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We Got The Neutron Bomb
''We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of LA Punk'' is an oral history of the Los Angeles punk scene written by Marc Spitz and Brendan Mullen. It was released in 2001 by Three Rivers Press. The story begins around 1971 with an exploration of the impact that the UK glam rock scene was having on American rock at the time, specifically through the efforts of promoter Rodney Bingenheimer to help sell David Bowie to the American public. There is then an examination of the impact of various bands that were contemporaneous at the time, including The Stooges and The New York Dolls before looking at the roles of bands and key figures that followed including The Screamers, Devo, X, Black Randy, Kim Fowley, Darby Crash, The Go-Go's, The Cramps, Black Flag, Los Lobos, Agent Orange and Social Distortion. The book finishes around 1981 with the perceived 'selling out' of the LA punk scene, including The Go-Go's having their mainstream breakthrough on MTV, Penelope Spheeris' documentary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marc Spitz
Marc Spitz (October 2, 1969 – February 4, 2017) was an American music journalist, author and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock and roll and popular culture appeared in ''Spin'' (where he was a Senior Writer) as well as ''The New York Times'', ''Maxim'', ''Blender'', ''Harp'', ''Nylon'' and the ''New York Post''. He was a contributing music writer for '' Vanity Fair''. Biography Born in Far Rockaway, Queens, Spitz was the author of the novels '' How Soon Is Never'' and '' Too Much, Too Late'', and the biographies '' We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of LA Punk'' (with Brendan Mullen), ''Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times and Music of Green Day'', '' Bowie: A Biography'', and '' Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue''. He appears in the anthologies ''The Encyclopedia of Ex-es'', ''Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit'', and ''Rock N’ Roll Cage Match: Music’s Greatest Rivalries Decided''. His books have been translated and published ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Randy
Black Randy and the Metrosquad was an American punk rock band from the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Los Angeles punk scene. They gained notoriety not only for their surreal and smutty sense of humor, but also for their amalgamation of proto-punk, 1970s porn, pop, and avant-garde music. History The band formed in Los Angeles in 1977 with Black Randy (born John Morris, January 5, 1952) as frontman, David Brown on keyboards, and other members, including Pat Garrett, on guitar.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 13-14 However, the band had a rotating line-up, which even included live back-up singers known as the Blackettes which often included Exene Cervenka, Alice Bag, Lorna Doom, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, and featured several members of The Eyes.Uncle Dave Lewis " Black Randy & The Metrosquad Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2010-10-24 Black Randy's lyrics gave him a reputation for being as witty as he was offensive with songs about ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Stranger (newspaper)
''The Stranger'' is an alternative biweekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, U.S. The paper's principal competitor is '' The Seattle Weekly'', owned by Sound Publishing, Inc. History ''The Stranger'' was founded in July 1991 by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper ''The Onion'', and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue was produced out of a home in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood and was released on September 23, 1991.Wilma, David''The Stranger'' begins publication in Seattle on September 23, 1991. HistoryLink.org, essay 3506, August 22, 2001. Web page also includes a facsimile of the front page of ''The Stranger's'' first issue. Accessed October 19, 2006. In 1993, ''The Stranger'' relocated to Seattle's Capitol Hill district, where its offices remained until 2020. ''The Stranger's'' tagline is "Seattle's Only Newspaper". It was chosen to express the newspaper's disdain for Seattle's then two dailies (the '' Seattle Times'' and the now-defun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Los Angeles area since he was 2 years old. Active since 1979, Hetson is best known as the guitarist for the influential hardcore punk bands Redd Kross, Circle Jerks and Bad Religion. He is known for his high energy stage antics which people have coined the term "The Hetson Leap ". Hetson was a founding member of and also plays guitar in another supergroup, Punk Rock Karaoke, and the hardcore punk band G.F.P. Career The Circle Jerks In 1980, Hetson abandoned his position as guitarist of the punk/alternative band Redd Kross to form The Circle Jerks with former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris. Soon after, they released their debut LP, ''Group Sex'' and in 1980 were featured in the Los Angeles documentary ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' along with several other Los Angeles punk bands. In 1982, The Circle Jerks released their second album ''Wild in the Stre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Decline Of Western Civilization
''The Decline of Western Civilization'' is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrote a letter demanding the film not be shown again in the city. The film's title is possibly a reference to music critic Lester Bangs' 1970 two-part review of the Stooges' album ''Fun House'', for ''Creem'' magazine, where Bangs quotes a friend who had said the popularity of the Stooges signaled "the decline of Western civilization". Another possibility is that the title refers to Darby Crash's reading of Oswald Spengler's ''Der Untergang des Abendlandes'' (''The Decline of the West''). In '' We Got the Neutron Bomb'', an oral history of the L.A. punk rock scene collected by Marc Spitz, Claude Bessy aka: Kickboy, claims that he came up with the title. The film is the opening act of a trilogy by Spheeris, depicting music scenes in Los Angeles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled ''The Decline of Western Civilization'', each covering an aspect of Los Angeles underground culture, and ''Wayne's World'', her highest-grossing film. Early life Spheeris was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her Greek-immigrant father owned the ''Magic Empire Shows'' carnival and was a side-show strong man. Her mother, of Irish heritage, was raised in Kansas and later worked as a ticket taker for the carnival. Her father was 40 years old and her mother was 19 when they began a relationship. Spheeris has three full siblings, plus a number of older half-siblings from her father's first marriage. She is a sister of singer Jimmie Spheeris and a first cousin of musician Chris Spheeris, and Greek- French director Costa Gavras, which she says has made her consid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing vocals), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Starting as a hardcore punk band in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Social Distortion went on a temporary hiatus in the mid-1980s, due to Ness's drug addiction and troubles with the law which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers that lasted for two years. Following their reformation, the band has shifted its style to a country, blues and early rock and roll-influenced style of punk. Since its inception, the band's lineup has seen significant turnover, with Ness as the only constant member. After years of performing, Social Distortion continues to tour and record music. To date, Social Distortion has released seven full-length studio albums, two co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agent Orange (band)
Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Placentia, California in 1979. The band was one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music. History The power trio's original lineup was Mike Palm on guitar and vocals, Steve Soto on bass, and Scott Miller on drums. They first gained attention for their song "Bloodstains," originally appearing on their self-released debut 7" EP in 1980. A demo version of the song was given to Rodney Bingenheimer, a DJ at Pasadena radio station KROQ-FM, who placed it on his seminal 1980 compilation album, ''Rodney on the ROQ'', on Posh Boy Records. With James Levesque on bass (replacing Soto, who left to form the Adolescents), the group recorded their debut '' Living In Darkness'' album with Brian Elliot, best known for composing Madonna's hit "Papa Don't Preach." The record was released by Posh Boy in November 1981 and included another, newer version of "Bloodstains" (later used in ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4''). A 12" EP, ''Bitchin' S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Lobos
Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños. The band rose to international stardom in 1987, when their version of Ritchie Valens' " La Bamba" peaked at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and several other countries. Songs by Los Lobos have been recorded by Elvis Costello, Waylon Jennings, Frankie Yankovic, and Robert Plant. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2018, they were inducted into the ''Austin City Limits'' Hall of Fame. They are also known for performing the theme song for ''Handy Manny''. History 1973–79: Formation and early releases Vocalist and guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands, as well as one of the pioneers of After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. The second reunion lasted well over a year, during which they released their first studio album in nearly three decades, '' What The...'' (2013). The band announced their third reunion in January 2019. Brandon Pertzborn was replaced by Isaias Gil on drums and Tyler Smith was replaced by Joseph Noval on bass. Black Flag's sound mixed the raw simplicity of the Ramones with atonal guitar solos and, in later years, frequent tempo shifts. The lyrics were written mostly by Ginn, and like other punk bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Black Flag voic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. The band are credited as progenitors of the psychobilly subgenre, uniting elements of punk rock with rockabilly. The addition of guitarist Bryan Gregory and drummer Pam Balam resulted in the first complete lineup in April 1976. They released their debut album ''Songs the Lord Taught Us'' in 1980. The band split after the death of lead singer Interior in 2009. History 1970s Lux Interior (born Erick Lee Purkhiser) and Poison Ivy (born Kristy Marlana Wallace) met in Sacramento, California, in 1972. In light of their common artistic interests and shared devotion to record collecting, they decided to form the Cramps. Lux took his stage name from a car ad, and Ivy claimed to have received hers in a dream (she was first Poison Ivy Rorsch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass guitar, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time. The quintet emerged from the L.A. punk rock scene of the late 1970s and in 1981 released their debut album '' Beauty and the Beat''. The LP topped the ''Billboard'' album chart – a (still-unequaled) first for an all-female band writing their own material and playing their own instruments. ''Beauty and the Beat'' is considered one of the "cornerstone albums of US new wave" (AllMusic), having broken barriers and paved the way for a host of other new American acts. It yielded two of the Go-Go's four biggest Hot 100 hits – "Our Lips Are Sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
