Rock Flashback: Poison Ivy Jello Hell

Much of rock's history is shrouded in the haze of legend, or even in danger of being forgotten. Join J.A. Bartlett of the Hits Just Keep On Comin' each Saturday as he reminds us why we love this music like we do ...

Welcome once again to a look inside a music blogger's thought processes. It's supposedly been 30 years this week since the pioneering punk group X-Ray Spex, featuring lead singer Poly Styrene, split up. That name, Poly Styrene, got me thinking about other great punk-rock names, and wham -- instant blog post. (And yeah, I suppose "wham" isn't a very good interjection to throw into a post about punk rock -- because George Michael was no punk -- but a music blogger's mind is always sparking off in random directions, and putting up with that sort of thing is your price of admission around here.)

So anyway, The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists graciously includes a list of 101 Ridiculous Punk Rock Names. A few are so familiar to us now that they scarcely seem punk at all: Adam Ant, Billy Idol, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, Johnny Rotten, Joan Jett, Sid Vicious. Many others, perhaps a bit less familiar, retain that good old-fashioned punk feel:

• Captain Sensible: co-founder of the Damned, born Raymond Burns (also in the Damned: Rat Scabies, born Chris Millar
• Cheetah Chrome: lead guitarist of the Dead Boys, born Gene O'Connor (also in the Dead Boys: Stiv Bators, born Steve Bators, Jimmy Zero, born William Wilden, and Johnny Blitz, born John Madansky)
• Jello Biafra: political activist and lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, born Eric Boucher (also in the Dead Kennedys: Klaus Fluoride, born Geoffrey Lyall, and Ted, born Bruce Slesinger, who replaced a guy named 6025, born Carlos Cadona)
• John Doe: actor and founder of X: John Duchac
• Johnny Thunders: member of the New York Dolls, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. (also in the New York Dolls: Sylvain Sylvain, born Ronald Mizrahi, no relation to Isaac)
• Lydia Lunch: singer, writer, and actress, born Lydia Koch
• Richard Hell: leader of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, born Richard Meyers
• Siouxie Sioux: leader of Siouxie and the Banshees, born Susan Ballion

The list of 101 Ridiculous Punk Rock Names also includes a few lesser-known and highly colorful names:

• Frankie Venom: member of the Canadian band Teenage Head, born Frankie Kerr
• Genesis P-Orridge: founding member of Throbbing Gristle (definite contender for best punk band name of all time), born Neil Megson
• Lux Interior: founding member of the Cramps, born Erick Purkheiser (also in the Cramps: Poison Ivy, later Ivy Rorschach, born Kristy Wallace, who was also Mrs. Lux Interior)
• Steve Ignorant: co-founder of Crass, born Steve Williams, also known as Stephen Intelligent (also in Crass: Penny Rimbaud, born Jeremy Ratter, The fact that his punk name does not contain a variation on the word "rat" is a definite upset.)

And Poly Styrene? Her real name is Marian Elliott. She chose her punk name because "I thought it would be a laugh to call myself a product. All pop stars are products."

The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists was compiled by Amy Wallace and Handsome Dick Manitoba, formerly of the Dictators and himself the possessor of a fine punk-rock name, born Richard Blum. Snag yourself a copy here, and please contribute your favorite punk-rock names in the comments below.

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Comments

[Kinky Paprika]

Arcane Vendetta.

[valtrex online]

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