Homer Erotic


Poet, provocateur, musician, among so many other things, Barbara Barg died of cancer in Chicago on May 22, 2018 at the age of 71. Even though I was expecting the news, the earth trembled under my feet when I heard it. There was no one like her. And I’d been looking forward to many more years of friendship; and hoped too in the future to get to Chicago and record her—it almost happened twice. Still there is a lot to be joyful for. An intense understanding kindness known as Barbara Barg once walked the earth and I knew her. Friends got memorials together in Chicago and New York. I attended the one in New York and recorded parts of it. The Vimeo below is Homer Erotic, a rock band that Barbara and Maggie Dubris formed, playing some of their songs. Maggie writes a little bit about that in the paragraph that follows. Enjoy.

“The all-female extravaganza Homer Erotic was founded in 1990 by Barbara Barg and Maggie Dubris in a basement rehearsal space in the East Village. Originally consisting of only an idea and a name, Homer got a gig at The Knitting Factory, and had to come up with a band and some songs. The resulting band lasted for ten years, playing regularly at NYC venues like Arelene’s Grocery, Sine, Fez, and La Mama. The group played festivals in Tampa and Las Vegas, and put out two CDs: Yield (Creme de la Femme, 1998), and Homerica The Beautiful (Depth of Field records, 1999). Homer had various members and special guests, but the primary band was Barbara Barg (songwriter, lead vocals, percussion), Angela Babin (bass, guitar), Maggie Dubris (songwriter, guitar, bass), Heather Ferguson (drums), Suzanne Gallant (back-up vocals, percussion), Andrea Pierotti (violin) and Sara Wendt (lead singer, percussion). For Barg Day, we performed mainly Barb’s songs, with Sara doing the lead vocals Barb had done. Andrea Pierotti was out of town, so Ann Klein, who played bass and guitar with Homer on multiple occasions, joined in this tribute.”

After Agriculture (Barg)

When we were a rare animal
Newly human beast of prey
It was one big food hunt
We were free and needy
And we lived under skies of uncertainty
We were at large in time

When we were a rare animal
Newly human beast of prey
It was one big God hunt
We were free and trembling
and we made our gods out of everything
We didn’t worship men yet
We were fond of gang life
Because our lives were . . . unpleasantly vulnerable
We haven’t changed our style

Family Church School Nation Party Family Church School Nation Party
Family Church School Nation Party Family Church School Nation Party

Family Church School Nation Party Did not make me feel so hot
Family Church School Nation Party Filled my childhood brain with rot
Family Church School Nation Party Units of hostility
Family Church School Nation Party You can’t be as good as me

If you’re not in my

Family Church School Nation Party Squeezes us so far apart
Family Church School Nation Party Slams the door on the human heart
Family Church School Nation Party Life’s so hard in history
Family Church School Nation Party I can’t live oppositionally

What do I belong to? Soul or chromosome?
Boundaries and bloodshed. Earth seems so far from home
What do I belong to? Soul or chromosome?
Boundaries and bloodshed. Earth seems so far from home

Family Church School Nation Party Drown my dreams in tribal war
Family Church School Nation Party Build Berlin Walls shore to shore
Family Church School Nation Party Vainly beg their gods to bless
Family Church School Nation Party Raise their flags above my flesh

What do I belong to? Soul or chromosome?
Boundaries and bloodshed. Earth seems so far from
What do I belong to? Soul or chromosome?
Boundaries and bloodshed. Earth seems so far from
What do I belong to? Soul or chromosome?
Boundaries and bloodshed. Earth seems so far from
What do I belong to? Soul or chromosome?
Boundaries and bloodshed. Earth seems so far from home

Family Church School Nation Party Family Church School Nation Party
Family Church School Nation Party Family Church School Nation Party

I Like That (Barg)

You don’t treat me like a creep, I like that
You don’t tell me I’m sweet, I like that
You don’t always tease and bait me
You don’t even hate me, I like that

You’ll even take a leak in front of me, I like that
You don’t blame all your problems on me, I like that
You don’t open doors for me
You don’t close them on me either, I like that
and That! That! That That That. That!

I-I-I-I I-I-I-I I like that I-I-I-I I-I-I-I I like that

You don’t imagine
what life would be like with me dead!
I like that.
And you make love so slow-oah-oah
And you know-oah-oah
I like that

I-I-I-I I-I-I-I like that I-I-I-I I-I-I-I like that
And you make love so slow-oah-oah
And you make love so slow-oah-oah
And you know-oah-oah
I like that

And that! That! That! That! That That!
I like that

The King Of The Ghosts (Dubris/Barker)

Outside my window, the rain’s coming down
And if I had wings I would fly like a moth from this town
The roaches all run as I pull on the light
in the heart of the city tonight

Outside my window, the men lie so still
Tossed up like shells on the edge of the streets that they fill
I think they got used up a long time ago
in some small town that nobody knows

Outside my window, the men drink their fire
they swear and they laugh as the sun in the sky rises higher
It sails every night in the veins of their arms
and burns like a port in the storm

He spelled his name like Jesus
They called him Hey-Zeus Hey Hey Hey
You’ll go down so many times
before God comes around to cut you loose
Did you come up here from Mexico?
On that big wide open road
Then one day One day One day you just got old

If I burn with a fever or die from the cold
Outside my window are so many tales to be told

Late 20th Century Sexuality (Barg)

Going to the chapel and I’m gonna get married
Going to the chapel and I’m gonna get married
Ooooh, I really love you and I’m gonna get married
Going to the chapel of loves . . .

I’m not a homo, I’m not a bi, I’m not a boring hetero
My sexuality cannot be defined by who I’ve got in bed-ero
He’s an agri-sexual, he likes em young, he likes em green
He’s a Vietnamvetero-sexual, he likes it bloody and he likes it mean
She’s a slomo-sexual, she loves to take her time
He’s a porno-sexual, he only digs it if it looks like it’s a crime
She’s a mojo-sexual, she likes to do it by the light of the moon
He’s a Perry Como-sexual, he hops in bed and croons a little tune
Lalalala lalalala lalala ouch
Lalalala lalalala lalala Lalalala lalalala lala

He’s a mystery-sexual, he likes to do it breathing into a phone
She’s a Garbo-sexual, she’ll only do it if she’s home in bed alone
She’s a cowgirl-sexual, she like spurs and a ride on the range
She’s a Norway rat-sexual, sleep with her, you get a case of mange
He’s a Jesus-sexual, he likes the guilt he can feel in his nuts
He’s an irate-sexual, he can’t get it up if he doesn’t hate your guts

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Lalalalalala ouch!

Isn’t it romantic-tick-tick-tick-tick….
aaaah want some of this?

I’m not a homo, I’m not a bi, I’m not a boring hetero
My sexuality cannot be defined by who I’ve got in bed-ero
Lalalalalalalalalalalalalala OUCH

Criminal (Barg)

The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison

Ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo
Ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo

Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now, oooey-oooey
Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now,

Someone owns the fruit, someone owns the soil
Someone owns the water and someone owns the oil
Someone owns the sky, someone owns the trees
Someown owns Manhattan but they can’t own me
Cuz everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now, oooey-oooey
Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now,

Government is dead, corporations rule
Politicians hoping that everyone’s a fool
Wanna live and wish, don’t wanna be a slave
Anything I gotta do to break that cage
Aw everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now, oooey-oooey
Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now,

Someone owns the fruit, someone owns the soil
Someone owns the water and someone owns the oil
Someone owns the sky, someone owns the trees
Someown owns Manhattan but they can’t own me
Aw everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now, oooey-oooey
Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now, na na na
Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now, oooey-oooey
Everyone’s a criminal unless you got the money, honey
Everyone’s a criminal now,

The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
The things that I’m thinking could put me in prison
Oooey-oooey-ooo, oooey-oooey-ooo, oooey-oooey-oooooo



Barbara Barg. Photo by Robert Mapplethorpe.



You can read more of Barbara at the link below. Enjoy.

http://www.barbarabarg.com/

Here is a link to the Honer Erotic Website:

http://kathstarchie.wixsite.com/website?fbclid=IwAR02FeL03jmtpqTMgxnpedkdWOomY3sXt3pUQKcKpDLo05qtNqL81AMcL1o

4 Comments

  1. Rose Lesniak

    Nice tribute to Barg! Great seeing all friends at Barg Day at the Bowery Poetry Club!

  2. Katie

    A long delay but I think of her all the time wise and poetic and so loved Barb so where ever still has impact xxxK

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