Dogbowl

by Kieran McCarthyDogbowl (aka Steven Tunney) isn't ever going to be rich, and he'll probably never be famous. His biggest claim to fame was a brief stint as a founding member of a band who later become one-hit wonders (after he had left). And since his departure, none of his albums have sold over 20,000 copies. But those who enjoy his art do so religiously, making him somewhat of a cult hero for the few souls who know of him. His music combines a simple, catchy, almost pre-Beatles pop-writing style with esoteric, off-the-wall, practically post-modern lyrics. He started his career in the late '80s as the original lead guitarist of King Missile, who were then known as King Missile (Dog Fly Religion). He recorded two albums with King Missile and then, after finding the group's erratic, somewhat sarcastic musical direction unsatisfying, left to pursue his own erratic, left-wing endeavors. Dogbowl's individual efforts have been, by and large, more consistent musically than King Missile's. Although nothing he has written can claim to be as rip-roaringly hilarious as his former band's novelty hit "Detachable Penis," his lyrics are consistently clever. His most noteworthy moment as a solo artist came with the 1992 release of Flan, an outlandish concept album. Flan details the 21-track adventures of a protagonist, Flan, who, along with right-hand fish Ginger Kang Kang, treads boldly in search of his long lost love, Helen. It's extremely poppy and well done, but far too cerebral and particular in its humor to reach most pop audiences. Dogbowl's new label 62TV expects to release a greatest-hits collection in early 2001.