JOHANNA WENT BUZZES & HOWLS UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Here’s a brief interlude into some early 80s wackness, a track called “Mosquito” by Los Angeles performance artist JOHANNA WENT that I discovered on one of the old “HOMEWORK” compilations, and which is more properly heard on Went’s 1982 EP “Hyena”. JOHANNA WENT is mostly known to me as a woman who opened some of the early punk/art shows in LA, doing strange pieces that involved music and pre-Karen Finlay stabs at attention vis-à-vis gross-out exploitation and general insanity. The photo of her with worms pouring out of her mouth and smeared all over her face is a classic image from the “HARDCORE CALIFORNIA” punk rock history, and is always the image that springs to mind with I think of the young lass. “Mosquito” is a great buzzing minute of caterwauling nonsense vocals, vaguely dub echoes and a frantic percussion that barely rides the rails until it just – poof – disappears. I don’t know if she performed stuff like this live, but I gotta say I like it. Another proof point in the case for Los Angeles 1978-82 being pretty much the greatest, most explosive & inventive scene in rock and roll history. Who’s with me?

Play or Download JOHANNA WENT – “Mosquito” (from 1982 “Hyena” EP)