Jack Tragic and the Unfortunates - biography

i got the name jack tragic from a guy tom. first band call deformo. first gig- ron's place new haven CT. made $12.00. marylin on bass. bill buller/immigrant on drums.dave death singing.
got larry (bass) from the repels.1982.....got melch from crawling smash. dave leaves the band due to going to jail and then nuthouse. recorded the 8 song 'RAW" sessions. bill is arrested- he's history. enter dee (stroy) on drums -played in nyc alot during the summer.w/ beastie boys opening for us. 1983...... i kill hippies/ mind loot (one of the the top 100 punk singles of all time by SPIN magazine- huh???) record released. dave returns but isn't on the single. SLASH distributes. play w/ agnostic front, kraut, plasmatics, butthole surfers, ultraviolence, bad brains, black flag etc. soon headlining in clubs. later dave, melch and dee are kaput. 1984 enter the phil "dare i move to ny" period w/melch. we record the unreleased lp "BURNT" for "????" records but i go ape**** in a drunken blackout...... have an altercation with someone at the record company...&..... then........
we independently release "It's Your Funeral" and "JC Commandoes". soon sick of the metal and suffering a mental breakdown i move back to htfd . phil and dave form the spiders. 1985 .....jack, larry and chuck (from chronic disorder) form phase 3(4/5??) jack and chuck do the "hit the bitch" sessions at U.H before NIN did it. record the unreleased "CINDERELLA FRANKENSTEIN" E.P.with Myles Mangino engineering (some of which has surfaced on "Busted At The Lit Club" LP in Germany). alex defelice (ex of The Products in San Diego) joins up on rhythm guitar. 5th anniversary gig at agora ballroom. 1986 chuck leaves. alex leaves. they soon go to the dispossessed. starting from scratch, i go back to the old hardcore sound that we started with. dave sings again.(after getting out of the nuthouse for doing too much acid; he flips again and splits). i record the "born dead" EP but it falls through with the label. we play our final gig in CT at the municiple cafe. i do too much speed and trash all the equipment. i move to cali in 1987 w/dave and start THE WHOREMASTERS. play a bunch of shows but the drugs take over again. stay tuned........(the following is closed captioned).
It's 1988....... playing in the noise boys w/ dave death. me and el duce from the mentors write together and try to start a band called "the cock goblins". my riffs later show up on his solo lp w/ me uncredited (true story). 1989 we reform in nyc. phil (drums), larry (bass), munch (i call him that) our practice sessions are taken by munch and released as White Nig*** Rising w/ andy shernoff mixing. crypt (records) gets a hardon and buys it from him.(cool huh?). they freeze on the deal and the unfortunates break up for good.

-Jack Tragic- 2002

(below by me..Joe Snow)

Jack Tragic and The Unfortunates seemed to pretty much live up to their name. They started off with a real bang by recording the amazing "I Kill Hippies" single but were never able to regain their initial momentum and match that spark of the first record. It took almost 20 years for a real thorough LP of their best music to finally become available thanks to the hard work of Keith Graves who has compiled some great obscure New England punk with his "Shielded By Death" series. Jack, surprisingly enough is actually alive and well and living in California. If you want to drop a line to him his email is jacktrag666@aol.com . I wouldn't suggest trying to have a discussion about the Grateful Dead with him though. You probably won't live very long if you do.

Discography:

1983 - I Kill Hippies 7" single Lowlife Records
I Kill Hippies/Mind Loot

1984 - It's Your Funeral 7" single, Underground Sound
It's your funeral/Jesus Christ Commando

1989 - White Nigger Rising CD, Crypt Records
Homo Parade/Drop The Dime/Death Wish/I Kill Hippies/Milk Carton Mistress/White Nigger Rising

2002 - Sheilded By Death Vol1. "Busted At The Lit" compilation LP, Dionysus Records
Mind Loot/Fight For Your Life

2002 - Sheiled By Death Vol2. "Guillotined At The Hangar" compilation LP, Dionysus Records
I Kill Hippies/Dig Up Your Grave

2003 - Coming Down Like A Hammer CD, Dionysus Records
I Kill Hippies/Mind Loot/Born Dead/The Bug/I'm Burnt/Coming Down/Shell Shock Joe/Man's World/Zodiac/Savage Territory/Drop The Dime/I Want To Die/Milk Carton Mistress/Jesus Christ Commando/Afraid Of You/Cinderella Frankenstein