Cheetah Chrome | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Eugene Richard O'Connor |
Born | February 18, 1955 |
Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
Genres | Punk rock, garage rock |
Eugene Richard O'Connor (born February 18, 1955), better known by his stage name Cheetah Chrome, is an American musician who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket from the Tombs and the punk rock band Dead Boys. [1]
Chrome joined protopunk band Rocket from the Tombs in September 1974, having previously been in a band with member Peter Laughner. [2] [3] The band broke up in mid 1975, having never recorded any material.
In 2003, after the release of The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs, he reformed Rocket from the Tombs with David Thomas, Craig Bell, with Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu) on drums and Richard Lloyd (Television) replacing the late Peter Laughner. [4] [5] The reincarnation of the group toured in 2003 and 2006. In summer 2003 it entered the studio to record some of the band's old material for the first time. The recordings were released as Rocket Redux (SmogVeil). Chrome did a US West coast tour in April 2004 (backed by Sweet Justice) as well as a 10 date Midwest/East coast tour as guitarist in Texas Terri's band in July. At the end of July he headlined "Festimal" in Cedeira, Spain. In 2005, the members of RFTT flew to Germany to headline one night (the Buzzcocks headlined the other) of the International Punk Kongress in Kassel; then, in 2006, they reconvened in Cleveland to write material for a new record. This material became the single "I Sell Soul/Romeo and Juliet", released in 2010, and the full-length album Barfly, released in 2011.
Chrome left the band again in December 2011.
After the initial breakup of RFTT, Chrome, alongside other members Stiv Bators and Johnny Madansky would form a new group, Dead Boys. They took the name after the RFTT song "Down In Flames". The band released two albums before breaking up in 1979.
They had several brief reunions that Chrome was a part of, in 1987 and 2004. They reunited in 2017 to tour and promote the 40th anniversary of Young Loud and Snotty . [6] [7]
After Dead Boys broke up, Cheetah Chrome played around New York City (mostly at Max's Kansas City) doing shows with the Stilettos, as well as his own band Cheetah Chrome and the Casualties. He recorded a single for ORK Records, "Still Wanna Die/Take Me Home", recorded by Atlantic Records co-founder Herb Abramson. Shortly thereafter, he played on Ronnie Spector's debut solo album Siren. In 1980, he played guitar for Nico at New York's Squat Theatre as well as Max's Kansas City. He appeared on several recordings during the 1980s, most notably his own "Cheetah Chrome and the Ghetto Dogs" (Get Hip), Jeff Dahl's "I Kill Me" (Sympathy for the Record Industry), and Todd Tamanend Clark's "Into the Vision" (TMI). He also rejoined Dead Boys for the ill-fated reunions of the late 1980s- and toured with GG Allin in 1988. [8]
In the 1990s, Chrome moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and recorded a live album Alive in Detroit (DUI) at Lili's in Hamtramck, Michigan. In 2002, he played guitar on several tracks for False Alarm's Fuck 'Em All We've All Ready (Now) Won! . Additionally, he played with The Replacements' Bob Stinson in the band Shotgun Rationale.
In 2007, Chrome played periodic solo shows, including headlining the Road To Ruins festival in Rome, Italy (backed by Unnatural Axe). Chrome also was chosen to advertise Gibson's new range of Les Paul BFG. [9]
In May 2008, on the way home from the "Joey Ramone Birthday Bash", Chrome had a chance meeting at LaGuardia Airport with the members of Joan Jett's band the Blackhearts, including drummer Thommy Price, with whom he had played on Ronnie Spector's Siren. This led to several NYC area shows with the Blackhearts as his band, including a live performance on WFMU in NJ.
In the Fall of 2009, Chrome got together with old friend Sylvain Sylvain to record an EP on the suggestion of SmogVeil Records head Frank Mauceri. They recruited Thommy Price and Enzo Pennizotto from the Blackhearts as a rhythm section, naming themselves the Batusis after the dance from the hit 60s TV show "Batman". They performed two shows at SXSW 2010; Price and Penizzotto were unable to do live shows with the Batusis, due to their schedule with Joan Jett, and were replaced by Chuck Garric of Alice Cooper's band on bass, and Les Warner, formerly of The Cult, on drums. The four song ("Big Cat Stomp/What You Lack in Brains/Bury You Alive/ Blues Theme") EP was released in May 2010. A UK tour had to be cancelled due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland, but they toured the US extensively through December 2010 with Warner on drums and another former Blackheart, Sean Koos, on bass.
At the end of a week-long RFTT tour in December 2011, Chrome announced to the band that he had decided to stop touring extensively after 2012. While he planned to honor any shows they booked in 2012, they chose to get another guitar player for the upcoming European tour in May 2012.
In February 2012, Chrome became creative director of A&R/director of special projects for Plowboy Records, an alternative/legacy label being launched by Shannon Pollard, grandson of country legend Eddy Arnold, and music historian/author Don Cusic. This was officially announced on May 15, 2012. Chrome is currently producing a tribute record to Arnold by various artists at RCA Studio B in Nashville, as well as preparing a new full-length release by the Batusis.
In 2009, after repeated suggestions that he write a book from a friend who worked at Voyageur Press in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Chrome relented and submitted a sample chapter to them in spring 2009. He signed a book deal with Voyageur and began writing his autobiography. In September 2010, Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy's Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock was published. [10]
In December 2010, shortly after the book's release, Cleveland Scene published an extensive writeup of the book. It neatly summarized the main themes: Chrome's upbringing in rougher parts of Cleveland, his riotous behavior (fueled by drink and drugs), his love of many different rock bands (notably The Stooges and Velvet Underground), battles with bandmates and the music business, depictions of the 1970s music scene in Cleveland and New York City, descent into addiction, and ultimately emerging as a survivor. [11]
Chrome participated in the February/ West Coast and April/ Midwest-East Coast "Cleveland Confidential Book Tour" with fellow Cleveland musicians and authors Mike Hudson of The Pagans and Bob Pfeiffer of Human Switchboard. Stops included the Experience Music Project in Seattle, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Exile on Bowery @ Bowery Electric in NYC and the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.
In 2013, an American-made motion picture titled CBGB was released. Actor Rupert Grint portrayed Chrome, while Justin Bartha portrayed Stiv Bators. Chrome himself makes a cameo appearance in the film as well. [12]
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz in 1975, with the later two having splintered from the band Rocket From The Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums, Young Loud and Snotty, and We Have Come for Your Children.
CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters CBGB were for Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Kristal's original vision for the club. But CBGB soon emerged as a famed and iconic venue for punk rock and new wave bands, including the Ramones, Dead Boys, Television, Patti Smith Group, Blondie, Madonna and Talking Heads.
Steven John Bator, known professionally as Stiv Bator and later as Stiv Bators, was an American punk rock vocalist and guitarist from Youngstown, Ohio. He is best remembered for his bands Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.
Rocket from the Tombs is an American rock band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band featured David Thomas and was reconstituted several times with various line-ups starting in 2003.
The Electric Eels were an American rock band active between 1972 and 1975, formed by John D Morton in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sylvain Mizrahi, known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.
Peter Laughner was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer.
Young, Loud and Snotty is the first studio album by the American punk band Dead Boys. It was recorded and released in 1977 on Sire Records, produced by Genya Ravan. The album is the only Dead Boys album to chart, peaking at 189 on the Billboard 200 in November 1977.
We Have Come for Your Children is the second and final studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Boys. It was recorded and released in 1978, on Sire Records. The recording of the album was problematic for the group and sessions were halted when the band became convinced that producer Felix Pappalardi did not understand their music. The band subsequently tried but were unable to get James Williamson of the Stooges to salvage the sessions; they broke up a short time later.
"Sonic Reducer" is a punk rock song written by Cheetah Chrome and David Thomas during their tenure in Rocket from the Tombs, which made its recorded debut on the Dead Boys 1977 album Young, Loud and Snotty with a change of lyrics that were rewritten by Stiv Bators.
John Madansky, known as Johnny Blitz, is a punk rock drummer from Cleveland, Ohio, best known as being a member of the bands Dead Boys and Rocket From The Tombs. With the Dead Boys he helped pioneer the punk rock sound, look and attitude of the mid to late 1970s.
"Ain't It Fun" is a song written by Peter Laughner and Gene O'Connor and performed by their protopunk band Rocket from the Tombs. The song was first released by O'Connor's later group Dead Boys on their 1978 second studio album, We Have Come for Your Children. Laughner died a year before.
Night of the Living Dead Boys is a 1981 live album by the American punk rock band Dead Boys. It was recorded in March 1979 at CBGB. Since Stiv Bators purposely did not sing into the microphone at this show, the vocals were overdubbed later, causing mixed opinions on this album.
Thee Hypnotics are an English psychedelic garage rock band, formed in 1985 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The band are currently composed of frontman James "Jim" Jones, guitarist Ray Hanson, drummer Phil Smith and bassist Jeremy Cottingham. The band split in 1999, before announcing their reformation in January 2018.
False Alarm is an American punk rock band founded in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, in 1982.
Thommy Price is an American musician. He has played drums in a number of bands, including Scandal, Billy Idol, Blue Öyster Cult, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and is an in-demand session drummer.
Disconnected is the debut solo album by Stiv Bators, released in December 1980 on Bomp!. The album is a radical departure from the punk rock sound of his previous band the Dead Boys, and sees Bators venturing into 1960s-inspired power pop.
Still Snotty: Young, Loud and Snotty at 40 is an album by the American punk band Dead Boys. It marks the band's third studio album and is a re-recording of the band's 1977 debut album Young, Loud and Snotty. It is the first album of newly recorded music by the band in 39 years.
"30 Seconds Over Tokyo" is the debut single by American post-punk band Pere Ubu. Written by band members David Thomas, Peter Laughner, and Gene O'Connor during their stint with Pere Ubu's predecessor Rocket from the Tombs, it was released on Thomas' independent Hearthan Records in 1975. The song received very little airplay at the time but has earned high praise in the years since as a pioneering example of post-punk.