Nomenclature

The band's iconic logo is not only a nod to their namesake, but also has roots in the history of movies and music. Read on to learn about The Unsatisfied's connection to The Cramps.

Often asked about the origins of the band name, Eric decided it was time to share it here, in an official Unsatisfied Blog. According to Eric, it was a simplistic start to what would later become a life-defining moniker. Paid in record albums while working at The Nucleus, a well-known Chattanooga underground nightclub, Eric and his younger brother Darren chose two vinyl records from the record shop inside the iconic punk rock club in 1985: Adam Ant - Viva Le Rock & The Cramps - Can Your Pussy Do The Dog, both from the import section. After examining the back cover of The Cramps album, Eric noticed a poster behind the head of Touch Hazard, titled The Unsatisfied. Eric said it just stood out to him; he felt an instant connection to it, and he thought, "That's a great name!"

The photo, taken by Ed Colver, featured the band: Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Nick Knox, and Touch Hazard (Tim Maag of The Mechanics & D.I., who was only with The Cramps for a short while), seated on a sofa in a room wallpapered with old sexploitation film posters. Familiar with Russ Meyer films of the same era, Eric had not heard of this one before seeing it on the back of The Cramps' album. The 1961 Spanish-made film, labeled a "crime drama," was directed by Ignacio F. Iquino and featured Rita Cadillac, a popular vixen in this type of film at the time. So, while it was the movie title that spawned the band name, it was ultimately The Cramps' album, Can Your Pussy Do The Dog, that formed the connective tissue and inspired what would become the namesake of Eric's life's work. Eric says he learned a lot from Lux and credits him as an idol and visionary. "What was great about Lux," Eric elaborates, "is that he could take a novelty or a fetish and turn it into shamanism. He could unfold reality."

The Cramps Can Your Pussy Do The Dog featuring Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Nick Knox, & Touch Hazard c.1985; French Import. Inset: The Unsatisfied (original Spanish title: Juventud a la intemperie) directed by: Ignacio F. Iquino and starring Rita Cadillac c.1961.

It is easy to see the foundation for The Unsatisfied's aesthetic and grindhouse art style in these artifacts that form their roots. Even their crunchy guitar sound and heavy licks have tethers in these influences, but that's where the similarities end. The Unsatisfied has crafted its symbolism, mythology, look, and sound, distinct and unique from its origin material. That is not to say The Cramps are not a huge and important inspiration, just that Eric has forged his own path with The Unsatisfied, and he is a true original, an enigmatic entity in his own right. Though he will always love and recognize The Cramps as benefactors of his namesake and Lux for igniting his inner weirdo, he has not forgotten all the other great influences that inspired and mused his creativity, and he values being respected for his individuality among his peers and idols. Contributing original music, music that reflects his band's history and story to the world, is the most rewarding part of creation, and that is what Eric wants The Unsatisfied to be remembered for.

While considering the origin of the band's name, another question the band receives quite often is regarding the title Real Gone Pale Face. The story for this is a fun one. Eric and Johnny are both huge Dr. Dimento fans and while listening to the song Transfusion by Nervous Norvis at a gathering here at Unsatisfied HQ - many, many moons ago - they realized the lyrics, "I'm a real gone pale face, and that's no illusion; I'm never, never, never gonna speed again; pass the claret to me Barrett," from the fourth chorus in the song, were rich in meaning. Eric thought this idea of being a "real gone pale face" - meaning you have no blood left in your body; you're dead - was an amazing existential concept and decided he wanted to explore it creatively. This was the foundation of the album title and its inherent meaning structurally. Johnny's beautiful art cover would reflect this ideology visually, featuring Eric in whiteface against a hypnotic, swirling purple backdrop. There were different iterations of this cover, each one expressive, before the final purple vortex was chosen. The first featured a bright, graduated golden portal portraying "the tunnel of light," and the next had a representative graveyard in the distance behind Eric. Ultimately, Johnny's final purple vortex rendition, symbolizing the transformative euphoria of transition, was the final edit and inarguably the best choice.

In addition to the visual cues, later, when samples were being chosen as interludes on the tracks, Eric remarked that Elvis's tempting words from the Sun Sessions (the sample used at the beginning of RGPF leading into Pretty Weird, Huh?), lead one even further into this illusory idea of being "real gone." Of course, when Elvis says, "Hold it fellas, that don't move me; let's get real, real gone," he means let's get wilder than wild. This only enhanced the 50s concept of bloodlessness and taking it to the extreme for Eric, because in his words, "What could be wilder than death?" But these details are only grazing the surface of the allusions to the creative theming inside Real Gone Pale Face. All of the art, songs, and samples used, in one way or another, contribute to this focus on the extremities of life and death, madness and survival, shamanism and sacrifice, possession and loss; things that test the boundaries of reality, all leading into the next chapter. Mick Jagger's part just before Death Card, a song which mirrors Mick's sentiment, "The only performance that makes it, that really makes it, that makes it all the way, is the one that achieves madness," implies going as far as one has to to achieve fame, even when the payoff is loss. How the pursuit of stardom turns you into a monster when all you want is to be the greatest, but to get there, you have to make a mess. This flow can be followed throughout the entire album - Wendy Torrence, terror and survival; Wicked Girl, abuse and family trauma; Relationship Paranoia, religious persecutions and convictions; Boney Fingers of Truth, love, redemption, and hard life lessons; even Johnny's Phantom art on the disc reflects angst, desire and torment; the list continues throughout. If you pay attention, you can follow the pattern right to the very last emotion on the album, Ben Vereen closing the scene with, "Life for this cat, was death, man," at the end of .44 Caliber.

I hope this introspection gives everyone a fresh appreciation for the level of creative genius and imagination imbued in this album. The meditative narratives and cathartic wisdom represented through various aspects of death and unwanted change reflect the things we often don't recognize are happening during our lives, or we fail to overcome. The hard-lived, exposed frailties, the human experience, the struggles and pain of mortality; I have spent almost three decades with this album, and it always inspires me. Through themes of death and phases of dying, I feel this album reflects life quite poetically and redirects us to the importance of embracing and truly living every finite moment.

Night of the White Face, June 18th, 1994, featured the entire band and their entourage in whiteface for a stage production with gothic/vampire B-movie overtones performed at 20 Below Club in Chattanooga, TN. L-R: Live Show photo; original flyer; cast photo of Eric as the character "Rev. Holyflesh" backstage with his whiteface undead road crew (L-R: Jon Cook, Chris Grice, J.P. Denney, Mikeal Higgins, Eric, Mojo, & Sean Underwood. Not pictured but present: Jamie Kincaid & Lysabella Scealf. R.I.P. J.P. & Mojo - Luv 'N Blood Forever, brothers

But this was not the first time these two had explored the "real gone pale face" ideation. The first time they played with this concept was well before the album Real Gone Pale Face - five years prior. In a stage production billed as Night of the White Face, Eric painted the band's entourage and himself from head to waist in white stage paint. The "undead road crew," as they were called, would act as possessed stagehands, carrying out the orders of their "undead masters" - the band. Tony Byers (drummer c. 1993-1999) was dragged out by collar and heavy leashes and chained to his caged drum kit, like some uncontrollable monster animal; Jeremy Nolan (bassist c. 1992-1994) was carried out and "plugged-in" to his bass rig as if zombiefied and bespelled; Johnny was carried out in a real bodybag (collected from the hearse he purchased for the band to tour in), unzipped and "set-up" next to his amp where he stood motionless till plugged-in to his amp and "electrified" to life. The band remained in character, awaiting Eric to give the signal to start playing. The lights were lowered so the room darkened, and I (Lysa) took the stage as Roczan the devil girl, and announced the band while Eric, in full vampire mode, crawled on the floor through the tightly packed crowd, startling and exciting them. The whiteface stagehands stood nearby around the stage in case the "monster masters" needed attendance as Eric, Johnny, Jeremy, and Tony went wild. This show was a massive success. Though this production was never replicated, Eric often still wears whiteface, and it supplied him and Johnny with artistic fuel for future projects.

When asked about their writing, Eric and Johnny both agree that there is often a lot of dark comedy injected into what they create. "We frequently get compared to Iggy & the Stooges, which is flattering; a lot of that is due to stage performances and general wildness, sometimes bloodshed, at live shows, and just being this strange, extreme southern punk band. In reality," Eric chuckles, "It's more like the three stooges for Johnny & Me!" Eric and Johnny's artistic vision, which they term Southern Gothic, is paired equally indirectly as their contemporaries, bands such as Bauhaus and Type O Negative, do more directly through imagery from an occult perspective. RGPF, for example, by injecting the dark comedic vibe of Dr. Dimento into the underlying wisdom of the Transfusion lyrics, and transposing them into this sort of tongue-in-cheek death & excess overtoned concept - not making fun of it, but embracing every element of it - Eric & Johnny expressed a graphic punk rock take on dark theming with a gothic aesthetic that is both lyrical prose and an artistic masterpiece that must be taken seriously.

Be sure to buy your tickets early - we want you there to help us celebrate! Costumes are encouraged, kids are welcome when accompanied by an adult, Real Gone Pale Face will be re-released on eerie green vinyl, and The Unsatisfied will give their all to make your Halloween memorable! Click the banner above for tickets!

The Unsatisfied has earned its lumps and accolades. They are hard-working stage performers, strong songwriters, and creative and charismatic personalities. Respected in the industry by their idols and among their peers and contemporaries, it appears they have broken through to a new level, now receiving overdue appreciation from their hometown, and it is spreading. Always ahead of his time, Eric was often misunderstood or underrated by the local music scene, riding waves of highs and lows in local popularity. Only when he ventured outward, away from home, was The Unsatisfied favorably recognized for its potential and talent on a steady platform and embraced by the venues and connections they made. The Unsatisfied can only get bigger from here.

Click the photo to watch Ambition Withdraw: Redux on Fawesome streaming channel.

If you want to learn more about the band's origins, Ambition Withdraw: Redux is full of internal info and interesting details about the band and its members. Though scheduled for worldwide release this fall, it is currently available on the Fawesome streaming channel. Click the photo to the left to watch now. Please be sure to leave an awesome review and share this link with friends and family members you know will enjoy it. Current reviews and award nominations of the film are available on the EPK page of this website and through Google search. There is also a dedicated BLOG in the works. The movie features songs from five separate albums: Lustcraft 1992; The Underground Sampler 1993; Real Gone Pale Face 1999; Seven Inch Rock Scar 2001; & The Way to the Crumbs 2005, with corresponding video sequences throughout, as well as performances by many of the band's sister and brother bands and a surprise performance with The Misfits. It is the best way to learn their history to date - next to this BLOG, of course!

Eric has always given his all for the music and the fans. The term Luv' N Blood, the band's catchphrase, is a reflection of this sentiment of sacrifice in blood, bleeding for the cause of Rock 'N Roll to the death. Eric is a natural-born rock star. It is what fuels his soul, he does it well, and he has dedicated his life to the muse.

Another venture in the works for the future, The Unsatisfied are currently working on a new YouTube series where they revisit and explore the amazing bands they've come to know, that you may not have heard of, and all the venues that have helped shape the southern underground music scene they are from. The series is currently in the curation and production phase, but the band will hopefully have some sneak peeks for everyone soon! They will feature guest musicians and music you may not have known before the show, but after viewing, you will want to know more. Out of a sense of reciprocity, gratitude, and love for these venues and bands, The Unsatisfied hope this project will pay it forward as a nod of appreciation. They are hopeful you will show your support for this project by subscribing to The Unsatisfied on their YouTube channel, and once the new content is launched, that you will stick around and help them make it the best it can be through comments, likes, and shares. While waiting for this new podcast, why not go ahead and subscribe and watch some Unsatisfied videos? Check out their channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheUnsatisfied

Eric and Johnny are family, Tribe; they have been writing music and performing together since 1993. Besides great guitar riffs, Johnny has contributed the majority of the splendid artwork featured on Unsatisfied merch, flyers, albums, and, of course, on the infamous amp head covers you see on stage with them.

Eric Scealf has spent decades building The Unsatisfied into a sound, a brand, and a name you know. That name has generated a strong and loyal following that has stayed with him for the duration, including his beloved band members, guitarists Johnny Stockman and Wayno Shadwick, bassist Seth Smallen, and newest addition to the line-up, power drummer and long-time family friend, the amazing Matt Reynolds, all of whom have contributed to that signature sound and aesthetic fans have come to know and love, combining all the right elements for creating the band's legendary Punk Rock music.

The Unsatisfied is a family-run business, and they professionally conduct themselves despite the controlled chaos one sees at a show. Everything you see on the stage or at the merch table was curated, created, and managed by the band itself. Even though unpredictable strangeness and random madness may occasionally occur (they are a punk band, after all!), integrity and transparency are firmly in place at all times. From the very beginning, this has been Eric's dream, and along the way, it has become a big part of many more people's lives, my own included. The name The Unsatisfied has come to represent blood, sweat, and tears to its members and their families; it is also a mark of integrity and perseverance to the world at large, and it is an everlasting symbol of profoundly decadent southern-style punk rock music - or in their terms, southern gothic punk rock, a brand uniquely Unsatisfied. Eric has dedicated his life to the cause of music; he has contributed to the craft of theatre, lyrics, and art as well. He will be the first to tell someone, if you have a dream, if you are born knowing, act on it, the world needs you. The Unsatisfied has taught me that.

Til next we meet, Luv 'N Blood, forever Tribe!

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COMING SOON...

If you are new to the unsatisfied, welcome! If you are already Unsatisfied Tribe, welcome back! We want to know what you think! If you have suggestions for future Blog topics or features, comment below – or email us at theunsatisfied2020@gmail.com and write BLOG in the subject line. We value our Tribe and want to write about what you want to know.

If you have flyers, stickers, photos, news articles, or any other media related to Real Gone Pale Face or The Unsatisfied, consider sharing them with the band’s archive collections by sending them to the email below, or mail them to us at 4027 Meadow Ln, Chattanooga, TN 37406-1429. Thanks so very much for your contributions to our history, Tribe!

We want your feedback on this and all things The Unsatisfied. Please send us suggestions, comment on this Blog, leave a review on your favorite Unsatisfied album, or email us at theunsatisfied2020@gmail.com with whatever is on your mind.

We hope you have enjoyed this introspective band Blog and look forward to more.

THE UNSATISFIED THANK YOU, from the bottoms of our black hearts, for believing in us!