The Dead Boys: Brand New Band, Same Old Stiv!

Originally published in Idol Worship #4 (1980)
By Devorah Ostrov

The Dead Boys circa 1980 lineup: (L-R) David Quinton, 

George Cabaniss, Stiv Bators, and Frank Secich

Photo: Vicki Berndt

A year ago, it was thought that the Dead Boys were finished. Lead singer Stiv Bators was moving to LA to sing pop, and the rest of the band sort of faded into oblivion.

Watching the newly re-formed Dead Boys climb out of their car in front of San Francisco's Warfield Theater before their slot on Urgh #1, it wasn't hard to see that the previous lineup of scrappy punks was gone forever, having been replaced by nice-looking rock and roll boys. Even Stiv, the only original member left, looked surprisingly clean!

Me & Stiv at Aquarius Records - 1977
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

And even after rolling around in slime for an hour onstage, Stiv proved to be a real swell guy, quick with rude answers to innocent questions...

IW staffer Lindsey: "Do you have a lot of spare time?"

Stiv: "Why? Whatcha got in mind?"

These days the future certainly looks brighter for the Dead Boys. Doing pretty much the same songs with pretty much the same sleazy attitude as the original band, they live up to a reputation that draws new fans and early fans alike to see them.

Life wasn't always this easy though. When the Dead Boys first formed in Cleveland back around 1975, it was tough to find work.

"The Ramones weren't around then or anything," says Stiv. "It was like pre-punk. Back then, you had to dress like an 'English fag glitter band' and play Aerosmith songs."

Determined to get a gig, the group that would become the Dead Boys did just that. Calling themselves Frankenstein, they dressed up like the New York Dolls and played on Halloween for a goof.

The group that would become the Dead Boys is hardly recognizable 
in this photo that Stiv sent to Rock Scene's "New Bands" section.

With hair nearly to their waists and guitarist Cheetah Chrome modeling a zebra-print jacket, they were hardly recognizable in the photo Stiv sent to Rock Scene magazine's "New Bands" section.

But according to Stiv, the glitter gimmick paid off. "We did 'Sonic Reducer' and 'Down in Flames' [both were included on the Dead Boys' first LP] and some people liked the music, so after that, we got to play certain places."

Stiv Bators backstage at the Warfield - 1980

Photo: Vicki Berndt

Legend has it that after two shows as Frankenstein, the group got frustrated and broke up, with Stiv and Cheetah relocating to New York. Being natural loudmouths, they soon talked their way into a gig at CBGB then quickly called the other guys to get the band back together.

Sporting short hair and scruffy clothes, the Dead Boys took on the New York scene with a vengeance. Unfortunately, they found themselves getting lost among all the emerging English and New York punk combos, and the press couldn't decide whether the Dead Boys were an imitation of the Ramones or an American version of the Sex Pistols.

Of course, they were neither.

"We weren't copying the Pistols or the Ramones," asserts Stiv. "What we did was cut our hair short and started dressing up instead of wearing ripped jeans and leather jackets." (Which he insists the Dead Boys were doing prior to the Ramones.)

Stiv adds, "Then the Pistols came out right after that, and they hit the press before we did. That's always been our problem; we always hit the press too late."

They released two albums, but a combination of bad timing and the near-fatal stabbing of drummer Johnny Blitz led to the break-up of the group in 1979. Then, a few months later, it was announced that Stiv was going to LA "to sing pop."

Flyer for Urgh #1 at the Warfield Theatre featuring Magazine,

Pere Ubu, the Members, and the Dead Boys - August 15, 1980

"I went to LA with Cynthia from the B-Girls," he explains. "We were hanging around with Greg Shaw [from Bomp Records]. He heard the tape of 'It's Cold Outside' [initially recorded by the Choir in 1966] and wanted to put it out. I've always liked 'It's Cold Outside.' It's one of my favorite songs."

Stiv continues, "In Bomp magazine it said I was moving to LA to sing pop as a joke. It pissed a lot of people off, and that's what I like to do most!"

The Dead Boys at the Old Waldorf in 1977

Photo: Devorah Ostrov

With renewed tenacity and flair, Stiv is now working at pissing people off even more. A solo album of popish tunes "like the single" is being recorded for Bomp. Several of the new tracks were co-written by current bandmate Frank Secich (aka Jeff Jones/Frankie Fiend). "He wrote all the lyrics and I stole 'em," quips Stiv.

Stiv is also set to star in two B-grade movies. The first is a John Waters' film with Devine (lots of gasps and gee-whizzes from the IW team) in which Stiv plays Bo Bo Bellzinger, leader of a teenage gang. The second is a "sci-fi rock 'n' roll flick," which he describes as being "a lot different than my real lifestyle; we get drunk a lot and get in fights onstage!"

So, what's Stiv's real lifestyle like? "I sit at home and drink warm milk at night while watching Father Knows Best reruns," he smirks. ✥

Circumstantial Evidence: Frank Secich's autobiography (published in 2015 by High Voltage Australia) presents a candid look at the longtime rocker's storied past, including untold tales of his rock 'n' roll journey with Blue Ash, the Dead Boys, Stiv Bators Band, Club Wow, and his current outfit, the Deadbeat Poets.

Filmmaker Danny Garcia has recently completed the first cut of his documentary feature, Stiv: The Life and Times of a Dead Boy. The film (which incorporates archive footage, photographs, music and interviews with Stiv's friends and fellow musicians) is scheduled for release summer 2018. Garcia's previous rock 'n' roll documentaries include Looking for Johnny, The Rise and Fall of the Clash, and Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy.




* You can read my other interviews with Stiv here:
Lords Of The New Church: Hanging Out On Portobello
Stiv Bators: Two Extraordinarily Candid Interviews

Lords of the New Church: I Catch Up With Stiv & Nicky