A part of me feels ashamed when I listen, knowingly, to a band like Dead Boys for the first time. I would like to think that I have listened to more than your average biped. The Dead Boys is another venture into the unknown for me that is as wonderful as my first kiss. Fuck the truth to the reason of me going so long and not knowing their creations til now. I owe Dr. Larry a debt of gratitude for mentioning them while we were planning our trip to Domefest. Now I have to look for a Dead Boys T-shirt.
The first thing that comes to mind is Guns and Roses during the first listen. I thought of Motorhead as well. Sex Pistols and the Ramones come to mind, obviously. While looking for a T-shirt, the second result read Dead Boys is grunge for $225. You won’t see me wearing that one, but the statement is interesting. Naked Raygun’s vocalist Jeff Pezzati said he was a casual music listener til one-day music hit him like a ton of bricks when his older brother brought home a record by the Dead Boys. The song that bricked him was “Sonic Reducer”. Dave Grohl’s first punk show included Naked Raygun, so maybe the T-shirt is worth $225 in a little truth alone. A little music archaeology for us there.
Dead Boys being from Cleveland is a plus for me (Tribalism). I have to laugh at myself that while I was listening to The Micheal Stanley Band, some peer was smoking a little cannabis with headphones on that were busting out Sonic Reducer. A drink from my beer to salute you with a smile.
Jamming to their second album now, and I’m hearing Pixies. God, I love this shit.