The Slut Boys plus posters equals cancellation
By Bill Berlow
Tallahassee Democrat
November 10, 1981
Advocate infibulation? They’ve got to be kidding.
The Slut Boys, a Tallahassee rock band, really wasn’t advocating anything by distributing publicity posters of admittedly questionable taste, lead guitarist Bill McCluskey said.
The words, “Advocate Infibulation,” were printed on the posters. Infibulation is the practice of fastening a device to the male or female genitalia to prevent sexual intercourse.
The Union Program Office Council at Florida State University took the poster seriously enough, however, to cancel the band’s scheduled appearance last Friday and Saturday nights at the Down Under, a campus nightspot.
Mostly, McCluskey said, the band was just trying to get attention. The posters were placed throughout campus and along West Tennessee Street.
The decision to cancel the appearances simply was a question of taste, said Mark Barefield, council president.
There was also some concern about whether allowing the band to play would border on a violation of the Trask-Bush Amendment.
That’s the controversial legislation, now under review by the Florida Supreme Court, that would force the state to withhold money from universities that recognize a group advocating sex between unmarried persons.
Here’s the hangup: the posters pictured the outline of a male nude with tattoos covering his body along with the statement.
The Slut Boys didn’t obtain clearance for the posters from the program office, a requirement within the contract signed by the band.
So,
because of what the program office council decided was the poster’s offensive
nature, the appearance was canceled on the basis of the contract violation.
“It’s not as much Trask-Bush as it is just plain decency,” Barefield said. “We weren’t going to approve of that, no way!”
Despite the contract snag, there probably would not have been a problem had the posters been less risqué, said Gene Young, director of the program office.
“But that was so graphic. The question is, why did they have to go with something like that?”
One band member admitted the “infibulation” hype was an attempt to poke fun at Trask-Bush.
“It was kind of just a little joke at the whole thing. We sometimes use our posters to create a little attention and make people think about a certain thing,” said the band member, who asked not to be named.
No financial damage was done to either the program office or the Slut Boys by the cancellation. The four-member band played at a local nightclub both nights it had been scheduled to appear at the Down Under.
Barefield said the Down Under, which probably would have had a capacity crowd if the Slut Boys appeared, still did reasonably good business during the weekend – even without live entertainment.
And the Slut Boys, who played the Down Under twice before, probably will be asked to play at the campus café in the future – so long as they abide by their contract, Young said.
“Sure,
why not? If they follow their contractual agreement, we’d love to have them
back.”
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| The offending flyer - rather tame by today's standards. Thanks to Ben Wilcox for providing this image. |
Young:
Slut Boys ad in bad taste
By
Andy Falk
Florida
Flambeau
November
10, 1981
An ad promoting the Slutboys’ Downunder appearances scheduled for this past weekend prompted the Union Program Office to cancel the show late Friday afternoon, but the band moved to Bullwinkle’s Saloon on Tennessee Street and played on regardless.
“All ads must be cleared with Anita Squillante, Director of the Downunder or myself,” said Gene Young, Director of the program office. “Otherwise, it is considered a breach of contract.”
The poster featured a photocopy of a photograph depicting the elaborately tattooed lower torse of a nude male. Rings had been sketched by hand, apparently to connect the man’s penis to his abdomen. “The Slut Boys advocate infibulation at the Downunder,” the poster read.
Infibulation is the practice of piercing male or female genitalia in order to prevent copulation.
According to Young, the poster was brought to UPO’s attention Friday, when several students complained it was obscene.
“In my opinion, and that of several students, including the UPO council, the poster was done in bad taste,” Young said.
Slutboy drummer Donny Crenshaw, however, maintained the poster was politically motivated.
“It was a farce on the Trask-Bush bill,” Crenshaw said.
Although he did not mention censorship in describing UPO’s action, Crenshaw was not pleased.
“In America, you’re supposed to be able to do and say what you want,” he said.
Young insisted the issue was a contractual one.
“Contracts should be carefully read before being signed,” he said. “They (the Slutboys) usually draw a good crowd, and we would be glad to have them back as long as they follow the contract.”
Late
Friday, the Slutboys were added to Bullwinkles’ beer garden schedule, where
they shared the billing with John Kurzweg and the Night on Friday and Saturday
night.
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| Post-cancellation Bullwinkle's version of the infamous flyer. Thanks to Ann VanderMeer for providing this item to the 1980s Tallahassee punk flyer archive. Coming in early 2022 from Panhandle Punk Productions: Slut Boys limited edition retrospective LP "Till I Can't!", more info here.  |