lic roar and the slap-happy scuzz of the Gizmos (known for the ditty “Human Garbage Disposal”) emerged from Bloomington, Indiana. Minneapolis’ Suicide Commandos released their snappy ’ 77 debut, Make a Record, and the trashy Sillies just dismayed Detroit.
On the West Coast, with L.A. glitter guru Rodney Bingenheimer sneaking punk onto KROQ and Slash fanzine’s Claude “Kickboy Face” Bessy issuing broadsides, the scene coalesced around the Weirdos and Germs, the twisted electro theatrics of the Screamers (led by Tomata du Plenty, a veteran of San Francisco’s acid-spiked drag-queen troupe the Cockettes), and the Ramones-ish zip of the Zeros, featuring Javier Escovedo (later of ’80s alt-rockers True Believers) and Robert Lopez, later
known as “El Vez.” Critic Richard Meltzer and future members of the Angry Samoans concocted the viscera-hurling Vom, with songs like “Electrocute Your Cock.” The just-formed X and Black Flag would soon slam everything to an edgier stage.
San Francisco was just as vibrant, with the Avengers, Dils, cabaret punks the Nuns (led by charismatic singer Jennifer Miro and Javier’s brother Alejandro), Negative Trend (with future Flipper loonies), the Crime (who notoriously wore police uniforms on the street, as well as onstage), U.X.A., the Mutants and V. Vale’s Search & Destroy fanzine. The Feederz and chief instigator Frank Discussion thoroughly spooked Arizona; and Portland, Oregon, produced perhaps the most underrated American band of the past 30 years, the Wipers, fueled by the intensely abrasive, hypnotic songwriting of singer/guitarist Greg Sage (a hero to Kurt Cobain).
Down south, there was the freak scene around Raul’s in Austin, Texas, haunted
by Randy “Biscuit” Turner and Tim Kerr of the Big Boys; the doomy art-wave of Atlanta’s the Fans; and in North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s the H-Bombs (led by future dB Peter Holsapple) and Raleigh’s Pistols-derived rockers Th’ Cigaretz. Back east in New Jersey, the Misfits gave the punk cartoon a horror-flick head butt. And in Boston, a scene thrived, mostly around the club the Rat, with the Nervous Eaters, Real Kids, Mickey Clean and the Mezz, DMZ (led by future Lyres’ raver Jeff “Monoman” Connolly), Human Sexual Response, and the Thrills. Teen waif Mark Morrisroe published the zine Dirt, and his later photographic work was exhibited in high-profile art galleries.
After the first wave of U.K. marquee names and unclassifiably brilliant outsiders like Wire, scruffy London notables included the Boys, Chelsea, the Lurkers, Penetration, Subway Sect, 999, the Only Ones, and the Adverts, with their nightmarish yet insistently boppy single “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes,” about the Texas murderer executed in January ’ 77. Teenage gadfly Mark Perry was the scene’s foremost chronicler, with his Sniffin’ Glue fanzine, and also played in Alternative TV. A Sex Pistols show in Manchester prompted Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook to form Joy Division, Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto to form the Buzzcocks (Devoto soon left to start Magazine), and the late Tony Wilson to feature key bands on his BBC show So It Goes and later to cofound Factory Records. DIY anarchist punks Crass excoriated injustice with feisty noise
collages, art, films, and manifestos from their Essex group home.
In Ireland, the Undertones dreamed up pop-punk nuggets like “Teenage Kicks,” Stiff Little Fingers reflected the country’s sectarian violence with the searing “Suspect Device,” and Radiators From Space, led by Pogues guitarist Philip Chevron, had a raucously melodic two-year run. Canada was faux-scandalized by the Viletones, the Poles, Teenage Head, the Curse (all girls), the Skulls (an early version of hardcore heavies D.O.A.), and the Diodes (who opened the first Canadian punk club, Crash’n’Burn, in ’ 77). In Paris there was the assaultive, political fury of Metal Urbain—the first punk group to use a drum machine—and the poppier, femme-fronted Stinky Toys. The rugged, soulful bray of Australia’s the Saints was equal to the best Brit-punk. Other Aussies included the Stooges-loving Radio Birdman; Nick Cave’s first band, the Boys Next Door; the Victims (a precursor to Hoodoo Gurus); and the Cheap Nasties (led by Kim Salmon, later of the
JUNE 22
Punk’s first significant
fatality occurs as Cleveland’s
Peter Laughner, who
cofounded Rocket From the
Tombs (which mutated into
the Dead Boys when he left to
start Pere Ubu), dies of acute
pancreatitis at the age of 24.
JULY 5
Elvis Costello quits his
day job as a computer
operator for cosmetic
firm Elizabeth Arden.
With members of the Sex
Pistols in attendance, the
Dictators headline over AC/DC
at New York’s Palladium.
Admission is $3.50.
AUGUST 28
L.A. fanzine Flipside
publishes its first issue,
with a print run of 100.
AUGUST 27
The Adverts’ “Gary
Gilmore’s Eyes,”enters
the British singles
chart, on its way to a top
placing at No. 18.
SEP TEMBER 23
Bands from four cities—the
Avengers (San Francisco),
Blondie (New York), Devo
(Akron, Ohio), and the Weirdos
(Los Angeles)—play the Punk
Rock and Fashion Show at the
Hollywood Palladium.
References:
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