Dead Boys front man Stiv Bators was one of the most charismatic and influential rock ‘n’ rollers of our time. While most pundits credit The Ramones as being the first American punk band, the honor should really be bestowed on Cleveland’s Dead Boys, case closed. As good as The Ramones were, they were too rooted in the classic pop sounds of The Beach Boys and '60s girl groups to be truly revolutionary. The Dead Boys on the other hand came from a darker, nastier place, their aesthetic having much more in common with UK compatriots like The Sex Pistols and The Damned.
Like The Sex Pistols, The Dead Boys career was all too brief, releasing just two albums — Young, Loud, and Snotty (1977) and We Have Come For Your Children (1978) — before calling it quits. Stiv would go on to do excellent work as a solo artist and as the front man for punk/garage super group The Lords of The New Church before his untimely death in 1990, but his work with the Dead Boys would be the pinnacle of his career.
Greg Shaw, who founded America’s first prominent indie label, Bomp Records, in 1974, was one of the first industry insiders who recognized The Dead Boys’ genius. Greg would go on to release several Dead Boys singles, Stiv’s legendary 1980 solo effort Disconnected, and posthumously, a definitive live album Night of the Living Dead Boys and a incendiary collection of the rough mixes from Young, Loud, and Snotty entitled Younger, Louder & Snottier.
He remembers “the first time I saw them...was in New York where I was stopping at some point in 1976, after a trip to London in which I’d seen one of the Sex Pistols’ first gigs, and checked out the Damned and whatever other bands were breaking out. I knew the Pistols were revolutionary...but meanwhile discovered there was a band right here in America doing it a whole lot better. For what it’s worth, The Dead Boys were far and away the best “punk” band I ever saw — and I saw them all. Sure, it was largely theatrics. When Stiv cut himself open with a broken bottle and had to be rushed to a hospital in the middle of his set (but made it back in time for the second show) he wasn’t doing anything Iggy hadn’t done before, and with less premeditation. But it was also somehow a lot more immediate, out of control, and indefinably REAL than anything English has ever been...it takes an American to really pull off the “I don't give a fuck” pose, and not give in to the temptation to make a political statement out of it.”
Obviously a lot of people agree with Shaw as the Beachland Ballroom was packed to the gills with fans of all ages for Saturday’s memorial event. For the first time in 17 years the original Dead Boys lineup of Cheetah Chrome (guitar), Jimmy Zero (guitar), Jeff Magnum (bass), and Johnny Blitz (drums) got together on stage and paid tribute to their partner-in-crime. Unlike other reunion events I have seen, such as The MC5 (minus Rob Tyner), the former Dead Boys did not employ guest vocalists. Instead they set up a mic stand in Stiv’s spot and draped a leather jacket on top of it. A fitting gesture that made the event feel like a true tribute and not some bogus reunion cash-in. In any case, Chrome was more than capable as a lead vocalist, snarling through all the classics such as Sonic Reducer, What Love Is, Son of Sam, and Ain’t Nothing To Do to a frenzied crowd. Sonically, these guys were tight as hell, sounding more explosive and relevant than current punk bands young enough to be their kids. A truly mind blowing experience.
Prior to The Dead Boys set we were treated to tremendous sets by the likes of Rainy Day Saints, Cobra Verde, and a super group featuring Mike Metoff from The Pagans and members of New Salem Witch Hunters and New Planet Trampoline, who covered songs from Stiv’s solo record and Lords of The New Church catalog. As a final touch, the Beachland hallway was decorated with a breathtaking photography exhibit featuring the work of Theresa Kereakes, Anastasia Pantsios, and Jim Lanza.
Events like this come once in a lifetime and I won’t forget this anytime soon. by Cool Cleveland contributor Ben Vendetta (:divend:)