Until recently the game of golf was not considered the sport of choice of your average underground rocker.
Roughly on a par with crotchet and Sudoku in the pantheon of least rock’n’roll pursuits, it was tainted by privilege and heinous crimes against fashion – particularly in the trouser department.
The few stars who did like to play a round, kept their habit a closely guarded secret for fear of being exposed as terminally uncool.
But when the likes of Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop started swinging an iron or two, the in-crowd started to sit up and take notice. Underground rocker Lizard McGee, of Earwig, is the latest in a long line to declare a penchant for striking a little white ball with a large metal stick.
Gifted a set of clubs by his mother, Lizard got so hooked he built a “Scottish-style” nine-hole course on his property in southern Ohio.
Weekend games with a friend “blossomed into an underground renegade golfing tournament called the Silver Baby Cup,” Lizard explains.
“If you’ve ever heard of Burning Man, our event is sort of like that, but with golf and music. Golf has become a big and defining part of my life.”
The Columbus, Ohio, musician will soon be puting his skills to the test on US network ABC’s extreme golf show Holey Moley.
The season teed off this week, but the episode featuring Lizard airs on May 29.
To mark his appearance, Lizard formed a new golf-oriented band The Muligans and released a new single Heart Shaped Bruise.
For the unitiated, a Mulligan is a second chance to play a stroke, normally after an embarrassing foul-up and is not strictly part of the rules of golf.
Lizard made the cut for Holey Moley, despite competition from hundreds of other applicants including golf pros, internet influencers and celebrities.
“I pitched myself as a golfing rock’n’roll star. That image stuck,” Lizard laughs. “I ended up developing a Bowie-esque persona (complete with golden face make-up) that I called The Golden Arrow.
“I even performed in a replica Bowie suit from his video for Life On Mars.”
Hosted by NBA All Star Stephen Curry and comedian Rob Riggle, the show puts competitors through their paces on a supersized mini golf course.
Lizard hopes his episode, which wrapped shortly before quarantine measures came into force, will give people something to smile about during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Both he and his daughter, Medusa Lullaby, who also sings in Earwig, lost jobs due to the pandemic and recording on the band’s new album has stalled.
“Luckily my wife has a good job and we are able to carry on,” he says. “I know this is a hard time for many people and my heart goes out to them.
Inspired by his Holey Moley experience, Lizard took a break from guitar to play drums and sing with The Muligans alongside Nashville singer-songwriter Trapper Haskins.
The band’s new single (see below video), about getting whacked by a golf ball, also makes reference to his Holey Moley experience.
Lizard is also continuing to write remotely with other Earwig members and hopes they’ll have a new album out in the Autumn.
- The Muligans’ single Heart Shaped Bruise is available on Bandcamp via this link.
- For more about Lizard McGee and Earwig visit their website here.
