In the early ’90s, the Jesus Lizard—vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly—was untouchable. Not literally, of course—if you were at one of its hundreds of shows in that era, you could very easily touch ’em. And given the amount of time Yow spent slithering on top of the audience, you probably didn’t have a choice in the matter. Denison and McNeilly will be guest editing. Read our new MAGNET Classics feature on the band’s Liar album, one of the most important LPs of the ’90s.
Denison: I like seeing nuclear reactors by the sides of highways. More specifically, the huge, skyward-reaching cooling towers. Why? I like the way they look. Modern yet primitive, like giant clay pots with fumes coming out. I’m not religious, but when I see them, it inspires a sense of dread and awe like what churches and temples probably would’ve if I’d been alive a few hundred years ago. A little fear is good for the soul, I think. They’re scary and dangerous, toxic, lethal, all that. I wouldn’t want to live near one, but I’m glad they exist. Kinda like motorcycle gangs …
