Seen here is the remarkable cover art for the remarkably-named band Hot Poop, whose moniker was inspired by a Zappa tune. Their only record, “Does Their Own Stuff!” was released in 1971. As WFMU’s Beware of the Blog points out, the album art has a Manson/Spahn Ranch-esque vibe to it. The cover shot shows folks shooting up one of their pal’s poop. The back photo features the same group with donkeys and swapped-genitalia. So… WTF! WFMU tracked down Hot Poop’s Larry Praissman and Tom Burke for an interview. From Beware Of The Blog:
Describe the photo shoot.
Larry Praissman: The album cover was all Tom Burke. He broke ground as an artist. He did two “Action Sculpture” shows back then way before anyone thought of “Performance Art” and they were priceless. He designed the font on the front cover to mimic Ripley’s Believe It or Not. He has a natural eye for the bizarre. I don’t remember much about the shoots but I have always wondered about the donkeys and how their lives turned out.
On the front cover I was pooping, Jim the bass player was delivering the poop to Tom and Lisa who were fixing and and Bruce was passed out after his fix, hence: Hot Poop Does Their Own Stuff. On the back cover the donkeys seem unimpressed as we expose our dirty little secrets.
Tom Burke: The album cover was my concept. I’m surprised that more people don’t get the front cover. It seems rather simple. Hot poop, poop also meaning crap. So Larry’s taking a crap, it’s being carried over to the others by Jim, Lisa is heating it up (cooking it) in a spoon, I’m shooting it up (doing it) and Bruce is passed out. Hot Poop, doing their own stuff (shit). The photograph was taken in an empty building in Isla Vista. The building actually had no front on it but the photographer drew in the front window shadow to give the allusion that it was a complete building with four sides. The back cover concept I came up with in it’s entirety. I wanted us standing in a field of donkeys (I get donkeys and mules mixed up. I said a field of donkeys but I meant a field of mules) with two pictures, one clothed and the other with switched genitalia. In one more amazing Hot Poop moment I stumbled on a field of donkeys/mules almost the second I came up with the idea. We got the photographer and drove out there. The mules were nice enough to crowd around us for the pictures. As we were wrapping it up a helicopter started flying over as I think the land belonged to Union Oil.