Rapeman was an American noise rock band founded in 1987 and disbanded in 1989. It consisted of Steve Albini (formerly of Big Black) on guitar and vocals, David Wm. Sims (formerly of Scratch Acid) on bass and Rey Washam (formerly of Scratch Acid and Big Boys) on drums. In the years since their brief tenure, Rapeman's sound has also been described as post-hardcore.
Rapeman were formed as a sister project to the Jesus Lizard, although the latter outlasted Rapeman by several years.
History
Rapeman was formed in 1987 when drummer Rey Washam and bassist David Wm. Sims relocated to Chicago from Texas after the breakup of their band Scratch Acid. Steve Albini had just ended his group Big Black,
Name
The name Rapeman was taken from the Japanese manga series The Rapeman. Albini discovered the manga through a friend who ran an import business, and found its combination of rape fantasies and the superhero genre "simultaneously utterly repellent and fascinating". He described it as "the product of decades of repression and misogyny being expressed through a different cultural tradition". He named the band in a deliberate attempt to repel audiences and do the "opposite" of bands that were desperate to appear on MTV.
Rapeman's name drew criticism and protests at several gigs. In a 2020 interview on the Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal podcast, Albini called it a "flippant choice" that was unconscionable and indefensible. He likened it to getting a bad tattoo. In a 2021 interview with MEL Magazine, Albini said he had been ignorant of women's issues and had falsely assumed that many social problems, such as misogyny and homophobia, were already solved.
Discography
Studio albums
- Two Nuns and a Pack Mule (1988, Touch and Go Records/Blast First/Au Go Go) <small>UK Indie No. 4</small>
Singles and EPs
- Budd EP (1988, Touch and Go/Blast First/Au Go Go) <small>UK Indie No. 2