Longtime readers and close friends will remember me gushing about a band I'd discovered called The Noxious Fumes a couple years back. The story is that one night, while I was at a Food Not Bombs benefit show, my boyfriend Jeff was at home listening to an old K Records tape that he'd found in his massive, librarianly card catalogs full of old tapes. When he came to pick me up, he couldn't wait to tell me about a song on this tape called "Helter Smelter," which was all about Tacoma -- specifically, the infamous "Tacoma Aroma." He played it and it was probably a few hours until I could close my dropped-open jaw. First of all, the fact that there ever even was a punk band from Tacoma was in itself amazing -- for as long as I was aware of music, all there seemed to be in T-town was lame Green Day wannabes or grunge/nu-metal kids, depending on the decade. On top of that, they had an incredibly catchy, lyrically brilliant, and hilarious song about living in a town that's most famous for smelling really terrible. I searched for the band on the Internet, assuming that since they were on K Records, that I'd be able to find tons of information and a CD or two on sale. No luck -- all I could find was a single mention in a show review by someone who once saw them. So, I tried writing K Records to ask if they had any information -- of course, I never got a reply.

The situation remained like this for a long, long time. All I had was the worn tape of "Helter Smelter," but I transferred it into the computer, played it for anyone I could get to sit still long enough, and stuck it on a few mix CDs. It even got played on "Boogiepop Does Not Smile," a WCSB radio show hosted by a guy who used to be known as Sergio, who is a huge K Records fan -- he didn't know anything about Tacoma, but he recognized it as being a damn fine piece of punk rock anyway.

A while ago I started my NotABlog (www.decaying-industries.com/notblog.html), a place for general random thoughts to go, mostly the ones that are in the form of open letters to the Internet. One of my posts was a little open speculation about whether or not there are any people into noise music in Tacoma, or any noise bands. I said that I doubted it, but mentioned that I used to doubt any decent music had ever come out of Tacoma, but then I discovered some bands -- one being the Noxious Fumes.

I still don't know if there's anyone into noise music in Tacoma, but a few days later I got an email I never expected to see -- a message from the guitar player and lyricist of the Noxious Fumes, John G., with a brief mention of finding my site and being glad someone remembered the Noxious Fumes. I wrote back asking for more info, expecting to maybe do a short, uninteresting interview for Rust and Brique. I don't know if you've ever interviewed someone, but it can be a lot like pulling teeth, especially when it's someone who doesn't really want to talk. I was thrilled to get the fascinating story below, and instantly, wanted to put it in RnB. John gave me his blessing, so here it is. I hope even if you don't know where Forks is, or weren't around in the early days of punk rock, you'll still find this as interesting and inspiring as I do.

The Noxious Fumes Story -- By John G.
First off, current Tacoma events. They (the Tacoma city leaders?) tried this pathetic attempt to spruce the ol' place up by spending millions on Dale Chihuly glass art work. Turned downtown Union Station into a museum and filled it with lovely colorful art work.(careful, don't let those street people in, they might break something) After a few years of Tacoma filth, corruption and grime going to work on it, and those self titled leaders fighting over how much it cost compared to the miserable waste of money it was, well, I am proud to say it has begun to fit in. Not in the way they envisioned though. As a permanent brightly colored monument to stupidity and trying to make Tacoma into Seattle, Jr. They have also tried light rail, University of Washington branch campus, and no more bus stop downtown to discourage disenfranchised people from going there (home and food). I guess no one told the leaders that people without cars will walk into the area. The leaders had unofficially designated the whole downtown corridor as UW students only. Before the school was even built!That didn't occur to these SUV addled leaders. So those leaders took the fight for downtown up a notch by arresting the local street people on trumped up charges, i.e. drug possession. The police beat those that came for a meal at the Rescue Mission, and eventually a bicycle policeman hit a young woman so hard in the breast with his baton that she had to have her breast removed. His punishment? He had to give up his bicycle and drive a police car. Such is Tacoma.

The history of the band goes back to '81-'82. I had graduated high school by working as a tree planter. I was doing my high school work in the motels and trailers that us tree planters stayed in after working all day breakin' our backs reforesting the clear cuts. (emancipated adult at 16, also proud to say I have planted over one million seedlings by myself, one by one.) One day I happened to hear the Ramones on some hick station transmitting out of Forks, Wash. (I remember the D. J. saying "that was the Ra-mone-eh's. I'll never play that again.") I thought it was pure genius and came back to the city in look of like minded individuals. The music called out something like a revolution, a rejection of the crap that had become rock music at the time.
I went to Tacoma because the last place I lived was Cascadia Juvenile Diagnostic Center. That big prison looking place that used to be above the Indian Reservation. Actually, the Puyallup Indians took the place over by force (77-8?) with M-16's and shit, but they were really cool to us "residents", and exposed the state in the newspaper for treating us in the manner that is the norm of those places. Yea, First Nation People!

Began looking for other people that listened to Hardcore Punk, like Sex Pistols, first Clash album, Ramones, Negative Approach, Subhumans, Dead Kennedy's, X, Johnny Thunders and Iggy to a point, and I think Crass had one or two releases then, plus the mighty "Flex your Head" compilation (first vinyl I got in the mail!), and a few others.
It was a short music list and a even shorter list of people that listened to the music in Tacoma. Those lyrics and sound spoke to the youth of Tacoma (I thought so anyway), but they didn't recognize it in their own hearts. Typical.
Finally found a real good friend (Jim) who I would collaborate on for the next 15 years. Organized first hardcore show in 80, I believe. Started a party/crash/full on venue house on 56th street. Later a club (Community World Theater) and a bunch of other stuff. Sadly, Jim didn't have much rhythm and his genius was in organizing and being a very personable guy. So, I taught myself guitar with the help of another house mate, Bill, of the soon to be band Girl Trouble, and bits and pieces from many others. I had to find some other band mates. First was the "other" John, or Little John. He was 14 years old then and could play the fastest, most intense drums I had ever heard. Put his whole soul into every beat he played. (damn good guitar player too) He also had a better record collection than me. Still does. Then came Lisa, the bass player. I really liked her. She was gay and had the guts to live an openly gay lifestyle in a suburban rich high school back in those years. She didn't play a note of guitar or any musical instrument, but wanted to. So I taught her how to play. When we recorded Helter Smelter she had been playing about a year, or less. Then Mike, the vocalist joined. At the time he was just getting released from the Army at Fort Lewis. He has lived in the area ever since.

We all felt somewhat isolated from Seattle and wanted to make a statement about living in Tacoma, but we did have a close relationship with Olympia and especially Evergreen State College students and recent alumni. So one night at 12:30am, when the staff had left the communications building, we hustled our equipment up to the back door and rode our cabs and amps down the halls into the recording studio. Everything went pretty smooth. Mostly first or second takes. The only thing that was unplanned is that strange ending on Helter Smelter. That was not planned. A student mistakenly erased about the last eight bars weeks after we had recorded it so we went with it "as is."

We became a regular act at the Tropicana in Olympia because we needed all the practice in front of an audience as possible. Opened for some really amazing bands, like Black Flag, Butthole Surfers, Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, The Descendents, Fang, Seven Seconds, Die Kreuzen, I'm forgetting a bunch. Plus we were fortunate to get the stage at about 11:00 when everyone still has lots of energy. Mass stage diving and self policed anarchy. When you play a show that intense the give and take between band and audience is something I can't really put into words. It is in the same realm as having sex with 1000 people at once and all climaxing together. That's about the best analogy I can think of right now, but it still doesn't quite describe it right. One hour goes by in what seems like seconds.

The band finally called it quits and we all went onto separate, yet similar paths. Looking back I can see now that we played too many shows and didn't write enough new material. Live and learn. I joined another band that got more national recognition, but wasn't as much fun. Lisa became a school teacher. Mike got a good job in the health field. Little John went on to play in many bands both as a drummer and a guitar player. I now write screenplays and I am planning to go to film school in the fall. I am in my forties now and still haven't had a regular job since I planted trees, I just make money off of expressing myself, as in writing and screen writing in particular.

Next: Mystery Plant Contest!

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