Dicks were an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band from

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, formed in 1980 and initially disbanded in 1986. After the first breakup, singer Gary Floyd formed the band

Sister Double Happiness Sister Double Happiness was an alternative blues rock band that existed from 1986 until 1995, formed in San Francisco, California, United States. Its core members were Gary Floyd and Lynn Perko, who were in the seminal punk rock band The Dicks ...

, with drummer Lynn Perko, then later fronted a project called Black Kali Ma. In 2004, The Dicks reunited and were active until 2016. The Dicks went through two incarnations in the 1980s, changing its lineup when Floyd moved from Austin to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1983. As a political band with

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

lyrics during the Reagan Era, they did not shy from controversy. Floyd was one of a handful of openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

musicians in the 1980s punk scene.

History

Austin lineup (1980–1983)

Dicks were formed in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

in 1980 by Gary Floyd, Buxf Parrott, Pat Deason, and Glen Taylor. Their first single "Dicks Hate The Police", released in 1980, brought them much attention and is now regarded as a classic hardcore punk record.True, Christopher " Dicks Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'', Macrovision Corporation In the song Floyd sings from the perspective of a

policeman A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of ...

who abuses his power by targeting

minorities The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

and abusing civilians. Dicks often played shows with fellow pioneering Texas hardcore bands MDC, The Offenders, and The Big Boys; Dicks' full-length debut was the split album with The Big Boys, ''

Live at Raul's Club ''Recorded Live at Raul's Club'' is an album by the Big Boys and The Dicks Dicks were an American punk rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 1980 and initially disbanded in 1986. After the first breakup, singer Gary Floyd formed the band ...

.'' Dicks were among the first punk bands to address issues of

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

and sexual identity, as in such songs as "Saturday Night at the Bookstore" and "Off-Duty Sailor".

San Francisco lineup (1983–1986)

In 1983, Floyd left Texas for

along with Debbie Gordon, the band's manager, who was considered a member of the band. Floyd and Gordon, along with new members Tim Carroll, Sebastian Fuchs, and Lynn Perko (formerly of

all-women band An all-female band is a musical ensemble, musical group in popular music that is exclusively composed of female musicians. This is distinct from a girl group, in which the female members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universa ...

The Wrecks), formed a second version of Dicks. The LP ''Kill From The Heart'' was released in 1983 on

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was first founded in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Transmitters, a small business through which he sold elec ...

and ''These People'' followed in 1985 on

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...

. The group disbanded in 1986, although occasional one-off reunion shows featuring the Austin lineup occurred through the 1980s and 1990s.

Breakup and continuing influence

The band remained influential in punk and underground circuits. San Antonio's

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

had ended their 1984 album '' Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac'' with the

cowpunk Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject mat ...

anthem "Gary Floyd" in tribute to the Dicks' bandleader. Dicks saw a resurgence in popularity during the popularity of

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

when

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

band

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...

released a cover of Dicks' "Hate The Police" on

Sub Pop Records Sub or SUB may refer to: Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB People * Bottom (BDSM), or "sub" for "submissive" * Substitute teacher Christianity * Sub tuum praesidium, an ancient hymn and prayer dedicated ...

. Soon after,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

ers

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas by vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison and bassist David Wm. Sims. They relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in ...

(three fourths of whom were also from Austin) released their cover version of Dicks' "Wheelchair Epidemic". Gary Floyd later started

in San Francisco in 1986.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 504-505 After that band ended he formed and primarily played in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

with The Gary Floyd Band; an overview of this material, "Backdoor Preacher Man", is available in the United States. Toward the late 1990s, Floyd played in Black Kali Ma, who released an album on

. Floyd later formed the band the Buddha Brothers, while Parrott and Deason went on to play in the Austin neo-bluegrass band Shootin' Pains and Trouser Trout, while Parrott and Taylor also played in Pretty Mouth. Perko went on to join

Imperial Teen Imperial Teen is a San Francisco–based indie pop group made up of Roddy Bottum (Faith No More), primarily on guitar/vocals; Will Schwartz (also of Hey Willpower), primarily on guitar/vocals; Lynn Truell (née Perko, formerly of Sister Dou ...

.Beets, Greg
The Dicks
, ''

Austin Chronicle Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

Reunion, disbandment and Gary Floyd's death (2004–2024)

In 2004, Dicks began playing regular reunion concerts in Austin and elsewhere. The lineup for the shows consists of the original Dicks, with the exception of Glen Taylor, who died in 1997. His role was filled by three other Austin

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

s: Mark Kenyon, Brian McGee, and Davy Jones. At the 2009 Austin Music Awards show, Jesus Lizard singer

David Yow David Lambeth Yow (; born August 2, 1960) is an American musician and actor born in Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada and best known as the vocalist for the noise rock bands Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard. Yow's debut solo album, ''Tonight ...

joined the band onstage for "Wheelchair Epidemic". At the same show, Dicks were inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame.Austin Music Awards 2009-2009 Hall of Fame
, ''

'' A documentary film, ''The Dicks from Texas'', was released in 2015 about the Dicks and Austin, Texas punk scene along with a tribute album, ''The Dicks From Texas and Friends'', with 27 bands covering 28 Dicks songs. The Dicks announced that their final show would be October 30, 2016, at Grizzly Hall in Austin, Texas; however, due to popular demand, a second show was added the day afterward. On May 2, 2024, Gary Floyd died after a series of health-related issues. He was 71, and was survived by his husband.

Members

* Gary Floyd – vocals (1980–1986, 2004–2016); died 2024 * Buxf Parrott – bass, guitar, vocals (1980–1983, 2004–2016) * Pat Deason – drums (1980–1983, 2004–2016) * Glen Taylor – guitar, bass (1980–1983); died 1997 * Debbie Gordon – manager (1982–1986) * Tim Carroll – guitar (1983–1986) * Lynn Perko – drums (1983–1986) * Sebastian Fuchs – bass, vocals (1983–1986) * Mark Kenyon – guitar (2004–2016) * Brian Magee – guitar (2004–2005, 2016) * Davy Jones – guitar (2005–2015); died 2015 Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:30 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Manager value:yellow legend:Manager id:Album value:black legend:Studio albums Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1980 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1980 LineData = layer:back color:Album at:12/31/1980 at:12/31/1983 at:06/01/1985 BarData = bar:Floyd text:"Gary Floyd" bar:Taylor text:"Glen Taylor" bar:Carroll text:"Tim Carroll" bar:Kenyon text:"Mark Kenyon" bar:Magee text:"Brian Magee" bar:Jones text:"Davy Jones" bar:Parrott text:"Buxf Parrott" bar:Fuchs text:"Sebastian Fuchs" bar:Deason text:"Pat Deason" bar:Perko text:"Lynn Perko" bar:Gordon text:"Debbie Gordon" PlotData= width:11 bar:Floyd from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1986 color:Vocals bar:Floyd from:01/01/2004 till:12/31/2016 color:Vocals bar:Taylor from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1983 color:Guitar bar:Taylor from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1983 color:Bass width:3 bar:Carroll from:06/01/1983 till:12/31/1986 color:Guitar bar:Kenyon from:01/01/2004 till:12/31/2016 color:Guitar bar:Magee from:01/01/2004 till:06/01/2005 color:Guitar bar:Magee from:01/01/2016 till:12/31/2016 color:Guitar bar:Jones from:06/01/2005 till:09/01/2015 color:Guitar bar:Parrott from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1983 color:Guitar width:7 bar:Parrott from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1983 color:Bass bar:Parrott from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1983 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Parrott from:01/01/2004 till:12/31/2016 color:Bass bar:Parrott from:01/01/2004 till:12/31/2016 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Fuchs from:06/01/1983 till:12/31/1986 color:Bass bar:Fuchs from:06/01/1983 till:12/31/1986 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Deason from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1983 color:Drums bar:Deason from:01/01/2004 till:12/31/2016 color:Drums bar:Perko from:06/01/1983 till:12/31/1986 color:Drums bar:Gordon from:06/01/1982 till:12/31/1986 color:Manager

Discography

Albums

*'' Kill from the Heart'' LP (1983),

*'' These People'' LP (1985),

10"

*''Ten Inches'' 10-inch (2006), Delta Pop Music

Lives

*''

'' LP (1980), Rat Race – Split with The Big Boys *''Dicks Live! Hungry Butt'' (2006), Hot Box Review

Singles, EPs

Hate the Police "The Dicks Hate the Police" (usually shortened to "Hate the Police") is the debut release and 7-inch single from the American hardcore punk band The Dicks, released in 1980. The record was released on the band's own Radical Records imprint. Mudh ...

" 7-inch (1980), R Radical Records *''Peace?'' 7-inch EP (1984), R Radical Records: "No Fuckin' War"/"I Hope You Get Drafted"/"Nobody Asked Me" *'' Live at Raul's'' 2×7″ (1992), Selfless Records - split with The Big Boys *'' Hog'' 7-inch (2006), Delta Pop Music

Compilations

*''1980–1986'' CD (1997), Alternative Tentacles (compilation of out of print material)

Compilation appearances

*"Gilbeau" on ''Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death'' (1983), Ward 9 Records *"I Hope You Get Drafted" on the ''

International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation The ''International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation'', commonly referred to as the ''P.E.A.C.E.'' compilation,

'' (1984), R Radical Records *"Legacy of Man" on ''Rat Music for Rat People Vol. 2'' (1984), CD Presents, Ltd

References

* Art Black / Ira Robbins.
DICKS
. '' Trouser Press Guide''. Retrieved February 15, 2006.

External links

The Dicks
on Myspace

* *

- Gary Floyd interview from 1998

from NewYorkNightTrain.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dicks, The Alternative Tentacles artists Hardcore punk groups from Texas LGBTQ-themed musical groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1986 Musical groups reestablished in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 Musical groups from Austin, Texas SST Records artists 1980 establishments in Texas 2016 disestablishments in Texas American political music groups Reagan Era