TEENAGE
Along with John Denney (lead vocals) and his brother Dix Denney (guitar), the Weirdos began working on some early songs like “Teenage”, “I’m Not Like You”, “Bad Bad”, “Go Kid Hugo”, “Scream Baby Scream”, and “I Want What I Want”. Even though they had no drummer initially, encouraged them to do a concert anyway, so they played at the Punk Palace without one. Local DJ and fanzine writer Phast Phreddie – not to be confused with early rapper Fab 5 Freddy – began talking up the Weirdos and also introduced them to drummer Nicky Beat, who had recently left the Kim Fowley assemblage Venus and the Razorblades.
“Destroy All Music” and “A Life of Crime” were instant favorites the second I heard them the first time, and the other music by the Weirdos has the same high quality wrapped in barely contained coiled chaos. Sadly though, the quantity is not there, as these first-wave punk bands tended to burn out and break up quickly, due largely to indifference from the buying public. The three songs from the 1977 Bomp session mentioned above are on the album, along with four demos that include those songs again plus “Teenage”.
(March 2017)
