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The Trashmen

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Musicians

The Resume

    Formed in 1962 in Minneapolis
    Original line-up:
    Tony Andreason - lead guitar & vocals
    Dal Winslow - guitar & vocals
    Steve Wahrer - drums & vocals
    Bob Reed - bass
    Recorded 'Surfin' Bird'

Why they might be annoying:

    They are a U.S. one hit wonder.
    They were originally called Jim Thaxter & the Travelers (who Mr. Thaxter was is known to them only).
    Their famed song combined two 1962 songs by the Rivingtons ('The Bird's the Word' and 'Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow'), and legal action was threatened if the Rivingtons were not credited as the song's composers.
    They called it quits in 1967, yet reunited in 1982 and play occasional gigs for 'Surfin' Bird' fanatics.

Why they might not be annoying:

    They combined two music genres popular in the early '60s, garage rock and surf rock, with great success.
    'Surfin' Bird' reached #4 on the U.S. singles chart in early 1964, as music listeners turned to the novelty song to cope with the assassination of JFK.
    Their 1964 follow-up single 'Bird Dance Beat' became a Top 10 hit in Canada and a #1 hit in Brazil.
    'Surfin' Bird' has been covered by the Ramones, the Cramps and Silverchair.
    The song is featured prominently in John Waters' 1972 movie 'Pink Flamingos,' Stanley Kubrick's 1987 movie 'Full Metal Jacket,' and the 2004 video game 'Battlefield Vietnam.'
    It was further made famous by a 2008 'Family Guy' episode, which helped it reach #8 on the iTunes Top 10 Rock songs list, and chart in the U.K. in 2009 (45 years after its release).
    Original drummer Steve Wahrer died of cancer in 1989.
    'Weird' Al Yankovic is a huge fan of the band and the song, stating, 'They did something that no other band before or since has ever truly done. They stripped rock 'n' roll to its very core. They peeled back the layers of the onion of rock. 'Surfin' Bird' was inarguably loud, dumb and pointless. It was absolutely everything that was great about rock 'n' roll, distilled into one song.'

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 34 Votes: 35.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 25 Votes: 84.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 57 Votes: 75.44% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 22 Votes: 59.09% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 20 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 24 Votes: 45.83% Annoying