Boris the Sprinkler was founded in Green Bay in 1992 by Reverend Nørb (vocals) and Paul #1 (guitar).[1] Nørb and Paul (born Paul Schroder) initially played with Eric Lee (bass) and Ronny Johnny Kispert (drums); later members included Eric James (bass), Ric 6 (bass), and Paul 2 (drums).[2] Nørb, who was born Norb Rozek,[3] had previously written for the music magazines Sick Teen and Maximum Rocknroll.[1] Nørb's lyrics and the band's style were self-consciously irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and referential to other aspects of pop culture, influenced by punk rock groups such as The Dickies, The Rezillos, and The Ramones.[1] The group often dressed in flamboyant styles such as "zebra-print tights and gold lamé body suits".[4]
Boris the Sprinkler released eight full-length albums over the period 1994-2000, including 1994's 8 Testicled Pogo Machine (which included a vocal cameo by Wesley Willis on its first track),[5] 1998's End of the Century[6] (which covered the Ramones album of the same name in its entirety),[7] and two albums for Go-Kart Records, 1999's Suck[8] and 2000's Gay.[9] The group also released numerous EPs and singles, among them 1995's Mutant Pop release "Drugs and Masturbation"[10] and 1996's "Kill the Ramones".[11]
In 2013, Nørb published The Annotated Boris: Deconstructing the Lyrical Majesty of Boris the Sprinkler, a "line-by-line analysis" of songs he wrote for Boris the Sprinkler.[3]
The band released a new album, Vespa to Venus, on Beer City Records on September 13, 2019. The release reunited the 1997 Mega Anal lineup of Paul #1, Paul #2, Ric Six, and Reverend Nørb.
Rev. Nørb [Norb Rozek], The Annotated Boris: Deconstructing the Lyrical Majesty of Boris the Sprinkler (and Other Tales as the Need Arises). n.c. [Green Bay, WI]: Bulge Records, 2012.
