Fuck was formed in Oakland, California in 1993. The members met while stuck in a police holding cell over the weekend, and wrote a few songs while in jail. They released a self-titled cassette, and a single, MonkeyBeautyShotgun on their own imprint, Rhesus Records, in 1994. (The songs from the cassette would eventually find their way onto later releases.) Their first CD, Pretty...Slow, was released in 1996. Their second album, Baby Loves a Funny Bunny, was also released in 1996.
In a daring and innovative business strategy, the expenses for both of these releases were split between three small record labels: Walt Records, Esther Records (later named Lamplighter Records) and the band's own Rhesus Records. The physical CDs were then divided between the three labels and each was responsible for promoting and selling their share.
The band then signed to Matador Records, who released the albums Pardon My French in 1997 and Conduct in 1998. Contrary to unsubstantiated information which has appeared recently in the music press, Matador never asked Fuck to change its name. The business partnership between the band and the label ended one afternoon in the fall of 2000 when Fuck bassist Theodore "Ted" Ellison appeared at Matador's New York headquarters with what appeared to be a homemade explosive device strapped to his head, demanding to be "traded" to popular label-mate Chavez. An observant staff member diffused the situation after noticing the "bomb" was actually a giant wad of Play-Doh intertwined with black and red Twizzlers. Ellison was escorted out of the building and though no charges were filed, Matador felt compelled to recommend that Fuck seek a new label, preferably one with fully trained building security.
After the Matador debacle, they released two albums on two different labels: Cupid's Cactus was released on Steve Shelley's independent label, Smells Like Records, and Gold Bricks, a collection of B-sides and outtakes, was released by the Italian label Homesleep Records. Those Are Not My Bongos was released in 2003 on both Homesleep and Future Farmer Records.
To date, Fuck has performed over 400 live shows and recorded on nine different labels. The members of the band currently live in New Orleans, Louisiana; Portland, Oregon; Ancona, Italy; and Oakland, California. The band website reports that recording for a new album was begun in January of 2007, but no label or release date has been announced.
