Boris the Sprinkler

Boris the Sprinkler
Rev. Nørb, frontman of Boris the Sprinkler, in 2000
Rev. Nørb, frontman of Boris the Sprinkler, in 2000
Background information
OriginGreen Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
GenrePunk rock
Years active1992–2003, 2009–present
Labels
Members
  • Rev. Norb
  • Paul No. 1
  • Paul No. 2
  • Ric Six
Past members
  • Erik No. 1
  • Ronny Johnny Kispert
  • Eric No. 2
  • Tim 00

Boris the Sprinkler is a punk rock band that formed in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1992. Front man Rev. Nørb has been a regular fanzine columnist over a period of four decades, writing regularly for Maximum RocknRoll, Hit List, and Razorcake, among other national magazines.

History

Boris the Sprinkler was founded in Green Bay in 1992 by Reverend Nørb (vocals) and Paul #1 (guitar). Nørb and Paul (born Paul Schroder) initially played with Eric Lee (bass) and Ronny Johnny Kispert (drums); later members included Eric James (bass), Ric 6 (bass), and Paul 2 (drums). Nørb, who was born Norb Rozek, had previously written for the music magazines Sick Teen and Maximum Rocknroll. Nørb's lyrics and the band's style were self-consciously irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and referential to other aspects of pop culture, influenced by punk rock groups such as The Dickies, The Rezillos, and The Ramones. The group often dressed in flamboyant styles such as "zebra-print tights and gold lamé body suits".

Boris the Sprinkler released eight full-length albums over the period 1994–2000, including 1994's 8 Testicled Pogo Machine (which included a vocal cameo by Wesley Willis on its first track), 1998's End of the Century (which covered the Ramones album of the same name in its entirety), and two albums for Go-Kart Records, 1999's Suck and 2000's Gay. The group also released numerous EPs and singles, among them 1995's Mutant Pop release "Drugs and Masturbation" and 1996's "Kill the Ramones".

In 1996, Reverend Nørb was a guest on an episode of The Jenny Jones Show

In 2013, Nørb published The Annotated Boris: Deconstructing the Lyrical Majesty of Boris the Sprinkler, a "line-by-line analysis" of songs he wrote for Boris the Sprinkler.

The band released a new album, Vespa to Venus, on Beer City Records on September 13, 2019. The release reunited the 1997 Mega Anal lineup of Paul #1, Paul #2, Ric Six, and Reverend Nørb.

2024 saw the release of the 7-song album Boris Gets a Clue.

In 2026, another album, Birthday Spankings, on Hawaiian Express Records was announced & released on October 9th. The album was recorded Live in Green Bay on 8/2/97 which was Rev. Norb’s 32nd birthday. It features 20 tracks.

The band will be performing two shows in Hawaii in early 2027 (with the Mega Anal lineup) on two different islands.

Discography

Albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

Members

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 Cover Story: Boris the Sprinkler. Maximum Ink, July 1999.
  2. ↑ Brian Cogan, Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood, 2006, p. 26. Google Books link
  3. 1 2 The Quirky Invention of Boris the Sprinkler. Shepherd Express, July 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ 12 O'Clock Track: Boris the Sprinkler, "Kill the Ramones". Chicago Reader, December 17, 2012.
  5. ↑ Review of 8 Testicled Pogo Machine, Sobriquet Magazine, December 22, 2008.
  6. ↑ Review of End of the Century, Allmusic
  7. ↑ Interview with Boris the Sprinkler, Ink 19, August 1999.
  8. ↑ Suck Review, Allmusic
  9. ↑ Gay Review, Allmusic
  10. ↑ Review of Drugs and Masturbation, Allmusic
  11. ↑ Kill the Ramones review, Allmusic
  12. ↑ "Rev. Norb on the Jenny Jones show". February 27, 2009.

Further reading