Before OnlyFans, there was Telemate…

We present for your aural enjoyment the re-recorded version of Telemate an early 90s Bliss Machine tune about the emergence of prurience for sale. True to the original, Telemate 2023 is a fun but wry forward tune that embodied the salad days of pre-Internet technology-mediated jollies of the early 90s: telephone sex, party lines and naughty BBS chat rooms. The 1-900 ads were all over late night TV on many cable and broadcast TV channels (remember those?). Presumably per inquiry advertising, this meant that the local stations/cable operators showing the ads got a cut of the fees paid by callers in their area.

Jam Revisited

Re-recorded for your listening pleasure is this post-punk meets disco metal jam. Musically, the new version of Telemate was over a year in the making and features Eric G. on cosmidelic bass guitar duties taking it up a notch or two and surpassing the original in its boldness and drive. In addition, for the first time we hear backing vocals from drummer EZD that whoo-whoo’s his way into your mind. EZD’s drum work improvised back in the Spring of 1992 version, is now realized electronically this timer around. The new Telemate continues the original buzzsaw + wah guitar sound combined with a rare full-on guitar solo; reminiscent yet realizing the potential of the original improvised lead.

Thirty-plus years later, Telemate is quaint compared to today’s world of OnlyFans, dating apps, live chat, Backpage and actual teledildonics. Alas, the cautionary tale remains the same…

Original house party flyer and apartment/studio/practice space…