Philip Charles Lithman (17 June 1949 – 1 July 1987), who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with

The Residents The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vid ...

History

Lithman was born in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

, and came from the

British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, blues developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric g ...

scene. He moved to San Francisco in 1971 and became associated with the

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

group The Residents. It is said he was given the name 'Snakefinger' by The Residents themselves based on a photograph of Lithman performing, in which his finger looks like a snake about to attack his violin. In 1972 Lithman returned to England and formed the pub rock band

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers were one of the main British pub rock groups of the early 1970s. Later managed by Jake Riviera, who first worked for the band as a roadie, they reached their peak as part of the "Naughty Rhythms Tour" of ...

with Martin Stone, ex-member of

Mighty Baby Mighty Baby were an English band formed in January 1969 by former members of the Action. They released two albums, ''Mighty Baby'' (1969) and ''A Jug of Love'' (1971). History Following the 1968 departure of singer Reg King from the Action, k ...

and a fellow ex-member of Junior's Blues Band. As a duo, they released the album ''Kings of Robot Rhythm''. In 1974, as a full band and popular live act in Britain, they released ''Bongos Over Balham''. Chilli Willi lasted until 1975, their last record not selling well, and by 1976 Lithman was back in the United States, this time in Los Angeles, California, seeking a recording contract, shopping his rock-style demos. After a few years, Lithman moved back to San Francisco, reconnected with The Residents, and performed and recorded with them. Lithman's solo records, recorded under the name Snakefinger, were released by their record label

Ralph Records Ralph Records was an independent record label active between 1972 and 1989, best known for being initially run by avant-garde art collective, '' The Residents''. The name arose from the slang phrase for vomiting, "calling Ralph on the porcelain tel ...

. His first album on Ralph was '' Chewing Hides the Sound'' in 1979, featuring original material co-written with The Residents as well as esoteric covers like

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

's "

The Model "Das Model" ("The Model" in English) is a song recorded by the German group Kraftwerk in 1978, written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, ''Die Mensch-M ...

". The songs showcased Lithman's distinctive

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

playing and often surreal imagery. This album was followed by ''

Greener Postures ''Greener Postures'' was Snakefinger's second full-length album, released by Ralph Records in 1980. The record is co-produced with The Residents, who also co-wrote many of the songs. Track listing Ralph Records release # "Golden Goat" # " ...

'' in 1980, which included his first solo compositions as Snakefinger. While on tour in Australia in 1980, Lithman had a heart attack that left him hospitalised for six months. In 1982, Lithman formed his backing band The Vestal Virgins with former

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

sideman

Eric Drew Feldman Eric Drew Feldman (born April 16, 1955) is an American musician. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Pal ...

. Snakefinger and The Vestal Virgins released ''

Manual of Errors Philip Charles Lithman (17 June 1949 – 1 July 1987), who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collab ...

'' on Ralph in 1982. This was followed by the blues cover album '' Snakefinger's History of the Blues: Live in Europe'' in 1984. Lithman released his fourth and final album, ''Night of Desirable Objects'' in 1986, which consisted of largely original material. Lithman performed with The Residents on their 13th Anniversary Tour in 1986.

Death

On 1 July 1987, Snakefinger and his band, The Vestal Virgins, arrived in

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

, Austria, on the ''European Night'' tour. The next morning, he was found dead in a guestroom of the Posthof Club, where the band had been due to perform. He had suffered a heart attack. His single "There's No Justice in Life" was released the same day. His funeral was held in England. The Residents were unable to attend it and instead performed a wake in his honour; a studio version of this performance can be heard on The Snakey Wake.

Discography

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers

* ''Kings of the Robot Rhythm'' (1972) * ''Bongos over Balham'' (1974) * ''I'll Be Home'' (1996)

Snakefinger

* ''The Spot'' (1978) * '' Chewing Hides the Sound'' (1979) * ''The Man in the Dark Sedan / Womb to Worm'' (1980) * ''

'' (1980) * ''Manual of Errors'' (1982) * ''Against the Grain'' (1983) * ''Snakefinger's History of the Blues: Live in Europe'' (1984) * ''Snakefinger's Vestal Virgins: Live in Chicago'' (1986; 1996) * ''Night of Desirable Objects'' (1987; 1993) * ''Snakefinger: A Collection'' (1988) * ''Philip Charles Lithman aka Snakefinger'' (1993) * '' Live at the Savoy 1981'' (2010)

The Residents

* ''Baby Sex'' (1971; 2019) * " Satisfaction" (1976) * ''

Fingerprince ''Fingerprince'' is the third studio album by American art rock group the Residents, released in 1977. It was allegedly intended to be a three-sided record titled ''Tourniquet of Roses,'' but due to financial difficulties in fulfilling such a proj ...

'' (1977) * '' Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen'' (1978) * ''

Eskimo ''Eskimo'' () is a controversial Endonym and exonym, exonym that refers to two closely related Indigenous peoples: Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Sibe ...

'' (1979) * ''

Diskomo ''Eskimo'' is the sixth studio album by American art rock group the Residents. The album was originally supposed to follow 1977's '' Fingerprince''; however, due to many delays and arguments with management, it was not released until 1979. The p ...

'' (1980) * ''

The Commercial Album ''Commercial Album'' is the seventh studio album released by art rock group the Residents in 1980. It is commonly considered a follow-up to their 1978 album ''Duck Stab/Buster & Glen'', in that it retains the former album's pop-oriented song str ...

'' (1980) * ''

The Tunes of Two Cities ''The Tunes of Two Cities'' is the ninth studio album by American art rock group The Residents, released in 1982. It is part two of the ''Mole Trilogy''. Rather than forwarding the story of the battle between the Mole People and the Chubs, the r ...

'' (1982) * '' Residue of the Residents'' (1983) * ''

Title in Limbo The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vid ...

'' (1983) * '' The Thirteenth Anniversary Show'' (1985–1987) * '' Stars & Hank Forever: The American Composers Series'' (1986)

The Club Foot Orchestra

* ''Wild Beasts'' (1986)

Compilation albums

* ''Savoy Sound – Wave Goodbye'' (1981) * ''Potatoes: A Collection Of Folk Songs by Ralph Records'' (1987) ** song: "The Ballad Of Sawney Beane/Sawney's Death Dance" by Snakefinger & His Midi-Evil Vestal Virgins * ''Beets'' (1990) ** song: "Reptology"

Collaborators

*The Residents *Paul Bailey (guitar, banjo, and sax player) *Dave Barret *Michael "Miguel" Bertel (Rhythm Guitarist) * 6025 (former

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

guitarist) *Beth Custer *Raoul N. Diseimbote (piano) *Dick 'Deluxe' Egner *Josh Ende (wind, brass) *

(worked with

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

Pixies Pixies may refer to: * Plural of Pixie * Pixies (band) The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...

, P.J. Harvey, and

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...

) *Opter Flame *George B. George (bass player) *John H Seabury (bass player) Member of Berkeley's Psycotic Pineapple *Ben Guy (bass player) *Colin Hansford (guitar player) *Dave Kopplin *

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Paul Riley (bass player) *Steve Royal (drummer) *Jonny B. Ryan (Philip's drummer from 1980 onward) * N. Senada (

ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

) *

Michael Steele Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) f ...

(worked with

The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

) * Martin Stone (guitarist, literary expert) * Pete Thomas (drummer) *David Whitten (bass player)

References

External links

Discogs Page

Allmusic Biography
{{Authority control 1949 births 1987 deaths People from Tooting English rock guitarists English blues guitarists English male guitarists British multi-instrumentalists English male violinists Musicians from the London Borough of Wandsworth The Residents 20th-century English guitarists 20th-century British violinists Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers members 20th-century English male musicians