VOM was conceived in 1976 as a self-described beat combo featuring the renowned writer and critic

Richard Meltzer Richard Meltzer (born May 10, 1945) is an American rock critic, performer, writer and songwriter. He is considered by some rock historians to be the first to write real analysis of rock and roll and is credited with inventing "rock criticism". B ...

on vocals, with Gregg Turner on second vocals and "Metal" Mike Saunders (under the pseudonym "Ted Klusewski") on drums. The band also featured Dave Guzman on "tuneless rhythm guitar", Lisa Brenneis ("Gurl") on bass guitar, and Phil Koehn on lead guitar. The name VOM was an abbreviation for "vomit", as their early live act was said by Meltzer and Turner to have included throwing various

viscera In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...

, cow parts and food substances at the audience to provoke a reaction. Both Meltzer and Saunders had already contributed to music as a whole in distinct conduits. Richard Meltzer had written ''The Aesthetics of Rock'' (written in '68 but published in '70) which was certainly the first serious discussion of rock music in long format as an art form. Mike Saunders was credited for coining the term " heavy metal" as a music genre while writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''. In 1970, he wrote: "Here

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black Cof ...

] were a noisy, unmelodic, heavy metal-leaden shit-rock band, with the loud and noisy parts beyond doubt," in a review of ''As Safe As Yesterday Is''. "This album," he continues, "more of the same 27th-rate heavy metal crap, is worse than the first two put together, though I know that sounds incredible." Although Saunders himself states that the title is "right there" in Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" ("heavy metal thunder...") and the term predates even this in

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

' novel '' The Wild Boys'', Saunders was the first to lend it to the new hard rock of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

. Besides "I'm in Love With Your Mom" and "Too Animalistic" (both later incorporated into the

Angry Samoans The Angry Samoans is an American punk rock band from the first wave of American punk, formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California, by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders, his sibling lead guitarist Bonze BlaykBad Trip Records ...

catalog), VOM were notorious for a song called "Electrocute Your Cock", which began with Saunders'

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

-like tom tom beat and Meltzer's cries of "Electrocute your cock, electrocute your cock / Looking for a handjob? Stick it in a clock!". Despite its profane audacity, it had enough pop

catchiness Catchiness is how easy it is for a song, tune, or phrase to be recalled. It is often taken into account when writing songs, catchphrases, advertising slogans, jingles etc. Alternatively, it can be defined as how difficult it is for one to forget ...

and wit to become a minor hit for the band. Other VOM material included "Broads Are Equal" and "I Am (The Son of Sam)". The band released the posthumous ''Live at Surf City'' EP in 1978 on

White Noise Records White Noise Records was a record label founded in Los Angeles in 1978 by artists Ronn and Louise Spencer, writers Nicole Panter and Jim Bickhart, attorneys Gordon Rubin and Peter Paterno, and publicist Bob Merlis. White Noise's first release was ...

; "I'm in Love With Your Mom" also appeared on the punk and new wave compilation ''Saturday Night Pogo'', one of the earliest releases by

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

. Videos were produced for three of the EP's tracks, "I'm in Love With Your Mom", "Too Animalistic" and "Electrocute Your Cock", directed by Richard Casey (who went on to create videos for Blue Öyster Cult,

Buck Dharma Donald Roeser (born November 12, 1947), known by his stage name Buck Dharma, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the sole constant member of hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967. He wrote and ...

and

Romeo Void Romeo Void was an American new wave/post punk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band ...

). "I'm in Love With Your Mom" was shot as the band performed on the beach, with Meltzer wearing briefs on his head. The more humorous and visually interesting "Electrocute Your Cock" video included footage of Meltzer sprawling backwards in a chair while screaming the lyrics and sitting in a bathtub being electrocuted. Both videos (and interviews with Meltzer, Saunders and Turner) were later included in the

''True Documentary'' 1995 home video. According to Turner, Meltzer "threw in the VOM towel" in 1977, which paved the way for Turner and Saunders to form

in August 1978. In 2002, Meltzer released all five of the EP's tracks, plus the previously unissued "I Live With the Roaches", on the compilation ''The Completed Soundtrack for the Tropic of Nipples''.

Discography

EPs

* ''Live at Surf City'' EP (1978,

)

Compilation appearances

*"I'm in Love with Your Mom" on ''Saturday Night Pogo'' (1978,

) *Six tracks on ''The Completed Soundtrack for the Tropic of Nipples'' (2002, Off Records)

References

{{Authority control Punk rock groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Garage punk groups Garage rock groups from California