“The lyrics were influenced by a vintage copy of Frank Edwards’ book Strange World which describes unexplained incidents of premonitions, UFO sightings, apparitions, ghost lights, cloudless rain, miracle cures, blackouts, reincarnation and disappearances,” says New York-based fashion designer/author/musician Keanan Duffty about SLINKY VAGABOND’s new pseudoscience-tinged and eponymously-named track “Strange World” which is released today, October 21, 2024.
The first single from the band’s third album The Eternal Return which is due out on January 14, 2025, “Strange World” was co-written with his longtime Italian friend and musical collaborator Fabio Fabbri who wrote the music. “To me, this is an ‘on-the-border’ song,” Fabbri explains, “It’s almost like being in a Quentin Tarantino film… everything is possible because you are in the Twilight Zone where different music styles can be combined to create a sound that is a mix between a psychedelic song and Latin rock.”
Anchored by a noir-ish guitar that recalls Ennio Morricone’s iconic Spaghetti Western scores, “Strange World” has a hallucinogenic and surreal warpiness that sinks deep and distorts perceptions. “That used to describe a typical night for me in the 1990s,” laughs Duffty. “The song is about the otherness feeling that we sometimes get. ‘Is this all real or is it a vivid dream?’”
Previous Slinky Vagabond musical line-ups were a veritable who’s who of rock royalty that included Midge Ure (Ultravox/Visage/Live Aid co-founder), Dave Formula (Magazine/Visage), Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses/Psychedelic Furs), David Torn (David Bowie/David Sylvian), Tony Bowers (Durutti Column/Simply Red), Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash), Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon), Glenn Matlock (Sex Pistols, Rich Kids) and Clem Burke (Blondie, The Ramones), and the late Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks).
Their upcoming album The Eternal Return is no different. A true musician’s musician whose impact moves fluidly between the music and fashion (he penned numerous punk fashion tomes including the underground bible Rebel Rebel), Duffty’s Rolodex this time dialed in guest players Mike Garson (David Bowie/Mick Ronson), Ava Cherry (David Bowie/Luther Vandross), Dom Beken (Nick Mason/The Orb), fretless bass legend Percy Jones (Brand X/Kate Bush) and Christian Dryden (The Ritualists).
The multi-faceted renaissance man’s talents extend beyond music and fashion into wordplay, as evidenced by the album’s title. “The Eternal Return is obviously in reference the philosophical idea that time repeats itself in an infinite cycle, with the same events occurring in the same way over and over again,” Duffty says cheekily (the previous album’s title King Boy Vandals is an anagram for the band name Slinky Vagabond). “I originally wanted to call the album They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead. Let’s hope that is the case…but don’t wait that long!”
Originally formed in 2007 featuring Keanan, Earl Slick, Glen Matlock, and Clem Burke, Slinky Vagabond was built with guest collaborations in mind. Structured like hip hop bands that construct songs on features, early tracks featured a veritable slew of collaborations including the late, great aforementioned Pete Shelley who sang backing vocals on the David Bowie cover “Boys Keep Swinging.” A fixture on the NYC club scene, Slinky Vagabond was a celebrated guest on celebrations as Joey Ramone’s Birthday Bash (2007) alongside the New York Dolls, Fashion Week’s Gen Art and Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp (2008) and Marc Bolan’s 30th Anniversary Show (2007) alongside Patti Smith, Tom Morello, Joan Jett, Ronnie Spector, and more.
Slinky Vagabond is Keanan Duffty and Fabio Fabbri. “Strange World” is available now on Bandcamp. The new album The Eternal Return will be released on January 14, 2025 and features Mike Garson (David Bowie/Mick Ronson), Ava Cherry (David Bowie/Luther Vandross), Dom Beken (Nick Mason/The Orb), fretless bass legend Percy Jones (Brand X/Kate Bush) and Christian Dryden (The Ritualists).