Alan Vega & Suicide And Some Other Punk & New Wave Figures

Even in the Artsy New York Punk scene of the mid-to-late 1970's Suicide were an oddity. While every other band was guitar based, Suicide were keyboard based. As played by Martin Rev on what was originally a cheap broken-down 1960's vintage Farfisa organ and various guitar effects pedals which produced a collection of bleeps, hisses, farts, metronomic bleats and feedback that basically sounded like Giorgio Moroder playing Space Invaders in a washing machine.

SUICIDE ~ "GHOST RIDER";


What prevented this from being an obscure art project was vocalist Alan Vega. On top of this cacophony Vega sang a collection of shrieks and moans while encased in black leather and sporting a greasy pompadour and a sneering pout like Gene Vincent on acid. His song lyrics were cribbed from comic books, rockabilly, sci-fi b movies and biker flicks with titles like "Ghost Rider", "Rocket USA" or "Frankie Teardrop". Vega also played up the outlaw biker image by onstage antics like swinging a bike chain and charging into the audience to pick fights with the hecklers the band often attracted. Starting in 1970, nobody knew quite what to make of them. Vega and Rev strongly identified with early punks like The Stooges, New York Dolls and Patti Smith who they often played with, to often confused audiences.

SUICIDE ~ "CHEREE";


Their first album "Suicide" came out in 1977, during the era of the first classic era of punk to largely bewildered critics who had little to compare it to. Earlier or contemporary bands like The Silver Apples, Lothar & The Hand People, Cabaret Voltaire, Kraftwerk or Throbbing Gristle were either forgotten or obscure for even the most Bohemian hipsters. A second album produced by Ric Okasek of the Cars was slightly slicker and less noisy. There would even be an attempt in a dance club single in "Dream Baby Dream" which shockingly failed to chart.

SUICIDE ~ "DREAM BABY DREAM";


Aside from a number of albums consisting of live tracks, demos and remixes that that was the end for Suicide. However by 1980 Alan Vega had moved on to a solo career with albums of weird, minimalist rockabilly and others of moody electropop. There would be a Suicide reunion on the late 80's. Vega also focused on art and metal sculpture.

ALAN VEGA ~ "JUKE BOX BABE";


Billy Miller ~ Singer for 1980's & 1990's garage punk band The A-Bones and later co-founder of Norton Records, the premier label for re-issuing classic 1950's & 1960's trashy Rockabilly, Surf, Garage, Blues and R&B. Later branched out into new releases of contemporary trashy R&R Punk groups and veterans like Andre Williams, The Sonics, Bloodshot Bill, Hasil Adkins

THE A-BONES ~ "BABY DOLL";


The Clean were a leaders of the Post-Pink New Wave in New Zealand. Led by guitarist David Kilgour and singer/bassist Peter Gutteridge the Clean had an angular and jangly sound similar to the Soft Boys or XTC. Their impact was lessened by their inability to tour due to Gutteridge's drug problems however and broke up in 1980. Gutteridge would go on to similar bands the Chills, Snapper, The Great Unwashed and The Puddle and solo albums. He had recently made his first trip out of New Zealand.

THE CLEAN ~ "SHE GOES SHE GOES";


THE CLEAN ~ "BEATNIK";


THE CLEAN ~ "TALLY HO!";


THE CLEAN ~ "ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN";


THE GREAT UNWASHED ~ "NECK OF THE WOODS";


Pete Burns ~ 57 ~ Singer with British New Wave band Dead Or Alive ("You Spin Me Round");

DEAD OR ALIVE ~ "YOU SPIN ME ROUND";


DEAD OR ALIVE ~ "THAT'S THE WAY (I LIKE IT)";

>
Micky Fitz ~ 57 ~ British 1980's punk singer w/The Business ("Harry May")

THE BUSINESS ~ "HARRY MAY";


Hagen Liebing ~ 55 ~ Bassist w/German punk band Die Ärzte

DIE ARTZE ~ "M&F";

Some Figures From The Toronto Punk & New Wave

Tony Vincent (AKA Tony Torcher) ~ Drummer with 1970's & 80's Toronto Punk Bands The Ugly, The Viletones and Screaming Sam

THE VILETONES ~ "THE LAST GUY IN TOWN";


THE VILETONES ~ "REBEL";


Jonathan Davies ~ Drummer for Toronto Post-Punk bands The Kinetic Ideals, Breeding Ground and National Velvet

THE KINETIC IDEALS ~ "THESE THINGS";


THE KINETIC IDEALS ~ "THIS FACE";


BREEDING GROUND ~ "THIS TIME TOMORROW";


NATIONAL VELVET ~ "FLESH UNDER SKIN";


NATIONAL VELVET ~ "SEX GORILLA";


Gillian Hanna ~ 34 ~ Guitarist with The Flairs and Bif Naked

THE FLAIRS ~ "18 & LIFE";


Rusty ~ Singer with 1990's Hard Rock band Jack Damage

JACK DAMAGE ~ "FUBAR";


JACK DAMAGE ~ "KISSING THE TRAIN";


Also; While clearly not from a Punk or New Wave band, Brian Rading ~ 69 ~ Canadian bassist w/ 1970's pop band Five Man Electrical Band ("Signs") and 1960's Garage band The Staccatos

THE STACCATOS ~ "BUTCHERS & BAKERS";


FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND ~ "SIGNS";