Pizazz guitarist and singer Ted Miller's pop hooks are as big as his exploding mop of hair. So it stands to reason why both Outrageous Cherry and the Go have taken the Pizazz under their wings. See, the Pizazz are kind of like the aforementioned bands' kid bro — equally obsessed with pop and bubblegum but with a punkish edge. Imagine the Dirtbombs covering Sloan or something.
Music biz talking head and "legendary" fixture Kim Fowley is a Pizazz fan who encouraged the members to "get in touch with their inner Louie Louie" and bring their hooks to the fore.
Given their DIY spirit, they took it upon themselves (with help from such friends as Human Eye's Tim Lampinen and William Hafer) to create unique handmade covers for every copy of their last LP Where Have Our Manners Gone? The curious can check out a bunch of the covers on the band's MySpace page.
The last thing you would guess listening to a Pizazz record is that Ted Miller shares a Grosse Pointe Park upstairs apartment with his pop Ed. The place — with its great porch out back — ain't exactly your standard rock 'n' roll den of debauchery. The somewhat atypical arrangement works out though: Dad lives in Columbus, Ohio, but spends a couple of weeks here each month working public relations for Honda.
"It works really well," Miller says. "My mom decorated the place so it doesn't reflect me but my room is like a teenager's room." A teenager from the late '90s, that is.
The Pizazz play the Elbow Room (6 S. Washington St., Ypsilanti; 734-483-6374) on Friday, Oct. 17. Its three-song 7-inch "Livin' Like Animals" is out later this year on Asaurus Records. You can have a listen at myspace.com/thepizazzcare.
