TONY D COQUE

Tony was born and raised in New York City. He began his musical studies at the age of eight when he picked up his first guitar. He studied classical and jazz music through high school and from there he went on to receive a BA in music from New York University.

Tony has played and composed for bands varying from top-40, to fusion, to gritty blues and rock. His credits include working with RCA recording artist Jim Dawson, and working on national television in Rome on RAI TV.

Tony's guitar style is eclectic and electrifying. His stage performances are known for their surreal, friendly sexuality. Whether he is screaming erotic poetry with a phallus symbol on his head, or rolling on the floor with the Orgy crew, his stage energy is nonstop.

During his college years Tony, an amateur chemist, was known to cross the county mixing his own legendary brand of "Coque Blotter" and selling the brain candy at Dead shows.

Later, while touring the nation with lounge singer Arnett Bueller, Tony met Las Vegas showgirl Cyndi Lapps. A whirlwind romance ensued, and soon the couple were wed in Tahoe where Tony lost Cyndi's showgirl savings at the keno table and the young lovers were forced to spend their honeymoon in the less-than-lavish Big Jim's Roadside All Elvis Wax Museum Bar, Grill, and Sleepover.

The couple settled in a small town in Iowa where Tony taught guitar at the area YMCA. Unfortunately, the marriage began to crumble when Cyndi, longing for her former showgirl life, refused to stop wearing her pasties to the local Wal-Mart.

Tony took the break-up hard, spending the next year in the crack houses of Athens, Georgia trading blues licks and sharing horse needles with the locals. Finally, as things began to look bleak, Tony was visited by a vision of guitar legend Dick Dale. This is especially strange since Dick Dale is still alive. Nonetheless, Tony testifies earnestly that on a dark alleyway, Dick Dale emerged out of a mist and uttered these prophetic words to him... "What the hell's wrong with you? Surf's up Daddy!"

From that moment forward Tony's life turned around. He began to practice hours each day and soon his chops were better than ever. A now wiser Coque was soon a hot item on the New York music scene, and now of course, a member of The Imperial Orgy's coveted Inner Circle.

Tony opened his own studio, known by many as a place where the Coque can crow.  He recovered some prime real estate at the butt of a national monument in decline.  The rest is history....