The Fugs

The Band

The Fugs formed in late 1964 on New York City’s Lower East Side when beat poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg decided to start a band after a particularly wild poetry reading. They recruited drummer Ken Weaver and took their name from a euphemism in Norman Mailer’s novel The Naked and the Dead.

What followed was six decades of protest, poetry, profanity, and rock ‘n’ roll. Scott Petito has been their bassist and producer since 1984.

The Fugs predated The Velvet Underground. They were too raw for the mainstream and too literary for garage rock. Music critic Greil Marcus called their work “a theater of absurd democracy.” Jim DeRogatis named them “the missing link between Allen Ginsberg and Iggy Pop.”

They’ve influenced Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Frank Zappa, Iggy Pop, and generations of musicians who learned that you don’t need permission—or even technical proficiency—to make art that matters.

The Pentagon Exorcism

On October 21, 1967, Ed Sanders led The Fugs in one of the most audacious political demonstrations in American history. At the March on the Pentagon, they attempted to levitate the building 300 feet in the air and expel the evil spirits within.

Sanders chanted “Out, demons, out!” while Allen Ginsberg intoned mantras and Abbie Hoffman paired up couples for public displays of affection meant to surround the Pentagon in love. The building didn’t budge—but that was never the point.

Norman Mailer chronicled the event in his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Armies of the Night. A recording of the ritual appears on the 1968 album Tenderness Junction.

FBI’s Favorite Band

The Fugs’ frank lyrics about sex, drugs, and war attracted federal attention. One FBI memorandum described The Fugs First Album as “the most vulgar thing the human mind could possibly conceive.” Another noted they were “considered to be beatniks and free thinkers, i.e., free love, free use of narcotics.”

The FBI eventually concluded the investigation, noting their recordings were “not considered to be obscene.”

High praise.

Current Lineup

The Fugs reformed in 1984 and have maintained a stable lineup since 1985:

Ed Sanders – Founder, vocals, songwriter. Woodstock resident, investigative poet, author of The Family (the definitive Manson book), and the man who tried to levitate the Pentagon.

Steven Taylor – Vocals, guitars, keyboards. Collaborated with Allen Ginsberg for 20 years. Professor at Naropa University. Author of False Prophet: Field Notes from the Punk Underground.

Scott Petito – Bass, guitars, keyboards, producer. Owner of NRS Recording Studio in Catskill, NY, where The Fugs have recorded most of their reunion-era albums. Grammy-nominated producer whose credits include work with The Band, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Brubeck, and James Taylor.

Coby Batty – Drums, percussion, vocals. Songwriter and actor who has performed with Don Cherry, John Zorn, and Eugene Chadbourne.

Discography

The 1960s

• The Fugs First Album (1965)
• The Fugs Second Album (1966)
• Virgin Fugs (1967)
• Tenderness Junction (1968)
• It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest (1968)
• The Belle of Avenue A (1969)
• Golden Filth (1970)

The Reunion Era

• Refuse to Be Burnt-Out (1984)
• No More Slavery (1985)
• Star Peace (1987) – Rock opera satirizing Reagan’s “Star Wars” program
• The Real Woodstock Festival (1995)
• The Fugs Final CD (Part 1) (2003)
• Be Free! The Fugs Final CD (Part 2) (2010)
• Dancing in the Universe (2023)

In Film

• Burn After Reading (2008) – “CIA Man” featured in the Coen Brothers film
• Chappaqua (1967) – Performance in Conrad Rooks’ cult film
• W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (1971) – Tuli Kupferberg appearance

60 Years and Counting

The Fugs celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2024-2025 with performances at the Byrdcliffe Barn in Woodstock—the same venue where they played their first reunion concert in 1988. Ed Sanders, now 85, still leads the band with the same fire that got him surveilled by the FBI six decades ago.