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Shudder to Think

Shudder to Think formed in 1986 and released six full-length albums before disbanding in the late 1990s. The group sounded like none other in the D.C. punk scene, if anywhere. Craig Wedren’s sui generis vocals and lyrics were elevated further by the band's expansive, evocative post-hardcore music. Following their debut album on Sammich Records in 1988, Shudder to Think released three albums on Dischord Records. The group signed to Sony Records for 1994's Pony Express Record and 1997's 50,000 B.C.

Drawn from the Chris Baronner digital collection on DC punk, the Sharon Cheslow Punk Flyers collection, the John Davis collection on punk, the D.C. punk and indie fanzine collection, and the Robbie White collection on the Slickee Boys at Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland.

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Fliers

Shudder to Think flyer with background of the painting, 'Saturn Devouring His Son'.
Shudder to Think - d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., July 30, 1987
Government Issue flyer with a dark photo of a person's hands on a brick wall.
Government Issue, Ignition, Shudder to Think - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., October 15, 1987 (Front)
Verbal Assault flyer on orange paper with photos of Afghan women and children with title, 'Imperialism is not dead!'
Verbal Assault, Shudder to Think, Swiz and Images - Sanctuary Theatre, Washington, D.C., January 9, 1988
Fugazi flyer with a photo of a lion in front of a camera set and striped background.
Fugazi, Shudder to Think, MFD - Merrifield Community Hall, Merrifield, Virginia, February 20, 1988
Shudder to Think flyer on yellow paper with images of ships and paper cut-out titles.
Shudder to Think and Swiz - Calvary United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C., April 23, 1988
Shudder to Think flyer with an abstract spiral and handwritten event details underneath.
Shudder to Think - Kazz Club, Washington, D.C., June 30, 1988
Shudder to Think flyer with red marker and drawing of a character giving a big thumbs up.
Shudder to Think - Washington, D.C., July 13, 18, 1988
Shudder to Think flyer with yellow paper with an illustration of of two demons on a sickbed with handwritten event details under it.
Shudder to Think, Scream, Fidelity Jones - d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., July 18, 19, 20, 1988
Geek flyer with a various items hand-drawn of sunglasses, watches, and pacifier.
Geek, Blood Bats, and Shudder to Think - d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., July 18, 1988
Shudder to Think flyer with a roughly painted black background and shakily-written title and event details.
Shudder to Think - d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., October 4, 1988
Flier for State Of the Union benefit compilation with an image of two revolvers pointed at a globe.
Flier for State Of the Union benefit compilation, Washington, D.C., 1988
Unrest flyer with text cutout and pasted in ransom note-style with a map drawing of the location.
Unrest, Bells of, Redeemers, Shudder to Think - house show, Silver Spring, Maryland, January 1, 1989
Didjits flyer with abstract drawings of a pair of eyes surrounded by lines and spirals.
Didjits and Shudder to Think - d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., February 13, 1989
Edsel flyer on green paper splattered with ink and traces of printed text.
Edsel, Mo Pagans, and Shudder to Think - BBQ Iguana, Washington, D.C., March 12, 1989
Ignition flyer with images of various machinery and a woman in a ballgown.
Ignition, Shudder to Think, Fidelity Jones - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., May 2, 1989
Fugazi flyer on yellow paper with a print of a fist inside of a heart outline, and the headline 'Stop gentrification, fight eviction'.
Fugazi, Shudder to Think, and Jawbox - Pierce Hall, Washington, D.C., September 22, 1989
Fugazi flyer with the title in large, bold type and a purple crayon drawing of a cow with two spots and the words, 'Moo moo cow says come to da show' next to it.
Fugazi, Shudder to Think, and Jawbox - Pierce Hall, Washington, D.C., September 22, 1989
Holy Rollers flyer with a repeated pixellated photo of a man in the background.
Holy Rollers and Shudder to Think concert flier, d.c. Space, Washington, D.C., December 28, 1989
Black and white flier with bold title text at the top and an abstract illustration underneath.
Shudder to Think concert flier, d.c. space, Washington, D.C., April 11, 1990
Shudder To Think flyer on red paper with a tall serif title and band logos beneath.
Shudder To Think concert flier - HUB Ballroom, University Park, Pennsylvania, September 20, 1992
Fort Reno 1993 flyer with various tiled photos printed behind the title and event details.
Shudder To Think, Holy Rollers, and Cupid Car Club concert flier – Artscience Warehouse, Washington, D.C., April 8, 1993
Fort Reno concert schedule, Summer 1993

Zines

Sweet Portable You front page with a cartoon of a row of men sitting at a table and the title, 'Your Lap is Naked. I Loved it.'
Sweet Portable You 3, March 27, 1989
Black and white cover page with a picture of three shadows on the ground.
Who Cares? Issue 2, 1991

About

Persistent Vision presents the University of Maryland's digitized special collections materials related to punk in the Washington, D.C. area. Most of these materials reside at Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. These materials help to tell the story of a subculture and a community that has thrived since 1976.

Curators: John Davis, Ben Jackson
Design: Ben Jackson, Natalie Salive
Authors: Ben Jackson, John Davis, and Jessica Grimmer

With help from: Cindy Zhao, Jeremy Gottwig, Amanda Henderson, Gabby Cameron, Hayden Kramer

Contact Us

Special Collections in Performing Arts is located in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library on University of Maryland’s College Park campus.

For general information about the library and our collections, contact us