The band became well-known at the
C-Squat on the Lower East Side of
Manhattan for their innovative music and politically charged lyrics. They also became infamous for their
Satanic imagery and references to the vagrant lifestyle, including smoking both
crack cocaine and
marijuana,
shoplifting, and
squatting. The band prides itself on its
atheism, and makes frequent references to
Satan. On the album
No Gods, No Managers, they use excerpts from the lectures of political scientist
Michael Parenti.
Breakup Choking Victim broke up after the first day of recording for their first full-length LP,
No Gods, No Managers, but the recordings from that one day were enough to make a full album. After they broke up,
Stza formed the band
Leftöver Crack, and Skwert and Ezra formed INDK. Ezra joined Leftöver Crack in 2001. Skwert is currently the front man for the New Jersey–based ska punk band Public Serpents. Sascha has spent the last several years
organically farming in upstate New York, and is a founding member of
Icarus Project, a radical mental health network.
Reunions On November 11, 2000, Choking Victim reunited to play a show in Tompkins Square Park with the lineup from their album, substituting former bassist Alec for Shayne. Later, in late 2005, Choking Victim reunited a second time, performing four shows. On June 11, 2006, they played a show at the
Lower East Side's
Tompkins Square Park, which featured various political speakers, including members of the Mislead Youth Project. At the end of July 2006, they toured the Dominican Republic, before
Leftöver Crack embarked on their European Tour. In the summer of 2012, lead singer Stza and the Irish ska-punk band Chewing on Tinfoil formed
The Choking Victim Show, which performed Choking Victim songs on tour throughout the UK, Ireland, and France. Choking Victim has continued to play sporadic concerts worldwide between 2014 and 2017. Prior to 2017 these were one-off events, but, in 2017, they undertook their first tour in over a decade.
Legacy In addition to
Leftöver Crack and INDK, Choking Victim also spawned Public Serpents,
Morning Glory and the Crack Rock Steady 7. Choking Victim have reformed for a few dates in the UK and Europe as The Choking Victim Show with Stza, Sascha, Alec and Ezra. ==Members==