The 'Alternating Currents' Legacy Interview: Too Much Joy

Dear diary... today, August 23, 1991, I spent time with some lovely fellows from Scarsdale, New York. So gentile, so refined. Then this happened...

Amy McGrath

Jun 17, 2024

Too Much Joy: Sandy Smallens, Tim Quirk, Jay Blumenfield, Tommy Vinton, circa 1991.

Prologue

Too Much Joy Acquitted in Obscenity Trial

By CHUCK PHILIPS, Los Angeles Times Jan. 19, 1991, 12 AM PT

Jurors took just 13 minutes to acquit Too Much Joy, the New York rock band charged with performing “obscene” material during an adults-only performance at a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., nightclub last summer. Three members of the group had been arrested Aug. 10 after singing six songs from Miami rap group 2 Live Crew’s As Nasty as They Wanna Be album.

After absolving the band of guilt Thursday, the court admonished law enforcement authorities for wasting taxpayers’ money and time in prosecuting the case.

“The citizens of Florida realize that there are more important matters for government to monitor than the lyrics of popular music,” Too Much Joy guitarist Jay Blumenfield said in a phone interview from Ft. Lauderdale. “Our case should have never even made it to trial.”

The concert which led to the arrests was staged at Club Futura, the same Hollywood, Fla., venue where 2 Live Crew was arrested on similar charges after their album was declared obscene by a federal judge in Ft. Lauderdale on June 6. The controversial rap group was acquitted on Oct. 20.

The verdict in the Too Much Joy trial followed two days of court proceedings. On Thursday, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office said that obscenity charges against Kenneth Geringer, owner of the venue where 2 Live Crew and Too Much Joy were arrested, will be dropped.

6:10 PM: I'm ten minutes late, but hell, who's on time in this business? I'm breaking cement to reach TT the Bears, meeting up with this badass band called Too Much Joy. Four white dudes that got arrested (minus their drummer) in Florida because they sang the praises of 2 Live Crew among other things. Naturally, they won the case, but I still haven't made up my mind if I like these smart alecks ... so I whack the club door open, only to see bassist Sandy Smallens all by his lonesome. He turns out to be an agreeable sort of chap, so after some shop talk we decide to go get the wayward members back at Howard Johnson’s on Comm Ave.

6:30 PM: "Love your parking, pal," sneers the cabbie. OK, so Sandy parks the van a little crooked - everyone's a critic. We had caught drummer Tommy Vinton and his sister Annie outside TT's and now Sandy's getting paranoid thinking our cabbie friend will smash a window or what when singer Tim Quirk and guitarist Jay Blumenfield zoom into the hotel lobby. We're outta here, dodging traffic as the guys cryptically map out plans for a new video to be shot with close buddies Penn & Teller. "Does this have anything to do with a refrigerator?" I ask a little leery. "Oh, maybe," says Sandy. I still haven't made up my mind about these guys.

7:30 PM: The group runs through their soundcheck, mostly checking out tunes from their latest Cereal Killers. A drunk wanders into TT's. He’s harmless, haggard-looking and oblivious to the ear-splitting noise cranking from the stage. It's sad actually, as I watch him leave unnoticed as the feedback fades and voices are mumbling about food. We're a little lost here mentally but I manage to point us in the direction of Bertucci's. We're off to the races. We're causing a small ruckus as we sit down, the conversation is rollicking around in a million directions even as we order.

Tim: "The last time we were in Boston, [July 24] we played at The Hatch Shell. After the show, one of the youngest kids who's ever come to see us - he couldn't have been no more than 11 - he was talking all adult-like with me. He was saying, “I wish I could buy a T-shirt, but I just got back from New York City and I spent all my money down there.” I said, ‘Well, what did you spend your money on?’ “Well, I went to see the Nelson concert. That one was pretty good, too.” I never thought anyone would say that to me."

Jay: "Tommy was wearing his Too Much Fucking Joy shirt and they [the authorities] made him tape it up."

Tim: "My naive friend Tommy goes “Why do I have to tape it? We're selling them all over there.” And the guy has a fit and runs over and closes down the T-shirt stand!"

For your consideration: the offending, unabridged version. Courtesy: Too Much Joy

Sandy, on their philosophy: "We want to influence people, not bands."

Tim: "We want people to think for themselves and not follow anybody but us."

Sandy: "In thinking for themselves.”

Tim: "No, we just want them to follow us and do whatever we say.”

Jay on the motto they penned for the indie label Alias ('None of our bands suck'): "Wait, did you get that from our bio? Just curious.”

Sandy: "Didn't you think that was an interesting fact to include in our bio?"

Jay: "Aren't you psyched that fact was in our bio?" I replied that I thought it was great. "OK, thank you! See, one of us didn't want that fact in our bio."

Tim: (leaning into the tape recorder) “Tim, the one who didn't want it in the bio, felt it had no place in the bio and made us look petty and small and vindictive."

Sandy: "I wish I looked like Tom Petty, too!"

After our dinner, as we walk back to TT's, Annie pulls alongside me and whispers, "Was that a good interview?"

9:30 PM: So, what does your average pop band do before a show? Get some rest, I'm sorry to say. I'm counted into this group as we pile into the savior van, avoiding some spilled liquid of unknown origin. It's ‘pick on road manager Mike' tonight as we curse his driving habits and he barks back "Shut up!" A copy of Reflex is making the rounds in the dark, the guys guffawing and pointing to an interview with Penn & Teller (ah ha!) and general hilarity reigns.

Courtesy: Ren Hoek/Pinterest

We wait and read and read and wait in the hotel lobby then up to Sandy and Tommy's room we all collapse. Rollerball is flickering on the tube until the phone rings at 10:45. Tommy, thinking it's a prank from Tim, picks up the receiver and screams “WHAT?!!!" Uh, oh. That was Mike. Guess we should skulk back down into our trusty van-o-rama for showtime.

11:00 PM: Yowza! Mike's just made a left turn onto Brookline Street through a red light with a cruiser right behind us. The Joy Boys start yelling "Pull us over!", "Let's get arrested again!" I don't know about these people… Annie's laughing… Jeez.

A mass of bodies are sardine sandwiched into TT's as I make my way to the band room. Tommy's itching to hear some tunes on his boombox and fairly soon he and Sandy are hopping to Ice Cube's “AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted.” I warn Tim not to wear jeans onstage - he's going to die out in that sauna, as Jay heads out to get beers.

The natives are getting restless around 11:45 - the band's not ready yet. "We're not gettin' any younger!" someone screams. Finally, Too Much Joy makes waves in this tropical heat. Tim is wearing a delightful-looking S&M mask and a rose silk shirt.

It’s a mosh pit night to the max, bust your balls gig. Tim stripped off his mask and jeans and played in his purple Jockeys - with a little badass attitude thrown in. They managed to keep all the curse words in for “Susquehanna Hat Company” and “Long Haired Guys From England” and whoa beholden to any undercover cop up north as they tore into 2 Live Crew's “The Fuck Shop.”

Much to my shocked eyes after much slam dancing in the crowd, Tommy takes off from behind his kit and executes a perfect swan dive into the arms of his followers. Good gawd, what a night.

Around 1:00 AM: Backstage, we're all toweling off, standing in front of the fan - anything to cool off. I go rescue Tim's rose silk shirt. The stage is covered with water and steam is rising. After a hectic night, I'm shaking hands. "Thanks for coming tonight, we appreciate it," says Sandy. "The pleasure was all mine," I say.

My mind's made up. These kids are alright by me.