The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With the addition of Keith Hages (ex-guitarist of Berlin Brats) joining on bass in 1983 the band started playing their first public performances. This original lineup played a total of five or six live shows. The original lineup of The Queers initially broke up in late 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 notability 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! Records, the band rescinded their master rights from the label, citing breach of contract over unpaid royalties.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. History The Queers were formed in 1981 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The original lineup consisted of guitarist/vocalist Joe King, bassist Tulu, and drummer Wimpy Rutherford. King and Rutherford had played together in several short-lived punk bands, but King was inspired to start a new group after spending a summer in Manhattan Beach, California, and seeing Black Flag play. Tulu stated that their name had nothing to do with homosexuality, and meant queer as in someone strange or an outsider. The original lineup only played four shows before Rutherford switched from drums to lead vocals Tulu from bass to drums, while Keith Hages joined on bass. This lineup broke up in 1984 when Tulu went back to school, and while never releasing a proper album at the time, the 1996 compilation A Day Late and a Dollar Short compiled various singles and other recordings from this era. In 1986, King formed a new version of the band with DMZ guitarist J. J. Rassler, bassist Kevin Kecy, and drummer Hugh O'Neil. The band broke up again in 1987 after King bought a restaurant, but the next year were reformed by King and O'Neil, with Sean Rowley on rhythm