Mike Saunders
Encyclopedia
Mike Saunders better known as "Metal Mike" Saunders, is a rock critic and the singer of the Californian punk band Angry Samoans
. He is credited with coining the music genre label "heavy metal
" in a record review for Humble Pie
's As Safe As Yesterday Is
in the November 12, 1970 issue of Rolling Stone
. (The original text is shown in the VH1 Classic
documentary
Heavy: The Story of Metal
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/heavy_the_story_of_metal/series.jhtml from 2007). Six months later, he used the phrase again while reviewing Sir Lord Baltimore
's first album, Kingdom Come
, in the pages of Creem
magazine in 1971.
Saunders was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in May 1952 and grew up in Little Rock. One odd note to his early life is that up to the age of five he lived across the alley from The Insect Trust
clarinetist and rock & blues critic Robert Palmer (author/producer)
. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Statistics in 1973; eventually he received another bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and kept his day job as an accountant throughout his years as a lead singer and guitarist for the Angry Samoans from 1978–present.
Saunders' political incorrectness and personal attacks in his lyrics got him and the Angry Samoans
a lot of attention in the early 80s, especially due to their song "Get Off the Air", an ad hominem attack upon well-known KROQ-FM
DJ Rodney Bingenheimer
.
Bumped/fired from drums to become a "frontman" in the tradition of fired-drummers Joey Ramone
, Skip Spence
, Iggy Pop
, and Steven Tyler
, Saunders played drums in these gigging bands:
and also drummed on all the "Metal Mike" CDs usually missing from Angry Samoans
discographies.
Although he maintains that "drums are my best instrument," Saunders has written over 1,000 rock songs in his lifetime, all methodically recorded to mono on old fashioned Sony portable kitchen-table cassette recorders.
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
. He is credited with coining the music genre label "heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
" in a record review for Humble Pie
Humble Pie (band)
Humble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie"...
's As Safe As Yesterday Is
As Safe As Yesterday Is
As Safe As Yesterday Is is the debut album for rock band Humble Pie, released in the UK in August 1969. The album peaked at number 16 in the UK album chart.Featuring former frontmen Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton...
in the November 12, 1970 issue of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. (The original text is shown in the VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Heavy: The Story of Metal
Heavy: The Story of Metal
Heavy: The Story of Metal is a four part documentary special that aired on VH1 in 2006. It focuses on the origins, subgenres, and the bands of heavy metal music, paying close attention to influential bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden, who helped to define heavy...
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/heavy_the_story_of_metal/series.jhtml from 2007). Six months later, he used the phrase again while reviewing Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore is a pioneering American heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1968 by lead vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bass player Gary Justin. They are notable for the fact that a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, contained the first...
's first album, Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (Sir Lord Baltimore album)
Kingdom Come is the first studio album by American heavy metal band Sir Lord Baltimore, released on Mercury Records in 1970. It was reissued on PolyGram in 1994, on Red Fox in 2003, and on Anthology Recordings in 2007...
, in the pages of Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
magazine in 1971.
Saunders was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in May 1952 and grew up in Little Rock. One odd note to his early life is that up to the age of five he lived across the alley from The Insect Trust
The Insect Trust
The Insect Trust was a rock band that formed in New York in 1967.The members of the band were Nancy Jeffries on vocals, Bill Barth on guitar, Luke Faust, formerly of the Holy Modal Rounders, on guitar, banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, Trevor Koehler on saxophone, and Robert Palmer on clarinet and...
clarinetist and rock & blues critic Robert Palmer (author/producer)
Robert Palmer (author/producer)
Robert Franklin Palmer Jr. was a 20th century American writer, musicologist, clarinetist, saxophonist, and blues producer...
. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Statistics in 1973; eventually he received another bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and kept his day job as an accountant throughout his years as a lead singer and guitarist for the Angry Samoans from 1978–present.
Saunders' political incorrectness and personal attacks in his lyrics got him and the Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
a lot of attention in the early 80s, especially due to their song "Get Off the Air", an ad hominem attack upon well-known KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
DJ Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer, born December 15, 1947, is a radio disc jockey on the long-running Los Angeles rock station KROQ who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market. His contribution to the music business has been described as important...
.
Bumped/fired from drums to become a "frontman" in the tradition of fired-drummers Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
, Skip Spence
Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, and Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, Saunders played drums in these gigging bands:
- VOM (punk rock band)VOM (punk rock band)VOM was conceived in 1976, a self-described beat combo featuring the renowned writer and critic Richard Meltzer on vocals, with Gregg Turner on 2nd vocals and "Metal" Mike Saunders on drums under the pseudonym "Ted Klusewski". The band also featured Dave Guzman on 'tuneless rhythm guitar', Lisa...
see Angry SamoansAngry SamoansThe Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
(Los Angeles 1977 - 78) (with Richard MeltzerRichard MeltzerRichard Meltzer was one of the earliest rock music critics. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock, evolved out of his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and graduate studies at Yale University...
and future Angry Samoan Gregg Turner) - Fried Abortions (san francisco 1980 - 1982) who changed two members and their name to
- Lennonburger (SF 1983-1984) (with MRR Jeff Bale on lead vocals)
- Electric Koels (SF 1985 - 1988) 1960s retro-garage band, 5 originals and 55 cover tunes
and also drummed on all the "Metal Mike" CDs usually missing from Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
discographies.
Although he maintains that "drums are my best instrument," Saunders has written over 1,000 rock songs in his lifetime, all methodically recorded to mono on old fashioned Sony portable kitchen-table cassette recorders.
Discography
- see Angry SamoansAngry SamoansThe Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
; as "Metal Mike", he recorded: - Plays The Hits of The 90's (CD-ep) (1991)
- Ted Nugent Is Not My Dad (CD-ep) (1992)
- My Girlfriend Is A Rock (CD-ep) (1993)
- Next Stop Nowhere (CD 22-song comp) (1994)
- Surf City Or Bust (CD) (20 tks inc. the 1969 Rockin' Blewz unpressed album I'M A ROADRUNNER MOTHERFUCKA) (1999)
External links
- Angry Samoans home page
- Record reviews by Metal Mike Saunders archived at Rock's Back Pages