Was (Not Was)

Was (Not Was) is an American eclectic pop group founded by David Weiss and Don Fagenson. They gained popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Their first album, Was (Not Was), was released in 1981 and featured vocals by Harry Bowens and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson. The MC5's Wayne Kramer, The Knack's Doug Fieger and Mingus trumpeter Marcus Belgrave were among the guest players.

Born to Laugh at Tornadoes was released in 1983 and had even more guest musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne rapping over electro, Mitch Ryder belting out a techno-rockabilly number, Mel Tormé crooning an odd ballad about asphyxiation, and an abstract funk piece called "Man vs. the Empire Brain Building". Singer Donald Ray Mitchell joined the group as third lead vocalist.

In 1988, they found their biggest hit with the album What Up, Dog?, which featured the singles "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love". Special guests included Stevie Salas, John Patitucci, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and a writing credit for Elvis Costello. Artist/animator Christoph Simon created videos to accompany some of their songs, such as "What Up Dog?", "Dad I'm in Jail", and the Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris". These appeared on MTV's Liquid Television and in various film festivals, including the Spike & Mike festival.

The group followed up with Are You Okay? in 1990, with a cover of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". Guest musicians included Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, The Roches, and Syd Straw. After a tour with Dire Straits in 1992 and a UK Top 5 single with "Shake Your Head". A compilation album Hello Dad... I'm in Jail was released during the band's hiatus.

In late 2004, Was (Not Was) reformed and were back on stage for a two-month club tour. In 2008, they released their fifth studio album Boo!, featuring guest appearances from Kris Kristofferson, Wayne Kramer, Marcus Miller and Booker T. Jones, plus a song originally co-written with Bob Dylan nearly 20 years earlier. The band toured the US in 2008, beginning on April 30.