History
Massive Appendage was just one of a number of different bands that Jed Starr has steered across a rocky road over the years. In the early 1980s, the McCormack family relocated to Los Angeles for a time; it was there that the McCormack siblings formed a band under the name of Kings Cross and recorded a self-titled, three-track 12-inch EP (`Gimme', `Back Street Theatre'/`Love Machine'). Kings Cross became involved in the burgeoning Los Angeles glam-metal scene and came into contact with the likes of the nascent Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, etc.

The McCormack family returned to Sydney and the brothers formed the first version of Massive Appendage in 1986. The band's flashy sound was characterised by heavy riffs set in counterpoint to vocal harmonies and melodic guitar lines. The band's influences ranged from Black Sabbath and AC/DC to Kiss and the Sweet. In 1989, Oxx (real name Simon Cooper) replaced Brown on drums, and Massive Appendage issued its debut, self-financed album, The Severed Erection. The album cover artwork by Criss Hades caused a wave of controversy due to its vivid depiction of sexual ecstasy and drug paraphernalia. The band claimed the artwork to be `pro-feminist and a statement against drug abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality, evangelism, child molestation, communism and the threat of nuclear war' but somehow its lurid contextualisation only served to dilute the message.

While working with Massive Appendage, Starr and Snuff moonlighted with their other bands, Kings Cross and Fester Fanatics. The revived Kings Cross also included Tubby Wadsworth (real name Alex Nikolzew, drums, vocals; ex-Massappeal) and Marc `Cat Weazle' Welsh (on loan from Asylum) on guitar. Kings Cross issued its self-financed debut album Psychedelic World in 1989. Starr, Snuff and Wadsworth formed Fester Fanatics in September 1987 with Aldo Rubernik (aka Fester, vocals). With an 18-stone, bald-headed shouter by the name of Fester as its frontman, the band could never be accused of taking itself too seriously.

Fester Fanatics toured interstate on a regular basis and issued two self-financed albums, What Choice Do We Have? and Fester Fanatics' Greatest Cocktail Party Hits. The second album featured all 1970s covers, ranging from Black Sabbath's `Hole in the Sky' to Ted Mulry Gang's `Jump in My Car'. Both albums were indicative of the band's rough-hewn but heavy approach. By 1989, the line-up was Fester, Starr and Oxx (also in Massive Appendage) plus newcomer Squire Anderson (bass). The band broke up in March 1990. Starr and Oxx continued with Massive Appendage, while Fester and Squire formed Moron Appeal. In June 1990, Starr moved to Melbourne and joined Killing Time which already included Tubby Wadsworth as its drummer.

Starr contributed significantly to Killing Time's sound; he also wrote the songs `Ruby's Mind' and `Dream Alone' that helped establish the band's reputation. Starr left Killing Time in March 1992 to revive Fester Fanatics; Killing Time later evolved into Mantissa. At the end of 1992, Starr formed Starworld with Big Bird, Venom Brown and Anthony Ragg (bass; ex-Kings of the Sun). Marc Welsh replaced Ragg in 1993. The band's sound mixed such disparate influences as Cream, Funkadelic, MC5, Thin Lizzy and the Raspberries. Starworld issued the CD EP Starworld '93 in November 1993. By that stage, Starr was also working in ex-Noiseworks frontman Jon Stevens' new band.