Pairing bent but danceable funk/disco rhythms with surreal lyrics that found the humor in everything, Was (Not Was) also had a knack for lining up unusual collaborators, among them Leonard Cohen, Ozzy Osbourne, Mel Tormé, and Wayne Kramer. More a blanket name for the music of Detroit-area songwriters and producers Don Was and David Was than a band, Was (Not Was) employed a constantly shifting cast of musicians, though vocalists Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens were the public face of the project. They earned a rabid cult following and great reviews with their self-titled 1981 debut, but it was 1988's What Up, Dog? that briefly made them stars with the Top 20 singles "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love." Was (Not Was) quietly broke up after releasing the 1992 collection Hello Dad...I'm in Jail and reuniting to little fanfare for Boo! in 2008.