Most people probably don’t remember where they were when they first heard “Blister in the Sun” by the Violent Femmes. But it’s a safe bet most have a recollection of their first thought when experiencing that acoustic tornado of a song about - well, we’ll let you decide. Most likely that initial sentiment was some form of, “What the hell was that?” and “How can I hear more?!”
Billy Ryan recalls some of the details. “I remember at an early age being on vacation, and a friend said, ‘You’ve got to hear this song,’” says Ryan. “And it was ‘Blister in the Sun.’ Then we heard the whole first record, and we were all kind of in awe.” Billy Ryan and his friends were far from alone in their adoration: that Slash-released, self-titled debut from the Violent Femmes has gone on to sell 1.6 million copies since the beginning of Soundscan , the first album to go platinum without ever charting on Billboard. Terms like “landmark” and “pioneering” apply, as does the phrase “the beginning of alternative music.” And SPIN has put the record alongside Gang of Four’s Entertainment!, X’s Los Angeles, and Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures in its pantheon of the most influential post-punk ever recorded.
Gordon Gano was the voice and pen at the center of the Violent Femmes’ stark and seething musical storm.
