225 SW Ash

Trevor Solomon, lead singer of the Jesus Lizard cover band Monkey Trick, has been pretending to be David Yow for two years now--playing a final show on June 19. He is a boozer and a stalker with a lot to say. David Yow, actual lead singer of Jesus Lizard, had a lot to say on the matter, himself.

TREVOR SOLOMON (FAKE DAVID YOW)

Mercury: Why a Jesus Lizard cover band?

I wanted to do something on my birthday, and I thought, "Why not do a cover band?" The only person I could see myself getting away with impersonating was David Yow. The Yow and I are around the same height and build, and in my mind, I could think of no better person to portray than the whisky loving, naked, maniac singer of the Jesus Lizard.

When referring to David Yow, why do you feel entitled to call him "the Yow"?

When you talk about the Jesus Lizard, people all say "YOW," not "David Yow," and have these great stories of when they saw Yow fall off a stage, dive from the balcony at 9:30 Club, or ride around the crowd naked. It is easy to say "THE YOW" because he is THE YOW--the coolest man in rock and roll.

Have you ever stalked anyone beside David Yow?

I came close once to stalking Bob Mould in Athens, Ga., but that ended quickly when I got drunk. I guess Yow is the person I have stalked most in my life. But I don't think of it as stalking; rather, admiring.

How much time did you spend studying David Yow's onstage persona?

I have been studying Yow's persona for probably 10 years since the first time I saw him play at the 40 Watt Club in Athens. I also rented a video of one of their live shows before we played two years ago at Berbati's. I think his moves are not that difficult to do on stage. His banter between songs is the tough part; he is fucking hilarious... he's a mean crazy man one minute, and then the next minute one of the nicest guys in the world. One time at La Luna he took a seven-year-old kid from the audience and put him on his shoulders and let him ride around. Unfortunately the little wuss freaked and ran back to his dad.

Will you be throwing your own turds into the audience like a Scratch Acid-era David Yow was rumored to do?

I doubt I'll be throwing turds at the audience. I'll have a lot of friends there, and it'd probably get me in trouble if I hit them with my poop.

DAVID YOW (REAL DAVID YOW)

How much whiskey does one need to drink to be the Yow?

A serious answer to that is a couple shots before going on. And that would be bourbon, ideally Makers Mark.

Any recommendations for Trevor in playing you?

I heard a tape from Sy, who used to do sound for us... and I felt like he screamed too much.

How many times during the history of the Jesus Lizard would you say your personal Jesus Lizard made an appearance on stage?

We've done about 990 shows. I don't know, I'd say 473 times.

Who was your worst obsessed fan?

One guy from Ohio would go to all our shows all over the U.S., and he was usually okay, but one night he kept grabbing my feet and trying to knock me over, so I told him if he did it again I'd punch him and he did it again. I punched him in the face and knocked a tooth out.

Any chance of the real Lizard getting back together for a tour or record?

I don't think so. Maybe if someone gave us each a million bucks, but I have no desire to.

What was your initial reaction of hearing of a Jesus Lizard tribute band?

I didn't believe it, but once I believed it I was really flattered. I could see two buddies getting the idea to cover us, but the fact they were able to get four people together to do it... that's amazing.

If you were going to be in a tribute/ cover band which band would it be?

That's easy, but it would be bad because I can't sing very well. Led Zeppelin. I played Johnny Rotten once in a Sex Pistols cover band with Steve Albini, and that was a ton of fun.

Your show at Satyricon on the tour for your Jetset EP was among the best shows ever to play Portland. Do you have any fond memories of the Rose City?

That show sticks out in my mind as one of the top 20. It was really fun. As small as that place is, I couldn't believe how loud the crowd was. It sounded like Madison Square Garden. It was best when things got out of hand--and that show got out of hand.