Between 1979 and 1985, xex had six known band members: Waw Pierogi (Larry A. Baczeski), Alex Zander (Alexander Miedzwiadok), Thumbalina Guglielmo (Marilyn Kreiss), David Anderson, Cookie Ruggerio (Lorraine M. Perrotta), Jon-Boy Diode (John Jansen).

XEX began in South River, New Jersey, when three high school friends Waw Pierogi, Thumbalina Guglielmo, and Alex Zander —decided to turn their shared offbeat humor and love of art into music. Waw and Alex had known each other since boyhood, first bonding at Boy Scout camp in 1968, both being 12, and by their teenage years had grown into what Waw once described as “defiantly freethinkers.” Thumbalina, who joined their circle after moving from nearby Spotswood to attend South River school in ninth grade, completed the trio’s core.

" We were defiantly freethinkers who later were seen as unintentionally avant-garde, progressing from wearing pajamas instead of shirts, and flip-flops instead of sandals, and not technically breaking the South River High School dress code...to wearing only a suit jacket and tie to a formal school dinner (...) to shopping at Consolata Missions for "dead people's clothes"...to adopting an all-black wardrobe before it became a New Wave fashion and now-perpetual tenet for hip urbanites. I blacked out designer labels on my clothes with a Sharpie."

Part of what set them apart, though never loudly advertised, was queerness woven into their reality. Waw later recalled coming out with little shame, while Alex wrestled more with internalized homophobia, something that colored his early adulthood. What is undeniable is that, half of the band's lineup being gay, xex is a great example of how electronic scene was pioneered by, and sparked interest of individuals often queer and neurodivergent.

" I thanked my parents last year for realizing years before my first awareness of human sexuality that their son was hopelessly "different" and foregoing any "correction," instead of trying to force a baseball mitt onto my limp wrists. All through our school years, classmates didn't dare make any wisecracks about us, thinking we were obviously lovers (which we weren't, but that explained my lack of romance until my college years). Luckily, I accidentally grew up without shame - a rare occurrence for a small town very Catholic boy. "

By the late 1970s, Waw had gotten deeply into electronic music while at Rutgers, experimenting on the school’s giant Arp 2500 synth. He called himself an “accidental non-musician” who was more interested in sound as science, yet he and his friends soon turned those experiments into actual songs. Alex contributed wry, cynical lyrics, and Thumbalina added her sharp, playful voice. The three decided to form a band in 1979, soon joined by David Anderson, Waw's boyfriend at a time, Jon-Boy Diode, one of the band's first fans who "seamlessly ingratiated himself" as their fifth member, as well as and Cookie Ruggerio, Thumbalina's childhood friend, expanding the lineup.

Waw often acted as the band’s reluctant leader. He recalled how their first shows at Rutgers had tiny audiences and lots of technical breakdowns, but the group leaned into the accidents, treating malfunctions as part of the performance. Jon-Boy built a modular synth from a kit; Alex handled the strange percussion patches; Thumbalina and Cookie often played lightweight Roland synths. Originally, Cookie wasn't a part of the band, mostly being in charge of "visual performance":

" The songs you heard in 1985, with the possible exception of "Vietnam Vet," were composed and arranged in late 1983 and mid-1984, when xex consisted of Al, Thumbalina, Cookie Ruggerio and me. Cookie made her non-musical debut walking a stuffed cat around the stage while we played "Kitty" in 1981 at the Rutgers Student Center opening for SVT. She got such a response from the audience we decided to have her join, as we had lost David Anderson and JonBoy Diode to long distance romances in California and Oklahoma, respectively. Cookie was a friend of Thumba's since childhood. "

Their one proper LP, group:xex (1980), was homemade in every sense, from basement recordings to hand-glued sleeves. The lineup shifted after its release - David and Jon-Boy eventually left for the West Coast and Midwest, while Cookie became more active with Alex and Thumbalina in later years.

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Alex Zander passed away in 2003 from a heart attack, visiting his sister in Cherry Hill, and Waw Pierogi (Larry Baczeski) died in 2013 in Oakland, California, aged 57. Cookie pursued a career in art conservation, working in major institutions from New York to California. Jon-Boy continued with his own musical path elsewhere, creating a band called Bronx Irish Catholics. Thumbalina has remained largely out of the spotlight.

Following Larry's passing, Dark Entries records published a tribute blog entry, honoring Larry as a musician and a person. Larry's obituary can be also found here.