Anyone who was paying even the slightest attention to Top 40 radio in 1966 can probably remember hearing it for the first time.
That insolent, repetitive two-chord organ riff. That sneering voice mouthing a series of threats culminating in the lines: “And then I’m gonna put you way down here/ And you’ll start crying/ 96 tears.”
Even in a year that was rife with garage-punk hits like the Music Machine’s “Talk Talk,” the Seeds’ “Pushin’ too Hard” and the Standells’ “Dirty Water,” ? and the Mysterians’ “96 Tears” stood apart. It was the nastiest and most willfully rudimentary of the year’s bad-boy anthems. And in the last week of October 1966 it was No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Although ? and the Mysterians never repeated the success of “96 Tears,” the saga of the band and the song continued well beyond the ’60s. “96 Tears” became a widely covered standard, numbering Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Ruffin, Garland Jeffreys, the Music Explosion, Joe “King” Carrasco, Big Maybelle, the Residents and Primal Scream among its many interpreters. It was especially popular in the wake of the mid-’70s punk revolution.
And the Mysterians continued to resurface in one form or another, always fronted by their enigmatic leader ?, who responds only to the name “Question Mark,” who won’t reveal his true identity and who has reportedly never been photographed without his trademark shades.
Currently, ? is leading the re-grouped original Mysterians on a tour to support a new LP of re-recorded band classics entitled “Question Mark and the Mysterians.” I recently phoned the reclusive Mr. ? at his home in Clio, Mich. (where the Mysterians originally formed) to discuss the mystique that surrounds the band and the seemingly eternal “96 Tears.”
The following was culled from ?’s wildly digressive, rapid fire, stream-of-consciousness musings.
Q–Why did you adopt a question mark as your name?
A–I’ve never really wanted to open up to the public, and I’ve never told my story until recently. Before that, I never publicly said anything about myself other than that my favorite color was orange.
Q–What was special about the Mysterians when you first appeared in 1966?
A–We were for real. We dressed the way we felt. If I felt like having my shirt tails hanging out, then my shirt was hanging out. I didn’t want suits. I didn’t want ties. The record company made us do that a couple times, but I hated it. When we first came out, we were for real, and our sound was for real.
Q–Weren’t The Beatles and the Rolling Stones real?
A–The Beatles weren’t real. They were emulating the sounds of American music. They were into that black leather and wavy black hair look. The Stones have said that they played the bad guys opposite the Beatles good guys image. So, without the Beatles, you couldn’t have had the Stones. We were an American group playing our music. We weren’t emulating anyone.
Q–Why do you think that “96 Tears” was such a big hit in 1966? What was special about it?
A–It was the attitude of the lyrics. Motown was big then, but it was all lovey-dovey. I loved the Supremes. They were a really good rock ‘n’ roll group. But everything was so lovey-dovey back then. I said no, no, no. There’s got to be more attitude in rock ‘n’ roll. You’ve got to show what life is all about. You shouldn’t try to cover it up.
Q–The song also had a real distinctive sound, that droning organ, the menacing beat. Where did all that come from?
A–I was raised a Catholic, so I was used to going to church and hearing that solemn organ. Then, after attending church, I’d go to the ice cream parlor, which was right next door to a Baptist church where they’d be hitting a tambourine, wailing and clapping their hands. And I always loved the big sound of movie soundtracks like “Gone with the Wind.” If you combine those three elements, you don’t need much more.
Q–Why do you think so many people have covered “96 Tears”? What is it about that song that resonates with so many different artists?
A–I don’t explain my songs. People should take the song the way they want to take it. When a roomful of people hear a song, they’ll all come up with different interpretations of it. Once you explain what a song is all about, you limit it. It becomes the artist’s song rather than the listeners’. That spoils the whole thing.
Q–Are there any versions of the song that you think are especially good, or not so good?
A–Thelma Houston covered it in 1981, and the music she used in the background sounded like that disco song “`Funky Town.” I’ve heard most of the different versions of “96 Tears,” and I liked Aretha’s. And I liked Big Maybelle’s. But I didn’t like Thelma Houston’s interpretation. “Funky Town”? My goodness.
Q–There were a lot of covers of “96 Tears” during and right after the punk era. Do you think the song qualifies as a punk anthem?
A–I don’t know. Remember Wendy O. Williams (lead singer of the Plasmatics)? Is that what rock ‘n’ roll is all about? Bringing an old vehicle on stage and destroying it just so you can get attention and be successful? Come on. I’m not breaking old cars. I’m writing good rock ‘n’ roll music. That’s real.
Q–Some artists who are associated with one signature song come to view it as a curse. Others see it as a blessing. Has “96 Tears” been a curse or a blessing for you?
A–It was a blessing for us because everybody knows that song. People from all kinds of different music know it. In the ’60s, when you listened to AM radio, you heard rock ‘n’ roll but you also heard Johnny Cash, John Denver, the Singing Nun, whoever. So when our song became a hit, people who liked country and blues and whatever also heard it. It reached a lot of people. If it came out today, only people who listened to that kind of rock ‘n’ roll would know it. So back then, being a one hit wonder wasn’t so bad. A lot of people heard your music. Also, if we had been successful with a lot more No. 1 hits, I sometimes wonder if I would have gone the way of Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin.
Q–What’s the legacy of ? and the Mysterians?
A–Write this down. ? and the Mysterians are the world’s greatest garage band. They have an attitude, and they’re ready to rock and roll!”
Q–Anything else you want to add?
A–“Yeah. I was a symbol long before Prince!”
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? and the Mysterians headline Saturday at the Empty Bottle. 1035 N. Western Ave. 773-276-3600.
