For all his dark, surrealistic humor and astutely odd, observational lyrics, vocalist, composer and synth-player Rodney Anonymous is, above all else, a hardcore Philadelphian and proud.
Whether it’s been throughout his now-40-year (?!) tenure as front-man for The Dead Milkmen or his electro-punk work in 7th Victim (with vocalist-drummer Janet Bressler, leader of Sylvia Platypus), Anonymous has forever waved his Philly freak flag. And while recent 7th Victim work such as its “Giallo” album and its “Weela Weela Walya” single are more lyrically abstract, The Dead Milkmen’s just-released new track, “Philadelphia Femdom” and newer album, Quaker City Quiet Pills, are happily tied and pointed to local concerns.
Joking about not having to see or talk to his Dead Milkmen bandmates since before the pandemic (“modern technology made that so”), Anonymous’s usual Sunday writing sessions led to the creation of the wonky, wonderful new album on Philly’s homegrown The Giving Groove! label.
“It’s a matter of seeing what idea make their eyes light up when we start to bounce ideas off each other,” Anonymous said.
Of its Philly subject heavy new record, Anonymous stated that being true to his town in songs such as “Philadelphia Femdom” should not be an anomaly.
“That’s how it should be. New Yorkers never have to explain their relevancy. My world exists between two rivers, the Delaware and the Schuykill. So does my subject matter. Philadelphia is the city that took me in when I was at my lowest and offered itself up for the living. It is a fascinating city. All I ever wanted to do when I was young was work in an office building that stretches into the sky – which I do – and be in a band that people know the name of. To me, everyone in the world is Philadelphia, and if I mention a cheesesteak place, it’s common global knowledge. Maybe, things are changing now since Gritty has become our international language, but Philly leads the world no matter what are signposts are.”
(For the non-Philadelphian, there are plenty of non-local tracks on Quaker City such as “Grandpa’s Not A Racist (He Just Voted For One)” and “Astral Dad.”)
Where Bressler intersects with Anonymous – as in the synth-punk duo 7th Victim – stems from breaking free of her own theater-inspired rock band, Sylvia Platypus (whose own new music is imminent while trying to sell its past tracks as syncs for film and television work) and creating fresh, cutting lyrics, “but based on Rodney’s ideas,” said Bressler. “He’ll come up with these wild premises, and I run faster and farther from that point of origin, writing and singing.”
“And what Rodney offers is completely different than anything that I have ever done in the past,” she continued. “7th Victim is not hard, live rock and roll, but rather programmed and electronic. I can’t wave my hand and start again with 7th Victim. Our duo is differently structured – more extract. And I love the challenge.”
While 7th Victim is looking forward to recording its newest music soon with Rodney deferring to Janet and her manic, multi-octave vocal abilities for their synth-punk duo project, Bressler pays the highest compliment to Anonymous when it comes to all things Dead Milkmen and Quaker City Quiet Pills, when she calls him “the ultimate front man.”
