic Wax Trax! rarities and remixes from his personal collection at famed TKK hangout, Berlin Chicago.

As an original Wax Trax! Artist, Buzz McCoy returned to Chicago Feburary 23rd, 2007 to from his personal collection at famed TKK hangout, Berlin Chicago.


==Discography== ==Discography==
=== '''''My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult''''' (1987 Wax Trax!)=== {{main|My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult discography}}
<!-- Please do NOT add remixes, soundtracks, videos, compilations, etc. here. -->
* '']'' (1988)
* '']'' (1990)
* '']'' (1991)
* '']'' (1993)
* '']'' (1995)
* '']'' (1997)
* '']'' (2001)
* '']'' (2005)
* '']'' (2007)
* '']'' (2009)
* '']'' (2014)
* ''In the House of Strange Affairs'' (2019)


==References==
# First Cut
{{Reflist}}
# Shock of Point 6
# Resisting the Spirit

'''Note:''' This 12" was the band's first release (Wax039) before ''I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits''. Side one is the track "First Cut", and is 45 RPM. Side two has "Shock of Point 6" and "Resisting the Spirit", and is 33 1/3 RPM.

===''I See Good Spirits & I See Bad Spirits'' (1988 Wax Trax!)===

# Heresy
# X-Communication
# Do You Fear (For Your Child)
# Easy Girl
# Universal Blackness
# And This is What the Devil Does
# These Remains
# On This Rack
# Gateway to Hell
# Scene One, Seen 'Em All
# Nervous Xians (Live)
# X-Communication (Live)
# Back From Beyond

*Tracks 11&ndash;13 available only on 2004 Rykodisc CD reissue.

'''Note:''' This is TKK's debut album, and was released in ] (Wax 056), virtually simultaneous with another EP ''Some Have to Dance, Some Have to Kill'' (Wax 055). Their sound was initially an amalgam of heavy dance rhythms, ] ], and quasi-Satanic imagery. Their early recordings were extremely popular in industrial ].

===''Kooler Than Jesus'' (1989 Wax Trax!)===

# Kooler Than Jesus
# Devil Bunnies
# Nervous Xians
# The Devil Does Drugs
# First Cut
# Shock of Point 6
# Resisting the Spirit

'''Note:''' The original vinyl version of this album was an EP of only the first two tracks. The cassette and CD versions added the tracks from the first two releases ''My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult'' (Wax 039) and ''Some Have to Dance, Some Have to Kill'' (Wax 055) which had been vinyl only.

===''Confessions of a Knife'' (1990 Wax Trax!)===

# A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (Acid and Flowers Mix)
# The Days of Swine and Roses
# Hand in Hand
# Waiting for Mommie
# Confessions of a Knife (Theme Part I)
# Ride the Mindway
# Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness
# Kooler Than Jesus (Electric Messiah Mix)
# Burning Dirt
# Confessions of a Knife (Theme Part II)
# Do You Fear (The Inferno Express?)
# Waiting for Mommie (JB's Blackjack Mix)
# Ride the Mindway (UK Remix)
# Confessions Of A Knife (Theme Part 3)

* Track 11 available only on Wax Trax! CD release.
* Tracks 12&ndash;14 available only on 2004 Rykodisc CD reissue.

'''Note:''' This album, released in 1990, brought the band some additional publicity due to the objection of ] and the ] over the title of the first track "A Daisy Chain for Satan". This album became the number-three top seller on WaxTrax! upon its release.

===''Sexplosion!'' (1991 Wax Trax!)===

# The International Sin Set
# Leathersex
# A Martini Built for 2
# Dream Baby
# Mood No. 6
# Sexplosion!
# Princess of the Queens (The Lost Generation)
# Sex on Wheelz
# A Continental Touch
# Mystery Babylon
# Dream Baby (Nocturnal Mix)
# Sex on Wheelz (radio edit)
# Sex on Wheelz (Motor City remix)
# Leathersex (Where's the Action? Mix)
# Sex on Wheelz (Freak Street Mix)
# Far Out 1

* Tracks 11&ndash;12 available only on 1991 Wax Trax! CD release.
* Track 13 available only on 1992 Interscope CD release.
* Tracks 14&ndash;16 available only on 1999 Rykodisc CD reissue.

'''Note:''' The band released the EP, ''Kooler Than Jesus'' (Wax 9088) in ], along with the album ''Confessions of a Knife'' (Wax 7089) and the ], "A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By a Make-Believe Lover (Cuz It's Hot)" (Wax 9140) in ] for Wax Trax!. They released the title track off their next LP, ''Sexplosion!'' originally on Wax Trax!, followed by the LP. ] took notice of the album's notable sales on Wax Trax!, signed the band, and released ''Sexplosion!'' themselves a year later. The single "Sex on Wheelz", taken from the album, was a ] on the ] charts, and was featured in the movie '']''.

===''13 Above the Night'' (1993 Interscope)===

# The Velvet Edge
# Delicate Terror
# Badlife
# Dirty Little Secrets
# China de Sade
# Dimentia 66
# Final Blindness
# Blue Buddha
# Starmartyr
# Electrical Soul Wish
# 13 Above the Night
# Disko Fleshpot
# Savage Sexteen
# Blue Buddha (Master of the Ultraflesh Mix)
# Electrical Soul Wish (Miss Hate Mix)

*Tracks 14&ndash;15 available only on 1999 Rykodisc CD reissue.

===''Hit & Run Holiday'' (1995 Interscope)===

# Hit & Run Holiday
# Glamour is a Rocky Road
# Portrait of the Damned
# Apollo 69
# Chemical Cop-Out
# Babylon Drifter
# Hottest Party in Town
# Golden Strip
# The Doris Love Club
# Mindcage
# Mr. Eleganza
# Universal Luxury
# Hot Blood Risin,
# Mission: Stardust
# The Last Ride Out

===''Crime for All Seasons'' (1997 Red Ant)===

# Fangs of Love
# Dope Doll Jungle
# Sexy Sucker
# Blondes with Lobotomy Eyes
# Lucifer's Flowers
# Yesterday's Void
# Feel the Bite
# The Twilight Web
# Mr. & Mrs. Bottomless Pit
# Blue Moon
# Sexy Sucker (Juicey Mix)

*Track 11 available only on 2000 Rykodisc CD reissue.

===''Some Have To Dance... Some Have To Kill'' (1997 Red Ant)===

# Sexy Sucker
# The Devil Does Drugs
# A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By A Make-Believe Lover... 'Cuz It's Hot
# Kooler Than Jesus
# A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (Acid and Flowers Mix)
# Leathersex
# Sex on Wheelz (Danger Baby Mix)
# Final Blindness
# Blue Buddha (Ultra Flesh Mix)
# Glamour is a Rocky Road (Live Mix)
# Lucifer's Flowers

'''Note:''' This album is different from the earlier release of the same name. This version was a promo-only release sold during the band's 1998 tour.

===''The Reincarnation of Luna'' (2001 SleazeBox)===

# Radio Silicon
# The Untouchables Class
# Hour of Zero
# The Kult Konnection
# Girl Without a Planet
# Temptation Serenade
# Bettie
# Flesh Playhouse
# Heelz Afire
# Jungle of Love
# Asylum Disciple
# Theme de Luna

Scheduled for re-release April 3rd, 2007

===''Diamonds & Daggerz'' (2004 Rykodisc)===

# Dream 101
# Devil Rider
# Hot Rod Boys
# Mz Disco
# Sex Whip
# Out 4 the Kill
# Mondo Fever
# Flesh Star
# Young Tongue
# Evil Lover
# Dope Kult
# The End

===''Gay, Black & Married'' (2005 Rykodisc)===
# Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me
# Euro-Freak Hustle
# Freaky Fever
# One Nite Stand
# Magic Boy, Magic Girl
# Foreign World
# Paradise Motel
# Fhantasi Luv’r
# Sci-Fi Affair
# Dream 13
# Freaky Fever (Radio Version)

===''The Filthiest Show in Town'' (2007)===
Scheduled for release April 3rd, 2007

# Cadillac Square
# Born of Fire
# Jet Set Sex
# High Class Taboo
# Me & Harlow
# Sophisticated Living
# TV Sista
# My Kinda Guy
# Jive Ass Ave.
# CoverGirl Blues

===Singles===

* ''A Girl Doen't Get Killed By A Make-Believe Lover... 'Cuz It's Hot'' (1990)
* ''The Days Of Swine And Roses / Naive(KMFDM)'' (1990)
* ''Sexplosion'' (1991)
* ''Sex On Wheelz'' (1992)
* ''Blue Buddha'' (1993)
* ''Final Blindness'' 12" (1993)
* ''Hit & Run Holiday'' (1995)
* ''Sexy Sucker'' (1997)

===Other releases===

* ''Some Have to Dance, Some Have to Kill'' 12" EP (1988)
* ''Dirty Little Secrets: Music To Strip By'' (1999)
* ''Golden Pillz: Luna Remixes'' (2002)
* ''Elektrik Inferno Live'' (2002)
* ''The Be(a)st of TKK'' (2004)

=== Motion picture soundtracks ===
* '']'' featured the songs "Sex on Wheelz" and "Her Sassy Kiss" (1992). The film itself contained three other Thrill Kill Kult songs: "The Devil Does Drugs", "Sedusa", and "Holli's Groove". The last two tracks remained unreleased until recently. "Holli's Groove" was retitled "Strippers Only" and featured on the TKK album '']''. "Sedusa" was retitled "The Smash-Up" and appeared as a bonus track on a later compilation.
* '']'' featured the exclusive song "After the Flesh" (1994), which is a re-working of the earlier TKK track "Nervous Xians".
* '']'' (1994) featured a different version of the song "Hit & Run Holiday"
* '']'' (1995) featured two original songs, "Wasted Time" and "Someone New". The song "The Devil Does Drugs" also appears in the film, but not on ]. Another track called "Seduction 23" was composed for the film, but swapped with "Wasted Time" near completion of the movie.
* '']'' had the songs "Golden Strip" and "Glamour Is a Rocky Road" in it, but they weren't on the soundtrack.

==Singles==

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
! width="28" rowspan="2"| '''Year'''
! width="319" rowspan="2"| '''Title'''
! colspan="1"| '''Chart Positions'''
! width="319" rowspan="2"| '''Album'''
|-

! width="83"|<small>]</small>
|-
| ]
| "Sex on Wheelz"
! #17
| ''Sexplosion!''
|}

== Notes ==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>

</div>


==External links== ==External links==
* {{official|http://www.mylifewiththethrillkillkult.com/}}

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{{My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult}}
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Latest revision as of 13:34, 9 August 2024

American industrial music group

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My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresIndustrial rock, industrial dance
Years active1987–present
LabelsInterscope/Atlantic, Red Ant, Rykodisc, SleazeBox, Wax Trax!/TVT
MembersGroovie Mann
Buzz McCoy
Mimi Star
Arena Rock
Justin Bennett
Past membersJacky Blacque
Shawn Christopher
Davey Dasher
Sekret Dame DeZyre
Brett Frana
Dick Fury
Kitty Killdare
Linda LeSabre
Lydia Lunch
Curse Mackey
Bruce Manning
Otto Matix
Ruth McArdle
Sinderella Pussy
Arena Rock
Pepper Somerset
Brian St. Clair
Skip Towne
Thomas Thorn
William Tucker
Charles Levi
Westin Halvorson
Xtina X
Alex Uberman
Websitemylifewiththethrillkillkult.com

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (often shortened to Thrill Kill Kult or TKK) is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based in Chicago and founded by Groovie Mann (born Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (born Marston Daley). They became known in the 1980s as pioneers of the industrial music genre – although by the early 1990s they had changed to a more disco-oriented sound – and as a frequent target of censorship groups, including the PMRC, which objected to the band's humorous and satirical references to Satan, Jesus and sex in their song lyrics and stage shows.

During the early 1990s, Thrill Kill Kult had several hits on the U.S. dance club and alternative charts. They also contributed songs to several movie soundtracks and appeared in the 1994 film The Crow. The band has continued to record and tour with a rotating lineup in addition to core members Mann and McCoy. In 2017, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary.

History

Nardiello and Daley met in spring 1987 while touring together with the band Ministry. Soon after, Nardiello and Daley began to conceive an art film to be called My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – a headline taken from a British tabloid Nardiello had noted a few years prior when he lived in London. The film was never completed, but the music they had recorded for its soundtrack appealed to Wax Trax! Records, who released the completed songs as a three-track EP.

Dubbing themselves Groovie Mann (Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Daley), they launched My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. When the first EP sold well, a full-length album, I See Good Spirits and I See Bad Spirits, followed in 1988. Both attracted attention from college radio stations and dancefloors, as well as religious groups who balked at the overtly occult imagery in both the music and the artwork of the releases. The group continued to stoke controversy with each subsequent release, which included a remix EP entitled Nervous Xians, and they became even more popular with release of the 12-inch single "Kooler Than Jesus".

Thrill Kill Kult's second album, Confessions of a Knife..., became one of the best-selling releases on Wax Trax!, and continued to goad parental groups with song titles like "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan" and "Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness".

Along with labelmates Ministry, KMFDM, and Front 242, Thrill Kill Kult helped develop the industrial music genre, but they themselves continued to evolve, creating a sound that was not easily identified or categorized. It was electronic club music with heavy beats, reminiscent of both disco and funk, yet amplified to a sometimes abrasive level. Thrill Kill Kult reflected a shift where dance records could be ominous and aggressive, and they laced their music with riffs and references that would seem more at home in a heavy metal group. One of their most distinctive characteristics is their use of spoken-word samples lifted from B-movies and old television shows.

At the onset of their career, the band's music was known as having a "satanic" theme, although used in a satirical sense. The occult element of the band has moved to the background in recent years, as they have focused more on their sleazy disco sound although still laden with satire. The 1991 album Sexplosion! marked TKK's leap toward more psychedelic house beats and their later grind house lounge sound. Later albums expanded upon these sounds and explored new directions as well, such as the 1995 Interscope release Hit & Run Holiday, which combined the Kult's signature electronic sound with a psychedelic surf rock/go-go theme reminiscent of 1960s garage rock and more modern acts like The B-52's.

Live shows

Mann and McCoy recruited Thomas Thorn (a.k.a. Buck Ryder) to play keyboards and administer samples on the band's first tour. Brian Gillespie (a.k.a. Skip Town) from The Five and later Concussion Ensemble played a classic Slingerland Silver Sparkle drum set with sample triggers. The live act also featured female backup singers referred to as "The Bomb Gang Girlz", among the first of whom were Jacky Blaque, Rhonda Bond and Kitty Killdare.

Thorn soon departed amicably from the live act to form his own band, The Electric Hellfire Club (which embraced the overtly Satanic themes that My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult had only flirted with).

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult kept adding a revolving cast of characters to their stage show that, over the years, has included No Wave chanteuse Lydia Lunch, bassist Charles Levi, guitarist William Tucker, Chris "Curse" Mackey from the bands Evil Mothers and Grim Faeries, Lady Galore from Lords of Acid (who appeared in TKK as Cherrie Blue), and a great number of artists, sound technicians, musicians, and filmmakers. Creatively, however, the core of the band has always been Mann and McCoy, both on record and in the live act.

The "Sexplosion!" tour in 1991 achieved a particularly edgy reputation. In addition to its staging, which featured a bar and bartender onstage with the band, the show also featured a male/female duo known as Ten and Avaluscious White, who appeared onstage dressed in a number of different guises. At one point, Ten was dressed as Jesus strapped to a cross and featuring a large black dildo or alternately a large sausage between his legs, while Avaluscious White dress as a demon girl simulated oral sex on him. This created controversy and protest in a number of American locations, adding to the band's notoriety.

In the summer of 2010, the band once again hit the road with Lords of Acid, with whom they toured on the Sextacy Ball Tour in 1995. The 2010 tour was originally titled Sextacy Ball 2, but was changed to the Sextreme Ball for legal reasons.

In 2012, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult announced their 25-year anniversary tour covering over 30 dates in the US tour featuring direct support by Left Spine Down.

Record labels

Thrill Kill Kult left Wax Trax! Records after their third album, Sexplosion!, surpassed Confessions to become the biggest seller on the imprint, and major label Interscope Records took notice. TKK signed to Interscope, which re-released Sexplosion! and garnered the band their most familiar alternative radio hit, "Sex on Wheelz". Their following two albums, 13 Above the Night and Hit & Run Holiday, were recorded for Interscope until they parted with the label in 1996. The band's subsequent album, A Crime for All Seasons, was released on Red Ant Records.

In 2001 the album The Reincarnation of Luna appeared on their own Sleazebox Records imprint, distributed by Invisible Records. The band released a companion piece to Luna called Golden Pillz: The Luna Remixes, as well as a live album called Elektrik Inferno. Rykodisc became the band's next and most current home after putting out the rarities compilation Dirty Little Secrets. Rykodisc eventually released My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult's entire back catalog, as well as a new "best-of" compilation, a non-stop megamix album featuring mash-ups of tracks from different eras called (Diamonds & Daggerz), and a long-unreleased project entitled Gay, Black & Married.

In 2009, the band's own SleazeBox Records joined forces with Italy's Rustblade label and have together released TKK's most recent CDs Blood + Dope + Sin + Gold (2008), Death Threat (2009) and Sinister Whisperz (2011).

Soundtracks

Thrill Kill Kult has contributed songs to soundtracks of several movies, including Cool World (1992), Totally Fucked Up (1993), The Crow (1994), The Flintstones (1994), Showgirls (1995), Baseketball (1998), The Amityville Legacy (2016) and Nemesis 5: The New Model (2018). They were used in dialog for The Doom Generation (1995) and Sexy Evil Genius (2013). They also appeared in The Crow performing in the nightclub shootout scene.

Related projects

Both Mann and McCoy have worked on various side projects and with other bands and musicians.

Groovie Mann

Buzz McCoy

McCoy has also remixed tracks for bands such as Radio Iodine, KMFDM, Evil Mothers, Pigface, Voodou, and Professional Murder Music.

Wax Trax! Deejays

As an original Wax Trax! artist, Buzz McCoy returned to Chicago February 23, 2007, to DJ Classic Wax Trax! rarities and remixes from his personal collection at famed TKK hangout, Berlin Chicago.

Discography

Main article: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult discography

References

  1. Hodael, Nima (December 6, 1991). "The Thrill Kill Kult Revamps Music Scene: Less Industrial Rock Concept Worships Satan". The Michigan Daily. Ann Arbor, Michigan. p. 8. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  2. "My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult Top Songs". MusicVF.com. Music VF. 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  3. Roser, Jane (June 11, 2014). "My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult: Still Riding the Mindway". That Mag. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Brian Cronin. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  4. Reed, S. Alexander (2013). Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music. Oxford University Press. p. 242. ISBN 9780199832583.
  5. "Sextreme Ball 2010 Dates". sextremeball.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  6. "LEFT SPINE DOWN TO SUPPORT MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT"
  7. "My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult celebrate 25 years with tour"
  8. Reed 2013, p. 263.
  9. "My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult > Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.

External links

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
  • Groovie Mann
  • Buzz McCoy
  • Mimi Star
  • Arena Rock
  • Bradley Bills
Albums and EPs
Remix albums
Live albums
Singles
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