young urban failures (1994) norm z./ken knott/jeff perry/will s.
miracle violence combination (1994) glen bergers/ken knott/jeff perry/d.wood/norm z./will s.
bare the scars of love (1994) glen bergers/d.wood/will s.; "settlement" (real audio sample)
creeping jesus (1995) glen bergers/will s.
texas gene meltdown (1996) glen bergers/will s.
? of the hour (1997) glen bergers/will s.
fireball xl5 (1997) glen bergers/will s.
fear of self-fulfilling prophecy (1997) glen bergers/ryan oppermann/will s.
futuristic roots (1999) glen bergers/will s.
s.o.l. forthcoming collection of out-takes/alternate versions
wolf's ticket forthcoming compilation 1993-1999
compilations
die weisse rose lasst euch keine ruhe (1994) die weisse rose netzwerk promo compilation; "don’t make me go line dancing" and "pop song #23 ( I love you blah blah blah)" - both tracks previously released
fetal brain tissue experiments (1994) "ode to beav" - previously unreleased version recorded live in rehearsal by glen bergers/d.wood/will s. trio
_euphoric recall_ (2oo2) 1972-2oo2 compilation; "settlement", "animadversion", "crap detector", "the dark art of improvised explosives" and "spiritual seeker syndrome" - previously released
videos
"scars of love" (1996) glen bergers/d.wood/will s.
"crap detector" (1997) glen bergers/will s.
unreleased/unfinished videos
"the last yuffie" (unfinished) norm z./will s.
"uchronia" (unfinished) glen bergers/ryan oppermann/will s.
"even yuffies get the blues" (unfinished) glen bergers/will s.
a jaundiced biography
young urban failures were formed in 1993 as a vehicle for collaborations by norm zebrowski and will s, originally envisioned as a "noise-pop" group. holding irregular sessions in will’s dining room studio (the dawn of sound reinforcement), the duo spent more than a year working on the debut. norm’s spiels featuring primitive keyboards and percussion constrasted starkly with will’s guitar-driven obscuriousities.
by mid 1994, norm z. was gone to lansing, and a transitional period involving a diverse collection of personalities, including ken knott (ex-violent apathy, latchkey kids, just say no and publisher of etch magazine), jeff perry, doug wood and glen bergers (family values) ensued. this was documented on the miracle violence combination release (title inspired by a rough translation of the name used in japan by the wrestling tag team of terry "bam-bam" gordy and steve "dr. death" williams).
for a few months over the summer of 1994, a trio lineup featuring d.wood on bass and occasional voice, glen bergers on drums and will s. on guitar, voice and lo-fi production engaged in a feeding frenzy of intense labor on a set of songs resulting in the bare the scars of love cassette. this lineup emerged from their ferndale hideout long enough to play out at a post-lollapalooza party in pontiac, in front of a completely nonenthusiastic group of drug-addled antique hippies. d.wood subsequently fled back to lansing, and for purposes other than the extremely sporadic recording sessions manipulated and exploited by will s., the yuffies as a group ceased to exist.
these aforementioned sessions lurched irregularly and unreasonably thru periods of glen bergers not being able to borrow drums, not being able to justify contributing, due to being in the throes of either a) a justifiable revulsion to playing with will s. or b) suffering with the onset of a mental illness most resembling agoraphobia. nevertheless, from 1995 thru 1997, a stream of 4-track portastudio cassette releases was issued; creeping jesus, texas gene meltdown, ? of the hour and fireball xl5.
in 1996, a review of bare the scars of love appeared in etch. additional manifestations of yuffie-dom included the videos produced by will s. using various surveillance footage made of the group. the "scars of love" video won a local cable access television award in 1997. despite his declining condition, glen did participate in the making of the "crap detector" video, running camera and performing a ritualistic lip-synch.
in early 1997, ryan oppermann, a 17-year-old improvisationally-oriented bassist posted an ad in a local record store, was answered, and for a brief moment or three that may, a quasi-improv noise trio coalesced and recorded the sessions which comprise fear of self-fulfilling prophecy. glen bergers and ryan oppermann became unwitting accomplices in the perpetration of the audible crimewave that is the oeuvre of young urban failures without any deliberate intent to, or even knowing they had. car troubles and college beckoned, and ryan eventually overcame his inclination to participate.
finally, in the fall of 1997, glen bergers purchased an actual set of drums, and the "unreasonable duo" practiced and recorded thru the end of the year. the songs were originally intended to be demos for sessions for a proposed studio cd to be recorded in conjunction with david kupczak (extreme digital audio), tentatively entitled, out of tune with the times. the rehearsals ended with the holidays, did not resume and the project was shelved.
some of these songs and incidents were eventually released, after additional processing and recording by will s., as futuristic roots. several recordings were also salvaged for the will s.autochthon solo release.
glen bergers has not been heard from since early 1998. he was sighted at a local edith frost/david grubbs show, but that remains unverified and unconfirmed. the ill-fated d.wood and norm "bates" zebrowski remain in exile in lansing, living on a diet of alcohol and delusions.
the remains of various yuffie out-takes and alternate versions eventually are slated to be exploited into the long-threatened s.o.l. (shit out of luck) collection. there is a concept of doing a compilation cd box set (wolf's ticket)in the future. there are unfinished videos which have not been given up on yet. it must be assumed that the yuffies have passed, unlamented, unrecognized and un-missed, into the catacombs of nineties sub-urban detroit ephemera.
