The first time I saw the caterwauling ex-Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow, was when the inimitable Scratch Acid came to The Central back in 80…what? 84? 85? Their self-titled 8-song debut masterpiece had been released, and pretty much seemed to be the only record that anybody was listening to at the time. The Seattle music scene was enamored beyond words, so when Scratch Acid finally hit town, it was utter mayhem. utter. blissful. mayhem.

That was the only time I ever got to see SA, but I did manage to catch Jesus Lizard on a number of occasions, most recently at the Henry Fonda Theater here in Los Angeles this last October (15th, 2009). They delivered the goods more than I ever would have imagined, but I’m not going to review that show here because I already promised my friend Cara that I’d write about it for her Ritual Room blog, and I am a man of my word.

Below is a 12-minute mini-documentary about David, entitled I’d Rather Be Anywhere Else which was shot by the Swiss band Ventura this January and posted by the good folks at The Drone. The piece kicks off with Yow commenting on how he’d like the Jesus Lizard to be remembered: “we were a band that never really got anywhere, meant a lot to a few people who don’t know much about anything”. I’m guessing that your fans and readers may beg to differ (we can disagree over a few drinks if he’ll ever let me interview him for RocknRollDating). Yow further talks about getting an agent and becoming an actor, avoiding mirrors, his relationship with his father and doing a public access cooking show with Steve Albini. That‘s something that I’d like to see!

Once you get the video started, hit pause to let the stream buffer a bit as it seems to choke a lot. After you’ve finished, make sure to check out the “Bonus” video of The Jesus Lizard performing “Seasick”.