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:''For the comic strip, see The Germs (comics).''
'The Germs' are a punk rock band from Los Angeles formed in the late 1970s. Their 1977 single, "Forming/Sexboy (live)", is generally regarded as the first punk record from Los Angeles.
The band began when Paul Beahm and Georg Ruthenberg decided they should start a band after being kicked out of University High for antisocial behaviour, allegedly for using 'mind control' on fellow students. The (initially hypothetical) band was named "Sophistifuck & The Revlon Spam Queens," with Beahm (then 'Bobby Pyn,' and later Darby Crash) on vocals, Ruthenberg (then and later called Pat Smear) on guitar, an early member named "Dinky" on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This lineup never played in front of a live audience.
In April '77 the band added bassist, Lorna Doom, with transitional member "Dottie Danger" on drums, later famous as Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's. Carlisle never actually played with the band, due to her being sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis for an extended period, and she was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia, who played three gigs and recorded their first single. Carlisle remained a friend and helper of the band throughout (she can be heard introducing the band on the ''Live At The Whiskey'' recording), only leaving because her new band, the Go-Go's was becoming popular, and, as she put it, "I was really disturbed by the heroin that was going on." [1]. Nicky Beat, of various noteworthy LA bands, also sat in on drums for a time.
The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater. Pat Smear recalled,
:"We made noise. Darby stuck the mic in a jar of peanut butter. It was a dare, we had no songs or anything! Lorna wore her pants inside out, and Darby covered himself in red licorice...we made noise for five minutes until they threw us off."[2]
The Germs initially drew musical influences from the likes of Iggy Pop, Queen, Suzi Quatro, The Runaways, and New York Dolls. Early on, Smear was the only musically experienced member — Doom survived early performances by sliding a finger up and down the fretboard of her bass while Rhia generally kept a minimal beat on the bass drum, periodically bashing a cymbal.
The Germs presented themselves as more than a band, as a loose and half-ironic cult, with membership signified by a "''Germs Burn''" -- a characteristic cigarette burn on the left wrist or inner forearm.
The first single, ''Forming'', was recorded on a Sony 2-track in Pat's garage and arrived back from the pressing plant with the note, "Warning: This record causes ear cancer" printed on the sleeve by the plant staff, much to the band's displeasure. It featured a shambolic but serviceable performance on the A-side and a muddy live recording of ''Sexboy'' on the B side, recorded at the Roxy for the Cheech and Chong movie, ''Up In Smoke''. The song was not used in the movie, nor was the band, the only band not to receive a call-back to perform live for the film's "Battle of the Bands" sequence, perhaps due to the fact that the Germs' chaotic Roxy performance had featured an unscripted, full-on food fight.
The Germs, despite most expectations, developed a sound that was extremely aggressive, hyper-competent, and highly influential -- although throughout their career, they would have a reputation as a chaotic live band. Singer Darby Crash often arrived onstage nearly incoherent from drugs, singing everywhere but into the microphone and taunting the audience between songs. The other band members had similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherence, and drunken vomiting onstage.
The final drummer - Don Bolles - was, however, extremely technically adept, and the amateurish bass stylings of Lorna Doom became, through rehearsal, a tight, complex counterpoint. Smear was revealed as a remarkably talented and fluid player, while the songwriting began to be cited as art and poetry. The canonical lineup of the band was often accused of willfully skirting the boundary between genius and disaster. Crash's vocals had begun to mold themselves around the style of The Screamers' vocalist Tomata DuPlenty (The Screamers, a huge LA live attraction at the time, never released a record, but covered the Germs song, 'Sex Boy,' at live shows, recordings of which are now widely available on bootleg.) Another strong influence on the band's final sound was Zolar X, a theatrical glitter rock band popular in the Los Angeles area circa 1972-1980. Crash and Smear were enthusiastic fans of the band from the pre-Germs days, and the fast tempos and raw guitar tone of (the historically pre-punk) Zolar X [3] are very similar to the sound achieved on later Germs recordings.
The Germs recorded two singles (with alternate tracks), an album-length demo session, and one full-length LP, ''(GI)'', each more focused and powerful than the last. Crash was, despite his erratic behavior, generally regarded as a brilliant lyricist (a contemporary critic described him as "ransacking the dictionary"), and the final lineup of Smear, Doom, and Bolles had become a world-class rock ensemble by the recording of ''(GI)'', turning in a performance that spurred an ''LA Weekly'' reviewer to write, "This album leaves exit wounds." It is considered one of the first hardcore punk records, and has a near-mythic status among punk rock fans.
The album was produced by Joan Jett of The Runaways. Some European copies of the album also credit Donny Rose on keyboards (the song, "Shut Down," was recorded live in the studio, and features a melodic, two-fisted piano).
The Germs are featured in Penelope Spheeris's documentary film ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' along with X, Black Flag, Fear, Circle Jerks, Alice Bag Band, and Catholic Discipline.
Following the release of their only studio album, ''(GI)'', The Germs recorded six original songs with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche for the soundtrack to the film, ''Cruising'', starring Al Pacino. Only the song, "Lion's Share," ended up on the Columbia soundtrack LP -- it was featured for about a minute in the movie, during a video-booth murder scene in an S&M club. Other songs from this session did not appear until the 1988 bootleg ''Lion's Share'', along with four tracks from their infamous last show at the Starwood. The ''Cruising'' sessions were finally released officially on the CD "(MIA): The Complete Recordings."
The end of the band came when Darby decided to replaced Don Bolles with his friend Rob Henley on drums. According to Bolles, this was because Crash was terribly upset after having seen him perform on-stage in a dress, with side project Vox Pop, although Darby never said this himself. In any case, when Smear and Doom found that Henley could not play at all, and with Darby away in England, they began discussing quitting the band.[4]
Shortly after the Germs split, Darby and Pat went on to form the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Circle Jerks drummer, Lucky Lehrer joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during soundcheck, Darby kicked out the drummer they'd rehearsed with. The band, described by Smear as "like the Germs, but with worse players", played only a few gigs to lukewarm reaction before splitting up.
Shortly after that, Crash contacted Smear about a Germs "reunion" show, claiming it was necessary to "put punk into perspective" for the punks on the scene. However, Smear has said Crash told him privately he wanted to earn money for heroin with which to commit suicide. Since Darby had described this scenario many times in the past, Pat did not take him seriously.[5]
On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited band, including drummer Don Bolles. In spite of Crash's favorite LA band X not showing up for their opening gig, the Germs played what was, by all accounts, one of their best shows ever. At one point, Darby told the amazed kids in the audience, "We did this show so you new people could see what it was like when we were around. You're not going to see it again.".[6]
Crash committed suicide 7 December, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Beahme had overdosed on heroin in a suicide pact with close friend Casey Cola, who ended up surviving. She insists that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. As he lay dying, he attempted to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall, but did not finish. Outside the world of Germs' fans, news of Darby's death was largely overshadowed by the murder of John Lennon the next day.
After the Germs ended Don Bolles played with several other seminal L.A. bands, including Celebrity Skin, Nervous Gender and 45 Grave.
In 1993, Slash Records released ''The Germs: Complete Anthology (MIA)'', with liner notes by the band's onetime manager Nicole Panter and friend, fan and L.A. scene icon Pleasant Gehman. The album cover is the Germs' traditional black background and blue circle.
Pat Smear went on to play with Nirvana in their last year and, after the death of Kurt Cobain, with the Foo Fighters.
In 1996 a tribute album titled ''A Small Circle of Friends'' appeared that featured tracks by Mike Watt, Free Kitten, The Melvins, Meat Puppets, that dog., L7, The Posies, NoFX, Flea, Gumball, and others along with a version of "Circle One" performed by Pat Smear with Hole under the name, "The Holez".
A remastered CD of the Darby Crash Band playing live at The Starwood, 1980, is due for release sometime in 2008; the setlist features many well-known Germs songs, as well as newly written material by Darby and Pat.
A movie about The Germs, ''What We Do Is Secret'' was in production for several years, and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.[7][8] The film stars Shane West in the role of Darby Crash.
Spurred by the movie, Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with actor Shane West taking over the vocal spot. They played on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour and toured club shows in the US later that summer, and again in 2007. Some prominent members of the punk rock community such as Fat Mike and Jello Biafra have been critical of the band's decision to replace Darby Crash with an actor.[9][10]
Don Bolles, the Germs' drummer, was arrested April 4th, 2007, for possession of GHB, when an 8 oz. bottle of peppermint ''Dr. Bronner's Magical Soap'' in his possession tested positive for the banned chemical. After both the internet community and the manufacturer came to his aid, further analysis revealed that there were flaws in the field testing kit.[11]
★ Shane West – vocals (2005-present)
★ Pat Smear – guitar (1977-1980, 2005-present)
★ Lorna Doom – bass (1977-1980, 2005-present)
★ Don Bolles – drums (1978-1980, 2005-present)
★ Darby Crash – vocals (1977-1980)
★ Dottie Danger a.k.a. Belinda Carlisle – drums (1977)
★ Donna Rhia – drums (1977)
★ David Winogrond – drums (1977)
★ Cliff Hanger – drums (1977-1978)
★ Don Bonebrake – drums (1978)
★ Nickey Beat – drums (1978)
★ Rob Henley – drums (1978)
★ ''Forming/Sexboy (live)'' 7", 1977, What? Records
★ ''Lexicon Devil'' 7" EP, 1978, Slash Records
★ ''(GI)'' LP, 1979, Slash Records
★ ''The Decline of Western Civilization Soundtrack (live tracks)'' LP, 1980, Slash Records
★ ''What We Do Is Secret'' EP, 1981, Slash Records
★ ''Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever'' LP, 1981, Mohawk/Bomp Records
★ ''Germicide'' LP, 1985, ROIR
★ ''Germs (MIA) - The Complete Anthology'' LP, 1993, Slash/Rhino Records
★ Both the By the Way and the Universally Speaking music videos by the Red Hot Chili Peppers feature Darby Crash's biography "Lexicon Devil".
★ In the Red Hot Chili Peppers video for Californication (song), Anthony Kiedis's license plate reads "GERMS".
★ Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante stated that a condition of his band signing to Warner Brothers was that they reissue all the music by The Germs album on CD, which had been acquired by Warner as a part of the Slash Records catalog.
★ On the back side of the "Wild Gift" album, by 'X', there is a framed picture of Darby on the counter next to D. J. Bonebrake.
★ In 2004, the song ''Lexicon Devil'' was featured on the skateboarding video game ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2.''
★ Penelope Spheeris' 1984 film Suburbia (which features Flea (musician) of the then newly-formed Chili Peppers) uses a section from the beginning of ''No God'', as the main characters try to wake up their friend
★ On Danzig's Lost Track of Danzig album, disc two features a cover version of the Germs' song "Caught In My Eye"
★ Official Site
★ Official MySpace Page
★ ''What We Do Is Secret'' Official Myspace Page
★ Rekindling the Punk Flame, article
★ ''What We Do Is Secret'', IMDB page
★ Official Darby Crash Band CD Release Page on MySpace
★ Fan Site
★ SWINDLE Magazine Interview with the Germs
'The Germs' are a punk rock band from Los Angeles formed in the late 1970s. Their 1977 single, "Forming/Sexboy (live)", is generally regarded as the first punk record from Los Angeles.
| Contents |
| History |
| Recordings |
| The End and Suicide |
| After the End |
| The Germs film and reformation |
| Bolles' Arrest |
| Members |
| Current lineup |
| Former Members |
| Discography |
| Trivia |
| External links |
History
The band began when Paul Beahm and Georg Ruthenberg decided they should start a band after being kicked out of University High for antisocial behaviour, allegedly for using 'mind control' on fellow students. The (initially hypothetical) band was named "Sophistifuck & The Revlon Spam Queens," with Beahm (then 'Bobby Pyn,' and later Darby Crash) on vocals, Ruthenberg (then and later called Pat Smear) on guitar, an early member named "Dinky" on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This lineup never played in front of a live audience.
In April '77 the band added bassist, Lorna Doom, with transitional member "Dottie Danger" on drums, later famous as Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's. Carlisle never actually played with the band, due to her being sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis for an extended period, and she was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia, who played three gigs and recorded their first single. Carlisle remained a friend and helper of the band throughout (she can be heard introducing the band on the ''Live At The Whiskey'' recording), only leaving because her new band, the Go-Go's was becoming popular, and, as she put it, "I was really disturbed by the heroin that was going on." [1]. Nicky Beat, of various noteworthy LA bands, also sat in on drums for a time.
The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater. Pat Smear recalled,
:"We made noise. Darby stuck the mic in a jar of peanut butter. It was a dare, we had no songs or anything! Lorna wore her pants inside out, and Darby covered himself in red licorice...we made noise for five minutes until they threw us off."[2]
The Germs initially drew musical influences from the likes of Iggy Pop, Queen, Suzi Quatro, The Runaways, and New York Dolls. Early on, Smear was the only musically experienced member — Doom survived early performances by sliding a finger up and down the fretboard of her bass while Rhia generally kept a minimal beat on the bass drum, periodically bashing a cymbal.
The Germs presented themselves as more than a band, as a loose and half-ironic cult, with membership signified by a "''Germs Burn''" -- a characteristic cigarette burn on the left wrist or inner forearm.
Recordings
The first single, ''Forming'', was recorded on a Sony 2-track in Pat's garage and arrived back from the pressing plant with the note, "Warning: This record causes ear cancer" printed on the sleeve by the plant staff, much to the band's displeasure. It featured a shambolic but serviceable performance on the A-side and a muddy live recording of ''Sexboy'' on the B side, recorded at the Roxy for the Cheech and Chong movie, ''Up In Smoke''. The song was not used in the movie, nor was the band, the only band not to receive a call-back to perform live for the film's "Battle of the Bands" sequence, perhaps due to the fact that the Germs' chaotic Roxy performance had featured an unscripted, full-on food fight.
The Germs, despite most expectations, developed a sound that was extremely aggressive, hyper-competent, and highly influential -- although throughout their career, they would have a reputation as a chaotic live band. Singer Darby Crash often arrived onstage nearly incoherent from drugs, singing everywhere but into the microphone and taunting the audience between songs. The other band members had similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherence, and drunken vomiting onstage.
The final drummer - Don Bolles - was, however, extremely technically adept, and the amateurish bass stylings of Lorna Doom became, through rehearsal, a tight, complex counterpoint. Smear was revealed as a remarkably talented and fluid player, while the songwriting began to be cited as art and poetry. The canonical lineup of the band was often accused of willfully skirting the boundary between genius and disaster. Crash's vocals had begun to mold themselves around the style of The Screamers' vocalist Tomata DuPlenty (The Screamers, a huge LA live attraction at the time, never released a record, but covered the Germs song, 'Sex Boy,' at live shows, recordings of which are now widely available on bootleg.) Another strong influence on the band's final sound was Zolar X, a theatrical glitter rock band popular in the Los Angeles area circa 1972-1980. Crash and Smear were enthusiastic fans of the band from the pre-Germs days, and the fast tempos and raw guitar tone of (the historically pre-punk) Zolar X [3] are very similar to the sound achieved on later Germs recordings.
The Germs recorded two singles (with alternate tracks), an album-length demo session, and one full-length LP, ''(GI)'', each more focused and powerful than the last. Crash was, despite his erratic behavior, generally regarded as a brilliant lyricist (a contemporary critic described him as "ransacking the dictionary"), and the final lineup of Smear, Doom, and Bolles had become a world-class rock ensemble by the recording of ''(GI)'', turning in a performance that spurred an ''LA Weekly'' reviewer to write, "This album leaves exit wounds." It is considered one of the first hardcore punk records, and has a near-mythic status among punk rock fans.
The album was produced by Joan Jett of The Runaways. Some European copies of the album also credit Donny Rose on keyboards (the song, "Shut Down," was recorded live in the studio, and features a melodic, two-fisted piano).
The Germs are featured in Penelope Spheeris's documentary film ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' along with X, Black Flag, Fear, Circle Jerks, Alice Bag Band, and Catholic Discipline.
Following the release of their only studio album, ''(GI)'', The Germs recorded six original songs with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche for the soundtrack to the film, ''Cruising'', starring Al Pacino. Only the song, "Lion's Share," ended up on the Columbia soundtrack LP -- it was featured for about a minute in the movie, during a video-booth murder scene in an S&M club. Other songs from this session did not appear until the 1988 bootleg ''Lion's Share'', along with four tracks from their infamous last show at the Starwood. The ''Cruising'' sessions were finally released officially on the CD "(MIA): The Complete Recordings."
The End and Suicide
The end of the band came when Darby decided to replaced Don Bolles with his friend Rob Henley on drums. According to Bolles, this was because Crash was terribly upset after having seen him perform on-stage in a dress, with side project Vox Pop, although Darby never said this himself. In any case, when Smear and Doom found that Henley could not play at all, and with Darby away in England, they began discussing quitting the band.[4]
Shortly after the Germs split, Darby and Pat went on to form the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Circle Jerks drummer, Lucky Lehrer joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during soundcheck, Darby kicked out the drummer they'd rehearsed with. The band, described by Smear as "like the Germs, but with worse players", played only a few gigs to lukewarm reaction before splitting up.
Shortly after that, Crash contacted Smear about a Germs "reunion" show, claiming it was necessary to "put punk into perspective" for the punks on the scene. However, Smear has said Crash told him privately he wanted to earn money for heroin with which to commit suicide. Since Darby had described this scenario many times in the past, Pat did not take him seriously.[5]
On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited band, including drummer Don Bolles. In spite of Crash's favorite LA band X not showing up for their opening gig, the Germs played what was, by all accounts, one of their best shows ever. At one point, Darby told the amazed kids in the audience, "We did this show so you new people could see what it was like when we were around. You're not going to see it again.".[6]
Crash committed suicide 7 December, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Beahme had overdosed on heroin in a suicide pact with close friend Casey Cola, who ended up surviving. She insists that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. As he lay dying, he attempted to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall, but did not finish. Outside the world of Germs' fans, news of Darby's death was largely overshadowed by the murder of John Lennon the next day.
After the End
After the Germs ended Don Bolles played with several other seminal L.A. bands, including Celebrity Skin, Nervous Gender and 45 Grave.
In 1993, Slash Records released ''The Germs: Complete Anthology (MIA)'', with liner notes by the band's onetime manager Nicole Panter and friend, fan and L.A. scene icon Pleasant Gehman. The album cover is the Germs' traditional black background and blue circle.
Pat Smear went on to play with Nirvana in their last year and, after the death of Kurt Cobain, with the Foo Fighters.
In 1996 a tribute album titled ''A Small Circle of Friends'' appeared that featured tracks by Mike Watt, Free Kitten, The Melvins, Meat Puppets, that dog., L7, The Posies, NoFX, Flea, Gumball, and others along with a version of "Circle One" performed by Pat Smear with Hole under the name, "The Holez".
A remastered CD of the Darby Crash Band playing live at The Starwood, 1980, is due for release sometime in 2008; the setlist features many well-known Germs songs, as well as newly written material by Darby and Pat.
The Germs film and reformation
A movie about The Germs, ''What We Do Is Secret'' was in production for several years, and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.[7][8] The film stars Shane West in the role of Darby Crash.
Spurred by the movie, Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with actor Shane West taking over the vocal spot. They played on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour and toured club shows in the US later that summer, and again in 2007. Some prominent members of the punk rock community such as Fat Mike and Jello Biafra have been critical of the band's decision to replace Darby Crash with an actor.[9][10]
Bolles' Arrest
Don Bolles, the Germs' drummer, was arrested April 4th, 2007, for possession of GHB, when an 8 oz. bottle of peppermint ''Dr. Bronner's Magical Soap'' in his possession tested positive for the banned chemical. After both the internet community and the manufacturer came to his aid, further analysis revealed that there were flaws in the field testing kit.[11]
Members
Current lineup
★ Shane West – vocals (2005-present)
★ Pat Smear – guitar (1977-1980, 2005-present)
★ Lorna Doom – bass (1977-1980, 2005-present)
★ Don Bolles – drums (1978-1980, 2005-present)
Former Members
★ Darby Crash – vocals (1977-1980)
★ Dottie Danger a.k.a. Belinda Carlisle – drums (1977)
★ Donna Rhia – drums (1977)
★ David Winogrond – drums (1977)
★ Cliff Hanger – drums (1977-1978)
★ Don Bonebrake – drums (1978)
★ Nickey Beat – drums (1978)
★ Rob Henley – drums (1978)
Discography
★ ''Forming/Sexboy (live)'' 7", 1977, What? Records
★ ''Lexicon Devil'' 7" EP, 1978, Slash Records
★ ''(GI)'' LP, 1979, Slash Records
★ ''The Decline of Western Civilization Soundtrack (live tracks)'' LP, 1980, Slash Records
★ ''What We Do Is Secret'' EP, 1981, Slash Records
★ ''Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever'' LP, 1981, Mohawk/Bomp Records
★ ''Germicide'' LP, 1985, ROIR
★ ''Germs (MIA) - The Complete Anthology'' LP, 1993, Slash/Rhino Records
Trivia
★ Both the By the Way and the Universally Speaking music videos by the Red Hot Chili Peppers feature Darby Crash's biography "Lexicon Devil".
★ In the Red Hot Chili Peppers video for Californication (song), Anthony Kiedis's license plate reads "GERMS".
★ Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante stated that a condition of his band signing to Warner Brothers was that they reissue all the music by The Germs album on CD, which had been acquired by Warner as a part of the Slash Records catalog.
★ On the back side of the "Wild Gift" album, by 'X', there is a framed picture of Darby on the counter next to D. J. Bonebrake.
★ In 2004, the song ''Lexicon Devil'' was featured on the skateboarding video game ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2.''
★ Penelope Spheeris' 1984 film Suburbia (which features Flea (musician) of the then newly-formed Chili Peppers) uses a section from the beginning of ''No God'', as the main characters try to wake up their friend
★ On Danzig's Lost Track of Danzig album, disc two features a cover version of the Germs' song "Caught In My Eye"
External links
★ Official Site
★ Official MySpace Page
★ ''What We Do Is Secret'' Official Myspace Page
★ Rekindling the Punk Flame, article
★ ''What We Do Is Secret'', IMDB page
★ Official Darby Crash Band CD Release Page on MySpace
★ Fan Site
★ SWINDLE Magazine Interview with the Germs
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