Search - Stan Ridgway :: Drywall Incident

A Class War Howl From An Open L.A. Sewer Drain

MG Nagy | 08/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are two releases of this material. "The Drywall Incident" is a two disc set for the film of the same name. The first disc of the set was released on I.R.S under the band name of "Drywall," with the disc titled, "Work The Dumb Oracle." My understanding is that the second disc of "Incident" is all score cues. So a bit of warning: this review is based on the "Oracle" disc. ...



Easily his best writing to date, this is a loud, raging indictment of the festering, rotten 2.0 version of the America Dream being passed off as The Real Thing.



"New Blue Mercedes" tales the tale of some petty criminals who are "taking back America" via ripping off cars. "Hell In A Hanbasket" reads like an ugly update/answer to the Beatles "Why Don't We Do It In The Road." One of the best tracks is "Mr. Smith," which is what Dylan's "Ballad Of A Thin Man" would sound like if it were written 30 years later. "Old Bent Coin" is a dark, desparate blues update of gambler with a problem.



Sadly, the closing track "Big American Problem" is no less relevant today. It's the uncomfortable truths on this relese that make it one of the best records of the 90s."

The way music should be going but isn't

Alexander Hutton | 03/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is, perhaps, one of the most unusual releases from Stan Ridgway. Apparently released to ensure that he would be fired by his then record label, it is unrelenting, amusing, original and possibly one of the best albums of the ninities. Both lyrically and musically Drywall weave a complex vision of America. Both the the soundtrack and the "song" disc are must hears for anybody interested in the original. Ridgway threatened that there would be a trilogy of such apocalyptic documents. Even he has yet dared to fulful this promise."