Zsu-Zsu's Petals - About This Site

About This Here Site

Every so often you will stumble across a band that touches you in your *very special place*. You know what I mean? The music gives you goose bumps, the lyrics mean something to you, and if you're really lucky, the live presentation is completely engaging and brings it all together in such a way that you leave the show feeling like you've witnessed something spectacular.

Zsu-Zsu's Petals was nothing but live presentation. They never released any albums. There was talk of an EP at one point, but they broke up before that came to fruition.

I first saw them in 1991 at Fitzgerald's in Houston. I don't even remember who it was I was there to see. The headliner was somebody big. Maybe not as big as Nirvana, but big enough. Zsu-Zsu's Petals was one of the opening acts, and they stole the show.

The lead vocalist was immaculately dressed in a top hat and tails, which was rather unusual attire for rock musicians in those days. But this wasn't your typical rock band.

Zsu-Zsu's Petals wrote good music and clever lyrics, and when they performed it was with the awareness that: (1.) They were NOT yet as big as U2, (2.) A lot of bands take themselves waaay too seriously, (3.) Rock music is full of clichés ripe for parody, and (4.) Live shows present an opportunity to entertain with more than just your rote memorized songbook. I think there might have been a fifth item, too, but I don't remember it.

The Zsu-Zsu's Petals experience was kind of like a big in-joke, but it was real easy to be in on the joke. If you were at all influenced by pop culture at any point in your life, you'd likely get the joke.

Someone who saw a Zsu-Zsu's Petals show said that he detected a strong "Rush" influence. Well yeah, I'm guessing that since they would occasionally segue into the opening of "Tom Sawyer" they may have, at some point, been influenced by Rush. And their strong Muppet Show influence was evident in their hardcore version of its theme song. Snippets from popular songs of the day would occasionally work their way into Zsu-Zsu's Petals' performances. "Whoomp, There It Is" made an appearance. Dee-Lite made an appearance. Rush's "Tom Sawyer" was occasionally invoked. And the trailer park monologue at the end of their song "Pure Genius" was always something topical. These were inside jokes for *my* generation, and dammit, I appreciated them.

And how about those timeless clichés that span generations? The obligatory drum solo, for example. The rest of the band would have a seat, read the paper, play cards, do some dusting or ironing....

Then there were the themed shows. The Tribute to Appliances, The Battle for Willie's Soul, The Tribute to the Rodeo....

And, oh yeah, and there was the official Band Gesture:

This was a fun band.

But they weren't just clowns. They were serious about their music. They were talented musicians equally adept in styles ranging from funk to ballads to progressive rock to..., well, whatever else happened to fit the mood. You might hear a 3-minute pop ditty, or you might hear a 14-minute epic.

If I had to speculate as to why the band broke up, I would think maybe it was because of the dichotomy between the wacky-fun-band-persona and the desire to have their serious compositions taken seriously. Zsu-Zsu's Petals could have been two different bands. You could have gone to see the wacky-fun band and had a great time. You could have gone to see the serious band, and you would have seen a kickass rock show. Different types of experiences, but with either one, an amazing show. Combining these experiences into a single show, however, is risky in that you run the risk of diluting the impact of each.

I saw a lot of their shows, and I saw them pull it off masterfully many times.

I have put up this site because I just so happened to have accumulated a lot of material chronicling Zsu-Zsu's Petals' brief existence, and because I *really* miss this band. I would love to hear from other folks who were fortunate enough to be in on the joke. Send me a note at beinfang@wt.net if you have any questions, comments, stories, or additional materials you would like to see included in this site.

Thanks.

Brendan emailed me his take on all this blathering I've done. Check it out, whydoncha?

All graphics, sounds, and feelings, unless otherwise indicated, are the Copyrighted materials of Zsu-Zsu's Petals.
I can use this stuff *myself* because it's in loving tribute, right?
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