Gay for Johnny Depp was an American

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

band formed in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Members were: Sid Jagger (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

– Real name: Joseph Grillo), Marty Leopard (vocals – Real name: Arty Shepherd), Chelsea Piers ( bass), JJ Samanen (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). They were known for the lyrical content of their songs, which is often concerned with the band's

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

obsession over the actor

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

History

Formed from ex-members of

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

bands

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and Instruction in 2004, Gay for Johnny Depp released their first recording effort, ''

Erotically Charged Dance Songs for the Desperate ''Erotically Charged Dance Songs for the Desperate'' is the first Extended play, EP by hardcore punk, hardcore/heavy metal music, metal band Gay for Johnny Depp. It was released in 2004 and is now out of print. Track listing #"Kill the Cool Kids" ...

'', on 12 July 2004. The 5-track EP was met with positive reviews which often compared Gay for Johnny Depp to fellow hardcore bands The Blood Brothers and

The Locust The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation. The band has been noted for their use of insect costumes when performing live. History Prio ...

. The band recorded their second EP, '' Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah)'', in the summer of 2005, and released it on 19 September 2005 on the UK label

Captains Of Industry Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. This was supported by a small tour of the UK. The record gained Gay for Johnny Depp a lot of fans, due to the unusual song titles as much as the music itself. Gay for Johnny Depp played their first ever UK show on September 14, 2005, in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, supporting

Million Dead Million Dead were an English post-hardcore band from London, active between 2000 and 2005. History The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia. They were joined by Ben Dawson, who ha ...

. During the show, frontman Marty Leopard was punched by an angry crowd member and had to go to the hospital to receive 5 stitches in his fac
GIGWISE , Gay For Johnny Depp Attacked By Fan
On 9 June 2006 Gay for Johnny Depp played at the

Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...

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, UK. In that same year, their song ''Sex In Your Mouth'' was released on the

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

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, ''New Breed''. The band's first full-length album, ''

The Politics of Cruelty The Politics of Cruelty is the debut full-length album by hardcore and metal band Gay for Johnny Depp Gay for Johnny Depp was an American hardcore band formed in New York, U.S. Members were: Sid Jagger (guitar – Real name: Joseph Gril ...

'', was released on 5 November 2007; it was a rare example of a hardcore band receiving positive reviews in publications such as ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', '' Q'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and ''

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'' as well as heavier rock publications such as ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...

''. A number of tracks also aired on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. Instead of featuring the usual biographical material, advance copies of the album sent to the media contained a highly explicit pornographic fan letter to actor Johnny Depp, purported to be written by someone simply known as 'Brad'. This approach was in keeping with the band's previous promotional material, which have included bottles of

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, surgical rubber gloves,

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, explicit homosexual photographs and further explicit letters from 'Brad'. The band's debut album featured in the NME Top 10 chart throughout November 2007. That same month singer Marty was invited to take part in the NME's annual Pub Golf feature. Highlights of the evening have subsequently appeared on the internet. Gay For Johnny Depp toured the UK in January and February 2008 and in April 2008 wearing nothing but socks on covering their private parts. They toured the UK again between 13th Nov and 4th Dec 2009. The band's second studio album ''

What Doesn't Kill You, Eventually Kills You Gay for Johnny Depp was an American hardcore band formed in New York, U.S. Members were: Sid Jagger (guitar – Real name: Joseph Grillo), Marty Leopard (vocals – Real name: Arty Shepherd), Chelsea Piers (bass), JJ Samanen (drums). They were ...

'' was released on February 14, 2011. On 31 October 2011 they released a YouTube video and an email to their mailing list announcing they were going their separate ways. Their second EP, '' Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah)'' was re-released in September 2012, this time on vinyl limited to 300 copies through independent UK label Moshtache Records.

Style

Gay for Johnny Depp have been described as spazzcore,

, and

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

. They are most well known for their vulgar,

lyrics focused around Johnny Depp; for example on "Kill The Cool Kids", Leopard sings "Cos I want my Johnny bleeding, fuck him in the ass!" The vocals are most often delivered in a high-pitched scream reminiscent of bands such as

Ed Gein Edward Theodore Gein (; August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984), also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer and body snatcher. Gein's crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, ga ...

, The Blood Brothers. Musically, the band are recognisable for a frantic, relentless style, with few songs lasting more than three minutes in length. The band have been remixed by The Blacksmoke Organisation.

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2007) * ''Manthology: A Tireless Exercise in Narcissism Featuring Gay for Johnny Depp's Excellent Cadavers'' (2010) * ''What Doesn't Kill You, Eventually Kills You'' (2011)

EPs

* ''

'' (2004) * ''Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah)'' (2005) * ''The Ski Mask Orgy'' (2009)

References

External links

Official website

Gay for Johnny Depp
on MySpace
Gay For Johnny Depp picture archive

Explicit 2007 press release

Gay For Johnny Depp on The Mag
{{Authority control Hardcore punk groups from New York (state) Queercore groups Musical groups established in 2004 2004 establishments in New York City Musical groups disestablished in 2011 2011 disestablishments in New York (state)