Transexpistols, Tacky Jacky & Asskickers

“So…I heard Duffy’s was a gay bar…” Alright, let’s get one thing straight: Duffy’s is not a gay bar. Yet, the tavern isn’t doing much to curtail the myth. Perhaps the proprietors get a kick out of their establishment’s sexual ambiguity. Maybe they’re just open-minded to hosting campy, racy entertainment. Last Wednesday’s live Hedwig and the Angry Inch Karaoke notwithstanding, the Saturday before featured Los Angeles’ notorious drag queen punk rockers, the Transexpistols. But first to embrace the stage were Chico’s local favorites the Asskickers.
The Asskickers are supposedly a country band, and at first glance, this would appear so: Pedal steel guitar, dual Fender Telecasters, dude ranch duds and trucker hats. However, upon further inspection, their music more resembles classic bar rock, with lead vocalist Bob Howard warbling equal parts Johnny Cash and Jello Biafra. Think AC/DC with twangy guitar solos and a foot fetish. Songs like “Bondage Cowboy” and “Springer Show” set an audacious tone for the evening, and the quintet played their songs of desperation, disenfranchisement and discipline with remarkable, unkempt panache.
Soon thereafter, the packed Duffy’s house was treated to the saucy musical stylings of Transexpistols’ roadie Tacky Jacky, a cute and petite songstress with dirty, dirty material. Jacky’s stage presence was captivating - a mixture of perky girlish charm and no-holes-barred descriptions of her love life and bodily functions. Her short set was jam-packed with hilarious sexually explicit songs, with topics that ranged from her love of anal sex to dropping acid and acting on lesbian impulses. Though most of her set was comprised of originals, she had the whole bar singing along to her ode to “guys who get the wrong impression,” titled “You’ve Got To Hide Your Cock Away” to the tune of the similarly-titled classic Beatles track. Sure, Lennon is probably spinning in his grave, but most likely, chuckling all the same. Though Jacky’s melodies and song arrangements were a bit on the plain side, her wicked sense of humor and enchanting charisma made her set memorable, and primed the audience for the gender-bending antics to follow.
I was simply unprepared for the degree of excellence that was to unfold when the Transexpistols assaulted Duffy’s stage. As far as live music goes, it’s a rarity when a tribute band proves themselves far superior to the original. Granted, the Sex Pistols were never known for running a tight ship; all the same, seeing their songs performed by a band with technical authority, premier stagemanship and an engaging gimmick to boot shed their music in a new light. In full glam rock drag regalia, the four-piece cover band proceeded to simply blow the rowdy audience away with punchy, seamless renditions of Sex Pistols classics. As I braced for impact, shielding my beer from the pushing and shoving of one or two livid enthusiasts, I was delighted by drummer Pauline Cook’s brutally powerful rhythms and the rest of the band’s tight musicianship. To further enhance the cheerfully campy ambience, Tacky Jacky showered the audience with bubbles and later, stuffed animals, which served as cushiony projectiles. The ensuing teddy bear fight between the band and audience was engaging in its own right, adding to the show’s humorous appeal. Given the opportunity, a Transexpisols show should not be missed.
- Maurice S. Teilmann
- Photo by Drew Goren

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