by John Wenz
In 1996, Congress passed the unfortunately named Defense of Marriage Act. Three years before, Don't Ask Don't Tell was passed. While political culture may have been toxic to those identifying as queer, it formented an anger in the underground culture. With Riot Grrrl having grasped the national stage with its politics of gender revolution (and third wave feminism identifying largely under a sex-postive ethoes), the time was opportune for the underground queers to take the stage. Bands like Pansy Division and Team Dresch were leading the pack of out and loud bands in the punk subgenre known as queercore. They combined radical identity politics with the loud, fast and occasionally snotty sounds of punk.
And in Lincoln, we had our own angry and audaciously named Fagatron (1996-1998, 2002-?). The duo — bassist Abe Miner and drummer Jeremy Ogg — took musical cues from British anarchist punk of the '80s, American hardcore and noise rock. In the process, they created one of the most energetic and aggressive acts to come from the Star City.
And in their song, "Asskickatron," they created a downright anthem. The "fuck you" torch carrier was a call-to-arms for a population that no longer wanted to play nice with media skewering and external violence. It would later be covered by bands like Ass, and become a paean for the queers of the underground.
"In high school, I was a punching bag. When I got out I was a punching fag. You fuck with me, man, I will fuck with you back. I ain't gonna fall between no cracks," the lyrics say. They address plan — to confront oppression and homophobia for and with populations silenced too long.
The band would break up in 1998, only to reunite in the Pacific Northwest in 2002. They released only one album and two singles. The recording here is taken from a cassette-only live release. As Abe Miner described it, "If you’ve ever wondered what a hilarious trainwreck Fagatron was live, here’s your chance to find out." But beyond tape hiss and loud noise, there's an important part of Nebraska — and Lincoln — musical history, a band with a national cult following once charged as a worthy succesor to a then-defunct Pansy Division who still manage to inspire younger generations.
And while a few queer voices have emerged locally since then — notable acts like Once a Pawn — Fagatron was one of the first and loudest voices locally. Maybe we just need a revival of militant queercore.
* image via Last.fm
John Wenz is the listings editor for Hear Nebraska. He is desperately seeking biking weather instead of the threat of rain. He can be reached at johnwenz@hearnebraska.org.