They may not be as famous as the Ramones. They may not be as controversial as the Sex Pistols. And their logo may not be on a billion t-shirts like the Misfits' grinning skull. But for punks growing up in the mid-80s and early 1990s, there's only one band that comes to mind when you say three words: "punk rock girl." And that's the Dead Milkmen.
Formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, the Dead Milkmen—vocalist/keyboardist Rodney Anonymous, guitarist/vocalist Joe Jack Talcum, drummer Dean Clean, and the late bassist Dave Blood—quickly set themselves apart from the hardcore scene by having a sense of humor. With albums dripping with sarcasm, wit, and truly catchy tracks, the Dead Milkmen built an underground following that ultimately led to their greatest success, the infectious 1988 song "Punk Rock Girl."
After breaking up in 1995, the Dead Milkmen reunited in 2008, with Dan Stevens taking over for Dave Blood, who died in 2004. In addition to releasing new albums (their most recent being 2023's Quaker City Quiet Pills), the band has reissued some of their classic albums for Record Store Day. And that tradition continues for 2025.
Dead Milkmen Reissue Debut LP, 'Big Lizard In My Backyard'
"This has been in the works and under wraps since last year," the group posted on Oct. 6, "and we're now able to tell you all about the 40th Anniversary release of the Dead Milkmen's 1st LP, Big Lizard in My Backyard, that will be available on Black Friday Record Store Day, November 28th 2025."
Released in 1985, Big Lizard in My Backyard introduced the Dead Milkmen to the world with songs like "Serrated Edge" (an ode to Charles Nelson Reilly), the title track, and the fan-favorite "Bichin' Camaro." Maximum Rocknroll'sreview called the songs "real crack-ups, and backed up by tight playing that incorporates funk, country, and lots of other styles into their punk approach."
"Big Lizard was a rite of passage for a lot of kids because the Milkmen were clever, and never too serious," Howard Kramer, the then-curator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said to the New York Timesin 2004.
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For 2025, the LP has been expanded to a 2-record edition: one LP with the remastered album, and a second disc of "never-before-heard, straight off the original 8-track, alternate takes of ten classics."
The album also comes in a custom windowed die-cut gatefold cover with pull-out lenticular illustration with updated artwork by Dean Clean.
"I had to cut out Amberlith [masking films]," recalled Clean when discussing the making of Big Lizard in 2023. "You had to cut out a shape for each layer of color you wanted to print. So I did the black line drawing, and then I cut out this kind of plastic film for the yellow and the green and the red….there was a deadline, and I remember staying up all night to get it done."
While many of the songs from Big Lizard remain in the Dead Milkmen's set, one has aged poorly for the use of the R-slur in its title. Clean acknowledged its problematic history, referring to it as a "song I will not name."
The Dead Milkmen perform at Wetlands, New York, New York, November 15, 1990.Photo by Steve Eichner/Getty Images
The Dead Milkmen initially broke up in 1995, partly due to bassist Dave Blood (Dave Schulthise) suffering from tendinitis, which made playing painful, and partly due to the band's frustration with the music industry.
Following their breakup, members pursued other projects. Schulthisehad studied Serbo-Croatian culture at Indiana University before moving to Serbia in 1998 to teach English. He fled the country during the 1999 bombing of the former Yugoslavia. In 2004, Schulthise died by suicide.
Why Dead Milkmen Are Better Than You Think
In subsequent years, the Dead Milkmen have undergone a well-deserved reassessment. When I first heard them, I think they were dubbed one-hit wonders ("Punk Rock Girl" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in '83). But after buying a used copy of their 1993 album, Not Richard, But Dick, from a secondhand music store, I discovered a band with a lot of brains behind the jokes.
The reissue of Big Lizard in My Backyard will introduce the band to a new generation, while offering new music to long-term fans.
Related: Veteran Punk Singer Survived a Life-Threatening Brain Hemorrhage, Now His Band Is Hosting Their Own Cruise
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