Author Archives: SHQ

This is technically comics related!

The Action Suits are always in heavy rotation here at SHQ.

From “A Short History of The Action Suits”:

The Action Suits will be, deservingly so or not, a curious footnote in somebody’s history of late-20th Century bubblegum music because of the fact that world-famous cartoonist Peter Bagge sat on a picklebucket and banged the skins with ‘em for awhile. Not on this song, though (sorry fans). Formed in Seattle in 1995 by roommates Eric Reynolds, Andy Schmidt and another cartoonist, Al Columbia, the three played all of one show together, a Halloween party held by the cartoonist Jim Woodring and his wife, Mary, on Oct. 31, 1995. The band also included during this time cartoonist and fellow-roommate Jeremy Eaton, who played absolutely no instruments and didn’t even sing, but still played an inarticulably vital role in the whole gestalt, and must be mentioned because of it.

With drums mounted on a sawhorse (“drums” being relative: they were technically spare drum parts, a coffee can, chopsticks, and some scrap metal), the guitar and bass plugged into one shitty amplifier, one mic affixed by a wire clotheshanger to the drums and another with a jerryrigged stand made from a broomstick and christmas tree base, and the aforementioned picklebucket, the three swapped instruments every song despite being cumulatively proficient in perhaps one and a half while Eaton, dressed as an extra from a late-60s era Jack Kirby comic, danced in dynamic bystander poses.

Peter Bagge, who shared Reynolds’ love for bubblegum pop, hadn’t drummed in 18 years but was still Buddy Fucking Rich compared to the rest of the bunch and took pity on them, joining that very night. Al took pity on himself and moved to Massachusetts within weeks.

Luckily, they still have a few songs up on their Myspace (whatever that is), so you can check them out if you haven’t had the privilege of doing so already. I feel as though they are criminally under-appreciated.

Listen to them! LOVE THEM AS I DO.