The Fuzztones were
Deb O'Nair on keyboards and vocals, Michael Jay on bass, Elan Portnoy on lead guitar and Ira Elliot (now with
Nada Surf and Bambi Kino) on drums. Their first studio LP,
Lysergic Emanations, released in 1985, achieved gold record status. The band also released a live album with blues singer
Screamin' Jay Hawkins in 1984. One year later the band toured for 3 months in the United Kingdom and Europe opening for
The Damned, and introducing the 1960s
garage/psych sound to a European audience. After the tour the band broke up, and in 1987 Rudi and new drummer Mike Czekaj moved to Los Angeles, where they reformed
the Fuzztones. The additional band members were Jordan Tarlow on guitar, John Carlucci on bass and Jason Savall on organ. This line-up toured Europe heavily between 1987 and 1990, and was the only band from the 1980s garage revival to land a major label record deal (
RCA/Beggars Banquet). Their album,
In Heat, was produced by
Shel Talmy. A later line-up recorded the third studio album,
Braindrops, in 1991, followed by
Monster A Go-Go in 1992. A live album,
Lysergic Ejaculations, was released after their break up in 1992. Rudi wrote or co-wrote the majority of the original material recorded by the Fuzztones. Among Protrudi's most popular compositions are "Ward 81," "She's Wicked," "Bad News Travels Fast," "Highway 69," "Nine Months Later," "Romilar D" and "Action Speaks Louder Than Words." Their version of
The Sonics's "Strychnine" reached No. 1 in Italy. In 2000 Rudi reformed the band with founding member
Deb O'Nair, and again toured Europe frequently. In 2003 they released the critically acclaimed studio album
Salt For Zombies. In 2010 they began their new album's tour. The album, named
Preaching to the Perverted, was released in 2011. With Rudi as the only remaining original member, the band is now based in
Berlin and is still touring and releasing albums. == Personal life ==