Anal Cunt

Anal Cunt

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	March 1, 1988 (1988-03-01) in Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Founder	Seth Putnam
Defunct	2011
Headquarters	Newton, Massachusetts , United States
Products	Music albums, EPs, compilations

Anal Cunt, sometimes abbreviated as AxCx or A.C., was a grindcore band from the United States that originated in Newton, Massachusetts in 1988. Throughout its existence, the group underwent multiple personnel shifts and notably operated without a bassist. Renowned for its harsh sound and provocative lyrical content, Anal Cunt produced eight studio albums along with numerous compilations and extended plays. The band ceased activities in 2011 after the passing of its founder and lead vocalist Seth Putnam, who died from a suspected heart attack.

Because their name was highly offensive, the band frequently went by the initials A.C. or AxCx, which appeared on many of their album covers. They further played with this abbreviation by artistically rendering the letters to resemble an anus and a vulva, a motif featured on several releases.

Putnam initially created the band as a satirical project, planning only one demo and a single live appearance; however, they continued performing until 2011 despite occasional short breaks. Their early work consisted of spontaneous, rapid, unintelligible screams without any pre-composed lyrics or melodies. Gradually, they introduced riffs and structured lyrics, establishing a reputation for deliberate shock value and explicit content. Their last albums, issued in 2010 and 2011, included the "cock rock" themed Fuckin' A and Wearing Out Our Welcome, which reflected their earlier musical style.

Formation in 1988

Anal Cunt was established on March 1, 1988, in Newton, Massachusetts by Seth Putnam, who had previously played in bands such as Executioner and Satan's Warriors. The deliberately offensive band name was chosen to maximize shock factor. Contrary to common assumptions, it was not derived from a GG Allin song; nevertheless, the band later honored Allin by covering one of his tracks.

The initial concept behind the band was to produce 'anti-music'—music devoid of rhythm, beats, riffs, or conventional song structures—exemplified by their release 5643 Song EP.

Early performances, recordings, and brief breakup (1988–1992)

Their debut performance took place in 1988 during a rehearsal at Putnam's mother's residence before an audience of family and friends. Early gigs were held in basements and living rooms, culminating in a live broadcast at Brandeis University. This event was intended as their sole public appearance until additional shows were organized alongside fellow band Shit Scum. Their first demo was recorded on a four-track recorder in Putnam's attic but was never officially released.

In August 1988, just prior to an intended U.S. tour, they recorded the 47 Song Demo, which later appeared on early compilation albums. That same year saw the release of the 88 Song EP, attracting attention from record labels including Earache Records, with whom they eventually signed. Earache also proposed licensing the 5643 Song EP for European distribution; however, Anal Cunt declined this offer. After issuing Another EP and completing their initial European tour in April 1992—documented through various compilations and bootlegs—the band opted to disband.

Following involvement in other projects like George H. Brown (whose track "Foreplay with a Tree Shredder" was subsequently covered by Anal Cunt), From Sloth to Anger, and Post Mortem, Putnam and Tim Morse reassembled Anal Cunt on March 1, 1991.

After regrouping, the band's sound evolved toward a somewhat more musical approach. Fred Ordonez joined as guitarist instead of the originally planned Paul Kraynak. They released multiple EPs including the innovative acoustic noisecore Unplugged EP. During a six-song session in 1992 prior to joining thrashcore act Siege, Putnam began incorporating "real songs" into their repertoire.

Despite drummer Tim Morse withdrawing at the last moment during a European tour that year, the band proceeded with performances. Initially employing two drummers simultaneously due to skill limitations before settling on one, their shows featured chaotic audience interactions and destruction of equipment partly intended to conceal the drummer's unfamiliarity with material. During this tour period, Putnam also performed with Fear of God and recorded with Seven Minutes of Nausea.

Upon returning stateside, John Kozik joined as an additional guitarist, marking a new chapter for Anal Cunt.

Contract with Earache (1993–2000)

Although Anal Cunt had produced notable recordings, much of their catalog was out of circulation and difficult to obtain. Seeking improved distribution channels and financial support for touring, they reached out to Earache Records, a label that had previously expressed interest. After submitting fresh material recorded in September—later issued by Relapse Records as Morbid Florist—Earache agreed to sign the group. Fred Ordonez briefly departed but returned before ultimately being replaced.

In March 1993, the band entered the studio to record their inaugural Earache release, Everyone Should Be Killed. Shortly after, Ordonez was succeeded by Paul Kraynak, who exited following a West Coast tour that interrupted recording sessions. This tour featured incidents such as Putnam’s arrest in San Francisco. Subsequently, the band operated as a single-guitar outfit with John Kozik.

After releasing Everyone Should Be Killed in 1994, Anal Cunt toured across Europe—including Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Austria—and the United States. They were supported by groups such as W.B.I., Necrophiliacs, Incantation, and Morpheus Descends. Later that year, their sound transitioned from noise to fast hardcore on Top 40 Hits, which included the single "Stayin' Alive (Oi! Version)".

The band embarked on another U.S. tour before making their debut in Japan in June. Kozik was replaced by Scott Hull of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed. This lineup recorded 40 More Reasons to Hate Us, marking their first album featuring lyrics and insults.

Following a two-week tour alongside Eyehategod, Hull declined to continue touring, prompting Kozik’s temporary return. The group faced instability once more when Tim Morse was dismissed, leaving Putnam as the only remaining founding member.

During a brief hiatus, they recorded just two tracks for tribute compilations, with Hull on guitar and Putnam handling drums and vocals. Additionally, Putnam contributed backing vocals on Pantera's The Great Southern Trendkill and performed lead vocals for an Eyehategod concert.

In January 1996, Putnam enlisted guitarist Josh Martin, a longtime acquaintance from New York University who later relocated to Boston. After experimenting with several drummers, Nate Linehan joined the band. Prior to an extensive tour with Incantation and Mortician, they recorded I Like It When You Die, an album centered on insults featuring guest Kyle Severn from Incantation.

Following Linehan’s brief departure, Putnam and Martin recorded tracks for a Black Sabbath tribute split with Eyehategod before Linehan rejoined. Two subsequent tours—one across America with Murder One and another in Japan—preceded the recording of their final Earache release, It Just Gets Worse, which came out after their 1999 European tour supporting Flächenbrand. The album encountered controversy due to enforced title changes and censorship imposed by the label.

In May 2000, Earache Records dropped Anal Cunt amid complications with distribution.

Second dissolution, reunion, and 20th anniversary (2000–2009)

Following their dismissal from Earache (despite a later contract offer they declined) and Linehan’s exit in September 1999, Anal Cunt continued with John Gillis on drums. They issued the Defenders of the Hate EP along with a split 7-inch featuring Flächenbrand, who had supported them during their 1999 German tour. The Defenders of the Hate tour in 2001 included stops in California and Texas; a limited edition of the record was released specifically for this tour. By late 2001, the band officially announced another breakup—which appeared permanent—with only a handful of compilation appearances and the release of Very Rare Rehearsal from February 1989 CD following.

In 2000, an infamous event occurred during a Providence show when Putnam verbally attacked opening act Dropdead and the audience, resulting in a physical confrontation.

In March 2003, Anal Cunt performed two shows celebrating their 15-year anniversary featuring material from 1988–1990; Mike Mahan returned on guitar while Florian Mahler filled in on drums instead of original drummer Tim Morse. The band reformed in August 2003 with Putnam, Martin, and Linehan. After Martin’s incarceration, John Kozik stepped in as his replacement. Following performances in late 2003 and a brief Japanese tour in January 2004 alongside Napalm Death, Nasum, and Pig Destroyer, Linehan departed again and was succeeded by John Gillis.

In October 2004, Putnam suffered a nearly month-long coma caused by an overdose involving alcohol, crack cocaine, heroin, and sleeping pills. Despite medical expectations of severe brain damage or death, he recovered following extensive physical rehabilitation but remained temporarily paralyzed. The band resumed live shows with Putnam performing while seated.

After a festival appearance in Norway in 2006 where Putnam fainted onstage, both Kozik and Gillis left the group. Martin rejoined after his release from jail along with Linehan. In 2007 they released the full-length Defenders of the Hate CD featuring bonus rare tracks and material from earlier compilations. Planned projects such as Picnic of Love II and an Anal Cunt/Gay Bar split never came to fruition. The reissue led to a March 2007 tour including Los Angeles Murderfest Version 3.0 and a UK festival appearance.

For their twentieth anniversary in 2008, Putnam reunited with original members Tim Morse and Mike Mahan for several shows spanning Boston, Texas, and the West Coast. With Linehan having left again and Martin incarcerated at that time, on November 17 they completed the 110 Song CD, which revisited their early noisecore style.

Following this reunion period, Morse remained as permanent drummer while Martin returned to the lineup. Early in 2009 saw the release of Old Stuff Part 3, compiling non-Earache recordings from the Putnam/Martin/Linehan era. This release prompted extensive touring across the U.S., followed by a short Norwegian tour in October. In that year Anal Cunt also recorded two new albums.

New recordings, Putnam's passing, and band breakup (2010–2011)

In April 2010, Seth Putnam revealed that a new album was nearly finished, a project delayed due to guitarist Josh Martin's imprisonment. After Martin's release, he completed the lead guitar parts. On May 11, 2010, the band opted to divide the material into two separate albums: Fuckin' A, which showcased "cock rock songs" reminiscent of Mötley Crüe's debut Too Fast for Love, and Wearing Out Our Welcome, composed of noisegrind tracks featuring backing vocals from members of Raunchous Brothers, Vaginal Jesus, and Mudoven. By June 22, 2010, the Fuckin' A album was finalized; songs like "Fuck Yeah" and "Cranking My Band's Demo on a Box at the Beach" were made available on MySpace Music. Two days later, on June 24, Seth Putnam announced that Josh Martin had left the group, which then continued as a duo. The album Fuckin' A was officially released on January 11, 2011, coinciding with Martin’s brief return following two performances as a two-piece. In April 2011, Anal Cunt undertook their farewell tour, culminating on April 30 in Cleveland.

The band came to an end when founder and frontman Seth Putnam passed away from an apparent heart attack on June 11, 2011.

A collection of rare Anal Cunt tracks was initially announced in 2009 for release via Wicked Sick Records, Putnam’s own label. This compilation emerged in October 2011 as a two-CD set titled The Old Testament, which reissued The Early Years 1988–1991 with updated artwork and liner notes penned by Putnam himself. It included the band’s first demo—previously unheard outside their inner circle—and recordings from their final rehearsal in 1991. Relapse Records released the set in November 2011.

Former guitarist Josh Martin died on May 28, 2018, due to an accidental fall at Providence Place mall in Rhode Island.

In 2020, Morse and Ordonez formed a grindcore duo named Burt Bacharach that reflected early AxCx’s style but incorporated radical left-wing lyrical themes.

Musical style

Anal Cunt has been identified within genres such as grindcore, noisecore, noisegrind, and hardcore punk.

Lyrics

The lyrical content of Anal Cunt frequently addressed subjects involving misogyny, homophobia, Nazism, antisemitism, racism, political commentary, critiques of mainstream culture, and mockery of marginalized groups. Numerous songs contained derogatory remarks aimed at communities including African Americans, Jewish individuals, homosexuals, immigrants, people affected by HIV/AIDS, among others.

The album I Like It When You Die centered on insult-laden titles formatted as "X Is Gay" (examples include "Technology's Gay" and "The Internet Is Gay") and "You X" (such as "You Own a Store" and "You Go to Art School"). The band also satirized this approach with tracks like "You (Fill in the Blank)" and "I'm in Anal Cunt".

Their 1999 release It Just Gets Worse escalated the offensive nature with extreme expressions of racism and sexism; songs like "You're Pregnant So I Kicked You in the Stomach" and "Women: Nature's Punching Bag" exemplify this. Some lyrics were modified or renamed to adhere to British libel laws. The album featured parody “Parental Advisory” labels emphasizing its provocative content.

On It Just Gets Worse, references to the Holocaust became more prominent with tracks titled "I Sent Concentration Camp Footage to America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Hitler Was a Sensitive Man". This theme persisted into subsequent EPs with songs such as "I'm Hitler" and "Ha Ha Holocaust".

Another recurring lyrical theme involved disparaging other bands or musical styles with titles like "Rancid Sucks", "Limp Bizkit Think They're Black, but They're Just Gay", and "311 Sucks".

In contrast to their offensive material, the band also produced humorous self-parody works like the satirical album Picnic of Love. Their repertoire included covers beyond their genre boundaries such as "U Can't Touch This", "Stayin' Alive", "Electric Avenue", and "Just the Two of Us". They also covered songs by Black Sabbath, Pantera, and even selections from The Muppets.

Critic Steve Huey described their album Morbid Florist as “almost unlistenable.” Seth Putnam admitted he would submit their recordings to magazines expecting negative critiques.

Legacy

Anal Cunt was featured in Q magazine's 2005 publication The Greatest Rock & Pop Miscellany Ever! as one of the "25 Band Names That Should Have Stayed on the Drawing Board." In 2021, Mike Rampton from Kerrang identified Anal Cunt as the "most offensive band name of all time."

Final lineup

• Seth Putnam – lead vocals, guitar (1988–2001, 2003–2011; deceased 2011)
• Tim Morse – drums, backing vocals (1988–1996, 2008–2011)
• Josh Martin – guitar, backing vocals (1996–2001, 2006–2011; passed away 2018)

Former members

• Mike Mahan – guitar (1988–1990, 1998, 2003, 2008)
• Fred Ordonez – guitar (1991–1992, 1992–1993)
• John Kozik – guitar (1992–1995, 2003–2006)
• Paul Kraynak – guitar (1993, 1995)
• Scott Hull – guitar (1995)
• Nate Linehan – drums (1996–1999, 2003–2004, 2006–2007)
• John Gillis – drums (1999–2001, 2004–2006)
• Florian Mahler – drums (2003)

Timeline

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Discography

• Everyone Should Be Killed (1994)
• Top 40 Hits (1995)
• 40 Additional Reasons to Detest Us (1996)
• I Enjoy It When You Die (1997)
• Picnic of Love (1998)
• It Just Gets Worse (1999)
• Guardians of the Hate (2001)
• 110 Song Collection (2008)
• Fuckin' A (2010)
• Wearing Out Our Welcome (2011)