I've known Charlie for many years. We probably first met in high school around 1982. We had embarked on our musical endeavors at that time. We rode the short bus and attended the same school for disciplinary problem kids together. We made some strange music and strange bands. The Boages, Bloody Sex Beatles and Black Poop. By 1990 and 91, Charlie and I had seen each other go through a lot of shit. Failed relationships, failed marriages, failed bands, jobs, cars, pets, deals, transactions and our lives just generally. Lives that are steeped in failure. We had started a band with Vince Pretter and Wes Ritchey, calling ourselves Psychic Underwear, the Retardles, or Schizoid Embolism. Needless to say, we were stetting up for even more faded dreams and dashed hopes.

Somewhere around this time, We decided on the creation of "a new band."
We made the brash declaration, that I would lead this brave new group of musicians to boundless glories and royalties galore, a virtual cornucopia of new age cool shit, a plethora of excesses and Bacchanalian delights.We didn't actually have the name at 1st, but it was like it was already on the tips of our tongues. We had been playing with the PSY prefix already with Psychic Underwear. When two friends were talking (Dawni and Mallory) they had been arguing with each other during a drinking binge.
"You're fucked up!"
"You're psycho!"
"You're psycho-alchoholic."
"Dude,...you're PSYCHOHOLIC!!!!!"

"Hey Charlie, there's a name for your stupid band. The Psychoholics™". Fuckin' A. It stuck.

I knew it was right for us right when it fell out of Charlie's mouth. Psychoholics™.OK, we had a name for the band, now all we needed was...a direction, some songs, equipment, talent, a manager, a recording contract, van to haul shit, inspiration, groupies and a clue to exactly what the fuck we were trying to do here. We had nada."Charlie, you are gonna be the bass player."
"But I don't wanna be the bass player"
"Goddammit Charlie, we need you to be the bass player"
"but I don't wanna play bass, I wanna play guitar and sing"
"I'm the singer/guitar player, Goddammit."The next day he calls me up and says. "OK Goddammit, I'll play bass in your fucked up band....you little asshole..."
The 1st song we did was My Way ala Sid Vicious.Charlie made himself into a splendid bass player, but was quite hindered by having crappy equipment. In this recent version of the band he's got a cool Ibanez and a Carvin amp, which sounds a lot better than his old rig.

He's quit and come back a few times, did some quite memorable guest appearances (Satan Claus, Batman™, Charles Manson, Elvis, the Crow™), and remained with the band in spirit. With this latest incarnation of the band, Charlie was a driving force in it's re-creation.

Hopefully he'll stick around longer this time.

-Tim Mrak