BAND
slope 28
FEEDERZ
PHOENIX PUNK ARCHIVE // 1977–1986
// the story
Origins & Agitation (1977–1986)
Formed in Phoenix in 1977 by Frank Discussion and Dan Clark (Clear Bob / Johnny Macho), The Feederz emerged directly from the earliest wave of the Arizona punk underground. Rather than adopting typical three-chord garage aesthetics, Discussion leaned into Situationist theory, industrial sabotage, and deliberate confrontation. He rejected orthodox political activism and high-art pretense alike: “I am not an artist. Art is a disgusting mess. I greatly respect the fine arts though: sabotage, theft, looting, subversion…” When asked why he gravitated toward Situationism, his answer was simple: “In order not to be bored.”
Early Phoenix appearances became immediate local lore, highlighted by a 1979 press conference at the Phoenix Zoo where Discussion addressed reporters while wearing a transparent helmet fed with running water. Musically, he developed a disjointed, barbed guitar technique by attempting to teach himself Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica using his bare fingers instead of a pick.
The group relocated to San Francisco and broke nationally with their 1980 Jesus EP on Anxiety Records, its notorious title track later included on Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles compilation Let Them Eat Jellybeans. The band followed with their 1984 debut LP Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss?—packaged in a coarse sandpaper jacket designed to ruin adjacent albums on a shelf—and 1986’s Teachers in Space, featuring Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro.
Session One: Premier Studios & WWHD (January 2017)
Following the November 2016 election, Slope Records founder Thomas Lopez reached out through Clear Bob to bring Discussion back into the studio to record new material. Discussion agreed, later recalling: “Right after the election, Thomas from Slope Records contacted me through Clear Bob about doing a record, and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s time to jump back into the fray.’ Or LIMP back into the fray.”
The lineup convened in Phoenix united three decades of history:
- Frank Discussion: Vocals, Guitar
- Clear Bob (Dan Clark): Bass
- H. Peligro: Drums
- Cris Kirkwood: Producer
Tracking commenced in January 2017 at Premier Studios in Phoenix. With Parker engineering and Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood producing, the trio tracked live in the room, cutting four new songs.
On April 15, 2017, Slope Records released two of the tracks on the 7-inch single WWHD: What Would Hitler Do? (SLOPE028). The cover featured Donald Trump in Nazi regalia wearing a swastika armband. The A-side, “Stealing,” took aim at property and policing, while the B-side, “Sabotage,” opened with the chant “Time to put this country out of our misery,” followed by a Spanish call to arms: “What you see with your eyes, destroy with your hands / To be as combustible as a cop car / We don’t need leaders / I love you! Say it with a brick!”
For promotional photos, the trio staged a satirical studio session armed with rifles alongside cheetah ears, fur-trimmed leather, and a smoking pipe. Peligro later dismissed any literal take on the imagery: “The guns were props, but if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” When asked about the record’s political stance, Discussion remarked: “We don’t ‘speak truth to power’ because we are not on speaking terms.”
Session Two: The Unfinished LP
Four songs were captured during the January run, and Discussion planned a full-length follow-up under the working title Spit or Swallow. Slope Records brought the trio back to Phoenix later in 2017 to track the rest of the album.
The second session ran into immediate roadblocks. Rather than entering the studio with rehearsed songs ready for digital tracking, time was lost debating arrangements and fragments from scratch. With studio costs climbing and the material incomplete, Slope Records made the decision not to rush an unfinished album into production.
In an ironic turn, Discussion hired an intellectual property attorney to send formal legal demand letters for the unreleased multi-tracks. Lopez answered publicly with the editorial “What Would Frank Discussion Do?”, noting the contrast of an anti-capitalist Situationist retaining commercial legal counsel over studio outtakes.
Digital Multi-Track Repatriation & Historical Impact
Rather than allowing the recordings to sit in legal limbo, Slope Records took the high road: the unreleased digital multi-track session files and stems were handed directly over to Discussion so he retained full control over his work. Slope maintained the rights and digital masters for the completed WWHD 7-inch.
The brief flare-up did nothing to permanently damage the relationship. Lopez and Discussion quickly cleared the air, laughed off the absurdity of the legal posturing, and have remained on regular, cordial speaking terms ever since.
Following D.H. Peligro’s passing in October 2022, the 2017 Phoenix sessions took on lasting archival weight: they stand as Peligro’s final official studio recordings with The Feederz.
BAND
slope 28
FEEDERZ
PHOENIX PUNK ARCHIVE // 1977–1986
// Archival Catalog Data
Release Title
The Feederz – WWHD: What Would Hitler Do?
Catalog Number
SLOPE 28
Format Configuration
7" Vinyl / Digital
Release Date
Producer
Cris Kirkwood
Executive Producer
Thomas Lopez
Engineer
Jeremy Parker at Premier Studios, Phoenix, AZ
Archive & Master Status
WWHD masters archived at Slope Records; Spit or Swallow unreleased digital multi-track session stems repatriated to Frank Discussion.
// Personnel & Roles
- Frank Discussion (Guitar/Vocals)
- Clear Bob (Bass)
- D.H. Peligro (Drums)
