The Driving Stupid was an American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

band formed in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

in 1966. The group issued one cult favorite single called "Horror Asparagus Stories" that is most known for its absurd lyrics and

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

instrumentals. Though short-lived, the band's sole release has been included on numerous

compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from one artist, then generally the tracks we ...

. Previously unreleased material by the band was also issued in 2002.

History

The group was formed by an assortment of fellow college students from New Jersey in the summer of 1966, including

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Roger Kelley, Richard Ehrenberg, Jeff Hildt, and Dwight Harris. Coming together for more or less a lark, rather than a serious endeavor, the Driving Stupid was created to propel the members to national prominence with inane lyrical concepts and stage uniforms. Much of the band's musical content was marked by an unproportioned combination of

surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

, jug music, and nonsensical

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

, with explanatory vocals that are surprisingly melodious. The Driving Stupid is commonly compared to

the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band (WCPAEB) was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group created music that possessed an eerie, and at times sinister atmosphere, and contained material that ...

for both their unique

moniker A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

and unusual sound. On their way to Los Angeles, the group stopped in Albuquerque to record seven demos and stir up interest from record labels. The Driving Stupid completed their journey to Los Angeles, enticing KR Records to sign the group to release their debut single and record an album's-worth of new material. In September 1966, the band released the novelty song "Horror Asparagus Stories", backed by the equally-nonsensical "The Reality of (Air) Fried Borsk". Music historian

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' The Daily P ...

remarks "Some listeners would subscribe to the "it's-so-stupid-it's-brilliant" school; many would find the single unbearably amateurish and dumb. But of such things reputations are made, if only cult ones". To promote the single, the group toured briefly, however the release was a commercial failure. As a consequence, the Driving Stupid's proposed album project was blocked and, as 1966 concluded, the group disbanded as the members returned to college. Despite their inability to achieve success in their existence, the band became cult favorites as a result of "The Reality of (Air) Fried Borsk"'s inclusion on '' Pebbles, Volume 3'' in 1979. "Horror Asparagus Stories" appeared on the album's track listing but did not get placed on ''Pebbles, Volume 3'' until its 1992 compact disc reissue. The track has additional appearances on ''Garage Beat ’66, Volume 4'', ''Sixties Rebellion, Volume 12: Demented'', and ''Acid Dreams, Epitaph''. In 2002,

Sundazed Music Sundazed Music is an American independent record label founded and based in Coxsackie, New York. It was initially known as a '60s-centric surf, garage, and psych label. Over time with the additions of imprints such as Modern Harmonic, American ...

released all of the Driving Stupid's previously unreleased recordings and the tracks from the single on the album, ''Horror Asparagus Stories''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Driving Stupid, The Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1966 Musical groups from New Jersey Garage rock groups from New Jersey