Camper Van Beethoven: Their story

A band for whom the term ‘alternative’ might first have been coined; in fact, principal songwriter David Lowery suggests that is exactly the case: ‘(We) were arguably the prototypical alternative band. I remember first seeing that word applied to us. The nearest I could figure is that we seemed like a punk band, but we were playing pop music, so they made up the word ‘alternative’ for those of us who do that’.
Camper Van Beethoven were a witty, often sarcastic garage rock band formed in Redlands, California, USA, in 1983 by school friends, transferring to Santa Cruz when members attended college there. They were given their name by early member David McDaniels, though initial line-ups were frequently unstable. Lowery (b. 10 October 1960, San Antonio, USA; vocals, guitar) was originally joined by Greg Lisher (guitar), Chris Pedersen (drums), Chris Molla, Jonathan Segel (violin) and Victor Krummenacher (bass). Krummenacher was formerly a member of jazz ensemble Wrestling Worms. 

Their debut, Telephone Free Landslide Victory, contained the classic single cut ‘Take The Skinheads Bowling’, as well as the surreal ethnic instrumentation of 'Balalaika Gap’ and ‘Border Ska’, and a strange Black Flag cover version (‘Wasted’).

It was typical of an armoury of songs that included titles such as ‘The Day Lassie Went To The Moon’, ‘Joe Stalin’s Cadillac’, and ‘ZZ Top Goes To Egypt’. They played their UK debut in March 1987, where ‘Take The Skinheads Bowling’ had become something of a cult hit, but neither there nor in the USA did their critical popularity transfer into sales. Vampire Can Mating Oven wrapped up the last of their Rough Trade Records-distributed fare before a move to Virgin Records. 

Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart found them in fine form with a bigger budget and a sympathetic producer, Dennis Herring. However, the tone of Key Lime Pie proved infinitely more sombre than previous outings and prophesied their split. In retrospect it is hard to listen to a track like ‘When I Win The Lottery’ without reading it as allegory for the band’s unsuccessful transition from independent to major label chart prospect. A bizarre cover version of Status Quo‘s ‘Pictures Of Matchstick Men’, released as a single, serves as a reminder of their former discordant eclecticism.

Four members of Camper Van Beethoven, Lisher, Krummenacher, Pederson and former Ophelias guitarist David Immergliick (who joined the band over their final recordings), put together Monks Of Doom. Segel, who had been replaced by Morgan Fichter before Key Lime Pie was released, worked on released solo projects, and main songwriter David Lowery, after waiting fruitlessly for his former colleagues to return from their ‘stupidity’, finally made the deserved transition to a major band with Cracker. He reunited with Krummenacher and Segel in late 1999 to promote the rarities set, Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead, Long Live Camper Van Beethoven, and to undertake a handful of live performances. The reunion was successful enough to warrant a return to the studio, and in 2004 the most unlikely of comebacks was completed when Camper Van Beethoven released the albums New Roman Times (2004), La Costa Perdida (2013) and El Camino Real (2014).