The Lounge Lizards

The Lounge Lizards were New York’s coolest genre-bending jazz provocateurs, founded in 1978 by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie. Describing their sound as "fake jazz," they mashed together avant-garde improvisation, punk energy, downtown no-wave skronk, and a dash of theatrical cabaret vibes. With rotating members that included downtown luminaries like guitarist Marc Ribot and drummer Anton Fier, their music felt like a smoky film noir soundtrack colliding with a chaotic Lower East Side art party.

Over their on-and-off career, they released cult-classic albums like their self-titled 1981 debut and *Voice of Chunk* (1989), blending dissonance with dark humor. Live recordings like *Live in Berlin 1991* capture their raw, unpredictable energy. Though never mainstream, their fearless experimentalism and John Lurie’s charismatic snarl left a lasting imprint on New York’s avant-garde scene. The Lounge Lizards didn’t play jazz—they rewrote its rulebook with a wink and a middle finger.