Fear (band)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2013) |
Fear | |
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![]() Fear performing on the 2010 Warped Tour | |
Background information | |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1977–present |
Labels | Slash, Fear, Sector 2 |
Members | Lee Ving Philo Cramer Spit Stix Geoff Kresge Eric Razo |
Past members | Derf Scratch Burt Good Johnny Backbeat Eric Feldman Flea Lorenzo Buhne Will MacGregor Scott Thunes Kelly LeMieux Mando Lopez Sean Cruse Richard Presley Derol Caraco Jeffery “Beldo” Beller Sam Bolle Lawrence Arrieta Andrew Jamiez Paul Lerma Dave Stark Tommy Ufkes |
Fear, stylized as 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 Californian hardcore punk.[1] The group gained national prominence after an infamous 1981 performance on Saturday Night Live.
Frontman Lee Ving has been the band's only constant member. Since its formation, the band has gone through various lineup changes, and at one point even featured Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass. The classic FEAR lineup existed from 1978 to 1982, and was composed of Ving, guitarist Philo Cramer, bassist Derf Scratch and drummer Spit Stix.
History
1970s
Fear was formed in 1977 by singer/guitarist Lee Ving and bassist Derf Scratch, who recruited guitarist Burt Good and drummer Johnny Backbeat. In 1978, Fear released the single "I Love Livin' in the City". Shortly after this, Good and Backbeat left the band and were replaced by Philo Cramer and Spit Stix.
1980s
Film director Penelope Spheeris met Ving and Stix while they were hanging handbills on telephone poles in Los Angeles on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. After a brief discussion, she asked if they wanted to be in a documentary about the Los Angeles punk scene,[2] The Decline of Western Civilization (1981). In the film, Fear performed a set in which they baited members of the audience with personal attacks, sexist and homophobic slurs, and offbeat humor, inspiring some audience members to come on stage to fight them. At the time, Spheeris was married to Slash Records president Bob Biggs who, later that year, signed a recording deal with Fear.
Spheeris's documentary brought the band to the attention of John Belushi, who lobbied successfully to get the band a spot as a musical guest on the 1981 Halloween episode of his former show Saturday Night Live. Belushi had originally offered Fear the soundtrack for his major motion picture Neighbors. The film's producers eventually forced Fear off the project, and Belushi got them the infamous SNL gig as compensation. The band's appearance included a group of slamdancers, among them Belushi, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat (and later Fugazi), Tesco Vee of the Meatmen, Harley Flanagan and John Joseph of the Cro-Mags, and John Brannon of Negative Approach. The show's director originally wanted to prevent the dancers from participating, so Belushi offered to be in the episode if the dancers were allowed to stay.[2] The end result was the shortening of Fear's appearance on TV. They started their second song by saying, "It's great to be in New Jersey", drawing boos from SNL's New York live audience. Fear played "I Don't Care About You", "Beef Bologna", "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones", and started to play "Let's Have a War" when the telecast faded into commercial. The slamdancers left ripe pumpkin remains on the set. Cameras, a piano and other property were damaged. After their SNL appearance, which resulted in $20,000 in damage, some clubs chose not to hire the band.[3][4]
Fear also appeared in the 1981 rotoscope animated film American Pop, directed by Ralph Bakshi. Ving performed under the name Lee James Jude.[5]
Additionally that year, Josie Cotton released the hit song "Johnny Are You Queer". The song was based on Fear's song "Fetch me One More Beer", written by Philo Cramer and John Clancy.[6] Bobby and Larson Paine, who were managing The Go-Gos, re-worked the song with new lyrics and gave it to them, but after a falling out forbid the band from playing it and gave it to Cotton.[7] In several interviews Cotton has suggested that the songs title and was lifted from lyrics in the Fear song,[8][9] though she has also stated that Fear's version of it went “You’re a fuckin’ queer”,[7] which is consistent with Fear's demo of the song.[10][11]
When Fear found out a variation of their song had become popular, a meeting regarding the publishing rights of the song was arranged between them and the Paines. The two sides decided the winner of a coin toss would get the publishing rights to the song, which the Paines won.[12]
In 1982, Fear released their debut album The Record. After touring in support of the album, Ving fired Scratch. Eric Feldman (of Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu, and later PJ Harvey and Frank Black) briefly filled in on bass before he was replaced by Flea. Flea left the band and was replaced by Lorenzo Buhne. On July 3, 1983, Fear performed at the "Rock Against Reagan" protest concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. along with the Dead Kennedys, MDC, Toxic Reasons, the Crucifucks and others. In the summer of 1983 through early 1984, while Stix was touring Europe with Nina Hagen, Chuck Biscuits was supposed to replace him, but Stix returned and Biscuits never played any shows with Fear.[13] With Ving producing, the band recorded their second album More Beer in 1985 in just two days, supposedly. However, according to a representative from Enigma Records, it took a full year, as quoted in a March 1986 issue of Spin.[14]
1990s
Live...For the Record, a live album of a 1985 performance, was released in 1991. Shortly afterwards, bassist Will "Sluggo" MacGregor was hired. After 1991–93 North American tours, Fear disbanded. Cramer and Stix left the band, citing disputes with Ving over finances, his right wing beliefs, and his lack of empathy. For the next two years, Ving performed in Austin, Texas as Lee Ving's Army. This eventually became the new Fear lineup, including Ving backed by LVA members Sean Cruse (guitar), Scott Thunes (bass) and Andrew Jamiez (drums). In 1995, Fear released the Have Another Beer with Fear album, followed by American Beer (2000), which featured Ving and Jamiez along with new members Richard Presley and Mando Lopez. The album included new recordings of several previously unreleased older Fear songs, as well as some new compositions. Richard Presley and Mando Lopez then began playing with Kim Deal and Kelley Deal in the Breeders.
2000 – present
Fear (with Ving as the only original member) performed in the annual Warped Tour in 2008, and at South by Southwest in 2012.[15]
A re-recording of 1982's The Record was released in late 2012.[16]
In 2018, the band reunited with Cramer and Stix, and added former AFI bassist Geoff Kresge and former Viva Hate guitarist Eric Razo.[17]
Band members
Current
- Lee Ving – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1977–present)
- Philo Cramer – lead guitar (1978–1993, 2018–present)
- Spit Stix – drums (1978–1993, 2018–present)
- Geoff Kresge – bass (2018–present)
- Eric Razo – guitar (2018–present)
Former
Drums
- Johnny Backbeat – drums (1977)
- Andrew Jamiez – drums (1993–2018)
Bass
- Derf Scratch – bass (1977–1982; died 2010)
- Eric Feldman – bass (1982)
- Flea – bass (1982–1984)
- Lorenzo Buhne – bass (1984–1988)
- Will MacGregor – bass (1988–1993)
- Scott Thunes – bass (1993–1995)
- Kelly LeMieux – bass (1995–1997)
- Mando Lopez – bass (1997–2008)
- Jeffery "Beldo" Beller – bass (2008)
- Sam Bolle – bass (2008–2009)
- Paul Lerma – bass, backing vocals (2010–2018)
Lead guitar
- Burt Good – lead guitar (1977–1978)
- Sean Cruse – lead guitar (1993–1999)
- Richard Presley – lead guitar (1999–2005)
- Derol Caraco – lead guitar (2005–2009)
- Lawrence Arrieta – lead guitar (2010)
- Dave Stark – lead guitar, backing vocals (2011–2018)
Timeline
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/4gd36x0hqoac34ytbb8kc0tychbk0ja.png)
Discography
Studio albums
- The Record (1982, Slash Records)
- More Beer (1985, Restless Records)
- Have Another Beer with Fear (1995, Sector 2 Records)
- American Beer (2000, Hall of Records)
- The Fear Record (2012, The End Records) (rerecorded version of The Record)
Singles and EPs
- "I Love Livin' in the City" 7" single (1978, Criminal Records)
- "Fuck Christmas" 7" single (1982, Slash Records)
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 7" single (2011, The End Records)
- Paradise Studios Sessions Vol. 1 7" EP (2014, Fear Records)
- Paradise Studios Sessions Vol. 2 7" EP (2015, Fear Records)
- "Neighbors" 7" single with John Belushi (2016, Fear Records)
Live albums
- Live...for the Record (1991, Restless Records)
Soundtrack compilation appearances
- The Decline of Western Civilization (1980, Slash Records)
- Get Crazy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1983, Morocco Records)
- Repo Man (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1984, San Andreas Records)
- SLC Punk – Original Soundtrack (1999, Hollywood Records)
Influence
Fear has influenced a number of bands who have paid tribute to the band by covering its songs.
- A Perfect Circle covered "Let's Have a War" on their album eMOTIVe.
- Bad Religion covered "Fuck Christmas", though it was not released. The band also covered "I Don't Care About You" during its May 18, 1998, performance at the TLA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Blatz covered "I Don't Care About You" on Shit Split.
- Course of Empire covered "Let's Have a War" as a B-side on their 1993 single "Infested!"
- Dark Angel covered "I Don't Care About You" on their Live Scars album.
- Demoniac quoted the lyric "Hatred is purity, weakness is disease" from Fear's "Foreign Policy" in the song "Hatred Is Purity".
- Dog Eat Dog covered "More Beer" on their EP If These Are the Good Times.
- From Autumn to Ashes covered "Let's Have a War" for the Tony Hawk's American Wasteland soundtrack released by Vagrant Records.
- Guns N' Roses covered "I Don't Care About You", released on their 1993 "The Spaghetti Incident?" punk covers album.
- Harvey Milk covered "We Destroy the Family" on their 2008 album Life... The Best Game in Town.
- Indecision covered "I Don't Care About You" and "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" on Punk Rock Jukebox Volume 2.
- Megadeth covered "Foreign Policy" on their Dystopia album.
- Method of Destruction (M.O.D.) covered "I Love Livin' in the City" on their Gross Misconduct album.
- Poster Children covered "Let's Have a War" on their On the Offensive CD EP.
- Sacred Reich covered "Let's Have a War" on their A Question EP and "Beef Bologna" on the Japanese version of their album Heal.
- Soundgarden covered "I Don't Care About You", appearing as a B-side on several of their singles.
- Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) covered "I Love Livin' in the City" on their Live at Budokan album.
- The Reatards covered "I Love Livin' in the City" on their album Teenage Hate.
- Turbonegro covered "I Don't Care About You" on their Small Feces box set.
In popular culture
Fear's music has also been featured in several video game soundtracks. "I Love Livin' in the City" appeared in The Warriors "SLC Punk" and Tony Hawk's Underground 2, and "The Mouth Don't Stop (The Trouble with Women Is)" appeared in Grand Theft Auto V, on the fictional punk rock radio station, "Channel X".
The band, specifically Spit, also appear in the Brett Easton Ellis novel Less Than Zero.
In the 1987 film Summer Camp Nightmare, the inter-camp talent show includes a performance of "Beef Bologna" which upsets Chuck Connors' straitlaced camp director.
References
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Fear". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ a b "Spit Stix interview". Markprindle.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ "Citizenmag.com". Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ Dequina, Michael (December 22, 2004). "ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA". filmthreat.com. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on April 11, 2005. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "American Pop". The New York Times.
- ^ Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film, Zach Carlson ISBN 978-1606993637/
- ^ a b Miller, Eric T. (9 September 2006). "Josie Cotton: The Story Of '80s New-Wave Hit "Johnny, Are You Queer?"". Magnetmagazine.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Oh Yeah: Josie Cotton is 'Everything'—Then and Now". Chelseacommunitynews.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Josie Cotton Interview". Spacecaserecords.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "FEAR - Fetch Me One More Beer (1978 Demo)". YouTube. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "FEAR - Fetch Me One More Beer (1978 Demo)". YouTube. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ ""Johnny, Are You Queer?": Cover Songs Uncovered". Popcultureexperiment.com. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Fear". MisfitsCentral.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ Loud, Lance (March 1986). "NOTHING TO FEAR". books.google.com. Spin Magazine.
- ^ "Music News | SXSW 2013". Sxsw.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- ^ "The Fear Record - Fear | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "FEAR". Facebook.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Spit Stix chronicles his time with Fear From Spit Stix's personal page.
- FEAR The Band Facebook Page