Thor

“Keep the Dogs Away” ***is one of the best records I’ve ever owned. I thought so the first time I heard it, and my opinion has never wavered. Punk magazine*** founder John Holmstrom called it a Perfect album. He said, there isn’t a bad song on it.

And I couldn’t agree more.

I’d like to be clear, above all else, Jon Mikl Thor is an entertainer. Rock is simply his vehicle. He doesn’t play any instrument on this record. And he co-wrote only 3 of the songs. But he brings them all to life. It is Glam, it is Pop, it is Rock and Metal, It is Muscle Rock! Because, look ***at this guy!

The Thor persona was crafted through Jon’s entertainment experience. Young Jon’s love of music led him to form the band, The Ticks. His love of bodybuilding had him entering competitions by age 13, and his love of super heroes had him incorporating costumes and theatrics into the shows he dreamed up.

Jon Mikl created a “Muscle Rock” ***show where he wore capes, boots, and body glitter. He’d smash concrete blocks on his chest. He’d bend steel rods with his teeth***, he’d blow up old fashion hot water bottles until they’d explode. ***And I know this doesn’t sound like the typical way bands or musicians get their start. But most rock musicians don’t work the Vancouver supper club circuit. Most rock musicians don’t start in burlesque.

Burlesque and music have had a relationship for centuries. In the early 1700s, the term burlesque was used to describe music, not exclusively musical acts, that incorporated elements of humor.

An example of this would be in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker. In the second act, the character, Mother Ginger, comes out in a massive skirt. Then lifts*** the skirt and all the Pol-i-chi-nelle come running out from underneath. Mother Ginger is historically played by a*** male dancer who camps it up a bit.

But it is “Victorian Burlesque”*** and it’s offspring that we normally think of when we hear the word, “Burlesque.” In the mid-late 1800s, “Victorian Burlesque” incorporated jokes and*** puns with women in tights, to show off their legs. When this type of burlesque traveled across North America, it picked things up,*** it transformed. Burlesque took on minstrel show elements, adding jazz songs ***with more risque lyrics, exotic dancers, even boxing matches***.

Fast forward to WWII Vancouver, when it was a bustling port and ship building hub. Dancers and burlesque acts set up theatre houses and found a steady audience of soldiers, sailors, and dock workers. Post-war Vancouver then transformed these establishments into supper clubs***.

1970’s Vancouver had a supper club scene that often featured full-blown shows with dancers, magicians, and people in various degrees of dress. Or not. When the very muscular ***Jon Mikl worked this club scene, he took all these fabulous show stopping elements, combined them with his own assets to form his musical act; Mikl Body Rock.

He would literally chant,”We are Body Rock, we will sonic shock!”

Which is fucking fabulous.

In 1974, Mikl Body Rock performed at the Commodore Ballroom***. The show was reviewed by a young Rob Geldof, who would later become Sir Bob Geldof. Why was he there? No clue but this is some of what he wrote…

“The boys proceeded to launch into a calisthenic dance routine…and Mr USA sings through his acceptable vocal chords some aging rock tune, totally IN-CON-gru-ous to the whole, yet it seemed to fit somewhere into this crazed act.” He goes on to describe how the clothes were ripped from Jon Mikl’s body and then “had his arse go through the most incredible paces I have ever witnessed.” And though this show appears to have used prerecorded music, Jon Mikl preferred a live band.

While on tour with a show, similar to the one just described, Jon Mikl meets guitarist extraordinaire Frank Soda*** and his band, and they decide to join forces. Now, Thor, his act was full of glam and glitter, so in order to make it work, Frank, John Lachesseur, and Charles Towers donned sparkley outfits***, wore white face paint with lightning eyes, and partook in the craziness of it all. The band was dubbed “The Imps” because of their more diminutive size next to the mighty Thor, and they began to tour as ***Thor and The Imps.

See how the beautiful world of Canadian rock just comes together!!

The shows were over the top, as one would expect. Thor would hold Frank ON his hands while he played guitar, they would use soup cans and hockey pucks for flash pots, girls would rip at Thor’s clothes, boyfriends would get jealous, chaos would ensue.*** It was often pandemonium, and people lined up to see their shows. In 1976, Thor and the Imps auditioned for KISS’ management company and later opened for them at*** Maple Leafs Garden. But nothing long-term came of it.

After that, Thor went to Vegas for a bicentennial-themed music review which led to an appearance on the Merv Griffin Show***. Merv didn’t like the glammy look of Frank and the Imps and this is where these guys parted ways. ***At least for a while. Over the years, Frank Soda has played guitar on many a Thor record, most recently the 2025 album of covers Thor did called, “Rock the Universe.”***

I have the Merv Griffin clip on my website. The Mort Lindsey Orchestra ***wound up backing Thor for his rendition of Sweet’s “Action” and it didn’t do him any favors. But when you watch Thor’s act; his schpeel, his trick, his song, his striptease, his burlesque, he wins you over.*** In the first minute or so its painfully obvious that this isn’t quite the Vegas crowd he usually plays to, and that this is an entertainer who wants the energy of the crowd to help make it incredible. So when the song doesn’t quite hit, and the audience doesn’t quite respond to the striptease, it is his hot water bottle trick that wins them over. And his joke about Donny Osmond. But he won them over because he’s a wonderful showman.

Upon His return to Canada, Thor recorded “Keep the Dogs Away” ***for RCA. And its great! Thor sings and growls his way through tight, well produced songs. The title track correctly opens the record and Thor lets you know what kind of high energy you’re in for. “Sleeping Giant” brings a more stripped-down, heavy metal feel, only to have, my favorite song, “Catch A Tiger” carry you to the best chorus ever and the most perfectly placed “UHH” ever recorded in music. You can imagine his stage presence while performing. I’ll just say it, KISS didn’t want the competition.

“Military Matters” allows you to sing, “Ride, ride, ride, ride, on the wings of the Valkare.” “Wasted” is a bit more psychedelic, and then Thor and the band rev you up again with “Rosie.”

Ian Guenther and Willi Morrison ***are the guys behind the successful Canadian production team, Three Hats, and they have great Canadian studio musicians backing Thor on this record. Are there radio hits on here? I think so, maybe not “Thunder” but almost anything else on here would have played in ‘77. “Thunder” would be a good B-side.” But we never found out what would have happened if Thor was able to go on tour to fully support this record.

And this is where it gets weird, in a dispute between RCA and Thor’s management team, which I think was Three Hats because the same names come up, a big tour was supposedly booked, then cancelled, and at some point, Bruce Springsteen’s manager, ***Mike Appel said he could do a better job with Thor, and then Thor was drugged and kidnapped but there were never really any specifics. Regardless of the events, and whatever deals were made for Thor’s release, “Keep the Dogs Away” missed it’s window of opportunity.

And like other great Canadian bands, Americans were denied. So frustrating.

Cross your borders. Cross your borders.

Musically cross your borders!

You might be able to find this in the cheaps, Discogs definitely has it. I have a link to the record on BandsoftheLost.com. Thor is on Cleopatra Records*** and you can find “Keep the Dogs Away” and his other records there in various forms. I put up a link to them as well,

If you’d like to hear about other records you may or may not have had back in the day. Feel free to subscribe to BandsoftheLost YouTube channel, or check us out at BandsoftheLost.com

Happy Digging!

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Lynn@bandsofthelost.com