Dianne Chai

Last updated

Dianne Chai
Genres Punk rock
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Bass, vocals
Years active1977-1988
Labels Dangerhouse, Time Coast

Dianne Chai is an American bass player. [1] She was one of the founders of the L.A. punk rock band The Alley Cats. [2]

Career

Chai formed The Alley Cats with then-husband Randy Stodola [3] and drummer John McCarthy. [4]

Chris Morris (former senior writer at Billboard , music editor at The Hollywood Reporter and critic at The Los Angeles Reader [5] ), writing in John Doe's book Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk said, "They made some of the toughest, most nihilistic music on the scene." [4] Violence at shows featuring bands such as the Bags and The Alley Cats caused Madame Wong's restaurant to stop featuring punk bands [1] and switch to slower tempo new wave acts. [6]

Chai along with ex-Alley Cats John McCarthy and Randy Stodola formed The Zarkons in 1985 [7] for which Chai sang and played bass. [8]

Chai eventually remarried to the manager of The Alley Cats, Marshall Berle, and began working as a travel agent in Florida. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 Andrade, Sofia (June 4, 2021). "Punk Was Never Just for White Dudes". Slate . Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  2. Jacinto, Louis (July 14, 2018). "Louis Jacinto Photo Column, The Alley Cats". Razorcake . Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  3. Chick, Stevie (2011). Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag . PM Press. p.  44. ISBN   978-1604864182.
  4. 1 2 3 Morris, Chris (2016). "You Better Shut Up and Listen". In Doe, John; DeSavia, Tom (eds.). Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk . Da Capo Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN   978-0306824081.
  5. Doe, John; DeSavia, Tom (2016). Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk . Da Capo Publishing. p. 254. ISBN   978-0-306-82408-1.
  6. Ngô, Fiona I.B. (July–November 2012). Stinson, Beth; Ngô, Fiona I.B. (eds.). "Punk in the Shadow of War". Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory. 22 (2–3): 220. doi:10.1080/0740770X.2012.720826. S2CID   143665330.
  7. Robbins, Ira. "Alley Cats/The Zarkons". Trouser Press . Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  8. Turner, Greg (May 1986). "The Zarkons: Riders in the Long Black Parade". Spin . 2 (2): 34.