Punk: Dead Or Alive? Part II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Felix Pappalardi (Mountain)

Dead Boys guitarist Chrome slams the album, due to its production, in his hilarious autobiography "A Dead Boy's Tale". To my ears it's still a pinnacle of US punk, despite the fact that Pappalardi was blatantly out of his depth and misunderstood the bands' raison d'être.

Pappalardi also produced Cream and Hot Tuna, much more within his range.

Rik Ocasek produced hardcore band Bad Brains' debut album, "Rock For Light".

Alex Chiltern produced The Cramps' debut, "Songs The Lord Taught Us".

Todd Rundgren has produced a host of bands, including The New York Dolls, The Tubes and Bad Religion.

Answer: Fear

Fear formed in 1977. They appeared in the film "The Decline of Western Civilization" and quickly gained a reputation for their rambunctious performances. They also came to the attention of actor/comedian John Belushi, who personally championed the band and got them on "Saturday Night Live".

Their wild sense of comedy gained them as many enemies as fans, songs like "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" and "Let's Start A War" not exactly currying favour amongst the more po-faced in the punk scene.

The band are mentioned in Brett Easton Ellis' novel "Less Than Zero", playing at a party. In the film version the Red Hot Chili Peppers (whose bassist, Flea, had a stint in "Fear") were filmed for the sequence, but it was cut from the final edit.

Answer: MDC

MDC were originally The Stains, and they released "John Wayne Was A Nazi" as a single in 1981 under that name too.

Originally from Texas, they moved to San Francisco in 1982 and became MDC. Their debut album included "John Wayne Was A Nazi" along with other provocative songs dealing with issues such as capitalism, homophobia, family life and narrow-minded bigotry. The album is widely cited as a classic of American hardcore punk.

Answer: A bottle of Jim Beam

GG was born named Jesus Christ Allin and got the name GG because his brother couldn't pronounce Jesus.

He was one of the most extreme performer in popular music history, and claimed in his mission statement he was trying to make rock n roll dangerous.

Although his early efforts were fairly tame, evoking dismissive reviews from punk publications like the highly influential Touch And Go, something happened and GG underwent a metamorphosis. The new GG growled highly offensive lyrics and he became a volatile, confrontational performer. His career, stage antics and death are excellently documented in the film "Hated", which is not recommended for the squeamish or faint-hearted.

In the film he claims to have no friends, and alludes to his desire to die. He often promised to commit suicide on stage, but was never able to due to shows being interrupted by local authorities. He was often arrested after shows, or had to flee. He eventually died of a drug overdose after a gig in New York. This final performance and his escape from the police who arrived at the venue are included as extras on the DVD of "Hated".

Answer: The Dickies

The Dickies were hugely popular in the UK and even hit the Top Ten with "Banana Splits", which is why they are generally remembered there. They were a dab-hand at comedy covers, doing "Paranoid", "Nights In White Satin" amongst others.

They don't have a good record of life expectancy, and many victims have fallen along the way. They do remain, however, fun punk rock at its height.

The film wasn't exactly a blockbuster, but it has got its cult following, possibly augmented by fans of one of the world's most reckless and fancy-free punk bands.

Answer: YOU MAKE ME _________

How the sentence was supposed to end has never been revealed. Hell had been a member of The Heartbreakers, but went off on his own and formed The Voidoids, producing a punk classic with their debut.

Circle One was Germs' front-man Darby Crash's concept. He was a troubled soul and renowned for self-mutilation on stage, granting punk audiences cheap thrills that ultimately left a sour taste in the mouth considering his drug induced suicide.

Manic Street Preacher Richey Edwards carved "4 REAL" into his arm when accused of the band's insincerity by a cynical British journalist (Steve Lamaq). He disappeared in 1995 and was officially presumed dead in 2008.

Answer: Blue Öyster Cult

They used to do "The Red and the Black" live though!

They did CCR's "Don't Look Now", Van Halen's "Aint Talkin' 'Bout Love" and Steely Dan's "Doctor Wu".

The Minutemen from California grew up listening to and covering mainstream rock bands but when punk came along decided to do their own thing, which was politically outspoken lyrics backed by tight, funky punk. Their album "Double Nickels on the Dime" is a classic of the genre. Its complex time changes lay claim to the band's wide influences.

The band announced their tour with a fledgling R.E.M. would be their last, and so it would be, as guitarist D.Boon was killed in a car crash during said jaunt. Many a punk scribe has wondered what if the band would had continued, what heights they might have scaled.

Former members Mike Watt and George Hurley went on to form Firehose, who had many a trait in common, but lacked Boon's dynamism. Watt has never got over his band-mate's death (they met at age 13) and endearingly dedicated every album, and every performance to Boon.

Answer: True Sounds Of Liberty

TSOL started life as a fairly straight-forward political punk band, and gained a strong following, often described as rather rowdy "jock" types who wreaked havoc at local shows.

They soon developed into a darker, almost-Gothic punk band. They are best known for their album "Dance With Me".

They later flirted with metal and even nurtured a healthy relationship with Guns N Roses, who often promoted the band by donning their t-shirts in photo shoots.

They've also been covered by Slayer, and their songs have featured in movies, most notably in "Suburbia", a film about suburban punks.

Answer: The Dils

The Dils formed in 1977 and are often mentioned as one of the USA's most influential (on their peers) bands, despite their short life. They had a wonderful mix of leftist politics and hummable tunes.

The 1978 film charters usual Cheech and Chong territory, the highlight being the Dils appearance. They don't win the contest. It was banned in some countries, not due to its poor quality, but as being possibly subversive.

In an interview with "The Summer Of Hate Punk Zine", ex-Dils drummer John Silvers says: "the Dils were asked to play a battle of the bands at the Whiskey ('77). All of the bands that participated were told the same thing: "No matter what happens, don't stop playing. We're filming, and we'll decide afterward which band we're gonna use". So what happens? When you see the movie 'Up In Smoke', which is where this performance ended up, you hear them playing "You're Not Blank". You see Cheech and Chong in their crazy pot-van, approaching the club. You hear the Dils in the background, and all of a sudden there they are onstage, playing. Andre's on drums, and suddenly he stops playing, yelling "I can't hear you guys!""

Answer: Dee Dee Ramone

Dee Dee was the Ramones most prolific songwriter, and a fans' favourite. He also sang sometimes, giving the band a slightly harder edge.

He recorded the universally slated "Funky Man" in 1987 while still in the Ramones. After having produced one of punk rock's most embarrassing moments, he left the band and recorded as Dee Dee King, going back to his punk roots at times, and then did further stuff for the Ramones.

Sadly, Dee Dee, one of punk's best-loved and most talented performers died of a heroin overdose in 2002. He'd struggled with addiction for years.

Answer: The singer was sent to prison

Vocalist Sam McBride was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing his girlfriend in a drug-fueled rage. He went down for six years.

The first incarnation recorded "Landshark" and "Where The Wild Things Are", available together on CD, which best represent the band's intense, stomping, venomous style.

The band reformed in 1989 and continued recording and playing live. A later line-up of the band featured ex- Faith No More guitarist, "Big" Jim Martin.

Parody metal band Spinal Tap were renowned for drummers dying on them.

Answer: His recording debut was backing a pro-wrestler

Hugely influential band Wipers is essentially Greg Sage's do. He first recorded with wrestler Beauregard in 1973. His next recording was with Wipers in 1979, "Better Off Dead", which he released on his own label, Trap records. Then came "Is This Real?" which cemented the band's reputation for ever. Despite its catchiness the album has dark, brooding undertones that resonate way after listening.

Nirvana often cited the band as a major influence, especially Sage's bitter, melancholy lyrics and guitar sound. They invited the band to open for them, but stage-shy Sage turned the offer down.

Their first three albums plus extras are available as a "cheap and cheerful" box set from Sage's own label, Zeno Records.

Answer: Ted Falconi

The band started in 1979, but it wasn't until 1982 that their seminal album "Generic Flipper" came out.

The band's sound is unmistakable, made up of slow, sloppy bass lines, wild, distorted guitar and very catchy, childlike tunes. They fast gained a reputation for annoying the audience, mainly due to their slow-paced, rambling sound.

The Melvins were hugely influenced by the band, as much for their songs (they covered "Sacrifice")as for their attitude, and when Nirvana took Melvins on your, they too managed to enrage members of the audience by being so slow.

Ted Falconi lived in a van, which is shown on the cover of 1984 album "Gone Fishin'".

Original bassist Will Shatter died of a heroin overdose in 1987, leading the band to go into hiatus until 1992 when they released an album, "American Grafishy", on Def American. New bassist John Dougherty also died of a drug overdose, prompting singer Bruce Loose to say: "we're like Spinal Tap, except the bass player keeps dying".

Answer: It was recorded over the phone from prison

H.R. was in prison on a drugs charge, so they decided to do the vocals over the phone. It gives the track a very eerie edge, making him sound somewhat distanced from the subject matter.

British-born singer H.R. is known for his rather unpredictable, sometimes confrontational nature and has left and rejoined the band numerous times, sometimes on the same night.

The album, "I Against I", was Bad Brains biggest commercial success, although hardcore fans usually cite the first, cassette-only album, "Bad Brains" as the band's best work. Most of the material from that debut popped up again on the band's second album, "Rock For Light".

Answer: A Germs song

Poison Idea started out in 1980. Singer Jerry A was heavily influenced by Germs singer Darby Crash, not so much in vocal delivery as in stage antics. When they started their own record label in 1989 the first release was a fitting tribute, "Darby Crash Rides Again" EP.

Live Poison Idea were one of the most formidable acts of all time, a document of which was immortalized in "Pig's Last Stand", recorded at their "last" show (until they reformed!). It was recorded in the band's home town, Portland, Oregon, and covers their whole career, plus a couple of choice covers.

Their influence on hardcore punk is undisputed, but also metal bands such as Darkthrone and Pantera have tipped their hats to the self-proclaimed "Kings Of Punk".