LETHAL YELLOW -- Declaration of Retardation EP

Stench Records -- Miami -- 1985

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

In the Mess

Cockroaches

Velveeta Cheese

Spastic and Proud
The Obnoxious Song

Paul Enema -- vocals

Ivan Gripweed -- guitar

Syd Upp - bass

Mike -- drums

Retardation is the most obvious charm of these brave young banana-men. Digging deeper, you'll find laziness and slovenliness as well. It is worth the effort.

The stunted visions here are the first recorded by a couple of prolific South Florida punk social mutants, Ivan Gripweed (nee Osorio) and Paul Enema. Paul went on the lead the Stun Guns, while Ivan could be found in the Jeffersons, F The Band Formerly Known as the John Birch Society and Sick Dick and the Volkswagens. I'm sure there are others.

This is basically what used to be called hardcore, but is looser and sillier than music that word is used to describe today. Every song is catchy and soaking in self-deprecation. Two involve cheese. A sample: "Velveeta, there ain't nothing sweeter...Spread it on your bread or melt it on your head" Depending on your outlook, this may make you laugh, make you cringe or make you hungry.

"The Obnoxious Song" has been the most enduring track, as it appears on the superb Killed by Florida comp for which this site is named. The song also is heard playing on a car radio in John Sheppard's novel "Small Town Punk," which is about punk kids in Sarasota, Florida, in the early '80s.