The Didjits

Fizzjob, their debut album, was produced by Iain Burgess (who has worked with Naked Raygun, Effigies and Mega City Four, among others). Many of the songs on the album (and a couple subsequent releases) had appeared on self-released cassettes such as Whoop My Head and Signifies My Go-T. The album showcased the burgeoning songwriting talents of Rick Sims, along with his fast, stinging guitar leads. They played their souped up rock and roll with plenty of speed. Underneath the fun and fury, the band displayed a real feel for classic rock forms from Jerry Lee Lewis (spoofed and honored in the opening cut "Jerry Lee") to Ramones to AC/DC and others. Highlights include the dynamic "Fix Some Food Bitch", the melodic "California Surf Queen", the dramatic "Mexican Death Horse" and the smart ass "Beast Le Brutale".

Hey Judester, the follow-up album, was a big step forward, as the band, produced by Burgess again, was noticeably tighter and the production was accordingly beefed up. Furthermore, the Rick Didjit persona was truly crystallized, with sarcastic lyrics about bad asses, big cars, and fish dominating the proceedings. Considered by many fans to be the band's best album, the LP kicks off with the furious "Max Wedge" and segues directly into "Stingray". The first side also has the Cramps-like "Skull Baby", the lightning fast "Plate in My Head", sung from the point of view of a Vietnam vet, the heavy "Under the Christmas Fish", a frequent concert opener with its pounding bass and drum rhythm and Sims hooky lead guitar line, and the closer, a wobbly version of Little Richard's "Lucille". Side two was nearly as good, with "Axhandle" sounding like a cross between AC/DC and Buzzcocks, "Joliet" encouraging singalongs, Doug Evans's bass dominating "King Carp", and Sims showing that he could pen a great mid-tempo song on "Dad" ("you know I really hate it/when you hit me with that belt"), a tough guy song tinged with melancholy. Judester was the band's first album released on Touch & Go Records, and was subsequently released as a two-for-one CD with Fizzjob.

The band's following solidified with the release of Hornet Pinata. The album was littered with memorable riffs and careening, pile-driving rhythms. It leads off with "Killboy Powerhead", later covered by The Offspring on their breakthrough album, Smash and includes covers of The MC5's "Call Me Animal" and Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady", with bassist Doug Evans on lead vocals. The band shot a video for "Captain Ahab" which MTV refused to play due to drug references in the lyrics. Nevertheless, a clip of the video was shown on MTV's 120 Minutes show. The video for "Judge Hot Fudge" appeared in a season five episode of Beavis and Butt-head entitled "Choke"; the boys were not impressed.

All of the original members of the band appeared at the Touch and Go 25th anniversary celebration in Chicago, Illinois on September 9, 2006.[1] The next weekend, the band played another reunion show in Champaign.

In late 2016, preparations were also underway for another reunion in 2017. However, due to the death of Evans at the end of 2016, this reunion will no longer be happening.

Sims now works with the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago and has his own business as a composer/sound designer.

For a few years, Evans resided in the Austin, Texas area where he regularly performed with his band, Blöwer (now disbanded), built nitro dragsters, and raised his children Lola Evans and Dodge Evans. He died on December 28, 2016.

• Touch and Go Records 25th Anniversary footage of the Didjits performance and interview
• Band profile at Touch and Go Records website
• Trouser Press entry
• Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal - Episode 88: Rick Sims