The Snivelling Shits

The Snivelling Shits were a punk rock group formed in London in 1977, and centred on Giovanni Dadomo.

The Snivelling Shits
OriginLondon, England
GenresPunk rock
Years active1977–1978
LabelsGhetto Rockers, Damaged Goods
Past membersGiovanni Dadomo
Pete Makowski
Dave Fudger
Barry Myers
Steve Nicol
Steve Lillywhite
Ade Lillywhite
Lou Salvoni
Nick Howell (Ratbite)
John Ellis

History

Giovanni Dadomo was a music journalist who wrote for publications such as ZigZag, Sounds, The Face and New Music News.[1][2][3] He appeared on the British TV programme Nationwide in late 1976 as part of an episode centred on punk rock, where he stated, "The danger of the Sex Pistols is that they can be boring...". In 1977 he recorded the novelty punk record "Terminal Stupid"/"I Can't Come", the latter described as "an iconoclastic mantra of amphetamine-induced sexual dysfunction",[1] backed by guitarist and fellow journalist Dave Fudger and various musicians including members of Eddie and the Hot Rods, and engineered by Steve Lillywhite, who also played bass guitar for the band.[2][4] Lillywhite's career as a record producer began to take off and Barry Myers, aka punk and reggae disc jockey DJ Scratchy took over on bass.[5] The single was released in late 1977. Dadomo resurfaced in 1977 under the guise of Arthur Comix, with "Isgodaman?" on the Beggars Banquet label compilation Streets. By 1979 The Snivelling Shits had become The Hits and were billed as such on the London club scene. "I thought we'd just shorten the name" said Dadomo to French musician, cartoonist and writer Bruno Blum, whose Motörhead Rock Commando comic strips (first published in France in Best) he translated to English for publication in New Music News and as a full colour comic book by Motörhead in 1980. [1][2] He recorded more material which was discovered in the late 1980s and released in 1989 as the I Can't Come album by Damaged Goods Records, described by Maximumrocknroll as "essential for music lovers and music haters alike".[2][6] He also co-wrote two songs with The Damned - "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" and "There Ain't No Sanity Clause", the latter of which appeared in demo form on I Can't Come.[2]

Dadomo also co-wrote the book New Women in Rock (1982, Delilah/Putnam) with Liz Thompson.

The I Can't Come collection has been described as "punk at its most pristinely putrid", with Allmusic writer Dave Thompson going on to say "the Snivelling Shits reduced every cliché of the era to as few chords as possible, then spattered them with a stupidity that would have been rank if it wasn't so magnificent".[1]

Dadomo died in 1997.

Discography

Singles, EPs
  • "Crossroads" / "Only 13" (1977) (very limited pressing acetate)
  • "Terminal Stupid" / "I Can't Come" (1977) Ghetto Rockers
  • "Isgodaman?" / "Terminal Stupid" / "I Can't Come" (1989) Damaged Goods

Albums
  • I Can't Come (1989) Damaged Goods

Compilation appearances
  • "Isgodaman?", on Streets (1977) Beggars Banquet (as Arthur Comix)

References
  1. Thompson, Dave "I Can't Come Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
  2. Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Snivelling Shits", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0
  3. Dadomo, Giovanni "Ghost in the Machine Review", The Face, reproduced at thepolice.com
  4. Robbins, Ira "Snivelling Shits", Trouser Press
  5. Whitfield, Greg (2004) "ROOTS AND WANDERINGS: SOUNDS OUT OF THE DIASPORA", 3:AM Magazine
  6. "The Snivelling Shits - I Can't Come" (review), Maximumrocknroll, Issue 227, April 2002
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