The Monks - Boys are Boys (1966)

The Monks, referred to by the name monks on record sleeves, were an American garage rock band formed in Gelnhausen, West Germany in 1964. Assembled by five American GIs stationed in the country, the group grew tired of the traditional format of rock, which motivated them to forge a highly experimental style characterized by an emphasis on hypnotic rhythms that minimized the role of melody, augmented by the use of sound manipulation techniques. The band's unconventional blend of shrill vocals, feedback, and guitarist David Day's six-string banjo baffled audiences, but music historians have since identified the Monks as a pioneering force in avant-garde music. The band's lyrics often voiced objection to the Vietnam War and the dehumanized state of society, while prefiguring the harsh and blunt commentary of the punk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s. The band's appearance was considered as shocking as its music, as they attempted to mimic the look of Catholic monks by wearing black habits with cinctures symbolically tied around their necks, and hair worn in partially shaved tonsures.

[@fujifilm5127]

I love the monks. They are all just authentically weird and that comes through the music

[@RobertCawood-pf9nh]

Especially the top of their heads shaved I don’t wanna look like them

[@dj-um7el]

Same, and Jolyne pic?!👀

[@seanwinkel8890]

F-ing brilliant. Still ahead of its time.

[@user-zc9op9jq1g]

Specials...Madness.Über 10 Jahre zuvor ,krass

[@paulie-id3xo7pj5e]

Looks like a 60's DEVO

[@dj-um7el]

Devo looks like a 70s Monks.

[@unclenogbad1509]

Wow!

[@iamdamosuzuki_]

It’s kinda bullshit that they turned Gary’s guitar all the way down

[@Syrwll]

avant garde stuff

[@Rockkerle]

Crazy-you couldn`t present text like this nowadays

[@chfan99]

To be fair in 1966 you could still say the N word

[@leet7489]

why not?

[@ThePowerpointMaster]

@@chfan99 tf? If a big music star said the n word back then they'd get in trouble, unless there was context, the hippie movement was so anti that type of stuff

[@chfan99]

@@ThePowerpointMaster John Lennon literally had a song called Woman Is The N*****r Of The World come out in 1972.

[@ThePowerpointMaster]

@@chfan99 I said unless there was context, there's context with that song, if a big star flat out made a racist song back then they would have gotten in trouble ruclips.net/video/iYjEz441I4M/видео.html

[@lazlokovacs2263]

The guys are really having fun. None of that closed-faced, calculated seriousness - smart profiteering - of these musical frauds. And destroying a 3-chord pop structure in less than 2 minutes. If anyone wants more than that, let them start their own band The Monks.

[@CEETEEEFF13]

it sucks soooo and that they basically didn't have the guitar mic'ed like, AT ALL.

[@heggy_69]

Seriously, 0:47 you can hear some of the guitar bleed through the mic lmao

[@LordStompyHarpLoonyTunes]

Or any of the drum kit other than the bass drum

[@jasonanderson5980]

Let's enjoy the fact that we actually have audio-visual goodness of this Amazing band! The fact that recording technology of the time let them down (somewhat) is...unfortunate, but a simple reflection of the times.

[@generic3674]

I can see why they're called the "Anti Beatles." The Beatles didn't suck.

[@Hal9000ize]

Philistine

[@malbig2344]

Shite

[@dognougat]

Elaborate

[@AnonYmous-be9vw]

Yo mama

[@goittoog7563]

No one has caught up to the Monks yet, maybe they never will.

[@monsieurlaguillotine3481]

*gestures at the punk scene*