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Zolar X is an American
glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on divers ...
band founded in 1973. Zolar X became known in the
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
club scene for dressing and acting like space-aliens. They spoke an 'alien language' of their own invention. They are referred to as "Los Angeles' first
glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on divers ...
band" in the 1998 book ''Glam! Bowie, Bolan and the Glitter Rock Revolution'' by
Barney Hoskyns Barney Hoskyns (born 5 May 1959) is a British music critic and editorial director of the online music journalism archive Rock's Backpages. Biography Hoskyns graduated from Oxford with a first class degree in English. He began writing about music ...
. Zolar X were the house band at Rodney's English Disco, which was depicted in
George Hickenlooper George Loening Hickenlooper III (May 25, 1963 – October 29, 2010) was an American narrative and documentary filmmaker. Early life Hickenlooper was born in St. Louis, the son of Barbara Jo Wenger, a social worker and stage actress, and George L ...
's 2004 documentary ''Mayor Of The Sunset Strip''. Zolar X played gigs with Shady Lady,
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who wer ...
,
Michael Des Barres Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original ''MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of ''MacGyver'' (2016) ...
, Jobriath Boone, and the
New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succ ...
.


History


Coming to Earth: 1973–1975

Zolar X enjoyed regional success as a live act, and national exposure via
Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye ('' né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper ...
's ''Rock Scene Magazine'', but commercial success eluded them. Zolar X were unable to get signed to a record label. In 1982 they released one independent record, ''Timeless'', a collection of demos, on Pyramid Records. Zolar X's founder was vocalist, composer, and pianist Stephen Della Bosca, who renamed himself "Ygarr Ygarrist" upon forming Zolar X. Ygarrist had previously played in San Francisco bands The Hedge and Bosca before moving to Los Angeles in 1972 with Bruce Courtois (Zany Zatovian). Ygarrist and Zatovian met singer Zory Zenith at Rodney's English Disco. Zenith was the former drummer for the Los Angeles rock band Shady Lady. Zenith not only sang in Zolar X, but performed intricate mime routines onstage. The lineup was completed by drummer Craig Rhinehart (Eon Flash), a former member of San Francisco hard rock band Legs Diamond. Zolar X's week-long stint at the
Troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...
with Jobriath was televised locally in Los Angeles. Zolar X were interviewed on one of the first episodes of
Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' ...
's ''
The Tomorrow Show ''The Tomorrow Show'' (also known as ''Tomorrow with Tom Snyder'' or ''Tomorrow'' and, after 1980, ''Tomorrow Coast to Coast'') is an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder which aired on NBC in first run form from Octobe ...
'' in 1974, along with
Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also m ...
,
Sable Starr Sabel Hay Shields (August 15, 1957 – April 18, 2009), better known as Sable Starr, was a famous groupie, often described as the "queen of the groupie scene" in Los Angeles during the early 1970s. She stated during an interview published in the ...
and Chuck E. Starr. In 1974, Zolar X recorded a two-song demo, "Space Age Love" b/w "Energize Me", at Crystal Studios. They pressed approximately ten 7" singles of these tracks, which were given to various record companies. Ygarrist's sister kept one of them, which in 2005 was used to press a limited edition 45 of this rare artifact.


1976–1977

Zatovian and Flash's departure in 1975 resulted in Ygarrist recruiting bass player Ufoian Ufar (Tom Lee) and drummer Romm Eclipse (Ron Eiseman). Zory left to pursue religious studies. Ygarr, Ufoian, and Romm briefly played and recorded as The Spacers. Zory soon rejoined and Zolar X recorded with producer and audio engineer Jim Dickenson at Memphis'
Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Arden ...
. Romm left, and Eon rejoined in 1977.


Downfall: 1978–1981

While Zolar X were on hiatus, Ygarr formed another Los Angeles punk band, The Spys, with Rock Bottom. The two wrote a collection of new songs in one night, which they released as the single "Rich Girl" b/w "No Good, Deathtrap". Around this time, Ygarr began to spiral into excessive drug/alcohol abuse. Zolar X regrouped in 1979, but Zory Zenith was promptly fired for having an affair with their manager's girlfriend, and dancing on top of the manager's limousine. Zolar X recorded as a three piece, with Ygarr handling all the lead vocals. Zory was asked to rejoin, and in 1980, Zolar X recorded one last time at Army St. Studios in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.


Return: 2004–present

Longtime fan
Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...
released a deluxe edition of ''Timeless'' in late 2004. Zolar X reformed in 2005. Zolar X have been critically re-evaluated, with praise from the worldwide press. Zolar X articles appeared in the UK's rock magazine ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...
'', plus ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
'', ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
,'' and the ''
New Yorker Magazine ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''. ''Timeless'' and demos of newly recorded Zolar X material have received frequent airplay on Steve Jones of the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
' radio show, ''Jonesy's Jukebox'' on Indie 103.1, as well as on
Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also m ...
's
KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...
radio show. The band reunited in 2005, and played for the first time since 1981. Zory Zenith was unable to participate because he received a 10-year sentence in Oregon for repeated instances of domestic violence. Ygarr and Eon Flash were joined by new bass player Jett Starsystems, previously knowns as Jeff Porter aka Jett Black, a former DJ at Rodney's English Disco and founding member of Voodoo Church. Zolar X still play with metallic amp casings, silver platforms and backdrops, antennae headgear, and ever-changing outfits faithful to the 1970s glam era. Zolar X showcased at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...
Music Festival in March 2006. They were introduced by
Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...
, and Canadian TV personality Nardwuar. Shortly after SXSW, Zolar X appeared on Canadian TV channel ''
MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
'', subject of a full-length feature, interviewed by Nardwuar. On April 30, 2006, at the Avalon in Hollywood, Zolar X received a "lifetime achievement award" at the first annual LARPY ( live action role playing) AWARDS, for their dedication to role playing, both on-stage and off. Presenters included
José Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oakla ...
and
Deborah Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...
. They toured nationally in the United States in 2005 and 2006. In June 2007, Zolar X self-released a limited edition 00 onlyCD compilation entitled ''ZAP! You're Zolarized'', which previewed four songs from the upcoming Alternative Tentacles release, contained unreleased vintage Zolar X music, and also soundtrack music from the upcoming Zolar X documentary. In October 2007, ''X Marks the Spot (''CD/LP) was released. Zolar X were featured on a 2007 episode of ''
The Next Great American Band ''The Next Great American Band'' is a reality television talent show. The show premiered on October 19, 2007 and aired on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times Friday nights. The show was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles on Wednesday ...
''
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
, in which judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson proceeded to insult them. Zolar X is the subject of an unreleased documentary titled ''Starmen On Sunset''. The film was directed by Chuck Nolan, and was produced/edited by Rhaine Della Bosca.


Discography

* ''Timeless'' lear vinyl LP(1982) Pyramid Records * ''Timeless'' D/LP(2004) Alternative Tentacles * "Space Age Love '74" / "Energize Me '74" 5(2006) Deliar Spacer Core (500 only) * ''ZAP! You're Zolarized!'' D(2007) Deliar Spacer Core (500 only) * ''X Marks The Spot'' (2007) D/LPAlternative Tentacles * ''Life Signs from the Stars'' (2012) D-RDeliar Spacer Corporation (100 only) * ''Urban Myths'' (2014) D-RDeliar Spacer Corporation


References


External links

* {{Authority control American glam rock musical groups Punk rock groups from California Musical groups established in 1973 Bands with fictional stage personas Protopunk groups Alternative Tentacles artists