'90s noise-alt group Janitor Joe is best-known as the original band of late bassist Kristen Pfaff, who would go on to join Courtney Love in Hole. Originally comprised of members Joachim Breuer (guitar, vocals), Matt Entsminger (drums), and Pfaff, Janitor Joe was formed in Minneapolis during 1991. The trio signed with the Amphetamine label shortly thereafter, issuing a debut four-track EP in 1992, Big Metal Birds. In 1993, Love and Eric Erlandson from Hole caught a Janitor Joe show and immediately offered Pfaff the open bass slot for their band, which she accepted. Janitor Joe soldiered on with a replacement bassist, Wayne Davis, who played on the group's lone full-length release, 1994's Lucky, before splitting up. Both Breuer and Entsminger went on to form a new outfit, Gnomes of Zurich, who issued a recording in 1997, 33rd Degree Burns. Pfaff only appeared on one Hole album, 1994's Live Through This, before dying from a heroin overdose on June 16, 1994. (Just prior to her death, Pfaff temporarily rejoined Janitor Joe for a European tour). ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Janitor Joe is a DOS game by Kevin Bales in which the player must gather keys and escape from a NASA station. Bales released the free game as a teenager via BBSs in Atlanta, and later said, "I only spent five days on the programming part. I didn't write it to sell — I was only experimenting."[1] Nonetheless, the game was widely distributed and played.[citation needed]
The primary dangers are falls, mad robots, and a limited supply of oxygen. Each level features a different type of device to aid Joe in escaping:
Level 1 - (none)
Level 2 - Slides
Level 3 - Elevators
Level 4 - Invisible ladders
Level 5 - Moving platforms
References
^ Oppenheim, Joanne. KidSpeak About Computers. Ballantine Books. 1985.
