The group was founded by Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker with Al Jourgensen as their producer. According to Jourgensen, the band got their name after a fight in a Chicago bar in 1983. Jourgensen, Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker celebrated the formation of the new band with a few drinks. The evening then ended up in a brawl, with bar stools being thrown through the establishment's windows. As he was throwing the trio out, the owner, a man Jourgensen recalls was named Dess, shouted, "I'm calling the police! You guys are a bunch of revolting cocks!" The trio subsequently decided to use the name for their band.
Their first release was No Devotion on Wax Trax! Records in 1985. The single was quickly followed by an album, Big Sexy Land (1986), featuring a mix of industrial, hard rock, and EBM with dominating sampling and strong synthesized beats.
Losing Richard 23 due to creative differences, the group's remaining two members were augmented by a rapidly changing set of musicians centered on Chris Connelly (Cocksure, Bells Into Machines, Murder Inc., and Damage Manual), Paul Barker (Ministry, Lead Into Gold, Flowering Blight, and Bells Into Machines), and Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Pigface, R.E.M., and King Crimson), with around twenty others as irregular contributors or guest artists.
The following live album, You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (1988), featured a return to Ministry-like industrial rock - the Big Sexy Land tracks embedded in shouting and noise. This trend continued on Beers, Steers, and Queers (1990), layering sample over sample and pushing ever further into distortion. Linger Ficken' Good (1993) was released by Sire Records and was a tamer affair, most tracks returning to the less layered material. Included was a cover of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," also released as a single. A tour was planned but cancelled, and the band quietly came to an end in 1994.
In 2004, Jourgensen and Phildo Owens (Skatenigs, Snow Black) revived the group. They released an album entitled Cocked and Loaded (2006). Caliente (Dark Entries), a cover of sorts of Dark Entries by Bauhaus, with vocalist Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), was featured on the soundtrack to Saw II in 2005.
After assembling a touring line up to open for Ministry on the MasterBaTour of 2006, Jourgensen chose vocalist Josh Bradford (Stayte, Simple Shelter, V.H.S.), keyboardist Clayton Worbeck (Stayte, Simple Shelter), and guitarist Sin Quirin (Society 1, Ministry and ReVamp) as the new full-time members for the Revolting Cocks, now simply being called RevCo. The group recorded Sex-O Olympic-O and officially released the album on March 3, 2009. It was followed up by the last RevCo album Got Cock?, released on April 13, 2010.
In celebration of Wax Trax! Records, the "Wax Trax! Records Retrospectacle: 33 1/3 Year Anniversary" was held from April 15-17, 2011 at the Metro in Chicago, Illinois, United States. As a part of the lineup, Chris Connelly, Paul Barker and Luc Van Acker performed Revolting Cocks songs with various guests. For their performance on the 17th, Richard 23 joined them on stage to sing lead vocals on No Devotion.
In 2014, Chris Connelly and Jason Novak (Acumen Nation, DJ? Acucrack, Iron Lung Corp) formed Cocksure, a project that bridges the gap between Wax Trax! era industrial dance music and the future sounds of mass corruption. The project is very influenced by the early RevCo sound, and has been described as "where the Revolting Cocks left off in 1994."
Previous Members:
Al Jourgensen - production, programming, and various instruments (1985–1993, 2004–2010)
Luc Van Acker - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards (1985–1991, 2006)
Richard 23 - vocals, programming (1985–1986)
Bill Rieflin - drums, keyboards, programming (1986–1993)
Paul Barker - bass, keyboards, programming (1987–1993)
Chris Connelly - vocals, programming (1987–1993)
Phildo Owen - vocals, programming (1989–1991, 2004–2006)
Duane Buford - keyboards (1993)
Josh Bradford - vocals (2006–2010)
Sin Quirin - guitars, bass, keyboards (2006–2010)
Clayton Worbeck - keyboards, bass (2006–2010)
Live Lineups:
--------- 1987 ---------
Al Jourgensen - keyboards, vocals, guitar
Paul Barker - bass, keyboards
Luc Van Acker - guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards
Chris Connelly - vocals, keyboards
Bill Rieflin - drums
--------- 1988 ---------
Al Jourgensen - keyboards, vocals, guitar
Paul Barker - bass, keyboards
Luc Van Acker - guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards
Chris Connelly - vocals, keyboards
Bill Rieflin - drums
Nivek Ogre - vocals
--------- 1990 ---------
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
Paul Barker - bass
Chris Connelly - vocals
Phildo Owen - vocals
Jeff Ward - drums
Mark Durante - guitar, backing vocals
Michael Balch - keyboards
Kevin "Doc" Sullivan - keyboards, backing vocals
Trent Reznor - vocals
--------- 1991 ---------
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
Paul Barker - bass
Chris Connelly - vocals
Phildo Owen - vocals
Bill Rieflin - drums
Mark Durante - guitar, backing vocals
Michael Balch - keyboards
Luc Van Acker - vocals
--------- 2006 (Ministry's MasterBaTour) ---------
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
Phildo Owen - vocals
Luc Van Acker - vocals
Josh Bradford - vocals
Sin Quirin - guitar
Clayton Worbeck - keyboards
Anna K - bass
Seven Antonopoulos - drums
--------- 2009 (Ministry's LubricaTour) ---------
Josh Bradford - vocals
Sin Quirin - guitar
Clayton Worbeck - keyboards, guitar
Murv Douglas - bass
Aaron Rossi - drums
Mike Scaccia - guitar (selected dates)
Al Jourgensen - guitar, backing vocals
--------- 2011 (Wax Trax! Retrospectacle - April 15-17) ---------
Luc Van Acker - vocals
Paul Barker - bass
Chris Connelly - vocals, keyboards
Duane Buford - keyboards
Jamie Duffy - guitar
Dan Brill - drums
Richard 23 - vocals
Discography:
1985 - No Devotion (single)
1986 - Big Sexy Land (LP)
1986 - You Often Forget (single)
1988 - You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (live)
1989 - Stainless Steel Providers (single)
1989 - (Let’s Get) Physical (single)
1990 - Beers, Steers, and Queers (LP)
1991 - Beers, Steers, and Queers (The Remixes) (single)
1993 - Linger Ficken' Good (LP)
1993 - Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? (single)
1994 - Crackin’ Up (single)
2006 - Cocked and Loaded (LP)
2007 - Cocktail Mixxx (remix)
2009 - Sex-O Olympic-O (LP)
2009 - Sex-O Mixxx-O (remix)
2010 - Got Cock? (LP)
2011 - Got Mixxx (remix)
Pole Grinder
Revolting Cocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has nothing to do with your genitallia.
It has to do with what's right in your heart.
Man? Or woman? Or both? "
She's got a reason to lie
She's got a reason to cry
Kiss your good mother goodbye
Shake it now (x 3)
"Why do I dance?
That's a good question.
I'm dancing to pay for my opperation.
Man? Or Woman? Or Both?"
She's got a surprise
She's a he in disguise
Concealing all is wise
Tucking it up to the prize
Shake it now (x 3)
Loving it baby
I'm loving myself (x 3)
Loving it baby
Yes I'm loving myself
"On the good days I feel like I get it.
Like it all makes sense.
I can stay in the moment.
I don't have to control everything in the future.
On the bad days.
I just wanna grab the phone and start dialing numbers."
(Pole Grinder)
Loving it baby
I'm loving myself
Loving it baby ( x 3)
(Pole Grinder)
Loving it baby
I'm loving myself
Loving it baby
Yes I'm loving myself
The song ‘Pole Grinder’ by Revolting Cocks talks about self-acceptance and gender dysphoria. The song starts by questioning the traditional notion of gender classification being solely based on biological genitalia. It puts forth the idea that what truly makes a person a man or a woman is the goodness in their heart. The lines "Man? Or woman? Or both?" can be interpreted as a call for accepting and recognizing diverse gender identities.
The second and third stanza of the song focus primarily on the story of a transgender person who was born male but is transitioning to female. The person feels the need to conceal their true identity and is struggling to undergo a gender reassignment surgery. The lyrics "She's got a reason to lie, she's got a reason to cry" can be interpreted as the struggles and hardships that a transgender person faces every day from society. The line "Tucking it up to the prize" indicates the person's effort to tuck their genitalia away and keep it a secret. The song acknowledges the self-doubt and pain that can occur in the search for self-love and acceptance.
In the final part of the song, the person explains how they dance to pay for their gender reassignment surgery. It shows how difficult and expensive it can be for transgender individuals to undergo surgeries and other medical procedures to transition. The last line "Loving it baby, I'm loving myself," can be seen as a statement of self-acceptance, and self-love, despite the struggle the transgender community faces.
Line by Line Meaning
Bein' a man or bein' a woman.
Gender is a social construct.
Has nothing to do with your genitalia.
Your body does not define your gender.
It has to do with what's right in your heart.
Gender is about being true to yourself.
Man? Or woman? Or both?
Gender identity is personal and unique to the individual.
She's got a reason to lie
The artist's gender identity does not always match their appearance.
She's got a reason to cry
The singer may experience discrimination and judgement because of their gender identity.
How she was born a guy
The singer was assigned male at birth.
Kiss your good mother goodbye
The artist is saying goodbye to the stereotype that they have to be a certain gender because of social expectations.
Shake it now (x 3)
The call to action is to express oneself and be proud of who they are.
"Why do I dance? That's a good question.
The artist is reflecting on their motivation to dance and how it is tied to their gender identity.
I'm dancing to pay for my operation.
The singer is saving up money to financially transition to their true gender identity.
Man? Or Woman? Or Both?"
The artist is still grappling with their gender identity.
She's got a surprise
The singer's gender identity may not be immediately obvious to others.
She's a he in disguise
The singer was not assigned the gender they identify as at birth.
Concealing all is wise
Society may not be accepting of the singer's gender identity, so it is safer to conceal it.
Tucking it up to the prize
The artist is describing the process of tucking their genitalia to appear as their true gender identity.
Loving it baby
The artist is embracing and accepting their gender identity.
I'm loving myself (x 3)
The singer is finding self-love and validation through their gender identity.
Yes I'm loving myself
The singer is reinforcing their self-love and acceptance.
"On the good days I feel like I get it.
The artist experiences a range of emotions and self-doubt regarding their gender.
Like it all makes sense.
The artist feels confident and comfortable in their gender identity on some days.
I can stay in the moment.
The artist is able to be present and not worry about the future on good days.
I don't have to control everything in the future.
The singer feels free from the burden of controlling all aspects of their life when they are at ease with their gender identity.
On the bad days.
The artist struggles with their gender identity at times.
I just wanna grab the phone and start dialing numbers."
The singer may seek support and validation from others who have undergone the same experience.
(Pole Grinder)
The repetition of this phrase creates a catchy chorus that repeats throughout the song.
Contributed by Aubrey E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.