Issue #90: The Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 – Night of the Living Drag Queens

Released:  1998

Recorded:  1998

Genre:  Horror Punk

Record Label:  Uncle God Damn

Duration:  35:28

Producer:  Wednesday 13

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Night of the Living Drag Queens is One of My Favorites

In the previous issue, which covered The Late, Late, Late Show, I recounted how I first got into The Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 (or just FDQ).  It turns out that the very first songs I ever heard from them happened to be off of this album.  As I mentioned in the previous piece, this music is trashy, sleazy, and dirty, but also fun and campy like old B-horror movies.  Both thematically and musically, FDQ sounds a lot like what an updated and better produced version of the early Misfits material might sound like.  If you haven’t already read my piece on the band’s previous release, The Late, Late, Late Show, I’d recommend doing so to get a general idea of what FDQ’s music sounds like.

Night of the Living Drag Queens is a serious step up from its predecessor in almost every way.  The biggest change is the addition of a second guitarist.  Alongside the typical riffing, several songs feature lead guitar portions that add to their distinctiveness.  The music is still pretty simple, but having these recognizable lead guitar passages to cling onto helps spice things up and keep the sound fresher on an album primarily dominated by rhythm.

Production values have also seen a small bump up in quality.  It’s still far from the glossy, calculated sound of a big budget releases, but the instruments are clearer and the overall sound is less muddy.

Thirdly, it would seem that the guys (queens?) learned a thing or two about songwriting in the two years since Late Show, or either took more time to write and record the songs on Drag Queens.  There’s an increased reliance on simple melodies that were somewhat lacking on the previous album which add a new found catchiness to enjoy.  The music still has the same trashy appeal, but the instrumentation is tighter and more focused.  Rhythms are more fully developed with more musical variety.  The borderline sludgy guitar work on Late Show is replaced with stronger technical proficiency that breathes a bit more life into these songs.  As a result, this record has an angrier, more aggressive sound and sees FDQ begin to come into their own.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Late Show, but Drag Queens is certainly an improvement.

“Mr. Motherfucker” opens with a sample from one of my favorite films of all time, the 1978 sequel to Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead.  It’s a nice opener to the album, sort of the rock/punk equivalent of a hip-hop braggadocio track.  “Let’s Go to War” moves close to genuine hardcore territory, and I can’t help but draw comparisons between “Die My Bride” and “Die, Die My Darling” from the Misfits.  It’s a decent showcase of the increased production values and the darker, less campy, and more aggressive general sound on Night of the Living Drag Queens.  Wailing lead guitar and chug-chug heavy riffing give it a distinct metal feel.

“Scary Song” is one of my favorites and plays out like a creep nursery rhyme, complete with organs in the background and screeching guitars that remind me of Portrait-era Manson like much of the previous album.  “Rambo” is a fantastic track that details just how badass Rambo is – “when they fucked with Rambo / they fucked up!”  Chuck who?  “Motel Killafornia” demonstrates an appreciable proficiency with rhythm and melody; “She’s a Man” is highly repetitive but has some excellent lead guitar work.

“Foot in Mouth” takes on a quirky rhythm and makes full use of palm muting for its aggressive sound.  The loud-soft and start-stop dynamics in addition to continual drum fills are great examples of how much FDQ were growing as musicians between the two albums.  “Going to Hell” closes the album in a similar vein, sounding like a mutated version of Motörhead.

Night of the Living Drag Queens trades in some of the sillier horror references for a more maladjusted approach; I don’t know that anything on this album touches on anything personal, though there is the sense that FDQ were rejecting society for some reason or another with lyrics to songs such as “Mr. Motherfucker,” “S.T.D.’s,” and “Crossdressing G.D.S.O.B.”  Fun tracks like “Motel Killafornia” and “Twist My Sister” keep the B-movie vibe going while the band (seemingly) attempts to write something more meaningful, even if it is a roundabout, farcical way.

Overall, Night of the Living Drag Queens represents a more mature and more musically complete vision of FDQ, but there’s no denying that this is still fun, goofy music.  I enjoy all the monster movie references on their previous work although I enjoy hearing the music evolve as well.  To really see the reconciliation of both of these aspects, we have to move to their 1999 release…

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from The Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 in this series:

• 1996 – The Late, Late, Late Show – Issue #89
• 1999 – Songs from the Recently Deceased – Issue #96

Back to The Cubist’s 90’s Albums

Written by The Cubist

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