Born on 8 January (coincidentally the same birth date as Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Stephen Hawkings, and Soopy Sales) in the early half of the seventies, El Greco was raised on a steadfast diet of metal, metal, and more metal. However, he was soon to discover at an unusually early age that there was more out there than just metal. Yes, there was punk rock and hardcore. And two other strange bands by the names of The Fatboys and Run DMC. This was a strange music. But somehow, El Greco could "relate." What's more, El Greco had a rather large nose for such a young lad. So these "bands" soon became his surrogate friends.

With this in mind, jump ahead 20 years to mid-'94. By this time, our subject had developed what some might refer to as a heavy drinking "habit." I had the (dis)pleasure of knowing El Greco in these times, so when he asked to borrow my 4-track, I was overcome with curiosity. Why? Here was a drunken-metalhead-fuck-up who did not own an electric guitar (somewhat of a necessity in heavy metal) about to write and record what he refered to as an "album." Plus he claimed he could have it finished in two days. It took 3 total, but still.....

That recording was "Leggo My Greco." I believe myself and maybe three others to be the only people to have heard it back then. It was however, astounding. A rare glimpse into the mind of a rather skewed individual. In the following years, despite the occasional prodding from those who'd heard a sampling of his "talents," El Greco did not write another note.

Until the summer of '96, that is. With the release of "To All the Ladies of the World, We Bring You El Greco," his fan base almost doubled. It looked as though success was imminent. Another two or more years followed, plus a move to Chicago, plus more alcohol consumption than ever before. This all led up to what can be viewed as a turning point in El Greco's "career." El Greco proved once more that he "don't give a shit," by recording his third release, "I'm a Bird," entirely on a portable tape recorder. The results were.......well, raw. But powerful and moving as well. As always, another lapse of productivity soon followed.

The year 2000 saw the release of "6-Pack of Stank," what some folks again considered to be another huge step forward for Greco. Enough so that it earned him a small write up in Alternative Press. With letters and orders for merchandise (fueled purely by rumors and curiosity) rolling in from all across the country, it looked like it was time for Greco to disappear yet again. However, instead of repeating this pattern once more, El Greco pulled an about face and pushed forward. The months of March and April of this year consisted of not only a national tour in support of Wes Borland's solo project, Big Dumb Face, but also a second release in less than a year, "Crap-A-Doodle-Doo!" With the exposure and positive response garnered from the tour, it looks as though El Greco may finally be receiving the respect and adulation he deserves. Only time will tell....

-Gregory Shirilla (May 2001)

2006 UPDATE:
Time did tell. Sort of. Following the brief stint of attention El Greco received in 2001, many watched as he completely disappeared from the face of the earth. He surfaced once in 2002 to play one of the sloppiest/drunkiest shows in music history. Seriously. He was not to be heard from again until late in 2003 when he would resurface under the moniker of "DJ" Foulmouth. The first album was aptly titled "The First Album," and contained a dozen plus songs constructed of samples by various rock and metal bands combined with lines straight off of children's records. Some called it "brilliant," others called it "GRECO." However, not a single thing was done to promote or distribute this slab of abstract hip-hop. It's become yet another piece of Greco history owned by an elite group of El Greco's drinking pals.

Well now we are yet another 2+ years down the road. El Greco has gone and rerecorded a chunk of old material (most of which are the songs performed on the BDF tour) with much better equipment, in order to help people understand what he had always heard in his head. The album is entitled "100% Pure Beefalo" and also includes 2 new songs and an unreleased version of Suicidal Tendencies "Possessed To Skate" recorded back in 2001 for an ill-fated skate rock compilation. It is what it is, but Greco claims to be in the process of creating an all new batch of Greco tunes which will prove that he "ain't done yet."

He is also currently working out more Foulmouth material and has formed a metal band entitled P155.