The Snivelling Shits
What can you say about the Snivelling Shits? How to describe them? Three chord punk with the wit of the TV Personalities and the Albertos and with the intelligence of Magazine. They were definitely not ‘terminal’ or ‘stupid’ nor could you count their ‘brain cells on one finger or less’ Terminal Stupid / I Can’t Come (1977 Ghetto Rockers) is sublime. The latter a paean to unrequited orgasm due to too much speed ‘I fooled you I was using my thumb / The truth of the matter is I can’t come’
The Cover of Terminal Stupid (left) is a photo by Brian Randle that graced the front of The Sunday Mirror June 12th 1977.
It’s of a girl fan watching The Stranglers in Manchester and the headline was ‘Punk Rock Jubilee Shocker’
Giovano Dadomo ex writer for Sounds and Zig Zag (both music papers) was the leader and fooled NME into giving it single of the week. Dave Fudger, the bassist, was also a writer at Sounds. They also included musician pals Steve Nicol from the Hot Rods and (now legendary producer) Steve Lillywhite. The Snivelling Shits album ‘I Can’t Come’ available at Damaged Goods featuring outtakes, demos and sessions. The album includes what surely would have been a classic punk single ‘Bring Me The Head Of Yukio Mishima’ and other examples of Mr Dadomo’s intense verbiage. In fact after listening to the version of ‘I Can’t Come’ you’ll think it should be changed to ‘I Can’t Shut Up’! Too much speed obviously.
Even before the Shits Dadomo and crew had made an appearance on record.
They were called Arthur Comics on the now legendary Streets Compilation by Beggars Banquet for their song ‘Isgodman’ because allegedly Beggars didn’t want the word ‘Shits’ on the cover thinking it would harm sales.
The Snivelling Shits also Featured on John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 under the name of The Hits, on 6 June 1978 for the John Peel show and broadcast on the 23rd of that month.
- Bring Me The Head Of Yukio Mishima (0:07)
- Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi (3:21)
- Only 13 (5:49)
- Crossroads (9:47)
That said how much of a player was Mr Dadomo. Check out the video from the Nationwide BBC programme about the Sex Pistols from November 1976 where Mr Dadomo expresses worry about the Pistols and what they stand for. And so he should have, because from that time onwards it was all change musically and in the music papers so it is no surprise he, like many others, jumped on board in 1977 and became a supporter and indeed,as per this entry, an artist himself.
That said Gio was an obviously a clever and erudite man with a fine dress sense and like Nick Kent harboured thoughts of more than just journalism.
Giovanni Dadomo was a walking work of art. A beautiful human being, literate, musical and hilarious. With his weasel eyes, pockmarked face and corvine features; he was always suited and booted and looked like a heptic extra from Brighton Rock. One of those villains in a black & white 50’s British gangster flick wielding a razor who would polite enough to explain why he was going to maim you. Gio loved staying up all night playing or games, reading, listening to music, laughing.
He was highly intelligent and like a lot of sensitive highly intelligent people wasting their time in the sub strata of the inane but fun world of music he was prone to boredom. The Snivelling Shits was one way we all killed the noise in our and Gio being Gio always educated the masses and me by introducing us to other conflicted, bored artists like Yukio Mishima while we accompanied it with a chorus that doffs it’s cap to Iggy And The Stooges Search & Destroy….
While the Snivelling Shits may have finished Giovanni also co wrote a couple of Damned songs ‘I Just Can’t Be Happy Today’ and ‘There ‘Aint No Sanity Clause’.
Thank God Ian from Damaged Goods found Gio working in the Notting Hill Record & Tape Exchange and got the album released.
R.I.P Giovanni Dadomo…. Is God A Man?
TalkPunk
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