punk scene in it's short life, helping to give it an aura of untouchability and a big head. NOU had an enormous influence on the D.C. The Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm in said pajamas).Īfter breaking up, the members stayed in the punk community: Svenonius, Gamboa, and Canty formed Cupid Car Club and the Make-Up (both on K Records, while Tim Green went on to Red Eye, the Fakes, the Vile Cherubs, and several other projects.ġ3-Point Program to Destroy America (1991, Dischord)Ī Kid Who Tells On Another Kid is a Dead Kid Ian (also known as Ian the Spiv) is rather sassy, publicly expressing his love for mirrors and silk pajamas (I've seen him riding his bicycle around D.C. The high point of NOU's career was when Ian Svenonius was crowned the Sassiest Man Alive. They released only two full-length LPs on Dischord Records, "13-Point Program to Destroy America" and "Plays Pretty for Baby," before moving on to form the Cupid Car Club and later, the Make-Up. The band consisted of Ian Svenonius (vocals), Steve Kroner (guitar), Tim Green (guitar), Steve Gamboa (bass), and James Canty (drums, and Brendan Canty of Fugazi's brother). They also used a lot of beatnik slang, like " square" and " cool." They expressed few politics in their music, as caffeine, youth, and candy aren't considered very political by most. But it actually stuck, and quite a few punk kids started wearing suits and slicking back their hair Mafia-style, and chanted the mantra, "Ulysses, Ulysses, little flower, beloved by all the youth." Their objective was to destroy society through their doctrines of " P-Power" and " Ragnarok." Members of NOU (the collective and the band) dressed and acted conservatively to confuse the squares, while acting out their violent vision (musically, at least). "The Storm"), " Cupid Car Club", "Organization of the Oppressed", Etc.). that created their own political and social aesthetic and organization, also called the Nation of Ulysses ( AKA "Ulyssean Jihad", "Party of God", "Al-asifa" (lit. The Nation of Ulysses was a punk band from Washington, D.C.