After arriving in New York City at the age of 16, she worked as a bar maid and go-go dancer at the Baby Doll Lounge on White street in Tribeca. Lydia met Alan Vega (who became her first friend in NYC) and Willy DeVille (who gave her the name 'Lunch' because she'd often been stealing lunch for The Dead Boys). Then she moved in for about a year with then-boyfriend James Chance (born James Siegfried) who had come to New York (from Milwaukee) in the last week of 1975. They lived at a funky two-room fifth-floor walk-up apartment on East 2nd street (between Avenue A and B) and at a tiny storefront on Twelfth street.
Lunch moved into a large communal household of artists and musicians in NYC, including Kitty Bruce, daughter of Lenny Bruce. After befriending the 'godfathers of punk' Suicide at Max's Kansas City, she founded the short-lived but influential No Wave band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks in 1976 with her artistic partner, James Chance. Both appeared on the seminal No Wave compilation No New York. Lunch later appeared on two songs on Chance's album Off White (credited to James White and the Blacks; Lunch used the pseudonym "Stella Rico") in 1978.
She appeared in two films directed by the husband and wife film-making team of Scott B and Beth B; In the short film Black Box (1978) she played an unnamed torturer, and in the feature length, neo-noir thriller Vortex (1982) she played a private detective named "Angel Powers". During this time, she also appeared in a number of films by Vivienne Dick, including She Had her Gun All Ready (1978) and Beauty Becomes The Beast (1979), co starring with Pat Place.
In the mid-'80s she formed her own recording and publishing company called "Widowspeak" on which she continued to release a slew of her own material, including songs and spoken word.
A self-avowed "confrontationalist", identified by the Boston Phoenix as "one of the 10 most influential performers of the '90s", Lunch's solo career featured collaborations with musicians such as J. G. Thirlwell, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Nick Cave, Billy Ver Plank, Steven Severin, Robert Quine, Sadie Mae, Rowland S. Howard, Michael Gira, The Birthday Party, Einstürzende Neubauten, Sonic Youth, Die Haut and Black Sun Productions. She also acted in, wrote, and directed underground films, sometimes collaborating with underground filmmaker and musician Richard Kern (including several films, such as Fingered, in which she performed unsimulated sex acts), and more recently has recorded and performed as a spoken word artist, collaborating with such artists as Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, Don Bajema, Hubert Selby Jr., and Emilio Cubeiro, as well as authoring both traditional books and comix (with award-winning graphic novel artist Ted McKeever).
Simon Reynolds (author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984) wrote: "And although 'affection' is possibly an odd word to use in reference to a bunch of nihilists, I do feel fond of the No Wave people. ... there are great moments throughout Lydia Lunch's long discography." Selected quotations:
I'm nihilistic, antagonistic, violent, horrible - but not obliterated, yet.
I would be humiliated if I found out that anything I did actually became a commercial success.
There’re enough happy assholes out there, why should I be another one in the line...
It seems to me, that for over two thousand years now; mad-men, maniacs, and would be messiahs have been pilfering, have been pillaging, have been plundering, and have been raping the entire planet; and the way I see it, Mother Nature is getting pretty pissed off.
No pornography exploits women. It exploits men. It’s the men that are made to look stupid, silly and ridiculous, chasing after the golden elixir. Women look beautiful, do what they wanna do and get paid for it.
The only way to define the art of Lydia Lunch is simply not to.
Spooky
Lydia Lunch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When everything is getting kinda groovy
I call you up and ask you
If you'd like to go with me and see a movie
First you say no, you've got some plans for the night
Then you stop and say "alright"
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
I never seem to know what you are thinking
And if a girl looks at you
It's for sure your little eye will be a-winking
I get confused 'cause I don't know where I stand
And then you smile and hold my hand
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Spooky
Maybe someday you'll decide to stop these games
That you've been playing
I'm gonna tell you all the things my heart's
Been dying to be saying
Just like a ghost you've been haunting my dreams
So I proposed on Halloween
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Spooky
Lydia Lunch's song "Spooky" is a cover of the 1967 hit song by Classics IV. The lyrics describe a romantic relationship with a man who is unpredictable and mysterious. The song starts with the singer calling him up to ask him out to a movie, but he initially turns her down, only to change his mind and accept the invitation. The repeating refrain of "Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you" hints at the uncertainty and excitement that comes with this relationship.
The verses go on to describe the man's behavior, which keeps the singer guessing at his intentions. When other women look at him, he winks back, leaving the singer feeling unsure about where she stands. Despite this confusion and lack of clarity, the chorus emphasizes the inexplicable attraction that the singer feels toward this "spooky little boy." The song ends with the singer proposing to him on Halloween, cementing their unconventional and unpredictable relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of "Spooky" convey the excitement and uncertainty of a budding romance. The singer is drawn to this mysterious man, even though she doesn't always understand his behavior. The repeating refrain emphasizes the feeling that love can be unpredictable and thrilling, even when it's a little bit spooky.
Line by Line Meaning
In the cool of the evening
During the pleasant, calming time of the day
When everything is getting kinda groovy
When everything seems to be going well and enjoyable
I call you up and ask you
I contact you to request your company
If you'd like to go with me and see a movie
If you would accompany me to watch a film
First you say no, you've got some plans for the night
Initially, you decline my invitation citing pre-existing commitments
Then you stop and say "alright"
Then you suddenly change your mind and agree
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Romantic relations can be unpredictable and unusual when dealing with someone like you, who is enigmatic and unsettling
You always keep me guessing
You consistently leave me uncertain and perplexed about your intentions and feelings
I never seem to know what you are thinking
I can never determine your thoughts or ideas
And if a girl looks at you
If a female directs her gaze towards you
It's for sure your little eye will be a-winking
You will undoubtedly wink to acknowledge her attention
I get confused 'cause I don't know where I stand
I become uncertain and disoriented because I cannot discern the nature of our relationship
And then you smile and hold my hand
But then you smile and take my hand
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Romantic relations can be irregular and bizarre when dealing with such a strange and mystifying individual as you
Spooky
Mysterious or eerie (repeated refrain)
Maybe someday you'll decide to stop these games
Possibly, eventually, you will choose to terminate these emotional manipulations
That you've been playing
That you have been engaging in (these manipulations)
I'm gonna tell you all the things my heart's
I am going to express all the feelings that I have
Been dying to be saying
That have been waiting to be communicated
Just like a ghost you've been haunting my dreams
You have been persistently present in my mind like a spectral apparition
So I proposed on Halloween
Therefore I proposed to you on Halloween
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Romantic relations can be unpredictable and strange with someone like you, who is weird and enigmatic
Spooky
Mysterious or eerie (repeated refrain)
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Charlotte
In the cool of the evening
when everything is getting kinda groovy
I call you up and ask you
if you'd like to go with me and see a movie
first you say no, you've got some plans for the night
then you stop and say "alright"
love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
you always keep me guessing
I never seem to know what you are thinking
and if a girl looks at you
it's for sure your little eye will be a-winking
I get confused 'cause I don't know where I stand
and then you smile and hold my hand
love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Be YOUnique The Anti-Bullying Channel
A perfect album; every song is great. I had this since album since I was a teenager and it never gets old.
kidautism
Love this one better than the original, it only now struck me she even changed the lyrics, it fits the song so much better.
Jemma Denson
Depends which version! It's not much changed from the original Classic IV lyrics (itself a cover!) but yes, it is changed from the Dusty Springfield version.
Elevator Here
The sort of song you'd never expect her to do hence its fun-ness.
Charlotte
In the cool of the evening
when everything is getting kinda groovy
I call you up and ask you
if you'd like to go with me and see a movie
first you say no, you've got some plans for the night
then you stop and say "alright"
love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
you always keep me guessing
I never seem to know what you are thinking
and if a girl looks at you
it's for sure your little eye will be a-winking
I get confused 'cause I don't know where I stand
and then you smile and hold my hand
love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you
Lucy Garrett
This is so cute
Rojas Pedroza Oscar
but also spooky but also cute
stinkpissd
@Rojas Pedroza Oscar no shit
Seinn♡
I spent a whole week looking for this, all i had in mind was the album cover
The realevilD
Heard it on the radio a couple of times back in 1980, when I was 14. Been looking for this version ever since. Heard Atlanta, Dusty, REM etc..., but it just wasn't right. This is the one for me, though...