THE FABULOUS KOJACKS

The Kojacks in the CBGB's dressing room.

A group that often opened for the Laughing Dogs was the Fabulous Kojacks - four singers dressed like the famous Telly Savalas character, with bald heads (they were wigs), sunglasses, and flashy rings. In the middle of the punk/new wave scene, the Kojacks were a swing group, doing performances of punk, hard rock, and heavy metal tunes in the style of Frank Sinatra and other Las Vegas performers.

Since they always wore bald wigs and sunglasses, nobody ever knew for sure who the Kojacks really were, but at one point there was a nasty rumor going around that the Kojacks were an alter ego of the Laughing Dogs themselves, disguising themselves as another band in a ploy to avoid paying for an opening act. The true identity of the Kojacks remains a mystery, but some of their music surfaces from time to time.

THE KOJACKS IN THE PRESS:

The Kojacks tip their hats, showing off their chrome domes.

Pat O'Haire in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, August 14, 1979: "No doubt Telly Savalas will be tickled pink to learn there's a new rock group calling itself The Kojacks. In further homage to the Golden Greek, the young musicians sported skinhead wigs, tinted aviator specs and dapper vested suits when caught recently at CBGB's. . . ."

ROLLING STONE, November 15, 1979: ". . . appeared in full Telly Savalas drag as the Kojacks, a 'Las Vegas punk group' whose repertoire includes lounge-lizard versions of 'Watching the Detectives' and (with apologies to the Ramones) 'Blitzkrieg Cops.'

The Kojacks live at Hurrah's, New York City.

Joe Jackson interview in CREEM magazine, January 1980: ". . . I saw one of the greatest bands I've ever seen at Hurrah's in New York. They're called The Kojacks. These four singers, all dressed like Kojak, with bald-head wigs and lollipops and stuff and they come on stage and shout, 'Who loves ya, baby?' and throw lollipops. And everything they did was, like, swing! And they did a swing version of 'Watching the Detectives.' It was just great. They had a brass section and everything . . . [sings, snapping his fingers] 'Watching the detectives, bop-bop' . . . Amazing. Apparently it's not a fad, they just did it for laughs, you know, they're really called something else. And everything they did had something about crime in it. They did 'Blitzkrieg Bop' as 'Blitzkrieg Cop.' It was great."

Performing with the Kosax (members of the Buddy Rich horn section) and their backup band, the Jack-Offs, at the Bottom Line.

US magazine, January 8, 1980: "The Kojacks take the rap for felonious musical assault: There's an all-points bulletin out for The Kojacks - the comic quartet infamous for its bald heads, sunglasses, lollipops, pinkie rings, Telly Savalas noses and choral cries of 'Who loves ya, baby?' Working out of the New York area (Lieutenant Kojak's home turf), their modus operandi includes Las Vegas lounge-style versions of such punk-rock classics as Elvis Costello's 'Watching the Detectives' and the Ramones' 'Blitzkrieg Bop' (retitled 'Blitzkrieg Cop' for the occasion)."

BILLBOARD, October 20, 1979: ". . . the 'Kojacks' to open their show at the Bottom Line in Manhattan . . ."

MORE REVIEWS

"I saw the Kojacks perform in New York in 1979. I was impressed that they were the only punk band I've ever seen that used horn charts." - C.P. Roth, keyboardist with Rick Derringer, Ozzie Ozbourne and Suzanne Vega

"The biggest, baddest, baldest band around!" - David Donen, percussionist with the Joffrey Ballet Company

"I laughed till I died!" - Chris Phillips, off-broadway director

"The Kojacks take all my blues away." - Don Castagnio, drummer for Earl King, Johnny Copland, and Bobby Radcliff

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