Artist description "the jolson dilemma? Exactly. The question is indeed the answer when you're talking about these four rogue poet gentleman scholars. Culled from the ashes of such critically lauded bands as 'WhistleStint' and 'horse', the jolson dilemma is a veritable indie rock supergroup. Their first single,'Elfin Walrus in Pain,' is an apocalyptic masterpiece offering a scathing indictment of infamous film legend Al Jolson. The lyrics speak for themselves. Mad cap, free form poetry spewing from the mouth of a tortured diabetic, backed up by the thickest slab of instrumentation this side of Scaggsville. Wow! I'm speechless. Just listen...and then listen again...and then really listen...you'll see what I mean. You got me fellas, I'm converted."----Larry Sturge, Mars Has A Sister Fanzine

Artist History the jolson dilemma's history is as convoluted as their message. Try to keep up: "I was playing in this horrible, funk-punk band, The Nipsy Rustlers when I met Vic and Jim at University. That was back in '94." So remembers Stew Corkipso. "Actually, we didn't really get along at first. Those guys were playing with WhistleStint, who everybody fucking loved, and we were the only other band in town. So there was this competition factor. Anyway, we were playing our usual Thursday night show at this club and Vic was hanging out at the bar heckling us. Of course all of the hipster kids were laughing and pointing and throwing shit so that didn't help. And Vic was like a God to those kids so they just ate it up. So I'm up there, and we're halfway through our first song and I just lose it. I stop playing, grab the mic, and start going off on this bitter rant about the whole bullshit indie hipster scene. It's really all a blur to me now, but supposedly 18 minutes later I'm on some tangent about purple souled elfin shylocks and the scientologist connection to Nabisco. The kids didn't know what the fuck was going on. My bassist was crying. Two girls started dry heaving. The bartender wet his pants and yelled, 'Calypso pockets! C'mon Sister!' It was odd. Vic was impressed though..." Vic recalls, "Yeah, I remember that night. Stew's fucking band was terrible. They were playing this funk version of 'Cuts Like a Knife' and the crowd wasn't having any of it. So I started yelling stupid shit and I guess Stew just snapped. It was beautiful, 27 minutes of pure, stream of consciousness ramblings. He was brilliant that night." Vic and Jim approached Stew afterwards and asked him to join WhistleStint, but he refused. "It wasn't out of loyalty to the Rustlers, I hated those kids. But after my experience on stage I had an epiphany. I wanted to spread the word, my word, and I couldn't be bothered with some second rate indie rock shit." Jim recalls, "I was insulted. I really didn't care if he played with us or not, but Vic was committed, he really wanted to work with him. So WhistleStint broke up and we formed the 'dilemma'. I was skeptical..." The first few practices were tense affairs, and Stew's maniacal rants were more than the others could handle. Vic recalls, "Man, he used to run around saying, 'I'm Gandhi! I'm a Svengali!', over and over again. And he'd wear this fucked up clown suit. It was all shiny with tassles and had this neat little horn. I guess he thought he looked cool. But I hated that fucking suit...what an embarrasment. All these great people we'd met through WhistleStint started leaving the fold, no one wanted anything to do with us because of Stew...he was too unpredictable. I actually thought he was crazy." Stew admits, "Maybe I was a little over the top back then, who knows." But the boys stuck together, and though it was to be an emotionally draining and psychologically damaging time for all three, it was a necessary step in the creation of the 'dilemma'. Jim recalls, "The critics hated us, the crowds couldn't stand us, and no label would touch us. We got evicted from 4 practice spaces, so finally we all moved in with my girlfriend's parents. It was a bad time for everybody." The 'dilemma' continued to play throughout all of the hardships and in July of 1997, finally hit their stride with the release of the incredibly rare "squirrels equal luck" EP on Vereen Records. Though panned by the mainstream press, the record was well received by those in the know and a small, dedicated cult following began to emerge. On the strength of "squirrels", the 'dilemma' toured extensively throughout the country for 4 months and after a short break left for a 2 month European tour in February of '98. The tour was a rousing success. However, upon returning to the States, the 'dilemma' found a much different country than the one they'd left just two months ago. "We thought we had a good thing with Vereen, but they didn't want anything to do with us when we got back. It was weird. We couldn't get shows, no one wanted to play with us, we felt like outcasts pretty much. So we went through a 'dark period' I guess you could say...5 maybe 6 months...playing and living in basements, sheds, condemned houses, whatever." Stew Corkipso recalls. Enter Little Webster Press Recordings. LWP was a fledgling indie label/publishing company started by renegade entreprenuer Leonard Reece in the mid 90's. Nearly bankrupt and with mounting financial troubles, Reece decided to take a chance on the 'dilemma' after seeing them perform at The Kern in Portland. Reece recalls, "I was impressed to say the least. I hadn't seen that kind of fire and originality since I saw 'Missile Tip Kiss' at CBGB's in '82. I mean, these kids were 'on'." After signing with LWP, the 'dilemma' hit the studio and knocked out their first full length; a decidely amatuerish, yet artistically daring piece of work. The album, "co(at)ded in stars", was never released however, due to legal hassles with The Jolson Preservation Society. Rather than engage in a financially devasting court battle, LWP and the 'dilemma' chose to shelve the record indefinitely. In fact, only one single from the album has been released to the public, "elfin walrus in pain". And for the time being 'the jolson dilemma' is happy to keep it that way. "Look, we've been through just about everything possible. This thing with the Jolson people will blow over. Honestly, the fact that we're still together means more to me than releasing the album and taking over the world. I mean, it'll happen, it just takes time." Stew Corkipso, excerpt from opening statement in federal court.

Group Members Stewart Corkipso--Vocals/////Vic Storlaps--Guitar, Keyboards///// Larry Thudge--Bass/////Jim Lornican--Drums

Albums "squirrels equal luck"- 6 song EP on Vereen Records

Press Reviews "So over the top they've hit bottom...disturbing"James Spader, Actor "Restraint boys. The word is restraint."Sarah Sherms, Snackzine "Call your lawyer."Mark Leavy, Jolson Preservation Society

Additional Info "co(at)ded in stars"- Unreleased 18 song full length on Little Webster Press Recordings

Location Philadelphia, PA - USA

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