4.05.2009
Herpes Roulette
Dave & Jesse Herpes Roulette 7" (Bullseye, 1986)
Thank god for herpes! Without it we wouldn't have this terrific little novelty rocker or the excellent picture sleeve that accompanies it. Officially the flipside of Dave & Jesse's "soon to be hit" "Dr. Ruth", the real smash here is "Herpes Roulette", which, I assume, was a toss off. Fine by me, some of the best songs are ones crammed on to the b-side of a supposed hit. I understand why "Dr. Ruth" is the A: Ruth Westheimer was one of the mid-Eighties oddest cultural icons, a short, dumpy, German doctor with a thick accent who talked frankly about sex. From her appearance to her mannerisms to her frankness, she ran counter to what Americans think of when they think of the public face of SEX - typically some softcore cheese celebrity of the Paris Hilton variety, the kind you might get a case of herpes from.
I have no idea who Dave & Jesse were, but if I was to guess I'd say that they were Southern California disc jockeys, as this record has all the markings of a dejay novelty record. If they were radio partners, they split up before the internet era, as I can't find any reference to them.
# posted by Scott Soriano : 19:22
