The Germs
Encyclopedia
The Germs are an American punk rock
band from Los Angeles
, California
, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash
, guitarist
Pat Smear
, bassist
Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer
Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane West
replacing Darby Crash
. They released only one album, 1979's (GI)
(produced by Joan Jett
) and were featured the following year in Penelope Spheeris
' documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization
, which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement.
The Germs disbanded following Crash's suicide on December 7, 1980. Their music was influential to many later punk rock
acts. Pat Smear
went on to greater notoriety performing with Nirvana
and the Foo Fighters
.
In 2005 actor
Shane West
was cast to play Crash in the Germs biographical film
What We Do Is Secret
named after a song by the Germs. He performed with Pat Smear
, Doom, and Bolles at a production party for the film, after which the Germs re-formed with West as singer. The new lineup of the band has performed a number of tours in the United States, including performances on the 2006 and 2008 Warped Tour
s.
and Georg Ruthenberg
decided they should start a band after being kicked out of University High for antisocial behavior, allegedly for using 'mind control' on fellow students. The (initially hypothetical) band was 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" (Diana Grant) on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This lineup never played in front of a live audience.
In April 1977 the band added Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) on bass, with transitional member "Dottie Danger", later famous as Belinda Carlisle
of The Go-Go's
, on drums. Carlisle never actually played with the band, owing to her being sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis
for an extended period, and she was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia, real name: Becky Barton, 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 Germicide: Live At The Whiskey recording, as produced by Kim Fowley), 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." Nicky Beat, of various noteworthy Los Angeles bands including The Weirdos
, also sat in on drums for a time.
The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater. Pat Smear recalled:
The Germs initially drew musical influences from the likes of Iggy Pop
, David Bowie
, the Ramones
, The Runaways
, Sex Pistols
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.
Early performances were usually marked by raucous crowds made up of the band's friends. As a result, their gigs became notorious for being rowdy and usually verged on a riot.
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 highly influential—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, yet nevertheless, delivering intense theatrical and increasingly musical performances. The other band members prided themselves on similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherence, and drunken vomiting onstage. Fans saw this as part of the show, and indeed, the band presented it as such, even when breaking bottles and rolling in the glass, with the music coming and going.
Smear was revealed to be a remarkably talented and fluid player; much later, after Crash's death, critics finally acknowledged his lyrics as poetic art. 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 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
. Lorna wrote one of the songs. 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."
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 sound-check, 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.
On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited band, including drummer Don Bolles. 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".
Crash committed suicide December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on China white 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. A local news station mistakenly reported that Darby had died from taking too many sleeping pills.
and 45 Grave
. In fall 2009 Bolles joined the cast of punks, mods and rockers web series Oblivion.
In 1993, Slash Records
released The Germs: Complete Anthology (MIA)
, with liner notes by Pleasant Gehman
.
Pat Smear
went on to play with Nirvana
in their last year and, after the death of Kurt Cobain
, with Mike Watt
, and then 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".
Rhino Handmade
officially released Live At The Starwood Dec. 3, 1980 on June 14, 2010. The live set was previously unavailable in its entirety. Along with the CD, the release includes an 8½" × 11" replica of the original poster for the show, a reproduction of the handwritten set list and a four-page fanzine with photos and liner notes by Jonathan Gold
.
, was in production for several years, and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film was theatrically released on August 8, 2008. The film stars Shane West
in the role of Darby Crash. On MySpace
Shane West has his display name as "Shane Wreck", a possible play on Darby Crash.
Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with 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. They once again played on the 2008 edition of the tour, August 14–16, on the Vans Old School Stage. 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.
In a July 2009 article drummer Don Bolles spoke about the band's plans to re-record old material for a planned box set entitled Lest We Forget: The Sounds Of The Germs. The band has re-arranged songs from the Germicide live album and songs from the Cruising
sessions; they also planed to record several Darby Crash Band songs as well. Live recordings, both old and new would make up the rest of the box set, which Don hoped to release in 2010. The newly recorded songs are to be released through The Smashing Pumpkins
front-man Billy Corgan
's new, and currently unnamed, record label. Two songs, "Out of Time" and "Beyond Hurt – Beyond Help," were originally written by Darby Crash and Pat Smear prior to Crash's death, but were never recorded. The songs are to be recorded with Shane West providing vocals.
Former members
Extended plays
Live albums
Compilation Appearances
Compilations of Germs Recordings
Soundtracks
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash
Darby Crash
Darby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Pat Smear
Pat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane West
Shane West
Shane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr...
replacing Darby Crash
Darby Crash
Darby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
. They released only one album, 1979's (GI)
(GI)
is the only studio album from American punk band The Germs. The title stands for "Germs Incognito", an alternate name the band used to obtain bookings when their early reputation kept them out of Los Angeles-area clubs...
(produced by Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
) and were featured the following year in Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known as a documentary film director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization...
' documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization
The Decline of Western Civilization
The soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. It is currently out of print. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the...
, which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement.
The Germs disbanded following Crash's suicide on December 7, 1980. Their music was influential to many later punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
acts. Pat Smear
Pat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
went on to greater notoriety performing with Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
.
In 2005 actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Shane West
Shane West
Shane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr...
was cast to play Crash in the Germs biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
What We Do Is Secret
What We Do Is Secret (film)
What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of...
named after a song by the Germs. He performed with Pat Smear
Pat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
, Doom, and Bolles at a production party for the film, after which the Germs re-formed with West as singer. The new lineup of the band has performed a number of tours in the United States, including performances on the 2006 and 2008 Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
s.
Formation
The band began when Jan Paul BeahmDarby Crash
Darby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
and Georg Ruthenberg
Pat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
decided they should start a band after being kicked out of University High for antisocial behavior, allegedly for using 'mind control' on fellow students. The (initially hypothetical) band was with Beahm (then 'Bobby Pyn,' and later Darby Crash
Darby Crash
Darby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
) on vocals, Ruthenberg (then and later called Pat Smear
Pat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
) on guitar, an early member named "Dinky" (Diana Grant) on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This lineup never played in front of a live audience.
In April 1977 the band added Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) on bass, with transitional member "Dottie Danger", later famous as Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
of The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
, on drums. Carlisle never actually played with the band, owing to her being sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, widespread viral...
for an extended period, and she was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia, real name: Becky Barton, 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 Germicide: Live At The Whiskey recording, as produced by Kim Fowley), 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." Nicky Beat, of various noteworthy Los Angeles bands including The Weirdos
The Weirdos
The Weirdos were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1976 and broke up in 1981, were occasionally active in the 1980s, and recorded new material in the 1990s...
, also sat in on drums for a time.
The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater. Pat Smear recalled:
The Germs initially drew musical influences from the likes of 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...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
. 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.
Early performances were usually marked by raucous crowds made up of the band's friends. As a result, their gigs became notorious for being rowdy and usually verged on a riot.
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 ChongCheech and Chong
Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their films and stand-up routines, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially drug culture movements, most notably their love for...
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 highly influential—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, yet nevertheless, delivering intense theatrical and increasingly musical performances. The other band members prided themselves on similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherence, and drunken vomiting onstage. Fans saw this as part of the show, and indeed, the band presented it as such, even when breaking bottles and rolling in the glass, with the music coming and going.
Smear was revealed to be a remarkably talented and fluid player; much later, after Crash's death, critics finally acknowledged his lyrics as poetic art. Crash's vocals had begun to mold themselves around the style of The Screamers
The Screamers
The Screamers were a punk rock group active in the Los Angeles, California area in the late 1970s. The Screamers were pioneers of a genre now known as "synthpunk," and can also be classified as art punk....
' 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
Zolar X
Zolar X is a proto-punk glam rock band, established in 1973, recently staging a comeback.From 1973 to 1981 Zolar X became legendary on the west coast USA for dressing and acting like space-aliens 24 hours a day. They spoke ceaselessly in an "alien language" of their own invention, which would...
, 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 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
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
reviewer to write, "This album leaves exit wounds." It is considered one of the first hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
records, and has a near-mythic status among punk rock fans. The album was produced by Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
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
Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known as a documentary film director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization...
's documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization
The Decline of Western Civilization
The soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. It is currently out of print. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the...
along with X, Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, Fear
Fear (band)
Fear is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1977. The band is credited for helping to shape the sound and style of American hardcore punk, the group started out as part of the early California punk rock scene, and gained national prominence after an infamous 1981...
, Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks
The Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
, Alice Bag Band, and Catholic Discipline
Catholic Discipline
Catholic Discipline was a short lived Los Angeles punk rock band headed by Slash Fanzine editor Claude Bessy, nicknamed "Kickboy Face", on vocals. The band was started in 1979 and played a series of shows around the Los Angeles area before ultimately breaking up in 1980...
.
Following the release of their only studio album, (GI), The Germs recorded six original songs with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche
Jack Nitzsche
Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
for the soundtrack to the film, Cruising
Cruising (film)
Cruising is a 1980 film directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker, about a serial killer targeting gay men, in particular those associated with the S&M scene.Poorly reviewed by critics,...
, starring Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
. Lorna wrote one of the songs. 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."
Dissolution and suicide of Darby Crash
The end of the band came when Darby replaced Don Bolles with his friend Rob Henley on drums. Crash became increasingly impatient with Don Bolles' antics and fired him.Shortly after the Germs split, Darby and Pat went on to form the short-lived Darby Crash Band
Darby Crash Band
The Darby Crash Band was a music project started by Darby Crash and Pat Smear, founding members of the Los Angeles punk rock band, The Germs, formed after the band split in 1980. They recruited bassist David "Bosco" Danford and Circle Jerks drummer Lucky Lehrer and began playing shows in Los Angeles...
. Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks
The Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
drummer Lucky Lehrer
Lucky Lehrer
Lucky Lehrer is a drummer from Los Angeles, California, voted the best punk drummer of all-time by fanzine, Flipside. He was originally trained in jazz but most famously played in LA punk rock bands, particularly the Circle Jerks, Redd Kross, Bad Religion, Darby Crash Band and LA's Wasted Youth,...
joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during sound-check, 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.
On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited band, including drummer Don Bolles. 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".
Crash committed suicide December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on China white heroin in a suicide pact
Suicide pact
A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.Suicide pacts are generally...
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
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
the next day. A local news station mistakenly reported that Darby had died from taking too many sleeping pills.
After the end
After the Germs ended Don Bolles played with several other L.A. bands, including Steaming Coils, Celebrity Skin, Vox Pop, Nervous GenderNervous Gender
Nervous Gender is a punk band founded in Los Angeles, California in 1978 by Gerardo Velazquez, Edward Stapleton, Phranc and Michael Ochoa.Their use of heavily distorted keyboards and synthesizers made them, along with The Screamers, one of the original innovators of what is today called...
and 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
. In fall 2009 Bolles joined the cast of punks, mods and rockers web series Oblivion.
In 1993, Slash Records
Slash Records
Slash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album...
released The Germs: Complete Anthology (MIA)
Germs (MIA) - The Complete Anthology
- Personnel :*Chris Ashford – Producer*Nickey Beat – Drums*Don Bolles – Drums*D.J. Bonebrake – Drums*Don Bonebrake – Drums*Pat Burnett – Engineer*Ed Colver – Photography*Darby Crash – Vocals*Chris D. – Remixing...
, with liner notes by Pleasant Gehman
Pleasant Gehman
Pleasant Gehman is a magazine writer, poet, actor, dancer and musician from Los Angeles.In the 1980s, she was the singer for the punk rock band Screamin' Sirens, and later, The RIngling Sisters and Honk If Yer Horny. All three bands have released numerous titles on vinyl, as well as cd...
.
Pat Smear
Pat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
went on to play with Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
in their last year and, after the death of Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, with Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, and then with the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
.
In 1996 a tribute album titled A Small Circle of Friends
A Small Circle of Friends (Germs)
A Small Circle of Friends: Germs was a tribute album for the band The Germs released in 1996. The album features multiple Germs covers by several artists, including NOFX, L7, The Melvins, Gumball, and Hole, playing under the moniker "The Holez" with Pat Smear.- Track listing :# NOFX – "Forming"...
appeared that featured tracks by Mike Watt, Free Kitten
Free Kitten
Free Kitten is a musical collaboration between Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Pussy Galore's Julie Cafritz. Originally performing under the name Kitten, they changed their name, after receiving threats of legal action by a heavy metal singer performing under that name...
, The Melvins
The Melvins
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
, Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
, that dog.
That dog.
That Dog is a Los Angeles-based rock band that formed in 1991 and dissolved in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band consists of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar and vocals, her sister Petra Haden on violin and vocals, and Tony Maxwell on drums...
, L7
L7 (band)
L7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles, that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...
, The Posies
The Posies
The Posies are an alternative rock/power pop group. The band was formed in 1987 in Bellingham, Washington by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. They are best known for their radio hits "Golden Blunders" , as well as "Dream All Day", "Solar Sister" and "Flavor of the Month"...
, NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
, Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
, Gumball
Gumball (band)
Gumball was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Don Fleming , Eric Vermillion , and Jay Spiegel . In 1992, a fourth member was added, Malcolm Riviera who had previously played with Fleming and Spiegel in the Velvet Monkeys.-History:After Fleming...
, and others along with a version of "Circle One" performed by Pat Smear with Hole under the name "The Holez".
Rhino Handmade
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
officially released Live At The Starwood Dec. 3, 1980 on June 14, 2010. The live set was previously unavailable in its entirety. Along with the CD, the release includes an 8½" × 11" replica of the original poster for the show, a reproduction of the handwritten set list and a four-page fanzine with photos and liner notes by Jonathan Gold
Jonathan Gold
Jonathan Gold is a food critic who currently writes for LA Weekly and used to write for Gourmet magazine. In 2007 he became the first such critic to win the Pulitzer Prize. He is also a regular on KCRW's Good Food radio program....
.
The Germs film and reformation (2007–present)
A movie about The Germs, What We Do Is SecretWhat We Do Is Secret (film)
What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of...
, was in production for several years, and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film was theatrically released on August 8, 2008. The film stars Shane West
Shane West
Shane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr...
in the role of Darby Crash. On MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Shane West has his display name as "Shane Wreck", a possible play on Darby Crash.
Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with 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. They once again played on the 2008 edition of the tour, August 14–16, on the Vans Old School Stage. Some prominent members of the punk rock community such as Fat Mike and Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
have been critical of the band's decision to replace Darby Crash with an actor.
In a July 2009 article drummer Don Bolles spoke about the band's plans to re-record old material for a planned box set entitled Lest We Forget: The Sounds Of The Germs. The band has re-arranged songs from the Germicide live album and songs from the Cruising
Cruising (film)
Cruising is a 1980 film directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker, about a serial killer targeting gay men, in particular those associated with the S&M scene.Poorly reviewed by critics,...
sessions; they also planed to record several Darby Crash Band songs as well. Live recordings, both old and new would make up the rest of the box set, which Don hoped to release in 2010. The newly recorded songs are to be released through The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
front-man Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
's new, and currently unnamed, record label. Two songs, "Out of Time" and "Beyond Hurt – Beyond Help," were originally written by Darby Crash and Pat Smear prior to Crash's death, but were never recorded. The songs are to be recorded with Shane West providing vocals.
Members
Current members- Pat SmearPat SmearPat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
– guitar (1977–1980, 2005–present) - Lorna Doom – bass (1977–1980, 2005–present)
- Don Bolles – drums (1978–1980, 2005–present)
- Shane WestShane WestShane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr...
– vocals (2005–present)
Former members
- Darby CrashDarby CrashDarby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
– vocals (1977–1980) - Dottie Danger (Belinda CarlisleBelinda CarlisleBelinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
) - drums (1977) - Michelle Baer - drums (1977)
- Donna Rhia - drums (1977)
- Diana Grant - bass (1977)
Discography
Studio albums- (GI)(GI)is the only studio album from American punk band The Germs. The title stands for "Germs Incognito", an alternate name the band used to obtain bookings when their early reputation kept them out of Los Angeles-area clubs...
LP, 1979, Slash Records
Extended plays
- Forming/Sexboy (live)Forming (song)"Forming" is the debut single by American punk rock band The Germs. Released on What?, an independent start-up label, in July 1977, it is regarded as the first true Los Angeles punk record....
7", 1977, What? Records - Lexicon Devil 7" EP, 1978, Slash RecordsSlash RecordsSlash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album...
- What We Do Is SecretWhat We Do Is Secret (EP)What We Do Is Secret is a 12" compilation of material recorded by The Germs and released posthumously by Slash Records in the United States in 1981 as SREP-108...
EP, 1981, Slash Records
Live albums
- GermicideGermicide (album)Germicide is an album by the punk rock band The Germs. Performing live at the Whisky a Go Go in 1977, Darby Crash and the Germs were at the beginning of their career. At this time, Darby performed using the name Bobby Pyn...
(aka Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever), 1981, Mohawk/Bomp! RecordsBomp! RecordsBomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
/ROIRROIRROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format... - Germs Rock 'N' Rule—Recorded Live At The Masque Christmas Party—Whisky A-Go-Go, December 1979, Hollywood, 1986, Xes Records
Compilation Appearances
- Tooth and Nail, 1979, Upsetter Records
- Life Is Beautiful So Why Not Eat Health Foods, 1981, New Underground Records
Compilations of Germs Recordings
- (MIA): The Complete Anthology CD, 1993, Slash/Rhino Records
- Media Blitz, 1993, Cleopatra Records
- Lest We Forget: The Sounds Of The Germs Box set, forthcoming.
Soundtracks
- The Decline of Western CivilizationThe Decline of Western CivilizationThe soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. It is currently out of print. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the...
LP, 1980, Slash Records
External links
- Rekindling the Punk Flame, article
- Germs interview from Flipside #2, 1977 at Punk Zine Archive
- Germs interview from Flipside #15, 1979 at Punk Zine Archive
- Germs interview from Flipside #26, 1981 at Punk Zine Archive