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 vi ...
.
History
Lithman was born in
Tooting
Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross.
History
Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. ...
,
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, ...
, 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, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gu ...
scene. He moved to San Francisco in 1971 and became associated with the
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
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 with Martin Stone, ex-member of Mighty Baby 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.
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 (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize t ...
's " The Model". The songs showcased Lithman's distinctive slide guitar playing and often surreal imagery. This album was followed by '' Greener Postures'' 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 best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...
sideman Eric Drew Feldman. Snakefinger and The Vestal Virgins released '' Manual of Errors'' 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 ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital ...
, 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 on the same day.
Discography
Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
* ''Kings of the Robot Rhythm'' (Revelation LP, 1972)
* ''Bongos over Balham'' (Mooncrest LP, 1974)
* ''I'll Be Home'' (rarities compilation) (Proper Records CD, 1996)
Snakefinger
* ''
The Spot
The Spot, or thespot.com, was the first episodic online story (1995–1997), and covered bandwidth and production costs by offering paid advertising banners on the web pages and product placement within the journal entries. The site earned one ...
'' (Ralph 7", 1978)
* '' Chewing Hides the Sound'' (Ralph LP, 1979)
* ''The Man in the Dark Sedan / Womb to Worm'' (Ralph 7", 1980)
* '' Greener Postures'' (Ralph LP, 1980)
* ''Manual of Errors'' (Ralph LP, 1982)
* ''Against the Grain'' (Ralph LP, 1983)
* ''Snakefinger's History of the Blues: Live in Europe'' (Rough Trade LP, 1984)
* ''Snakefinger's Vestal Virgins: Live in Chicago'' (Ralph cassette, 1986; Tec Tones CD, 1996)
* ''Night of Desirable Objects'' (Ralph LP, 1987, Tec Tones CD, 1993)
* ''Snakefinger: A Collection'' ( East Side Digital CD, 1988)
* ''Philip Charles Lithman aka Snakefinger'' (UWEB CD, 1993)
* ''
Live at the Savoy 1981
David Ferguson was an American international outsider-culture impresario, activist, music producer and concert promoter. Over his career, most of which has been spent on the West Coast, he worked with musical acts such as the Avengers, John Lyd ...
Eskimo
Eskimo () is an exonym used to refer to two closely related Indigenous peoples: the Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Greenlandic Inuit, and the Canadian Inuit) and the Yupik (or Yuit) of eastern Siberia and Alaska. A related thi ...
CD Presents
David Ferguson was an American international outsider-culture impresario, activist, music producer and concert promoter. Over his career, most of which has been spent on the West Coast, he worked with musical acts such as the Avengers, John Lyd ...
, 1981)
* ''Potatoes: A Collection Of Folk Songs by Ralph Records'' ( Ralph Records, 1987)
** song: "The Ballad Of Sawney Beane/Sawney's Death Dance" by Snakefinger&His Midi-Evil Vestal Virgins
* ''Beets'' ( Tec Tones, 1990)
** song: "Reptology"
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.
Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...
guitarist)
*Beth Custer
*Raoul N. Diseimbote (piano)
*Dick 'Deluxe' Egner
*Josh Ende (wind, brass)
* Eric Drew Feldman (worked 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 vi ...
,
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 best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...
,
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 ...
Frank Black
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...
)
*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 power pop and new wave,Paul Riley (bass player)
*Steve Royal (drummer)
*Jonny B. Ryan (Philip's drummer from 1980 onward)
*
N. Senada
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 ...
(
ethnomusicologist
Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...
)
*
Michael Steele
Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American political commentator, attorney, and Republican Party politician. Steele served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American e ...
(worked with
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...
)
* Martin Stone (guitarist, literary expert)
* Pete Thomas (drummer)
*David Whitten (bass player)