The Fugs were a rock n'roll band from New York formed in 1963. The were a "proto-punk" band. Which is yuppie music journalist for a rock and roll band a little bit rough around the edges. The Fugs played politics, that much was certain, but they went well beyond the stereotypical protest band. The Fugs wholeheartedly embraced the Allen Ginsberg, art for arts sake, freakbeat side of 1960s rock, containing irony,self-conscious intellectualism, and a surprisingly anti-drug bent. Although many of the songs mention drug use, and the members of the band no doubt used drugs, drug use is presented in a realistic, uncomfortable light. Songs like "Comedown" and "New Amphetamine Shriek" discuss the ins and outs of being strung out and the hellish comedown that follows.
The Fugs also discussed sex, a lot. With song like "Boobs Alot" and "Dirty Old Man" the Fugs discuss sex in a manner that is, although clean today, was ridiculously controversial at the time.
Musically, the Fugs were very jangly. They probably had more of an influence on early indie like REM and the Hoodoo Gurus. What made The Fugs important to punk was their attitude, their innate intellectualism tempered by a caustic wit. The self awareness that permeates their music. The idea that they are just as much poets as they are musicians and that they have no special insight about the world. In short, they were humble.
