“Vote with a Bullet” was the odd man out on 1991’s Blind by Corrosion of Conformity. It was the only song sung by new guitarist Pepper Keenan, whose bluesy vocals presaged the band’s later Southern rock direction. An old interview with drummer Reed Mullin reveals fascinating tidbits – that he wrote most of Blind, and that COC wanted to tour with Public Enemy. His take on “Vote with a Bullet”: “I think it should be viewed as a voice for the voiceless. When you have no alternative, no recourse, it is an alternative…I am not saying that [violence] is right, it is just a recourse for someone.” (This 1991 newspaper article delves into COC’s political activities.)
The song came out in 1992 as a single; industrial agitprop outfit Consolidated later remixed it. The remix is hilariously bad, replacing the drums with “disco” keyboard percussion presets. Download it, deride it, and delete it. (Or keep it for laughs.) The original has amply sufficient staying power.
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Totally insane Mullin intie. I remember him wearing a PE tee at a “Technocracy” era show, but I didn’t know that he was behind the egregious slide into trucker meth bluez…
The original trio = Deth Metal Up Yr Arse.
I’d attribute the move to Southern rock more to Pepper Keenan, since Blind was his first record – big change in sound there – and when he took over vocals from that point on (Deliverance), that became the COC of today.
I’m listening to the remix in my office right now and fighting as hard as I can to keep from falling on the floor laughing. This shit makes me want to put on leotards and a headband and do some kind of hip-thrusting Jazzercise routine. Pure comedy gold. Can’t fuck with Blind, though.
my favorite is the cartoon in walsby’s manchild where the coc spiky head says “i can’t believe i used to burn these” in regards to the american flag and a dude who’s with him says “hell yeah”. comic gold.
That’s awesome. Walsby is the man. Which Manchild was that?
At his blog, he has the mother of all old COC interviews, which explains, among many other things, the origin of the COC skull:
http://introvertedloudmouth.blogspot.com/2007/12/like-gold-down-sewer-part-three.html
i think it was manchild 3. it’s either 1 or 3.
his cover art for the cheap tragedies 7″ is the best thing he’s done.
I am so psyched that you posted this!!! One of my all time favorite songs to be sure. It almost got me expelled from college in 1992 when I played it on my small-time college radio show, dedicated it to George H.W. Bush, and followed it with the unedited Napalm Death cover of “Nazi Punks Fuck Off.”
Good times… good times…
lou – I have a gigantic soft spot for college radio. Good for you. Too bad this song will probably stay relevant through the ages.