My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

Hit and Run Holiday (Interscope)
by Joshua Brown

Where are we going?” “Anywhere, just as long as we stay out good and late.” Thrill Kill! Thrill Kill! You’re coasting in your red convertible with the top down on a palm-lined boulevard when, from out of nowhere, minute objects pelt you on your head and shoulders. You nervously push the button to close the roof back over your head, annoyed that your gorgeous day has been interrupted by a hailstorm. As you look down, you notice that the hailstones have failed to melt, and that in fact, they’re not hailstones at all, but multicolored pills in different shapes and sizes. You’re caught up in a pillstorm! Your first impulse is to sample one of these pharmaceuticals from the sky. The curiosity is enough to overwhelm all the danger warnings in your conscious mind personified by your parents, teachers, McGruff the crime-biting dog, etc., etc.

When the pills have had time to kick in, the entire world is transformed into a ’70s style nightclub. The sum is a gigantic disco ball reflecting green, red, yellow, and purple light. The bag lady pushing the shopping cart is now a gorgeous young diva that Abba would have written a song about. An evil smirk crosses your countenance after you realize that your life will never be the same after today.

Those already familiar with My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult will know what to expect. Futuristic retro fashion, an orgy of sax, keyboards, guitars, drums, and sultry voices. There’s something about them that I find intensely reassuring.