[8] Childhood friends Whitfield Crane and Klaus Eichstadt took an interest in music while growing up in Palo Alto, California.

By this time the As Ugly as They Wanna Be line-up was formed; consisting of Crane, Eichstadt, Mark Davis, Roger Lahr, and Cordell Crockett.

[9] Initially named Overdrive, then Suburban White Alcoholic Trash, the band got its name Ugly Kid Joe as a parody of L.A. glam band Pretty Boy Floyd, initially for a one night show in Santa Barbara opening for Pretty Boy Floyd.

Heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, Ugly Kid Joe covered several of the veteran band's songs, including "Sweet Leaf" and "N.I.B."

During the process, Roger Lahr left the band due to musical differences and was eventually replaced by Sugartooth guitarist Dave Fortman in April 1992.

The band sped up the recording process for their album in order to get a spot as a supporting act for Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears" tour.

The band eventually landed a spot for the tour, only to have Crane fly back to L.A. several times to finish edits on the album.

Ugly Kid Joe then made a stop at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards and thereafter spent 3 weeks playing sold-out shows in Australia and Japan.

After their tour in support of their 1992 album America's Least Wanted, the band searched for a replacement drummer, as Mark Davis left to pursue a life away from the spotlight.

After being dropped by Mercury, Ugly Kid Joe formed its own independent label, Evilution Records, for the release of the band's next album.

With distribution support from Castle Communications, Motel California was released in late 1996, and again the band toured Europe to smaller crowds.

Motel California, an album lead vocalist Whitfield Crane described as "heavy, funky, and has everything in it", initially received lukewarm reviews and sold poorly, though it has gained a minor cult following in recent times.

In 2005, an unreleased video for "Bicycle Wheels" was made public onto the Ugly Kid Joe forum site (created in January 2004 by J.Goldman, aka DMJ).

Klaus Eichstadt stated in the December 2009 issue of the German edition of the music magazine Metal Hammer, that the members of Ugly Kid Joe were planning to reunite in summer 2010, although did not specify whether their intent was to produce a new album or simply to perform together.

He revealed the album's status in an interview with California's 107.7 The Bone at the Mayhem Festival, saying "It's a fun band – it's funny, you listen to the songs and it makes you laugh.

According to official website "also in the works is an EPK documenting the reunification and the latest recording sessions along with some rare old footage of interviews, behind the scenes stuff, and live performances".

They were the main support act for Guns N' Roses in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 3, 2012, and also for Alice Cooper on his "Raise The Dead" tour in October 2012.