Recording under the moniker
You've Got Foetus on Your Breath,
Jim Thirwell, aka
Foetus, released his first album,
Deaf, in 1981.
Thirwell's eccentric trademark sound -- a confrontational sonic tapestry based on harshly recorded instruments, noises, samples, and voices -- is firmly established on
Deaf. The songs are twisted heaps of sound that sometimes resemble
Frank Zappa outtakes being pummeled to death by
Einstürzende Neubauten -- and
Thirwell's scatological, antisocial lyrics only add to the bizarreness. If you've got the stomach for it,
Deaf can be rewarding -- but it's also a great way to clear the room at a party.