| John Zewizz | |
| Alias: | Green Sex, Ze Wizz Kidz, Hidious in Strength, Women of the SS, Noizeclot, Cult Ov The Womb |
| Birth Name: | John McSweeney |
| Birth Date: | 15 August 1955 |
| Birth Place: | Essex, England, UK |
| Instrument: | Vocals, violin, keyboards |
| Genre: | Industrial |
| Occupation: | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1979–present |
John McSweeney, commonly known by his stage name John Zewizz, is a British-born American industrial music performer. Since the late 1970s, Zewizz has recorded hundreds of cassettes, LPs, vinyl, and CD releases. He has also worked as a video director, magazine publisher, and record label owner (Inner-X-Musick).
John McSweeney was born in Essex, England on August 15, 1955. His family moved to the United States when McSweeney was an infant. McSweeney's love and knowledge of music grew through his high school years. Friends remember him as "the definitive rock and roll Impresario. If John didn't have the record, you didn't need to hear it.",[1] [2] During the 1970s McSweeney was the president of a Rolling Stone fan club called "Smooth". It was in the late 1970s McSweeney began listening to bands like Throbbing Gristle. This was a huge influence on his musical direction.
McSweeney began his musical career in the late 1970s performing as "John Cage" in various bands. In 1978, he recorded under the alias "Green Sex". The output was limited and by 1981 "Green Sex" ceased to exist. During this time John began going by the name John Zewizz (or John Ze'Wizz), and even briefly fronted a band called Ze Wizz Kidz in 1979 with friends Aero Cixal and Robert Catalono.
John Zewizz is the sole permanent member of the band Sleep Chamber. He has also recorded under the name "Green Sex", "Ze Wizz Kidz", "Hidious in Strength", "Women of the SS", "Noizeclot", "Cult Ov The Womb" as well as recording under his own name "John Zewizz". He has produced recordings by "Sleep Chamber", "Dokument", "The Product", "Daze OF Trance" and "Women of Sodom". Between 1981 and 2000, Zewizz released close to 100 recordings as the driving force behind Sleep Chamber. Sleep Chamber fell silent in 2000 as a result of Zewizz's drug addiction, but in 2007 Sleep Chamber reformed (now known as SLEEPCHAMBER) and began recording again.[1]
During the early to mid-1980s Zewizz published a magazine called "The Other Sound". The magazine was used primarily as a propaganda vehicle for Inner-X-Musick artists, and music that was for sale in Zewizz 's record shop "Innersleeve Records". The magazine ran from late 1983 through 1986. Only 8 issues were made before the zine stopped production. A 9th issue was to be produced, but Zewizz could not finance the printing. The material was given to a third party who published them under the magazine name "Issue #9".[3]
Zewizz has released 2 solo recordings during his career. In 1987 he released a solo cassette on Inner-X-Musick titled Passion Ov Pan, and in 2010 on the Old Europa Cafe label he released the CD 2012.
Zewizz admits that drugs played a large role in his life from the age of 14. During the 1990s he was addicted to heroin and by 2001 his music career had all but stopped because of this addiction. According to himself he was able to get clean in 2004 through use of "magick". Zewizz claims, "I had to use magick to break the bonds that drugs had on me. It waz part ov my being. Drugs became my world and everything in it. Only magick waz strong enough to focus my will and to direct my will into power."[3]
In 1996, Zewizz was questioned for the murder of Karina Holmer, a Swedish au pair living in Boston. Karina's body was found in a dumpster not far from Zewizz's home. The police considered John a suspect, but no charges were ever brought. The accusation, coupled with a growing heroin addiction, quickly began to destroy the band and to lead Zewizz away from band mates and friends.[3]
As John Zewizz
| Year | Title | Format Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Passion Ov Pan | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 42 |
| 1988 | Briley Zewizz | Cassette (split with Jonathan Briley) released on by Inner-X-Musick No Catalog no. |
| 2010 | 2012 | CD released on by Old Europa Cafe Catalog no. OECD 130 |
As a member Of Sleep Chamber (See Sleep Chamber)
As Hidious in Strength
| Year | Title | Format Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Soundtrack To Forever | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 07 |
| 1982 | Line of Souls | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 08 |
| 1983 | Industrial Suffocation | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX-C2 |
| 1983 | Nun with a Gun | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX-C3 |
| 1983 | As Recorded Live | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX-C5 |
| 1984 | Stranger Days | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 15 |
| 1984 | Eyes See To This | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick No Catalog no. |
| 1984 | Slow & Painful Sex | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick No Catalog no. |
| 1984 | Nun with a Gun/Gut Grip | 7" Single released on by Tuff Enuff Catalog no.TE 0816 |
| 1985 | Cold Dark Tales A Smell of Death | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick No Catalog no. |
| 1985 | Within Wires | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 41 |
| 1985 | Mahcanik | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 32 |
| 1985 | An Anthology | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick No Catalog no. |
As Women of the SS
| Year | Title | Format Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Women of the SS | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 09 |
| 1985 | Women of the SS #2 (AKA Woman Iz Beast) | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 20 |
| 1985 | Possession of the Matrix | 7 Inch Single released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX-SEX-1 |
| 1985 | Rigor Romance | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 25 |
| 1985 | Women of the SS | Cassette X 2 released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 20 |
| 1986 | The Call To All Women | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 43 |
| 1988 | Ov Pure Blood | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick No Catalog no. |
| 1991 | SS Orgy/SS Bitch | 7 Inch Single released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. U30912M |
| 1991 | Women of the SS | Picture Disc released on by RRRecords Catalog no. RRR-XXX |
| 1991 | Untitled (AKA Themes) | 7 Inch Single released on by RRRecords No Catalog no. |
| 1999 | John Zewizz Presents His Infamous Women of the SS | CD released on by RRRecords Catalog no. RRR-CD-07/2005 released on by RRRecords No Catalog no./2009 released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no.XXX 73 |
As Noiseclot
| Year | Title | Format Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Music For Torture, Bondage & Leather Sex | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 10 |
| 1985 | Beyond Agony | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 22 |
| 1985 | Bloodclot | Cassette with Controlled Bleeding released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 24 |
| 1985 | Death Dokument | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 31 |
As Cult Ov Womb
| Year | Title | Format Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 19846 | Cult of the Womb | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 32 |
| 19856 | Cult Ov The Womb | Cassette released on by Inner-X-Musick Catalog no. XXX 36 |