Hickey was absolutely THE most punk rock thing to happen since...well, since punk rock! In an age where bad, generic pop with distorted guitars passed itself off as punk to the tune of multi-million dollar contracts and multi-platinum plaques, Hickey was the real deal...and remained obscure, underground and D.I.Y. to the core.
Living under the radar and below the poverty level in San Francisco's Mission District, the group recorded and distributed their own music...with a little help from their friends (and a few unsuspecting corporate participants). Elaborate and extremely personal artwork was a staple of these self-produced artifacts Hickey unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. In the meantime, out on the streets the band terrorized local cops and Epitaph "punx," all while growing a true cult following and an even larger legend of cross-country debauchery and criminal antics (FREE AESOP!).
Founding members Matty Luv (guitar) and Aesop (drums) were formerly members of the essential Florida punk rock band, FuckBoyz. Bass player Chubby had previously filled the same role in Schleprock. Hickey recorded their first 7" EP, Us vs. Them, within a month of forming, and released it soon after. The trio quickly became a part of the Probe Records/zine scene and found themselves on a few choice compilations, as well as boasting a couple of new EPs and a split 7" with All You Can Eat.
After recording over 20-minutes of a noise-punk opera named "In The Beginning" for one side of their debut album, but right before a scheduled tour, Chubby left Hickey and was replaced by Dwight Trash. This lineup went on to record ten short blasts to round out the other half of a most-excellent LP (their lone full-length) and material for split releases with Fuckface and V.B.F., along with the infamous Hickey/Voodoo Glow Skulls record...infamous because it wasn't so much a "real" split record as it was a rant against punk rock elitism and a tale of the triumph of the underdog...by which I mean, the Voodoo Glowskulls did not approve or appreciate "their side" of the record, because it was really just a bunch of death threats that they left on Hickey's answering machine, with Hickey in the background wailing away on a horn they stole from The Voodoos. The seven inch also included a zine that explained the entire epic debacle.
The Naked Cult of Hickey official logo is a heart - it adorns their record sleeves - and the group is very heart-on-sleeve, too. "Everything I Know About Sex I Learned From KISS" is blatant worship of those makeup-caked cockrockers...but it also contains a riff lifted from "Words" by fellow San Fran band, The Meices (or, maybe The Meices stole that part from Kiss, but I wouldn't know - the only things I know about Kiss I learned from Hickey). 1997 saw the release of two cover songs from Hickey, to provide a little insight into their inspirations: "The American In Me" by original S.F. punks, The Avengers; "Kingdom Come" by the kings of metal, Manowar.
Hickey called it quits in 1998, refusing to contribute any new material for a proposed "real" split with Screeching Weasel, and handed their last unheard recording ("Robots Never Cry") over to tREND iS dEAD! records for inclusion on the Worse Than Alternative It's Another Punk Comp CD.
A partial discography CD containing most of Hickey's vinyl EPs, splits and compilation tracks was put out by Poverty Records. Various States Of Disrepair also included previously unreleased songs and live tracks. It was later reissued by SPAM Records.
The original Hickey incarnation of Matty, Chubby and Aesop reunited and began performing again, under the name Yogurt (an ongoing recording project Matty and Aesop developed, with a plethora of material that was documented before and during Hickey, most of which has only been issued on cassette tapes dubbed for personal friends).
Matty Luv passed away on October 5, 2002.
Aesop currently plays drums in the black metal band, Ludicra.
www.mattyluv.com - a website dedicated to Matty Luv, his music and more...
UPDATES: all of the external links have been removed, except MattyLuv.com because it is the only link that still works.
- Ludicra has broken up and Aesop has since drummed for Agalloch, Worm Ouroboros and VHÖL.
[most of this page was used for the original wikipedia entry about Hickey...for some reason]
