THis was a request sent to me by one of my subscribers.
With Netflix releasing their Woodstock 99 documentary this week I had already released
a video about that festival yesterday, but today I wanted to talk about Woodstock 94
and the band Jackyl’s infamous appearance.
Hailing form Georgia, Jackyl seemed to be the antithesis of what was happening in rock
music when they became popular in the early 90’s.
The bands who dominated the rock charts at the time heavily consisted of alternative
rock acts singing about social causes or the harsh realities of life.
Jackyl, didn’t takes themselves so seriously as they’re a southern metal band who sang
about the pleasures of life including sex partying and having a good time.
Their musical themes seemed to be more in line with the glam metal bands of the sunset
strip than the pacific northwest.
I mean these guys were so bold they had a song called she loves my expletive.
Jackyl hailed from Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.
The group's music was heavily influenced by the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC.
They soon developed a reputation for being hard partying animals and it sometimes landed
the band in trouble.
Frontman Jesse James Dupree was arrested in 1993 for dropping his pants on stage and fined
$1,500.
The same year Dupree posed for playgirl in their sexiest rockers issue it and while photos
probably earned the band some more female fans it also cost the group an important business
deal.
Director Penelope Spheeris who directed Beverly Hillbillies, was in negotiations with Jackyl
to write and perform the film’s title track.
After the magazine photos got published Spheeries pulled the plug on the deal.
It was hypocritical given that actress Erika Eleniak , the actress playing Ellie Mae, was
the Play boy Playmate for the Month in July 1989.
Dupree would tell the Morning Call "I don't understand why it is worse for a
man to pose naked in a magazine than a woman,".
"I was told I wasn't the right image.
That would be OK, except ... Penelope obviously didn't hold it against her (Eleniak) for getting
naked in a men's magazine."
In addition to that Bon Jovi a refused to have the band as an opening act as well and
their ruckus behavior cost them a touring spot with lynyrd skynrd.
Jackyl would sign with Geffen Records in the early 90’s and the label would put out their
self titled debut record in 1992.
The record would go platinum, thanks in large part to five singles all of which charted
in the top 40 on the mainstream rock charts in America including the lumberjack, i stand
alone, down on me and dirty little mind.
And when will it rain In 1994 the band released their follow up
Push Comes to Shove, which sold fewer copies than it’s predecessor, but still went gold.
The same year was the 25th anniversary of woodstock and a festival would be held to
honor the anniversary.
By Dupree’s own admission the band had to beg to get on the bill and they were one of
the show stealers that weekend.
They would be the first metal band to play the festival on a friday.
PThe Harford Courrant would sight the Woodstock program manual which referred to Jackyl as
and i quote “a cross between Beavis, Butt-head and Charles Manson -- not necessarily in that
order."
The band would play a nine song set with Jesse James Dupree taking to the stage wearing an
uncle sam hat and a mirror shard jacket that weighed upwards of 40 pounds.
Entertainment Weekly would publish an article that would state what the band did on stage
and it was as follows In less than one hour, Dupree:
(1) Grabbed his crotch and urged the crowd to do the same.
(2) Cut his hand and smeared his body with blood.
(”I was bleedin’ because I love the people,” he says.)
(3) Poured a bottle of cognac on the mosh pit.
(4) Lit a stool on fire, a la Jimi Hendrix, and sliced it in half with a chain saw.
(5) Fired a 12-gauge goose gun as a salute to fallen Woodstockers Keith Moon, Janis Joplin,
and Hendrix.
(”I didn’t kill nobody,” Dupree reasons.)
(6) And, to accompany the anthem ”She Loves My C — -,” dropped trou and shoved his
raw rump into the video camera.
The article also forgot to mention hat Dupree took a joint that someone through on stage,
and smoked it onstage despite new york state’s strict drug laws at the time.
He would tell Loudersound looking back “They were being a little heavy-handed about drugs
and alcohol, but how can you have a Woodstock without people smoking a little dope?
Following Jacky’s performance Dupree would tell Entertainment weekly”we are the kings
of the politically incorrect,”We felt it our civic responsibility that these people
got double their money’s worth,” says Dupree.
”Otherwise they would’ve been ripped off.”
Not with Jackyl around.
x”