Album Notes

Buck Naked and Dave Shameless together are Naked & Shameless, the undisputed acoustic punk kings of kitsch rock. Their 2001 CD, 13 Drinking Songs, is a happy and heroic stroll through the world of booze, sex, and religion that destroys musical traditions faster and harder than a case of dry heaves. The duo is primarily known for mischievous cover versions, but 13 Drinking Songs exposes a penchant for mischievous originals as well (after MADD picketed a recent show protesting against 'Drinking Song #13', the duo has had to beef up security at all public appearances).

Since the August, 2000 American unveiling of Naked & Shameless, the duo has played regular dates in their homebase of Chicago as well as sporadic out-of-town dates. The shows feature a lively mix of music, humor, audience interactivity, and often include appearances by one or more odd characters from their ever-growing pantheon of side-kicks.

Buck and Dave crossed paths for the first time in a hotel bar in Jakarta, Indonesia. A chance meeting'extraordinary, given that Dave had been performing with Buck's late cousin for some time in Canada. Both men were in Jakarta to get away from personal crises and discovered that they had a mutual understanding of the nature of pop culture, the greatness of it's trashiest icons, and a sick need to be part of that business they perceive as show. They became regulars on the Jakarta karaoke circuit, building an interpersonal chemistry and an army of detractors, eventually forming a lounge duo called Simon & Pumpernickel. After changing their name to Crosby, Shameless, Naked, and Young, they realized that both monikers were completely lost on the Indonesians and the international business travelers they were playing to, so they reverted to the name Naked & Shameless. After being 'discovered' by MC Skidd Wong, they returned to North America to set up shop in Chicago.

Buck Naked (26) was born in the white trash belt of Ohio. He was bred a hillbilly and from there it went terribly, terribly wrong. He knew that show business was in his soul at the age of four when he mesmerized neighbors around the family still with a captivating rendition of C. C. Rider. Buck's favorite textures are rubber, latex, and leather, and he prefers the company of buxom, tattooed women who know how to pack a mean wallop. Buck's musical background includes several Ohio-based bands and musical theatre. In his spare time, he performs under an assumed name in Chicago theatre productions and on film.

Dave Shameless (29) spent a decade in Vancouver, Canada, living the life of a lounge lizard'living from bar open to bar close six days a week, slithering through the after-hours circles of artists and writers. As a musician, Dave could be seen playing in a variety of Vancouver bands under different pseudonyms as well as his own beat-poetry-and-guitar project with Jim Naked, a distant cousin of Buck's. Jim Naked's untimely death in a drive-by shooting had a dramatic effect on Dave's will and nearly destroyed his famous 'entrepreneurial vision.' Since joining forces with Buck, Dave's energy and zest have made a complete recovery.

Like Buck, Dave is a Libra.

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