The term "Grebo"??

Han shot first

I had wondered about this recently and looked it up and found what I thought was a reasonable explanation/etymology of it on urbandictionary.com (#7) (and i quote):

I myself was classed as a a GREBO in the late 70's onwards (even more so when another UK youth sub-culture The MOD'S movement began (again) who hated Rockers/Bikers).
My favorite bands of the time included Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin etc.
Long hair, leather jackets and raggy jeans (biker look) being the uniform of the day.
I understood that the term GREBO was a derogative name (abbreviation of- GREASE BOY, meaning dirty),given by so called straight boring idiots with no sense of musical taste and thought processes!
This term derived from the old Rock and Roll Teddy Boy bikers (GREASERS-meaning covered in bike oil and/or Brylcreamed hairstyle!).
In the late 80's early 90's- UK Midlands Bands took up the GREBO banner- bands such as- POP WILL EAT ITSELF, GAYE BYKERS ON ACID, CRAZYHEAD, THE BOMB PARTY,BOMB DISNEYLAND, BOMB EVERYTHING.
Motorhead- classic original GREBO band.

Wow, that's fascinating. I just thought it was something the press cooked up for Ned's etc.

In the late 80's early 90's- UK Midlands Bands took up the GREBO banner- bands such as- POP WILL EAT ITSELF, GAYE BYKERS ON ACID, etc

I don't know those other bands you named, but what were these bands supposed to have in common with Motorhead or Judas Priest? I don't get it -- if it was, I don't know, the Wildhearts or Therapy? or the Almighty or Zodiac Mindwarp, I might see the connection. Or were Pop Will Eat Itself actually considered a hard rock band in the U.K.? (The stuff I know by them was sorta artsy sample-collage music, not what I'd expect greasers or bikers would like.)

But maybe gay bikers actually liked the Gaye Bykers (who didn't rock too hard either, I don't think)?

Mid/Late 80s "grebo" thing seemed to have more to do with intentionally exaggerated (but kinda self-mocking) rocker/dirtbag styling and a willingness to play messed-up rock than any serious musical debt to 70s metal.

Early PWEI = Buzzcocks-style punk/pop with scuzz-rock affectations (song called "Oh Grebo, I Think I Love You", covered Hawkwind).
Early GBOA = Funky psych rock w/ samples and similar sci-fi biker styling (covered Edgar Broughton Band's "Call Me a Liar").
Crazyhead = Poppy hard rock, same leather/denim schtick.

At the same time, you had Zodiac Mindwarp, The Cult, and the more seriously fucked-up US post HC noise-rock bands (Scratch Acid, Butthole Surfers, Green River, Halo of Flies, etc.), who tended to dress similarly, even if the sound wasn't as pop-friendly.

Assignment: Sub Pop Grunge = American Grebo

grebo = greasy boy

The genre may be gone, but clearly, greasy boys still roam the earth

covered Edgar Broughton Band's "Call Me a Liar"

Wow...I had no idea that was a cover.

seriously fucked-up US post HC noise-rock bands (Scratch Acid, Butthole Surfers, Green River, Halo of Flies, etc.),

Over here, they used to call this stuff "skronk" and/or PIGFUCK for while. See also Pussy Galore, Cop Shoot Cop, Killdozer, the Cows, etc.

he Gaye Bykers (who didn't rock too hard either, I don't think)?

Drill Your Own Hole has some credibly "RAWK" moments on it, I'd say.

It's funny--I saw the thread title and it reminded me of something I read in an Aaron Cometbus comic in the late 80's about "grebin' at the rebin'." It appears that this was an expression in northern CA that punks used to use. It always mystified and amused me, and I thought it might relate. Patrick Hynes from Lookout records explained it in an email to me like 4 years ago:

"What I can do is this: explain grebin' at the rebin'. Phonetically,
both e's are hard, the i's are soft and the g is hard. It literally
means feeding grebes at the marina . The grebe being a type of bird.
If you try hard enough, you can see how it works: grebing at the
marina > grebin' at the 'rina > grebin' at the 'rebin. It's a
stretch, I know. Figuratively it's supposed to be some kind of
romantic zen relaxation exercise type thing where you feed the birds
at some odd hour in a lonely marina and contemplate the meaning of
life or just be bummed out. I don't know of anyone who ever went so
far as to actually try it, though. So I cannot make any claims on
it's effectiveness (unlike hedge diving, which has in fact been
practiced far and wide and is indeed quite fun).

Anyway, it's funny you would remember that phrase, I haven't thought
about that for years."

Over here, they used to call this stuff "skronk" and/or PIGFUCK for while. See also Pussy Galore, Cop Shoot Cop, Killdozer, the Cows, etc.

ha, those were the days... I think that the Pigfuck designation (to the extent that any of this is worth discussing) was really more about the midwestern connotation of Cows, HoF, AmRep etc etc, whilst Skronk was actually a bit more arty/intellectual than what I would call the Lower East Side "Scumrock" scene of Pussy Galore, Dust Devils, Cop Shoot Cop et al. (RIP Surgery).

My aging mind is struggling to think of any examples (people like L.M. Connors and people he played with?) but check your old Forced Exposures. I would but mine are in the basement.

The term "skronk" is also used (or over-used) "descriptively" as a bit of an onomonotopeia in connection with music reviews ("the guitar skronk of xxxx") but that of course is another matter entirely.

loads of "pigfuck" related threads in the ILM archive.
well ok, 3.
and Gaye Bykers did indeed rock.

Well, they frquently employed a wah-wah pedal, anyways.

I remember the term "shambling" being used by the UK press for about five minutes around the early '90s. Whatever happened to those "shambling" bands? And who were they?

Shambling = C86, there's a few threads on that but probably can't search for them very easily...

I think that the Pigfuck designation was really more about the midwestern connotation of Cows, HoF, AmRep etc etc,

Not really -- it was definitely used for Live Skull, Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, White Zombie, etc, not to mention Killdozer, Scratch Acid, Buttholes, etc..

Skronk was actually a bit more arty/intellectual

Yeah, that makes sense; basically, skronk meant no wave, I think. I'm pretty sure Christgau coined both terms (pigfuck and skronk), and first used skronk when describing DNA. People are welcome to prove me wrong, though.

Ha, I know even LESS about the C86 thing, if that's possible! I know, I'm just an ignorant North American, sorry. (And there's no point to adding a "I'm too old for this shit" remark, 'cause in 1986 I was ALREADY too old, despite being under 20. And too American, despite being Canadian.)

[Update: Looking at the actual C86 track listing for the first time, discovering that I'm acquainted with 2/3 of the featured bands at least three of which - Stump, Bogshed, Fuzzbox - recorded LPs I'm glad to own.]

Stump, Bogshed, Fuzzbox

But these ones weren't actually "shambling" bands, right? (I always got the idea that shambling bands were more jangly, sort of folk-rocky post-Smiths sorts of people. Didn't a lot of them record for Creation Records, or was that my imagination?)

Also, "C86" was an actual genre? Brits seem to use it that way on ILM, but maybe I'm missing something. If so, though, what a weird genre name.

Lots more on C86 here, fwiw:

Bogshed - kings of swing: discuss

"Pigfuck" got used to describe all kinds of stuff, but it only really made sense to me in relation to wildly, deliberately ugly, kinda slimy bands -- like Butthole Surfers, Killdozer, Tragic Mulatto, Scratch Acid, maybe the Cows. In my mind, the shit had to be seriously, seriously grotesque for the term to seem worth using. Sonic Youth as "pigfuck"? No way. Seems like an insult unless you're talking about a band who seem like they might actually fuck pigs (or at least write some songs about fucking pigs).

OTM. Especially the bit about Cows maybe fucking pigs.

Gaye Bykers did indeed rock

Maybe -- It's been a good two decades since I heard a note by them. But either way, here's a (possibly very wrong) review I wrote of the one of their albums in Creem Metal in 1987 or thereabouts:

Gaye Bikers On Acid's *Drill Your Own Hole* has little Limey boys who wish they were big American jock-rockers like Dick Destiny or Powertrip, but they're not, so they play lousy art-disco with occasional guitar solos instead.

It's hard to argue with that. I have a weird fondness ofr DYOH, but OTM OTM OTM.

Wonder if they really recorded that album in the nude?

Stump, Bogshed, Fuzzbox

But these ones weren't actually "shambling" bands, right?

Also, "C86" was an actual genre?