After Kim Fowley lost control of the Runaways. the early all-female rock band that he helped found and also managed, he sought to form another band that was counter to the conventions of the day: a male lead singer that was backed by female musicians. Called Venus and the Razorblades, bandmembers were Steven T. (vocals and guitar), Roni Lee (rhythm guitar), Danielle Faye (bass guitar), Nicky Beat and later Kyle Raven (drums), and two more vocalists, Dyan Diamond and Vicki Arnold, aka Vicki Razor Blade. As with the Runaways. the musicians were teenagers; Arnold was 17, and Diamond was only 14.
Dyan Diamond released an acclaimed album in 1978 (produced by Kim Fowley), In the Dark that brings rockabilly and roots music to her new wave oeuvre; Allmusic gives the album 4½ stars and calls it “a perfect example of an LP that was a creative triumph but a commercial disappointment”.
(December 2013)
