The Queers

The Queers are a punk band formed in 1981 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joe King (aka Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (aka Tulu), and John Hayes (aka Wimpy Rutherford). The band originally broke up in 1984, but reformed with Joe Queer and a new line-up in 1986. In 1990, the band signed with Shakin' Street Records and released their first album Grow Up. The album earned the band notoriety within New England, but with the release of their next album 1993's Love Songs for the Retarded, on Lookout! Records, their following grew larger. In 2006, after releasing six albums on Lookout!, the band rescinded their master rights from the label, citing breach of contract over unpaid royalties. Later that year they signed with Asian Man Records. The Queers' cover of "Wipe Out" was featured in the 2007 Columbia Pictures and ImageWorks Studios mockumentary film Surf's Up, produced by Sony Pictures Animation and National Geographic Films.