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AthFest 2006: Time Toy
Finally Releasing Its Two-Decades-Old Album Hy Swatter / Ice Water,
A Reinvigorated Time Toy Turns Back The Clock But Looks Ahead
T ime Toy, the much-loved, oft-cited link be
tween the early '80s Athens heyday and the
post-Athens, Go.: Inside/Out scene shift
is turning back the clock—at least for 45 min
utes—on Saturday at 5 p.m. The original line-up,
including Bryan Cook (vocals), Danny Cottar
(guitar, bass), Paul Hammond (guitar, bass) and
Robby McMahan (drums) reunited last year for a
private party at the 40 Watt. In the meantime,
the band found time to remaster its never-re
leased but highly anticipated album Fly Swatter
/ Ice Water.
An Athens institution in the mid-'80s, Time
Toy blended elements of droll Zappa-esque insan
ity and the precision musicianship of Pere Ubu
with a generally off-beat new wave sensibility.
The circus was led by the freewheeling lyrics
and unconventional vocals of Cook, an engaging
performer with an exoressive stage presence and
a festive let-it-all-hang-out/ don't-give-a-shit
attitude.
The AthFest show serves not only as the
band's first public show in many years, but it's
also a CD release "preview'’ show, a teaser set for
when the album is widely distributed later this
summer by Jeff Montgomery's and Troy Aubrey's
brand-new Iron Horse label. The cover art is
by Sam Seawright, a former Athenian currently
creating art in New York. The package contains
a collection of archival photos. Expect to hear
more about the record in a couple of months
or, better yet, buy a
copy at AthFest and
be among the first to
finally hear the two-
decades-old slab of
witty, visceral music
history. Word is a lim
ited number of copies
will be available at the
AthFest performance,
depending on the
manufacturer.
Cook, also a vet
eran of a number of
pioneering Athens
bands like Is/Ought
Gap, Oh-OK. Hindu
Love Gods and Thumb
Attack, spoke with
Flagpole recently.
Flagpole: A lot of
people overlook your
first band Is/Ought
Gap in the early history
of Athens music: but
you were one of the
first few bands on "the
scene."
Bryan Cook: Yeah,
well we lied at first;
we told people we
were in a band in
1980. "Yeah, we're
in a band, we're the
Derogatorys." Just
something negative. I Time Toy: now
guess we wanted to be
the 'negative band.' But soon we were a band and
we played the Koffee Klub and had all the co
gnoscenti of Athens there, watching us play our
songs: the R.E.M.s, the Side Effects, the Pylons.
We were nervous as we could be. We were a mess,
but it was great.
FP: What was the prevailing spirit of the scene
back then?
BC: There was no competition. I'd borrow a
mic from Stipe, or an amp from The Side Effects,
or a drum from the closest drummer who had the
closest practice space. There was no "No, you
can't do that" There was no bravado. If you were
a band, you were a band.
FP: Did it change?
BC: There was a point where people were ac
tually moving here to be in a band, but that was
after the period that people look back on as "the
heyday." There was a certain heyday time when
nobody knew anything. It was still new. And
things just evolved from there. Or devolved! It
got a lot frattier, if that's a word. And back then
Time Toy: then
there were only five
or six bars. Now there
are five or six bars or.
every corner.
FP: So Time Toy is
back in business, after,
what, 20 years now?
BC: We reactivated,
added water to our
selves, last year for a
private party called
Athens Rewind. We've
got all of our original
people still, so it was
easy. We had one prac
tice and it ended up
being as simple as pie
to do. And it was fun.
FP: Oddly, there was
no official Time Toy
album.
BC: People would
say, "Hey, do you have
a live Time Toy tape or something?" I was always
kinda reluctant to give it cut because we'd re
corded some stuff and we wanted to put it out.
Now we are finally putting it out. We've remas
tered it all and to me it doesn't sound very dated.
FP: So now there's a new Time Toy album that
just happens to be 20 years old.
BC: Twenty-plus, I guess! I've kinda lost
track of those years back then, but it's at least
20 years old. Jeff and Troy were looking for an
album to release on their label and they asked
John Keane if he knew of anything that would be
good. He said, "Oh, Time Toy, of course."
FP: But this isn't the first time a label was
interested in Time Toy.
BC: Years and years ago, after the Inside/Out
thing came out, MTV was wanting to start a label
and they approached us about wanting to do our
record. But we happened to break up right about
that time. Athens bands have always had this
reputation. I've been told from people outside
the scene that Athens bands get real good and
then they break up. And that's kinda how it is.
It's fun, and then when it's not fun, you don't do
it anymore.
FP: Oid the bond become more work than fun?
BC: It was never really work and nobody
became a jerk or got too high-falutin', or got
on crack. This was before crack was invented.
It wasn't a personality thing at all, it just kinda
went away.
FP: And now it’s bock.
BC: Yeah, back and with the record. We said
we were gonna have it by AthFest time and if
we have to print up 50 and draw covers we'll
do that, but I think it'll be ready. We’re right at
the point where it's almost ready and then that
opens up 50 more questions. "Do you like this, or
this?" We're all perfectionists, so it takes time.
We don't want it to look like it's a brand-new
record. We want it to look like it was from 1980-
whatever.
FP: And what about the rest of the Time Toy
catalog?
BC: We've got 45 or 50 songs, and we can
record more if people buy this one.
Lee Valentine Smith
WHO: Time Toy
WHERE: AthFest Main Stage
WHEN: Saturday, June 24,5 p.m.
HOW MUCH: FREE!
V /
28 FLAGPOLE.COM-JUNE 21,2006
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