Dave Rubinstein
Encyclopedia
David Rubinstein was an American musician, the co-founder of the influential New York
-based punk rock
group Reagan Youth
. He founded the group with guitarist Paul Bakija when both were in Forest Hills High School
in Forest Hills, Queens
. The band played the punk
clubs of Manhattan
while the members were still in high school.
scene. They never recorded a single, only some self published tapes and an album that got cut down into an E.P. They toured cross-country twice, in 84 and 87, performing with many great punk
bands of that era. At the "Rock Against Racism
" shows in the early 1980s, Reagan Youth shared the bill with the Dead Kennedys
, the Bad Brains
, the Beastie Boys
, and others. They were a mainstay at CBGB
's Sunday matinee concerts.
Reagan Youth recorded only a seven-song E.P. and never signed a contract. When Reagan Youth showed up in San Francisco in 1987, a hand-written contract on the back of a poster for a gig was signed. That E.P. sold over forty thousand (40,000) copies. The band also appeared on several compilations albums, including Live at CBGB's. Reagan Youth's music was ironic and political. They preached the gospel of "peace punk." David was known as "Dave Insurgent." The name "Reagan Youth
" was ironic, given David's family background as Holocaust survivors. The cover of their 2nd LP featured a photo of Adolf Hitler
shaking hands with an emissary
of Pope Pius XII
. Their song titles included "Jesus
Was A Communist" and "New Aryans
." The song "Reagan Youth" was their signature tune and songs like "In Dog We Trust" showed their irrevence and creativity.
were frustrated and worn out from years of touring and drug abuse. They had never made any money in the music industry. When Ronald Reagan
left the White House, they officially disbanded. David and several other band members continued to play music together, such as House Of God, although their new group never achieved the same success or momentum as Reagan Youth
.
. He was also dealing drugs. In a drug deal gone bad, another drug dealer violently beat up David with a baseball bat, leaving him in a coma. After receiving a lobotomy
to save his life, David had permanent stitches around his forehead from ear to ear, and his eyelid was "swollen so much it reached all the way down to his upper lip." When he got out of the hospital, he returned to his parents' home. There, he continued to use drugs, smoking marijuana
in his bedroom as his parents tried to help him recover. Eventually David left his parents' home and moved back to the Lower East Side
. By now, between the violent assault and his continued drug use, he was no longer an energetic anarchist but had become a bit disheveled and many of his friends from the punk scene no longer associated with him.
David began dating Tiffany Bresciani, a prostitute who worked on Houston Street and danced in strip clubs around the city. David had told his parents that she was a dancer. Tiffany supported the couple and their drug habit by turning tricks. David would often hang out on the street with Tiffany, waiting while she serviced a customer, and then going with her to score drugs.
On June 24, 1993, David and Tiffany were waiting on Allen Street
when a familiar customer pulled up in a Mazda pick-up truck. Tiffany got in, telling David that she would return in twenty minutes. She never came back. David called the police with a description of the truck and went to the club where Tiffany danced and all the hospital emergency rooms in the city searching for Tiffany. A few days later, on June 28, New York state troopers Sean Ruane and Deborah Spaargaren were patrolling Long Island
's Southern State Parkway
when they pulled over the truck and found Tiffany's decaying body in the back after a high speed chase. They arrested the driver, Joel Rifkin
, one of Long Island's most infamous serial killer
s, who was later linked to killing numerous prostitutes.
Depressed and alone after the unexpected loss of his girlfriend, David headed into a downward spiral. Less than a week later, Rubinstein committed suicide by anti-depressant induced overdose on July 3, 1993.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group Reagan Youth
Reagan Youth
Reagan Youth is an American punk rock band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein and guitarist Paul Bakija in Queens, New York in early 1980. They are known for introducing the style of hardcore punk to the East Coast punk scene, but were also a part of the peace punk movement...
. He founded the group with guitarist Paul Bakija when both were in Forest Hills High School
Forest Hills High School
Forest Hills High School , dedicated in 1937, is a public secondary school in Queens, New York City. It educates students in grades 9–12 and is operated by the New York City Department of Education.- Location :...
in Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
. The band played the punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
clubs of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
while the members were still in high school.
Reagan Youth
As the members went to Forest Hills High School, Reagan Youth was performing regularly at CBGB's and an established band on the country's budding punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene. They never recorded a single, only some self published tapes and an album that got cut down into an E.P. They toured cross-country twice, in 84 and 87, performing with many great punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands of that era. At the "Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
" shows in the early 1980s, Reagan Youth shared the bill with the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, the Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
, the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, and others. They were a mainstay at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
's Sunday matinee concerts.
Reagan Youth recorded only a seven-song E.P. and never signed a contract. When Reagan Youth showed up in San Francisco in 1987, a hand-written contract on the back of a poster for a gig was signed. That E.P. sold over forty thousand (40,000) copies. The band also appeared on several compilations albums, including Live at CBGB's. Reagan Youth's music was ironic and political. They preached the gospel of "peace punk." David was known as "Dave Insurgent." The name "Reagan Youth
Reagan Youth
Reagan Youth is an American punk rock band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein and guitarist Paul Bakija in Queens, New York in early 1980. They are known for introducing the style of hardcore punk to the East Coast punk scene, but were also a part of the peace punk movement...
" was ironic, given David's family background as Holocaust survivors. The cover of their 2nd LP featured a photo of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
shaking hands with an emissary
Emissary
Emissary may refer to:* Ambassador* Apostle* Diplomat* The Subspace Emissary, the single-player Adventure Mode in the video game Super Smash Bros...
of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. Their song titles included "Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Was A Communist" and "New Aryans
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
." The song "Reagan Youth" was their signature tune and songs like "In Dog We Trust" showed their irrevence and creativity.
Break up
By the late 1980s, the members of Reagan YouthReagan Youth
Reagan Youth is an American punk rock band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein and guitarist Paul Bakija in Queens, New York in early 1980. They are known for introducing the style of hardcore punk to the East Coast punk scene, but were also a part of the peace punk movement...
were frustrated and worn out from years of touring and drug abuse. They had never made any money in the music industry. When Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
left the White House, they officially disbanded. David and several other band members continued to play music together, such as House Of God, although their new group never achieved the same success or momentum as Reagan Youth
Reagan Youth
Reagan Youth is an American punk rock band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein and guitarist Paul Bakija in Queens, New York in early 1980. They are known for introducing the style of hardcore punk to the East Coast punk scene, but were also a part of the peace punk movement...
.
Personal problems and suicide
By the time the band broke up David had developed a serious heroin addictionSubstance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
. He was also dealing drugs. In a drug deal gone bad, another drug dealer violently beat up David with a baseball bat, leaving him in a coma. After receiving a lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
to save his life, David had permanent stitches around his forehead from ear to ear, and his eyelid was "swollen so much it reached all the way down to his upper lip." When he got out of the hospital, he returned to his parents' home. There, he continued to use drugs, smoking marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
in his bedroom as his parents tried to help him recover. Eventually David left his parents' home and moved back to the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. By now, between the violent assault and his continued drug use, he was no longer an energetic anarchist but had become a bit disheveled and many of his friends from the punk scene no longer associated with him.
David began dating Tiffany Bresciani, a prostitute who worked on Houston Street and danced in strip clubs around the city. David had told his parents that she was a dancer. Tiffany supported the couple and their drug habit by turning tricks. David would often hang out on the street with Tiffany, waiting while she serviced a customer, and then going with her to score drugs.
On June 24, 1993, David and Tiffany were waiting on Allen Street
Allen Street (Manhattan)
Allen Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan which runs north-south through the Lower Manhattan neighborhood of Chinatown, and the Lower East Side. It is continued north of Houston Street as First Avenue, and south of Canal Street by Division Street and Pike Street. ...
when a familiar customer pulled up in a Mazda pick-up truck. Tiffany got in, telling David that she would return in twenty minutes. She never came back. David called the police with a description of the truck and went to the club where Tiffany danced and all the hospital emergency rooms in the city searching for Tiffany. A few days later, on June 28, New York state troopers Sean Ruane and Deborah Spaargaren were patrolling Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's Southern State Parkway
Southern State Parkway
The Southern State Parkway is a long limited-access highway on Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York...
when they pulled over the truck and found Tiffany's decaying body in the back after a high speed chase. They arrested the driver, Joel Rifkin
Joel Rifkin
Joel David Rifkin is an American serial killer convicted of the murder of nine women , mostly drug addicted prostitutes, between 1989 and 1993 in New York City...
, one of Long Island's most infamous serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s, who was later linked to killing numerous prostitutes.
Depressed and alone after the unexpected loss of his girlfriend, David headed into a downward spiral. Less than a week later, Rubinstein committed suicide by anti-depressant induced overdose on July 3, 1993.