The Germs
The Germs, left to right: Pat Smear, Lorna Doom, Darby Crash, Don Bolles
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, CA, USA
Genre(s)	Punk rock
Years active	1977—1980 2005—Present
Label(s)	Slash Records
Associated acts	Darby Crash Foo Fighters Nirvana
Website	www.germsreturn.com
Members
Shane West Pat Smear Lorna Doom Don Bolles
Former members
Darby Crash Michelle Baer Dinky Dottie Danger Donna Rhia Nickey "Beat" Alexander

The Germs are a punk rock band from Los Angeles formed in the late 1970s. Their 1977 single, Forming/Sexboy (live), is generally regarded as the first punk record from Los Angeles. Image File history File links Thegerms. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The present is the time that is perceived directly, not as a recollection or a speculation. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Slash Records is a record label. ... Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs. ... Foo Fighters are a rock group formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1995. ... Nirvana was an American rock band originating from Aberdeen, Washington. ... Shane West (born Shannon Bruce Snaith on June 10, 1978) is an American television and film actor. ... Pat Smear (born Georg Rottenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. ... Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs. ... Look up dinky in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Belinda Carlisle on her 1996 single In Too Deep cover Belinda Carlisle (born Belinda Jo Carlisle; also known as Belinda Kurczeski) on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the all-female rock & roll band The Go-Gos and also a... Drummer in L.A. Guns 1988 - ? The Weirdos The Cramps October 1991 - December 1993 ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ...

History

The band started when Paul Beahm and Georg Ruthenberg decided they should start a band after being kicked out of University High for antisocial behaviour, allegedly for using 'mind control' on fellow students. The (initially hypothetical) band was named "Sophistifuck & The Revlon Spam Queens," with Beahm (then 'Bobby Pyn,' and later Darby Crash) on vocals, Ruthenberg (then and later called Pat Smear) on guitar, an early member called Dinky on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This lineup never played live. Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs. ... Pat Smear (born Georg Rottenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. ... Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ... Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs. ... Pat Smear (born Georg Rottenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. ...

In April '77 the band featured its final bassist, Lorna Doom, with transitional member Dottie Danger on drums, later famous as Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's (Carlisle never played live, due to her being sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis for an extended period, although she can be heard introducing the band on the Live At The Whiskey recording), and was soon replaced by Donna Rhia, who played three gigs and recorded their first single. Nicky Beat, of various noteworthy LA bands, then sat in for a time. Belinda Carlisle, born Belinda Jo Carlisle (also known as Belinda Kurczeski); on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the all-female rock & roll band The Go-Gos and also a successful solo artist. ... For the 1960s band, see The Go-Gos (1960s). ... Infectious mononucleosis (also known as mono, the kissing disease, Pfeiffers disease, and, in British English, glandular fever) is a disease seen most commonly in adolescents and young adults, characterized by fever, sore throat and fatigue. ...

Initially drawing on musical influences including Iggy Pop, Suzi Quatro, The Runaways, and New York Dolls, the Germs began as an objectively pathetic musical outfit, with Smear the only member competent on an instrument (Lorna Doom survived early performances by sliding a finger up and down the fingerboard of her bass; Donna Rhea generally kept a minimal beat on the bass drum, periodically hitting a cymbal). 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 Chong movie, Up In Smoke, although the song was not featured in the movie. Neither was the band, the only one not to be called back to perform live in the "battle of the bands" sequence, perhaps due to the fact that the Germs' chaotic Roxy performance had featured a full-on food fight. James Newell Osterberg, Jr. ... Suzi Quatro Album Cover Suzi Quatro Suzi Quatro (born Susan Kay Quatro on June 3, 1950 in Detroit, Michigan. ... This article is about the 1970s band. ... The New York Dolls are a rock band formed in New York City in 1972. ... Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were a comedy duo who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their stand-up routines, which were based upon the eras hippie, free love and especially drug culture movements. ... Up in Smoke was Cheech and Chongs first feature-length film, released in 1978. ...

The Germs, despite all expectations, developed a sound that was extremely aggressive, hyper-competent, and highly influential -- although 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. The other band members had similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherency, and drunken vomiting onstage.

The final drummer - Don Bolles - was, however, extremely technically adept, and the amateurish bass stylings of Lorna Doom became, through rehearsal, a tight, complex counterpoint. Smear was revealed as a remarkably talented and fluid player, while the songwriting began to be cited as art and poetry. The canonical lineup of the band was often accused of willfully skirting the boundary between genius and disaster. 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 [1] are very similar to the sound achieved on later Germs recordings. The Screamers were a punk rock group active in the Los Angeles, California area in the late 1970s. ... // From 1973 to 1981 Zolar X became legendary on the west coast USA for dressing and acting like space-aliens 24 hours a day. ...

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 alternative rock fans. Hardcore punk (usually referred to simply as hardcore/hXc) is a subgenre of punk rock which originated in the United States of America in the late 1970s. ...

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). Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1960) is an American rock guitarist, singer, producer and actress. ...

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. Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. ... The Decline of Western Civilization is a rockumentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles punk rock scene in 1979 and 1980. ... X on the cover of their 1997 collection Beyond and Back: The X Anthology. ... Black Flag was a hardcore punk band formed in 1976 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes. ... Fear is a punk band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1977 and still performs. ... The Circle Jerks are a hardcore punk band formed circa 1979 in Hermosa Beach, California. ... The Alice Bag Band was a punk band which appeared in the Penelope Spheeris film, The Decline of Western Civilization, filmed in 1979. ... Catholic Discipline was a short lived Los Angeles Punk Rock band headed by Slash Fanzine editor Claude Bessy, nicknamed Kickboy Face on vocals. ...

Following the release of their solo studio album, (GI), The Germs recorded six original songs with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche for the soundtrack to the film, Cruising, starring Al Pacino. 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." Bernard Alfred (Jack) Nitzsche (Chicago, April 22, 1937 – Hollywood, August 25, 2000) was an integral presence in the history of popular music in the 20th century. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... S&M can be an abbreviation for: Slave and Master, a form of Sexual roleplaying. ...

Crash committed suicide 7 December 1980, at age 22, for reasons unreported at the time. Beahme overdosed on 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 last minute and intend for himself to live. His death was largely overshadowed by John Lennon's death the next day. December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine, (BAN) diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...

The Germs presented themselves not only as a band, but also as a loose and half-ironic cult, with membership signified by a Germs burn.(a characteristic cigarette burn on the wrist or inner forearm.)

After the End

After the Germs ended Don Bolles played with several other seminal L.A. bands, including CELEBRITY SKIN, Nervous Gender and 45 Grave. Pat Smear went on to play with Nirvana and, after the death of Kurt Cobain, with the Foo Fighters. Pat is playing some shows with the Foo Fighters acoustic tour in 2006. Nervous Gender was a punk band founded in Los Angeles, California in 1978 by Gerardo Velazquez, Edward Stapleton, Phranc and Michael Ochoa. ... During 1979-1990 in Los Angeles, 45 Grave was born in the chaos of the punk movement and churned out their own brand of death rock. ... Pat Smear (born Georg Rottenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. ... Nirvana was an American rock band originating from Aberdeen, Washington. ... Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1969 – c. ... Foo Fighters are a rock group formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1995. ...

In 1993, Slash Records released The Germs: Complete Anthology (MIA), with liner notes by the band's onetime manager Nicole Panter and friend, fan and L.A. scene icon Pleasant Gehman. The album cover is the Germs' traditional black background and blue circle. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Slash Records is a record label. ... Hi- This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

In 2004, the song Lexicon Devil was featured on the skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2. A skateboarder performing a frontside lipslide Skateboarding is the act of rolling on or performing tricks with a skateboard. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Tony Hawks Underground 2 (or THUG 2) is the sixth installment in Neversofts Tony Hawks Series and is the sequel to 2003s Tony Hawks Underground. ...

A movie about The Germs, What We Do Is Secret, is in post production as of August 2005 with actors playing the band members and Jett. Spurred by the movie, Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with actor Shane West, who plays Darby Crash in the movie, taking over the vocal spot, and have been performing live. What We Do Is Secret is a film currently in production, based on the life of Germs singer Darby Crash. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shane West (born Shannon Bruce Snaith on June 10, 1978) is an American television and film actor. ...

They played on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour, two in California and one in Arizona.

They toured club shows in the US with Shane singing from Late July to Aug. 2006. (Detroit, Chicago, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, DC).

Don Bolles, the Germs' drummer, is facing charges as of April 4th, 2007, for possession of GHB, after an 8oz bottle of peppermint Dr. Bronner's Magical Soap soap in his possession tested positive. After both the internet community and Dr.Bronner's came to his aid, further analysis revealed that there were flaws in the field testing kit. [2]

Reaction to Reformation

Some prominent members of the punk rock community have been critical of the band's decision to continue without Darby Crash, and replacing him with someone primarily known as an actor. Fat Mike of NOFX called the group's performance at the 2006 Warped Tour "really bad" and stated he hoped the band didn't do any more gigs. [3] Michael Burkett, more commonly known as Fat Mike, is the lead singer and bassist of the popular band NOFX, as well as bass player for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. ... NOFX is a skate punk band from San Francisco, California, United States, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles. ... Warped Tour Logo Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. ...

Jello Biafra formerly of the Dead Kennedys (whose remaining members reformed without him, initially with former child television star Brandon Cruz) stated "Running out with a pretty-boy movie actor substituting for Darby [Crash] and calling themselves the Germs- That’s the lowest that retro incorporated has reached yet".[4] Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), better known by the stage name Jello Biafra, is an American punk rock musician and political activist best known as the former lead singer and song writer of the Dead Kennedys. ... The Dead Kennedys (often known by their initials DK, as in decay) are a hardcore punk band from San Francisco, California. ... Brandon Edwin Cruz (born May 28, 1962 in Bakersfield, California) was a child actor and is a musician. ...

Members

Current lineup

• Pat Smear – guitar (1977-1980, 2005-present)
• Lorna Doom – bass (1977-1980, 2005-present)
• Don Bolles – drums (1978-1980, 2005-present)

Pat Smear (born Georg Rottenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. ...

Former Members

• Darby Crash - vocals (1977-1980)
• Dottie Danger a.k.a. Belinda Carlisle – drums (1977)
• Donna Rhia – drums (1977)
• David Winoground – drums (1977)
• Cliff Hanger – drums (1977-1978)
• Don Bonebrake – drums (1978)
• Nickey Beat – drums (1978)
• Rob Henley – drums (1978)

Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs. ... Belinda Carlisle on her 1996 single In Too Deep cover Belinda Carlisle (born Belinda Jo Carlisle; also known as Belinda Kurczeski) on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the all-female rock & roll band The Go-Gos and also a... Belinda Carlisle, born Belinda Jo Carlisle (also known as Belinda Kurczeski); on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the all-female rock & roll band The Go-Gos and also a successful solo artist. ... Drummer in L.A. Guns 1988 - ? The Weirdos The Cramps October 1991 - December 1993 ...

Discography

• Forming/Sexboy (live) 7", 1977, What? Records
• Lexicon Devil 7" EP, 1978, Slash Records
• (GI) LP, 1979, Slash Records
• The Decline of Western Civilization Soundtrack (live tracks) LP, 1980, Slash Records
• What We Do Is Secret EP, 1981, Slash Records
• Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever LP, 1981, Mohawk/Bomp Records
• Germicide LP, 1985, ROIR
• Germs (MIA) - The Complete Anthology LP, 1993, Slash/Rhino Records

What? Records was a short-lived record label started by Word Records and A&M Records, intended to focus on creative and unusual rock n roll records with spiritual messages. ... Lexicon Devil is a three-song, seven-inch EP by The Germs, released strictly through mail-order by Slash Records in 1978. ... Slash Records is a record label. ... (GI) is the lone studio album from influential American punk band The Germs. ... The Decline of Western Civilization is a rockumentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles punk rock scene in 1979 and 1980. ... Bomp! Records is the first indepdent record label in the U.S., founded by Greg Shaw in the mid-1980s that released many punk, garage, powerpop, and surf revival records since its inception, on Bomp! and its sublabels Voxx AIP, Moxie. Iggy & The Stooges singles and archival material, such... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline for Music. ... Rhino Entertainment is a specialty record label originally known for releasing retrospectives of famous comedy performers, including Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer, and Spike Jones. ...

Trivia

• In both the By the Way and the Universally Speaking music videos by the Red Hot Chili Peppers feature Darby Crash's biography "Lexicon Devil".
• In the Red Hot Chili Pepper video for Californication, Anthony Kiedis's license plate reads "GERMS", referencing The Germs.
• On the back side of the "Wild Gift" album, by 'X', you can see a framed picture of Darby, on the counter next to D.J.Bonebrake.

External links

• Official Site
• Official MySpace Page
• What We Do Is Secret Official Myspace Page
• Rekindling the Punk Flame, article
• What We Do Is Secret, IMDB page
• Fan Site

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