Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs

is review is from: Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs (Paperback)
Adam Parfrey's Feral House gave us another fascinating biography with the same unique format: Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (Rudolph Grey, 1992). These books present a chronologically arrayed series of short of paragraph-length quotes from those that knew or experienced the subject. No attempt is made to rectify contradictions. (Looking back, how often can the truth of biographical minutiae really be determined?) The result makes for easy reading and provides a kaleidoscopic view of the subject. In both these cases, that is a complex and controversial artist. Author/editor/publisher Adam Parfrey show more (Apocalypse Culture, Extreme Islam) stakes a claim in the rich quarry of the violent and dark subcultures and countercultures. Through this lens, Germs vocalist and songwriter Darby Crash appears as both a taunting jester of the burgeoning West Coast punk scene as well as mischievous if not malevolent pied piper leading impressionable thrill seekers into would-be decadence of the type predicted by Oswald Spengler in The Decline Of The West. Through the remembrance quips, Crash also reveals a side as an extremely image-conscious and thus insecure youth struggling more to obscure his homosexuality rather than create a cohesive and worthy artistic legacy. Taken this way, it seems that songs that still reverberate in the global punk community, are only accidental revelations of writing genius whose suicide cut short a career that could have been even more defining on this music genre. Full of black and white pictures, this volume includes lyrics of songs by The Germs and discography as well as a time line of gigs and key events. show less

Darby Crash was one of the archetypal Punk Rock icons. Controversial and self-destructive like his hero Sid Vicious he was one hell bent on the "live fast die young" attitude creating a mythology around himself and his music that while wreaking chaos around him channeled genuine art with his band the Germs becoming one of the cornerstones of Punk and a foundation of Hardcore inspiring numerous followers whose influence extends to this day. Coming from a troubled and tragic background Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) was a smart and individualistic kid who loved to read and write and embraced the Rock music of the day, idolizing David Bowie and immersing himself in the budding Glam Rock scene in Los Angeles. Hooking up with best friend Georg show more Ruthenberg (best known as Pat Smear) the oddball duo shared adolescent hijinks and a love for music that compelled them to form a band and the rest as they say is history.

The book chronicles in impressive detail Crash's childhood and tumultuous personal life and music career. Friends, fans, bandmates, business associates, lovers and others who constituted this singular figure's constellation of ragged stars relate their memorable experiences on Crash, the music, the scene and the time. Artistic lights Pat Smear, John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Dez Cadena, Genesis P-Orridge, Tomata Du Plenty, Penelope Spheeris, Belinda Carlisle; Slash records founder Bob Briggs; and Crash's intimates Amber, Nicole Panter, Geza X, Tony the Hustler, Donnie Rose and Casey Cola share their memories on an unforgettable character and one hell of a time. From Crash slashing himself and rubbing peanut butter on himself onstage; to the raucous racket the Germs generated live; on to the last bottle flung and well-shot spit spat to the violence and obnoxiousness gleefully committed no detail is spared in this celebration of youthful exuberance and imbecility. Crash's difficult relationship with his troubled mother and his closet homosexuality are discussed all of which contributed to his personal torment which fuelled his downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs and eventual tragedy.

While the work may be a bit too long in its detailed panorama of this colorful and seamy tale, fans will be delighted with this very same dissection of that fascinating and influential time.

One of the best oral histories on music, "Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and The Germs" is a must read for Punk and Rock fans and conoisseurs of L.A. history. A compelling and moving tribute to those whose lives burn to live leaving lasting legacies as intense as their lives are flashingly brief. show less

I keep picking up these punk themed books on whims and then they suck me in and I can't put them down. Mr. Crash had a genuinely unique and bizarre childhood. The picture of him painted via this oral history is of someone flawed, complex, and reaching. It's a fascinating read. I think the people in this book are just my people.

Biography of the late Darby Crash, lead singer of the Germs, an influential early L.A. punk band. Told via oral histories, much like Please Kill Me and We Got The Neutron Bomb. Darby's definitely an interesting figure -- a troubled, self-destructive, charismatic queer punk, allegedly able to talk anyone into doing anything for him. I admit I wasn't able to finish the book, though I can't quite remember why... possibly I got tired of the oral history format; also, Darby's cult-leader-like charisma seems to be a "you had to be there" kind of thing that doesn't quite translate on the page. Still, if you're interested in troubled punks and/or the early L.A. scene, it wouldn't hurt to check this out. If you're interested in the intersection show more of queerness and punk rock (which is why I picked up the thing), this doesn't really look at things from that angle, more's the pity. Then again, I didn't finish, so maybe you'll find something I didn't. Worth taking a look at. show less

Incredibly detialed and relevant beyond his life to rock and roll and punk in general. Priceless in your punk book collection.