MUSIC | King Khan and BBQ Show: Legends in their own grime

King Khan and BBQ Show are so off the grid, they already seem legendary. The Montreal, Quebec doo-wop punk duo formed back in 2004, having already worked together during the mid-90s in the Spaceshits. That band disbanded shortly after getting blacklisted in their hometown for bad relationships with bookers and for their raucous performances, which included fireworks and food fights packed into 10-15 minute sets. King Khan and BBQ Show haven't changed their ways since then. The duo still deliver madness to hysteric crowds, and still has its run-ins with the law—including a recent drug possession charge that forced them to cancel three shows. They're testament to the fact that garage rock is still the best, especially when its players aren't taking it too seriously.

[To King Kahn] So, did having a grandfather who was a snake charmer influence your decision to entertain?
King Kahn: Actually he was a snake killer—a postman by day and a weekend snake killer. I learned the sacred way to hypnotize from him and try and put it to music.

[To King Kahn] I read that you're into voodoo. How did that happen? Was your grandfather into it? What do you do?
King Khan: Well, I loved horror movies as a kid and that grew into a fascination for voodoo and bizarro shit. When me and BBQ play, we try some incantation stuff sometimes and it can prove to be quite frightening. I have done some tarot card reading and have been given the name Dr. Ruinyourlife.

You're blood brothers. How did that happen—did you perform a ritual?
King Khan: Kool-Aid enema. Sometimes Kool Aid can be thicker than blood.
BBQ: Agreed. And these RayBan facial tattoos don't hurt, either.

What's one of the last craziest things that's happened at a show?
King Khan: I saw a man give birth to a butterfly and then the butterfly gave
me the finger.
BBQ: I don't really believe in religion.

Who's got the best punk scene?
King Khan: The UK...if punk equals a "Take me to your dealer" poster with piercings.
BBQ: Terry.

All barriers aside, where would you love to put on a show?
King Khan: In chuck berry's bathroom.
BBQ: On top of spaghetti. Anal holocaust.

I think one of the biggest things that suck about the music industry, is that the more inauthentic someone seems, the more fitting they are in the current climate. An act such as yours comes off as a freak show, a spectacle, something to not be taken seriously. There's probably both good and bad in that...I don't know what I'm saying. I guess it's that I see no fun in all these stuffy indie bands spreading like H1N1. Is rock dead?
King Khan: Well, we have fun doing what we do and offer the chance for people to lose control and get crazy. We pride ourselves on continuing in that speakeasy tradition of getting down and dirty. Uptight shoegazers will all be businessmen soon enough...I would rather stay a maniac.
BBQ: You either play music for fun and love or you play it in hopes of some weird, unattainable goal. Being serious is fine, it just depends what your intentions are.

King Khan and BBQ Show will perform at the Triple Rock on November 29. Opening the night are Murfreesboro, Tennessee country punkers Those Darlins.

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Crystal Erickson

Crystal Erickson (toffee_rox@hotmail.com) is a freelance writer and photographer, with preoccupations in hip-hop, art, and bicycle anarchy.