Veteran punk performers The Queers will play in Oklahoma City June 12 at The Conservatory.
Many years and beers have passed since The Queers formed in 1982 in Portsmouth, N.H., a rock 'n' roll reaction to that region's androgynous-bent art community. Yet for singer Joe King, who goes by the moniker Joe Queer, neither time, a vast catalogue of punchy tunes nor perseverance have done much to change his mom's mind about the band.
"She doesn't think much of the band, mainly because of the name," Queer said. "When she saw us open for the Ramones once, I dedicated the song to her."
The group's fan base, of course, tells a different story, and the band regularly recruits new listeners to add to the "weird mix" of die-hard fans, the singer said. The Queers lineup has also gone through some changes; Wikipedia lists 30 former members aside from Joe Queer.
THREE CHORDS
Queer said three chords and a pair of questioning eyes were enough to change his life plan as seminal punkers the Ramones sparked a whole new perspective for countless teenagers in the Seventies and Eighties.
"I heard the Ramones and a light went off," he said. "And I saw my path in life. They taught me so many important things."
While backstage at a Ramones show, Joey Ramone told the singer that he wanted to cover the song "Love, Love, Love" from The Queers' 1996 album "Don't Back Down."
"Right then, I thought maybe I could do music if he believed in me," Queer said. "It really meant so much to me. "Danny Marroquin