- Iconic punk rock band from the 90's era, The Squids formed in Chicago in 1989 in the basement of keyboardist and producer William LaTour along with Chicago born vocalist Joey Spatafora, and were recording and touring with with original members Bolander Davis (guitar), Judy Johnson (bass), and Jimmy Vass (drums) through 2005.
LaTour launched a crossover solo career for himself in the dance music genre, and he charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the Billboard Dance charts. American Top 40 host Casey Kasem would give mention to The Squids as Latours launching pad and would refer to The Squids as "a very influential and popular punk band from Chicago", while announcing Latour's hit recording "People Are Still Having Sex" which climbed to number 35 on the American Top 40 in 1991. American radio broadcaster Dr. Demento would play The Squids single "Every Time She Calls" during this period in the early 90's on his Westwood One Radio Network nationally syndicated radio broadcast which would feature popular novelty songs.
In 1995 The Squids recorded the very first rock/pop/punk single using the then taboo lyric "bi-polar" in their recording of the song "Unstable Girls" from the 1995 E.P. 7-inch titled "RUSH 2112". It wasn't until 2008 when Katy Perry released her single Hot N Cold that the lyric "bi-polar" was again used on a recorded rock single.
The Squids released a greatest hits compilation on compact disc in 2000 called "4 Floors Of Whores - The Squids Collection" on Hot Dog Water records.
The Squids continue to remain active with their music video release of "Get Off My Cloud" which debuted on YouTube and Funny or Die in 2013, and features Joey Spatafora in the role of Billy Squier, in the first and only ever homage to the classic Billy Squier music video "Rock Me Tonight" from 1986.- IMDb Mini Biography By: American Musics
- In the original screenplay of Goats (2012) written by Mark Poirier, the lead character played by Graham Phillips searches for a special Christmas gift for his friend "The Goat Man" played by David Duchovny. In a scene at Smash Records in Washington DC. he finds the gift and it's The Squids cd. In the original script Graham Phillips line is something like "Oh wow, The Squids 4 Floors Of Whores cd, I can't find it anywhere on the internet." He holds it up and buys it and later in the movie gives it to The Goat man.
- The Squids "Get Off My Cloud' music video reached #1 in the comedy/music category on the Emmy Award Winning comedy website "Funny Or Die", and "Cloud" is the highest rated music video ever on the site which was founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in 2007.
- The Squids, Laura Branigan, and Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons all had hits with the American dance song "Der Kommissar" which was re-written in English and recorded by After The Fire in 1982, and was actually first written and recorded in German by Falco in 1981, and was first released in Austria.
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